You see, I’m not reviewing the BOEM—I’m reviewing the Book of Experimental Might II: Bloody, Bold, and Resolute. Whereas the original introduced more options for casters, the BOEM II allegedly introduces better things for non-casters. And, to be fair, it does. They’re just not great things.
So, without further ado…
Introduction
The BOEM II is sixty-four (64) pages long. The art is black-and-white and ranges from poor to excellent quality. But, let’s be honest, nobody is buying the book for the art, so let’s get to the content.
The book opens with an introduction in which Monte Cook talking about how one of the criticisms leveled at the BOEM was that Cook didn’t spend enough time helping out the non-casters (though he still “contend that the [fighter] class is quite viable”). He keeps on rambling about the design process and by now I’m completely bored of it, so let’s move on to Chapter 1.
Fighting Domains
Chapter 1 focuses on fighting domains. Domains are a collection of feats that represent a specific fighting style. (Note that you don’t gain these as bonus feats—they’re just a list.) They grant access to a basic power and a bonus power. You gain the basic power as soon as you gain access to the domain, and you gain the bonus power when you have eight or more feats that are listed in the domain. (Blech.)
Fighters gain access to a fighting domain at first, ninth, and seventeenth levels. For other classes, a sacrifice is required.
--Barbarians lose uncanny dodge and gain a domain at fifth level.
--Monks lose improved evasion and gain a domain at ninth level.
--Paladins lose remove disease (at all levels) and gain a domain at sixth level.
--Rangers lose their animal companion and gain a domain at fourth level.
--Rogues lose improved uncanny dodge and gain a domain at ninth level.[/ul]
Note that you can’t really multiclass in this because all references to level in the text refer to the level in the class that granted you access to the domain. (Sigh.)
Now, to determine whether or not these are worth anything, we have to look at the basic and bonus powers granted by each domain. It appears that Cook didn’t bother to give an activation time for the powers, so I’m going to assume that you can use them as free actions.
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Overall review:
I have no idea why Monte Cook is a “star designer” in the world of RPGs. He has a few inklings of a good idea here and there, but his execution is so poor that it’s laughable. I mean, a +11 damage bonus at level 20? A +7 competence bonus on attack rolls? That’s what Monte Cook considers good?
I don’t think that Monte Cook understands that it’s a huge pain in the ass to keep track of a million feats, bitch bonuses, and little mechanics. No, I don’t want to play a character with 31 feats, especially if most of them do stupid shit like “derp +1 more damage.” If you went through and cherry-picked the semi-decent feats—the ones that grant additional options—you’d have a half dozen 3/day abilities. GEE THAT’S NOT ANNOYING AT ALL.
And feat boosts? What the fuck? They’re absolutely retarded. Why do the rogue and barbarian get feat boosts but the ranger, paladin, and monk don’t? It must make sense In the Mind of Monte. And they’re not even that great. It’s pretend options, like 4e has.
Oh, and uberfeats just aren’t that uber. And double feats surely don’t seem worth two feat slots. Some of the uberfeat effects are decent, but that doesn’t mean they’re worth climbing the feat chain and then losing access to your feats. For fuck’s sake, how did Cook perceive that as anything but retardedly counterintuitive?
Instead of doing something moderately useful, such as writing up variant non-caster classes, Monte Cook slaps a shit tier system with roughly 20,000 minor rules changes and tweaks onto the existing shit tier system. I don’t care if non-casters technically got a boost in the BOEM II, the entire book can eat a dick because it’s such a pain in the ass to implement.
I honestly have no idea how Monte helped the development of 3e. His solutions to any problems seem to be the equivalent of the hundreds of fighter “fixes” that people come up with each year: BIG NUMBERS FUCK YEAH. I’m sure that he’s a nice guy and all, but he clearly doesn’t understand 3e or what makes the fighter class bad.
A set of clunky house rules does not a good system make, as evidenced by Pathfinder.
Bottom Line
BOEM II is a turd, and anyone who claims that Monte balanced 3e with this crap is an idiot and probably a slavering fanboy.
