Rating: 
Summary: Weird and Wacky Stuff
Review: Neat book, if you play a fighter or a monk it's really worth your while to pick it up. Martial arts enthusiasts, you will find several prestige classes and a few feats that you like very much. The weapon section is almost worth the entire book in of itself. Add to that the fact that they cram in floorplans for several types of fortresses, rules for charioteering(adaptable for other animal drawn vehicles to be sure)and some really neat feats make it well worth it.
Rating: 
Summary: Wow
Review: New feats, new skills, new prestige classes. I didn't think that putting fighters and monks in the same supplement was a good idea but Wizards pulled it off and truly impressed me. Also, being a Greyhawk enthusiast I am always happy to see classes that pertain to that world. I have already recommended it to all my role playing friends. This is a must have for those converting to Third Edition. Did I mention new feats?
Rating: 
Summary: I have to echo the sentiments...
Review: of several other reviewers in saying that While I found almosteverything in the book worthwhile, it really is not worth [the money]! I picked up a copy because I love the monk class and am extremely happy to have the Monk back in the game in perhaps the only balanced, workable version ever seen. (all the other monk rules ever published have been too weak or WAY too strong!) This being the case, I must voice some disappointment that while this book has some interesting things for Monks, this is first and foremost a fighter's book. Not that there is anything wrong with that, but given the sparse content and the limited format, I would much prefer that WOTC change the way that they are breaking up these supplements. I would prefer to see 1 non-spell user book (i.e. devoted to the Barbarian, Fighter, Monk and Rogue Classes), 1 Arcane book (Wizards, Sorcerers and Bards), and 1 Divine book (Clerics, Druids, Rangers and Paladins). If WOTC gave me these 3 books at 2-3 times the number of pages for the same price, I would buy every one of them. It appears, however, that unless something in the rest of these books really appeals to me, I will not be buying any more of them. The last thing we want to see is a repeat of the "complete handbook" series that TSR released for 2nd Edition. While Wizards has pretty much avoided this in content (classes and abilities are much more balanced than the 2nd ed. kits were, and more of the content of the books is modular and useful in any campaign) they are setting a disturbing precedent in size and price... Bottom line as someone else said...if you do not love playing fighters, let somebody else in your group buy this and borrow it from them.
Rating:
Summary: can you say...smackdown?
Review: Oh my, this book is something! First off, most of the new feats are very cool (nothing like a good ol' snatch arrow to impress your enemies and passersby); one drawback, however, is that some are not explained as clearly as the ones in the PHB (I'm still pondering that dirty fighting bonus). In fact, that's possibly the most negative aspect of the book: it has a kinda "we-wrote-it-really-fast-and-didn't-stop-to-elaborate" feel. Luckily, any doubts and gaps can be easily abridged using the core rulebooks, by compairing the new feats to the basic ones. The "new uses for skills" section is good, if somewhat skimpy, but it gets the ball rolling, so you can make up new uses for other skills. The new prestige classes range from the awesome (read: master of chains) to the whimsical (drunken master) to the downright cheesy (knight protector of the great kingdom? c'mon, just be a paladin!). Overall, they're very cool. The chapters on roles for fighters and monks provide great ideas for campaigns, and useful combat examples. The final chapter...oh my. Weapons. New, bright, shiny, COOL WEAPONS! Who can say no to that mercurial greatsword?!?!? wow, you just gotta love them. Also, you'll find descriptions of the places warrriors like to call home, as well as posh wheels (chariots) and other trinkets and gadgets. All in all it's a great book, but don't expect to be able to use any material directly, without having to do a little bit of work to fit it into your campaign (especially if you're not playing Greyhawk).
