Libris Mortis : The Book of the Undead (Dungeons & Dragons)

Rating:
Summary: Great book
Review: Great book of ideas and feats. I put this one to use right away and really spooked my characters. The goul-touched "class" or whatever it is... really made a sorcerer a frightening opponent. I also liked the eating motivation, really helped make this guy both creepy and realistic, since he had some vulnerabilities because of who he was.
Nice job all around...


Rating:
Summary: Raiding the Graveyard
Review: I just got this a few days ago and already have a treasure trove of ideas running through my poor overworked mind. Like Draconomicon, Libris Mortis is a tool kit. Most of the material is geared towards DMs but there are toys for players as well. Some more prestige classes and feats of course but most of the prestige classes are geared toward NPCs than players. Although there are some good toys for undead hunters as well. Much more new monsters in here but very well done. The small section on undead PCs bears mentioning as it was well done and if a DM wants to allow it, the idea is intrigueing, not something I would want to pursue myself but the option is there. All in all a great book.

Rating:
Summary: The monsters alone are worth it
Review: This book in unique in that it's almost exclusively geared for the DM. Even the DMG had more player-oriented material than this one, and this book has far less player-geared material than its cousin, the Draconomicon. So players, stay away... the few bits that are here for you are good, but probably not worth the asking price.

For DMs, however, this is great stuff. The new monsters and templates alone make this a pretty good buy (I could build an entire campaign around one of the templates, which gives undead the ability to turn into a swarm of bats, rats, dust, even organs... perfect for a villain that keeps coming back for more).

Outside of the monsters, there are a load of undead-empowering feats (gotta love feats that improve every single undead creature you summon or control), and a lot of "flavor text" and more colorful information. And in case you ever wanted to know, there's a full-page table that lists the feeding needs and desires of nearly every undead critter in print.

Overall, good stuff. I'd say it's one of the best buys out there for DMs right now (assuming, of course, you're using undead or plan to... maybe I'm biased, I'm running an undead-heavy campaign). Not for players, but by focusing on DMs the book is able to pack in a lot of great content.

Rating:
Summary: Good Stuff
Review: This book, I think is more useful to me that Draconomicon. Dragons are only really useful as a foe later in campaigns. Undead are useful for any occassion. What I like about this book is that it makes the undead more versatile and creepy in game. The new spells and undead monster classes allow you to tailor your undead to fit any situation. I like the new prestige classes here, especially the 14 level True Necro. Unlike most prestige classes, you're epic before your done with this one. That's great because I think its possible for some characters, if you're careful, to pick up 3 of some of the other prestige classes before 20th level.
Anyway, this book is great for DMs. Players need not look at it and I would encourage them to leave it alone so that the DM can surprise them... and make the game better.

Rating:
Summary: very good book
Review: This is a very good supplement for DMs. Libris Mortis introduces us the the undead in a expanded manner. It opens with chapters on the undead, their outlook and pyschology and gives primers for the characters to fight the undead with positive energy effects like cure wounds, spell effects and other items. Both of which are useful to dms and players.

There is a host of new feats for both undead and players. For players an example is vampire hunter which allows you to know if spawn are closeby and makes you immune to their gaze ability. For the undead there is an improved energy drain.

There are new prestige classes. The DM would need to determine which of these would fit into his campaign. One class is deaths chosen which reminds me of Reinfield from the orginial Dracula movie. There is a bard prestige class the dirge singer, a druid prestige class master of radiance and one for a evil spellcaster and one for a necromancer. The priest one seems similar to the sacred exorcist from the complete divine. There are also monster prestige classes also.

New spells some very nasty. Blade of pain and fear level two d6 plus one every two caster levels and a st vs being frighten. Comsumptive field greater 7th level. Check it out. There are also spells beneficial to the good guys.

New magic items and monsters. 31 new undead monsters and templates in all.

There is a chapter for tactics for various undead and campaign ideas for using inteligent undead as well as mini-adventures to put into your campaign.

The only reason that it didnt get five stars was that I am not going to use everything in the book but I consider it one of the best expansions out there right now

Rating:
Summary: libris mortis
Review: This is excellent. Being stationed in South Korea we have nothing but time. I am a DM and a player. Me I have a fascination with undead especially vampires. I am a flexible DM as well. in my campaigns we have achieved diety hood, i have played a vampire cleric, a lich, a werebat, a drow. We currently play gestalted characters(unearthed arcana). My character is a dhampir(half vampire from ravenloft) and one of the other PC's is a visage. A new creature, it has the ability to sneak attack and assume the slain foes form for 24 hours. after which time damages the soul and can't be resurrected unless with the use of high magic. and they also have a create spawn ability. for a level adjustment. An undead creature can evolve. higher charisma, spell like abilities and +1 to its natural armor. its worthwhile.