(If I think of more yelling to do, I’ll add it, but that was the extent of my rage for now.)
Fighters gain access to a fighting domain at first, ninth, and seventeenth levels. For other classes, a sacrifice is required.
--Barbarians lose uncanny dodge and gain a domain at fifth level.
--Monks lose improved evasion and gain a domain at ninth level.
--Paladins lose remove disease (at all levels) and gain a domain at sixth level.
--Rangers lose their animal companion and gain a domain at fourth level.
--Rogues lose improved uncanny dodge and gain a domain at ninth level.[/ul]
Note that you can’t really multiclass in this because all references to level in the text refer to the level in the class that granted you access to the domain. (Sigh.)
Now, to determine whether or not these are worth anything, we have to look at the basic and bonus powers granted by each domain. It appears that Cook didn’t bother to give an activation time for the powers, so I’m going to assume that you can use them as free actions.
Domain of Agility
Basic: 3/day, you can add a +1 competence bonus on your melee attack roll. This improves by +1 for every three levels you have. You can’t use Power Attack in the same round as this power.
Bonus: 3/day, you can make an attack of opportunity against someone who strikes you in combat.
Thoughts: I hate 3/day abilities. I also hate abilities that just add numbers. And I really hate abilities that have stupid restrictions like “you can’t use Power Attack with this power.” Oh, and there are feats that give the bonus power but better.
Domain of Ferocity
Basic: 1/day, plus one additional time per day for every three levels you have, you can take a -2 penalty on an attack roll and make a melee attack. If it hits, the target makes a Fort save (10 + ½ your level + your Strength mod) or is dazed for one round.
Bonus: 1/day, plus one additional time per day for every three levels you have, you can force everyone within 30 feet of you to make a Will save (10 + ½ your level + Cha mod) or be shaken for a number of rounds equal to 1 + 1 additional round for every four levels you have.
Thoughts: The basic ability is okay, but a 7/day ability is pretty junky. The bonus power is just pathetic.
Domain of Fighting Dirty
¬Basic: Whenever you knock someone prone in melee, you can make an AoO against that foe. You can use this against foes you knock unconscious.
Bonus: If an opponent that you threaten doesn’t attack you or use the total defense action, you count as flanking him on your next turn.
Thoughts: The basic power seems decent, and the dirty fighting works well for rogues. However, rogues want to stay out of melee anyway, and chances are they’ll have a flanking partner anyway.
Domain of Intellect
Basic: 5/day, make an opposed Int check against a foe. If you succeed, you gain a +1 competence bonus on attack and damage rolls against that opponent; this increases +1 for every five levels you have.
Bonus: You add your Int bonus to your weapon damage rolls, and you add it as a dodge bonus to your AC.
Thoughts: Wow, the basic power is meh. The bonus power sort of gives a reason for duelists to exist. It’s nice for fighters to have a reason for higher Int, but it’s just not that strong.
Domain of Leadership
Basic: Whenever you strike a foe in combat, all allies within 30 feet of you gain a +1 bonus on attack and damage rolls against that opponent until your next turn.
Bonus: All allies that can see/hear you and are within 30 feet gain a +1 morale bonus on attacks, saves, and checks.
Thoughts: Terrible. Just terrible.
Domain of Might
Basic: 3/day, you inflict bonus damage equal to 1 + ½ your level on melee and thrown attacks for one round.
Bonus: If you inflict 20+ points of damage in a single attack against a Medium or smaller creature, you can make an opposed Strength check to push an opponent back five feet. (This works like a trip attempt.) Against Large creatures, you have to do 30+ damage, 40+ for Huge, 50+ for Gargantuan, and 60+ for Colossal.
Thoughts: +11 damage? Really? The bonus power is interesting, at least, but you’re basically going to be making a dozen Strength checks each round—a slight exaggeration—and then you’re going to screw up your full attack sequence anyway.