Rating:
Summary: Sword and Fist is good, but could have been great
Review: One thing I like about the 3E core rule books is it seems like WotC play tested the hell out of them. Nearly everything is fairly well balanced. Many aspects have been simplified from the 2nd addition in a good way (though sometimes too much.) Overall, I really like 3E and consider it worth buying. Enter supplimental material like Sword and Fist. Here we have a book under 100 pages that costs $20.00us. Based on price alone, it better be one damn solid book for 20 cents per page! Unfortunately, for me, it's only worth maybe $10-15. Think of it this way, the core rule books go for $20-25, and this is about 1/3rd the size. Enough on prices. THE ART: WotC employs some of the finest fantasy artists in the business. The core rule books take full advantage of this, Sword and Fist does not. Don't get me wrong, the art is decent, but it's not in color, nor is up to what WotC could accomplish using multiple artists and color printing. THE CONTENT: Primarily covers Prestige Classes, with some space devoted to new feats, skills, weapons, etc. There's a nice section in the back for vehicles and structures. How valuable is all this to your adventures? Here's my take: we'll need ALL the class books to rebalance the game. Having one class book means those players (and NPCs) who are Fighters or Monks have access to more powerful combinations. Unless each class has the potential for such expansion, it throws off game balance. Granted you don't _have_ to be a fighter or monk to use these prestige classes, but they are most suitable for those classes. Fortunately, all the rules in this book are optional. As a DM you can pick and choose what to use. I strongly suggest you do just that! Otherwise, expect everyone in the group to take the exotic weapon feat: mercurial greatsword. ;-) This class book (and all the other class books thus far) feel rushed. They seem like they are still in beta. There is some really cool stuff though. Use these books for inspiration, and think of the impact before you introduce aspects of Sword & Fist to your game. Done in this manner, I think we can walk away with some valuable additions to the core rules. Also, check out the D&D website for supplimental material. You'll see what I meant about these books being published while still in beta. There is an errata link dedicated to this book. Like the bladed gauntlets have a threat rating of 19-20, not 17-20, etc. WotC: get off your ..., and put the same effort into your accessories as you did with the core rules. And for the love of God, stop charging $20 for the class books. Fellow Amazons: if you think I'm being too harsh on WotC, head to your favorite gaming store and flip through the 3E Forgotten Realms book. THAT is what they can do when they push their capabilities to the limit.
Rating:
Summary: Good but not Great.
Review: Overall I have enjoyed and like the 3rd edition rules and I think everyone will agree that there have been significant improvements with this system. The sword and fist and many of the published supplements, however have me a bit concerned. Afterall, you would expect at a price of... someone would have read it before sending it to the printers? Within 20 minutes of flipping through the book, I had already spotted no less than 5 typos. It appears as if relying on a Word Processor is enough to publish something these days. Overall, I am excited about many things from this book such as many of the feats, new Weapons and the Castle maps. The jury is still out on the extreme amount of Prestige classes. While the idea of prestige classes is good, the monk certainly is no ideal candidate for it due to its restrictions in multiclassing and 21 Prestige classes seems a bit much for this book. 28 pages out 96 goes towards Prestige Classes! Instead it might have been nice to have more explanation of how to better your fighters within the rules. For Example, how to best utilize Rapid shot or Rapid shot and Rapid Reload together or how to take advantage of multi-classing into a fighter for other character classes. The 4 pages of tactics almost hit on a really solid section within this book but was just too short! While the section on fitting prestige classes and their organization into the campaign seems like filler material and any DM could do this without these 13 pages. I have been a bit surprised at the prices of the supplements with there size. They seem to be about half the size of supplements for the same price in the past? Here is the breakdown of each sections.
Feats - 5 pages (Approx 30 new feats)
Skills - 2 pages (0 New Skills)
Prestige Classes - 28 pages (Approx 21 new Classes)
Working the Classes into a campaign - 13 pages (Really neccessary?)
Tactics - 4 pages
Monstrous Fighters -4 pages (section for gms and Monster fighters)
New Weapons - 5 pages
New Magic Items - 2 - 1/2 pages
Vehicles - 2 pages
Castle Plans - 17 pages (Perhaps the nicest section, especially for GMs)
All in all, if your a collector or an avid fighter player this book might add value to your collection. I think any gaming group could get by with 1 copy as there are only about 25-30 pages in the book that might be needed in a given gaming session and could be easily ....
Rating:
Summary: Rule #1: Never talk about Fight Club!