As far as spells go, my character has a mother cyst and is a cleric and a dirgesinger(a new prestige class). the dirge singer is a necro bard.

The mother cyst allows you access to spells which are impressive. I recommend it if you are a sorceror. these spells can deal massive damage and also thrall a living creature. aslo they can make baby cysts. which is fun to turn/rebuke.

Other fun things are alternate undead creatures and rules for PC's joining the ranks of undeath. Its pretty fun though. And personally any DM that doesn't allow this book, is missing out on some interesting characters. After all this is the land of make believe.

Rating:
Summary: Great tool for the DM
Review: This is one of the best books Wizards has put out in a long time. I have peen playing the game for roughly 13 years, and it took me some time before I learned to enjoy third edition. However once I did, I got hooked. This book explores the undead, gives great rules, and even better new monsters. It has some incredible new feats, spells, and classes. The book is more geared for the DM than the player, I found myself creating new villains and new campaign ideas, to torment the players with. The world of the undead was not very laid out before this book. The only two gripes I have is one not enough about vampires, and I wish there was a prestige class that is more geared to hunting the undead with out being a Paladin or a Cleric. Now Wizards needs to put a book out just about lycanthropes (were critters) and you could play in a world like the classic horror movies.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Campaign Material
Review: Usually, I write reviews that detail the good and bad of a product. I have to do things differently this time around, because this sourcebook is ALL good. Let me tell you why:

FOR THE DMs: The book details pretty much everything you ever needed to know about running undead monsters in your campaign, and then some. The material is extremely well-organized and concise, allowing it to be used readily and requiring little, if any, prior research on the part of a DM to incorporate both "new" and "traditional" undead monsters into the campaign. Updated definitions of abilities and traits are included (even incorporating descriptive material from the Monster Manuals through MM3). Without getting too boring, details are given on the methods and motivations of all of the "traditional" undead types (skeleton, zombie, ghoul, ghast, shadow, wraith, spectre, ghost, mummy, mohrg, vampire, and lich), with information given on creation methods above and beyond the typical myths surrounding these monsters and the mundane "game mechanic" procreation abilities possessed by some of them -- all excellent fodder for creating new adventure hooks or plotlines to jazz up any "haunted house" adventure. In addition, a number of ready-to-use horrors and their backstories occupy a section of the book all to themselves, just waiting for you to pick up and run with them. The latter portions of the book detail more new undead creatures -- fair warning: while there is, at least, no nudity, the illustrations in the New Monsters section makes much of the artwork from the Book of Vile Darkness seem tame.

FOR THE PLAYERS: For those of you out there that enjoy running uniquely interesting campaigns with a twist, there are rules and options presented for playing an undead horror as a PC. Setting up and running an undead character using this book is slightly more involved than running undead creatures as monsters, but the superlative organization and breakdown of information makes this a much more simple task than one might expect. In the same vein as the "Savage Species" sourcebook, Libris Mortis presents the "standard" undead creatures from the Monster Manual as character classes, detailing progression and ability acquisition from 1st level on upward. Since all of the "basic" undead monsters are covered, it's not difficult to extrapolate your own progression for less mundane undead creatures should you desire to expand your options. I was particularly impressed with how smoothly and effectively the character rules presented take all of the best concepts about the old 2nd edition "Requiem" campaign from Ravenloft and simplifies them in 3.5 edition standards.

FOR BOTH: A number of prestige classes (mostly for villains, but with a few foes of the walking dead thrown in) appear here, including updated revisions of a number of prestige classes that originally appeared in the "Defenders of the Faith," "Tome & Blood," and other sourcebooks (including the True Necromancer, the Master of Shrouds, and the Pale Master, among others). A respectably sizeable feats section caters to players and DMs alike, with a plethora of options available for both undead creatures and those that hunt them. With the New Spells and Magic Items sections comparable in size and variety to those provided by the "Complete Divine" sourcebook, there literally is a little something for everyone in the book.

Rating:
Summary: Best Core Supplement Yet!
Review: Where most D&D supplements are basically window dressing for the core game, Libris Mortis opens up a whole new realm of possibilities for your campaign. Whether it's the basic approach of simply bolstering your current setting with some interesting new undead monsters and Prestige Classes; or opening things up by allowing your PCs to play as Vampire Sorcerors or Mhorg Barbarians; or creating an entire campaign set in a world where the undead rule entire kingdoms and the living cower in fear - Libris Mortis is a comprehensive toolkit for making it happen.

Besides the requisite supplement fodder of new feats, spells and prestige classes, Libris Mortis includes great background material and full information on Undead Monster Classes (as opposed to high-powered templates from the Monster Manual) for creating undead characters with full level-by-level progressions. There's also a short but interesting chapter of new equipment (including undead armor and grafts), a slew of new monsters, and some great ideas for incorporating it all into your campaign.

Libris Mortis is arguably Wizards' best core supplement yet!