Domain of Mounted Combat
Basic: When your mount hits a creature, you gain a +1 competence bonus on attack and damage rolls against that creature. This improves by +1 for every three levels you have. (No duration listed.)
Bonus: When your mount hits a creature, you can make an AoO against your target.
Thoughts: More adding numbers. Yawn. But the bonus ability is pretty great if you have a mount with a lot of attacks.
Domain of Quick Defense
Basic: 3/day, you can add a +1 dodge bonus to your AC for one round. This improves for every three levels you have, and you can only use this power when in light or no armor.
Bonus: 3/day, you can cause opponents to have a 25% miss chance against you for 1 round + 1 round for every five levels you have. Again, only light or no armor.
Thoughts: Basic power is the same-old, same-old; the bonus power is nice, but it’d be nicer if you couldn’t just get a cloak of displacement.
Domain of Ranged Combat
Basic: 3/day, you can do additional damage with a ranged attack equal to 1 + ½ your level.
Bonus: Point Blank Shot has its ranged increased to 60 feet, and you can make sneak attacks at a range of 60 feet.
Thoughts: That +1 attack/damage from Point Blank Shot makes or breaks an archer, so it’s good to see that Monte wanted to make it usable all the time. (Monte may or may not actually think this.)
Domain of Speed
Basic: 3/day, you can increase your speed by +10 feet.
Bonus: Your five-foot steps become ten-foot steps.
Thoughts: The basic power sucks, but the bonus is nifty, especially for scouts.
Domain of Stalwart Defense
Basic: You gain bonus HP equal to your HD + your Constitution modifier. (What HD, though?)
Bonus: 1/day, you can ignore a ranged or melee attack that hits you.
Thoughts: Good Lord. This is a joke, right?
Domain of TWF
Basic: When you hit with your main hand, you gain a +1 competence bonus on attack and damage rolls with your off-hand.
Bonus: Whenever you hit a foe with both your main hand and off-hand weapons, he must make a Fort save (DC 10 + ½ level + Dex mod) or be dazed for 1 round.
Thoughts: I raged at the basic power, but the bonus power is pretty darn good. You’re pretty much forcing a Fort save every round.
Domain of Unarmed Combat
Basic: Your unarmed strikes do an additional +1 damage. This improves by +1 for every three levels a character has.
Bonus: Your unarmed strikes are treated as being magic weapons. If you already have this ability, you can choose one other quality (such as holy or silver) for your unarmed strikes to be counted as.
Thoughts: A constant damage boost is very mediocre, but monks suck and they need all the help they can get. Too bad they have to drop improved evasion to gain the domain.
Domain of Weapon Mastery
Basic: You gain a +2 competence bonus on attack and damage rolls when using your chosen Weapon Focus weapon against a foe that is wielding the same kind of weapon. If the foe has the ability, the one with the higher BAB gains the benefit while the other does not; if you have the same BAB, neither gets the benefit.
Bonus: You “enjoy” (Cook’s word choice, not mine) Weapon Focus with all weapons except for unarmed strikes and spells that require attack rolls. (Why? Who knows.)
Thought: I like how the fighter-specific domain is unspeakably bad.
Domain of Weapon and Shield Fighting
Basic: 1/round, when an opponent misses you in melee, you can make an opposed Strength check to shove him off balance. If you succeed, you gain a +1 bonus on attack and damage rolls against him. This improves by +1 for every five levels you have. (No duration given.)
Bonus: 1/round, when an opponent misses you with a melee attack, you can make a shield bash AoO.
Thoughts: Go away, Monte Cook.
Basic: 3/day, you can add a +1 competence bonus on your melee attack roll. This improves by +1 for every three levels you have. You can’t use Power Attack in the same round as this power.
Bonus: 3/day, you can make an attack of opportunity against someone who strikes you in combat.
Thoughts: I hate 3/day abilities. I also hate abilities that just add numbers. And I really hate abilities that have stupid restrictions like “you can’t use Power Attack with this power.” Oh, and there are feats that give the bonus power but better.
