Frostburn : The Perils of Ice and Snow (Dungeons & Dragons)

Rating:
Summary: A supplement which hits the mark
Review: Frostburn is the first in a series of environment-based supplements, featuring arctic climates. The book is in the standard supplement format: New Races, New Prestige classes, New Spells, New Monsters, etc. This doesn't set Frostburn above its brethren.

What does set Frostburn above its fellow D&D supplements is the strength of the design and content. The book includes some intriguing campaign possibilities for GMs to explore, but without a heavy-handed campaign world. A gamemaster can use the book either as a standalone campaign, a single-shot adventure setting, or simply as good source material.

The new races were strong. There are arctic variants of some of the standard races (such as glacier dwarves). Humans finally get a subrace - the neanderthal - as a player race. And finally there is the Uldra PC race.

The Uldra are small fey creatures of the north. The race is fascinating itself, but there is also a very interesting campaign which could be developed from their gods and backgrounds. The uldra prestige classes are also very interesting.

The feats give a number of excellent new options for arctic heroes (and could be easily adapted to characters near volcanos by switching Cold to Fire :). There are feats for every class, giving all classes something to use. Spells were similarly intriguing. Unique substances, such as blue ice that can be worked like iron, create some interesting additions to a treasure trove.

The artwork is good for the most part, though some of the monster art is a little weak. The monsters themselves. FInally, there was an unexpected bonus - a couple of tiles for the D&D miniature grid - in the back.

Overall, definitely worth it.

Rating:
Summary: Misses the mark
Review: I bought this book expecting some great rules and insights on how to really make my players suffer in the cold, I wanted them to think everytime they reached for their sword, everytime they put on armour and everytime they wandered what was for diner...and FrostBurn fell far short.

Yes it's crammed full of new prestige classes and monsters and spells, but if I wanted more of these I'd have bought a book called "Monsters, Feats and Prestige Classes for Artic Conditions".

Filling up 75% of a book with Monsters and Prestige Classes seems to be becoming a rather bad habit in D20.

The first 5-10 pages were a good start, and if the rest of the book had continued in the same vein I'd have been really happy.

Things I expected to find :
- Effects of cold on weapons and armour

- Hunting and food in the cold

- Flora and Fauna, herbs and wildlife

- Far more on cold related illnesses such as snowblindness, more detail on Frostbite and Hyperthermea (sp) in a D20 setting.

- Effects of deep snow and ice on combat

- Synergy of skills in cold environments

- More on travel.

The book seems more aimed at creating a new campaign setting (new player races are introduced) than being a Generic guide that can work for any campaign.

Certainly didn't fill the gap I needed, I'm still looking for other options.

Rating:
Summary: Good Book
Review: I can't see this being the most useful book in my collection, but it is well-written, offers new cool spells (some of which are epic), interesting monsters, rules for new situations, and some interesting ideas for campaigns. There is also a pile of encounter tables at the back of this book.
Being a Canadian, I've always liked winter so this book is fun for me.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Book - Worth the Bucks
Review: Normally I do not buy supplemental D&D materials for two reasons - the cost and the fact that the information is usually too involved to really implement into my game. There are enough rules as it is with D&D v.3.5 and too many rules lawyers prone to bringing them up if you're wrong. Frostburn, however, was a pleasant surprise. The cold weather rules are easy to follow and most would be easy to adapt to any campaign. The new races and classes I could do without, but the monsters are excellent. If you run a campaign that has anything remotely to do with snow (i.e. temperate winter, arctic campaign, or mountain adventure), I strongly suggest this book. It is well worth the price.

Rating:
Summary: a good book if you want winter in your world
Review: this book has real possiblities if you are interested in doing a artic or a cold environment like in the George RR Martin series (game of thrones)

You are introduced in the opening chapter of the frostfell environments of high altitude, winter, ice age and lands of eternal ice. The dangers are listed like freezing, snow blindess, dangerous terrain, etc. There are listed specific terrain types, like tundra, frozen seas and the like.

Chapter two has the various races of the frostfell, mostly adaptations of the current ph races plus the uldra, a small fey who live in the cold. There is a section on the various classes and how they fit into this environment. There are new feats, but not alot. One of the feats is snowrunner which allows you to run at full speed, another is piercing cold which allows you to add the cold descriptor to your spells.

There are some new prestige classes which look hit or miss to me. It would depend on the DM to pick and choose. One of the prestige classes is the frostmage who gains natural armor, resistance to cold in the first two levels of the class.

There are new equipment and spells. There are several conjure ice beasts(summon monster equivilent). Ice shield gives damage reduction of 15, freezing glance which freezes subject in their tracks.

New monsters like the dire polar bear,and the wolly mammoth. The book ends with some adventures, always a good idea in my opinion.

If you are creative enough, you can do without this book.

I am planning on a series of adventures for my players and I find this to be a useful book, especially for the hazards of the cold and some of the monsters and spells

Rating:
Summary: A great book for any campaign
Review: This book is a great addition to any D&D game. It has a ton of stuff in it for DM's, like rules for cold weather, new magic items, new monsters, traps for cold environments and more. It also has tons of new prestige classes, spells, feats and equipment to keep players happy. As a DM I love books with new monsters and magic items and this has plenty of both. Buy this book and you won't be disappointed.

Rating:
Summary: When Cold is not necessarily a bad thing
Review: This is a tool kit for adventuring in the arctic. The feats, magic and monsters within are all geared towards this end. If you want to turn your caapaign into a winter wonderland, this is the book for you. If you want to run a medieval Ice Age, this is your book. For those that like it cold, this is your book. A word of caution on classes, the wilderness classes will get a lot more out of this than the others especially Druids and Rangers. Frostburn stands out in that hands down, Rangers get more new spells than Paladins but at least in my opinion, this is how it should be.

Rating:
Summary: D&D
Review: Wolfgang Baur has written more than 100 articles for major industry magazines. His most recent credits include Bloodspeakers, Pulp Cthulhu, and The Secret College of Necromancy.
James Jacobs has contributed articles to both Dragon and Dungeon Magazines. His most recent credit with Wizards of the Coast, Inc., is co-authoring Races of Faerûn.
George Strayton has designed and edited over 40 games, including roleplaying and TCG products for Star Wars, Men In Black, and The Lord of the Rings. He is the author of West End Games's multi-genre D6 System and has worked as a writer on several television series, including Cleopatra 2525, Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, and Xena: Warrior Princess.
A complete guide to playing D&D in the ice and snow.
This 4-color supplement begins a new series of releases that focus on how the environment can affect D&D gameplay in every capacity. Frostburn contains rules on how to adapt to hazardous cold-weather conditions, such as navigating terrain with snow and ice and surviving in bitter cold or harsh weather. There are expanded rules for environmental hazards and manipulation of cold weather elements, as well as new spells, feats, magic items, and prestige classes. New monsters associated with icy realms are included, as well as variants on current monsters. There is enough adventure material included for months of gameplay.