Review: Since my earliest days as a player of Dungeouns and Dragons I have played a human fighter... it's a running joke in games I play... People anxiously ask me what I am going to play, grinning all the way... because it is well know that Brian ONLY plays Fighters... Welllll, if they wanted that to change they shouldn't have published Sword and Fist. Now I have: 30 New Feats, 21 New Presige Classes, Over 4 pages of Combat Tactics, Options for Monster-Fighter PCs, 5 Pages of New weapons, 2 pages of Vehicles and Castle plans. To keep me excited about playing a Fighter... though I will confess that I AM excited about the Upcoming "Song and Silence"... I have this idea involving a Fighter-Barbarian-thief... hmmmmm
Rating: 
Summary: Mediocre product
Review: Sword & Fist is a neat book, and for 10 bucks, i would have considered it an excellent buy. But unfortunatly, for 20 bucks, it is highly over priced. There are some new feats in here that are pretty neat, but most of the feats are geared towards Monks. Some feats also have no value whatsoever, such as "Dirty Fighting" which lets you make a single attack as a full-round action, adding +1d4 to the damage. The prestige classes are either excellent or horribly worthless. My personal favorites though, is the Weapon Master and Duelist. All the others are generally meant for certain organizations, or as antagonists, such as the Ravagers, the Red Avanger, and the Ninja of the Crescent Moon. The tactics section is utter garbage. It just gives you the "proper usage" of feats like Cleave and Spring Attack. It also gives out pointers as the hit-ratio percentage of using the monk's 'Flurry of Blows.' Theres also some strategies about using Monstrous Fighters and Monks and mounted opponents and such. One fine section of the book, which is the new weapons and equipment, was pretty intriguing. They seem more powerful then the weapons in the Player's handbook, but all the ones represented in SaF are exotic weapons, and thus require the Exotic Weapon Proficiency feat. The mercurial swords, Whip Daggers, and the Orc Shotput are some definite winners. Overall, a useful book, but dont pay 20 dollars for it.
Rating:
Summary: Mediocre product
Review: Sword & Fist is a neat book, and for 10 bucks, i would have considered it an excellent buy. But unfortunatly, for 20 bucks, it is highly over priced. There are some new feats in here that are pretty neat, but most of the feats are geared towards Monks. Some feats also have no value whatsoever, such as "Dirty Fighting" which lets you make a single attack as a full-round action, adding +1d4 to the damage. The prestige classes are either excellent or horribly worthless. My personal favorites though, is the Weapon Master and Duelist. All the others are generally meant for certain organizations, or as antagonists, such as the Ravagers, the Red Avanger, and the Ninja of the Crescent Moon. The tactics section is utter garbage. It just gives you the "proper usage" of feats like Cleave and Spring Attack. It also gives out pointers as the hit-ratio percentage of using the monk's 'Flurry of Blows.' Theres also some strategies about using Monstrous Fighters and Monks and mounted opponents and such. One fine section of the book, which is the new weapons and equipment, was pretty intriguing. They seem more powerful then the weapons in the Player's handbook, but all the ones represented in SaF are exotic weapons, and thus require the Exotic Weapon Proficiency feat. The mercurial swords, Whip Daggers, and the Orc Shotput are some definite winners. Overall, a useful book, but dont pay 20 dollars for it.
Rating:
Summary: Another Excellent tool for the Novice, or Expert
Review: Sword and Fist is another excellent example of WoC's attempt to revitalize the gaming genre. This book takes a deep and detailed look into the Fighter, and Monk class of the 3rd Edition rules for D&D. The new list of added feats is extensive, and are for the most part excellent. I cannot wait to incorporate them into my next character. The manual also introduces new weapons to specialize in, and includes many new prestige classes to allow players a chance to customize their characters even further. My fave is the Samurai, but then he always was anyway! The art within the book is quite good, and helps to put a face with the character so to speak. We even get quotes from the "iconic" characters that were presented within the Player's Handbook. I thought it was nice touch, and I hope that the trend continues to help personalize each book in the set. I can't wait to see the Cleric book!! Enjoy it, and Keep Gaming!
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