Domain of Ferocity
Basic: 1/day, plus one additional time per day for every three levels you have, you can take a -2 penalty on an attack roll and make a melee attack. If it hits, the target makes a Fort save (10 + ½ your level + your Strength mod) or is dazed for one round.
Bonus: 1/day, plus one additional time per day for every three levels you have, you can force everyone within 30 feet of you to make a Will save (10 + ½ your level + Cha mod) or be shaken for a number of rounds equal to 1 + 1 additional round for every four levels you have.
Thoughts: The basic ability is okay, but a 7/day ability is pretty junky. The bonus power is just pathetic.
Domain of Fighting Dirty
¬Basic: Whenever you knock someone prone in melee, you can make an AoO against that foe. You can use this against foes you knock unconscious.
Bonus: If an opponent that you threaten doesn’t attack you or use the total defense action, you count as flanking him on your next turn.
Thoughts: The basic power seems decent, and the dirty fighting works well for rogues. However, rogues want to stay out of melee anyway, and chances are they’ll have a flanking partner anyway.
Domain of Intellect
Basic: 5/day, make an opposed Int check against a foe. If you succeed, you gain a +1 competence bonus on attack and damage rolls against that opponent; this increases +1 for every five levels you have.
Bonus: You add your Int bonus to your weapon damage rolls, and you add it as a dodge bonus to your AC.
Thoughts: Wow, the basic power is meh. The bonus power sort of gives a reason for duelists to exist. It’s nice for fighters to have a reason for higher Int, but it’s just not that strong.
Domain of Leadership
Basic: Whenever you strike a foe in combat, all allies within 30 feet of you gain a +1 bonus on attack and damage rolls against that opponent until your next turn.
Bonus: All allies that can see/hear you and are within 30 feet gain a +1 morale bonus on attacks, saves, and checks.
Thoughts: Terrible. Just terrible.
Domain of Might
Basic: 3/day, you inflict bonus damage equal to 1 + ½ your level on melee and thrown attacks for one round.
Bonus: If you inflict 20+ points of damage in a single attack against a Medium or smaller creature, you can make an opposed Strength check to push an opponent back five feet. (This works like a trip attempt.) Against Large creatures, you have to do 30+ damage, 40+ for Huge, 50+ for Gargantuan, and 60+ for Colossal.
Thoughts: +11 damage? Really? The bonus power is interesting, at least, but you’re basically going to be making a dozen Strength checks each round—a slight exaggeration—and then you’re going to screw up your full attack sequence anyway.
Domain of Mounted Combat
Basic: When your mount hits a creature, you gain a +1 competence bonus on attack and damage rolls against that creature. This improves by +1 for every three levels you have. (No duration listed.)
Bonus: When your mount hits a creature, you can make an AoO against your target.
Thoughts: More adding numbers. Yawn. But the bonus ability is pretty great if you have a mount with a lot of attacks.
Domain of Quick Defense
Basic: 3/day, you can add a +1 dodge bonus to your AC for one round. This improves for every three levels you have, and you can only use this power when in light or no armor.
Bonus: 3/day, you can cause opponents to have a 25% miss chance against you for 1 round + 1 round for every five levels you have. Again, only light or no armor.
Thoughts: Basic power is the same-old, same-old; the bonus power is nice, but it’d be nicer if you couldn’t just get a cloak of displacement.
Domain of Ranged Combat
Basic: 3/day, you can do additional damage with a ranged attack equal to 1 + ½ your level.
Bonus: Point Blank Shot has its ranged increased to 60 feet, and you can make sneak attacks at a range of 60 feet.
Thoughts: That +1 attack/damage from Point Blank Shot makes or breaks an archer, so it’s good to see that Monte wanted to make it usable all the time. (Monte may or may not actually think this.)
Domain of Speed
Basic: 3/day, you can increase your speed by +10 feet.
Bonus: Your five-foot steps become ten-foot steps.
Thoughts: The basic power sucks, but the bonus is nifty, especially for scouts.
Domain of Stalwart Defense
Basic: You gain bonus HP equal to your HD + your Constitution modifier. (What HD, though?)
Bonus: 1/day, you can ignore a ranged or melee attack that hits you.
Thoughts: Good Lord. This is a joke, right?
Domain of TWF
Basic: When you hit with your main hand, you gain a +1 competence bonus on attack and damage rolls with your off-hand.
Bonus: Whenever you hit a foe with both your main hand and off-hand weapons, he must make a Fort save (DC 10 + ½ level + Dex mod) or be dazed for 1 round.
Thoughts: I raged at the basic power, but the bonus power is pretty darn good. You’re pretty much forcing a Fort save every round.
Domain of Unarmed Combat
Basic: Your unarmed strikes do an additional +1 damage. This improves by +1 for every three levels a character has.
Bonus: Your unarmed strikes are treated as being magic weapons. If you already have this ability, you can choose one other quality (such as holy or silver) for your unarmed strikes to be counted as.
Thoughts: A constant damage boost is very mediocre, but monks suck and they need all the help they can get. Too bad they have to drop improved evasion to gain the domain.
Domain of Weapon Mastery
Basic: You gain a +2 competence bonus on attack and damage rolls when using your chosen Weapon Focus weapon against a foe that is wielding the same kind of weapon. If the foe has the ability, the one with the higher BAB gains the benefit while the other does not; if you have the same BAB, neither gets the benefit.
Bonus: You “enjoy” (Cook’s word choice, not mine) Weapon Focus with all weapons except for unarmed strikes and spells that require attack rolls. (Why? Who knows.)
Thought: I like how the fighter-specific domain is unspeakably bad.
Domain of Weapon and Shield Fighting
Basic: 1/round, when an opponent misses you in melee, you can make an opposed Strength check to shove him off balance. If you succeed, you gain a +1 bonus on attack and damage rolls against him. This improves by +1 for every five levels you have. (No duration given.)
Bonus: 1/round, when an opponent misses you with a melee attack, you can make a shield bash AoO.
Thoughts: Go away, Monte Cook.
Chapter Two
Finally, that’s over with. Now we can move on to feats. In short: they’re a mess. In long: more mechanics does not mean more gooder, Monte. I’m not going to go over every single example in this chapter because I’d be writing all night, but I’ll offer a few examples for each section.
Oh, and Monte loves his feat chains. It’s slightly less bad now that characters gain a feat every level, but still.
Normal Feats
Some of these are just the PHB feats with boosts and additional FBF bonuses tacked onto them. (See below.) Some are new.
Accept Attack: You let an opponent hit you automatically and then you automatically do maximum damage to him. (Presumably, you need to wield a melee weapon to use his.) You can’t use Power Attack with this feat.
Advance Mount: After spending a month with your mount, you increase its HD by two. You can take this feat more than once, each time allowing you to add +2 HD, though your mount’s HD can’t exceed yours.
Dodging Charge: You don’t provoke AoOs when charging.
Magical Weapon Focus: 1/day, you can “coax more power than normal” from your Weapon Focus weapon. It grants a +1 ability for 1 round, plus one additional round for every five levels you have.
Power Charge: You deal an additional +2d6 damage on a charge.
Fighter Bonus Feats
Many of the feats give an additional bonus to characters who choose them as a FBF. Instead of just granting bonuses to fighters (because God knows how overpowered that would be), fighters have to keep track of which feats are their FBF because the special abilities only kick in for those.
Power Attack: You gain an additional +2 damage when using PA at 11th level.
Toughness: You gain an additional +10 HP at 10th level.
Weapon Focus: You gain an additional +1 bonus on attack rolls at 9th level.
Weapon Specialization: You gain an additional +1 bonus on damage rolls at 9th level.
Feat Boosts
Feat boosts are a part of normal feats. Characters can spend a “feat boost” to grant themselves temporary bonuses, such as rerolls. Fighters gain a feat boost at third level and every level thereafter; rogues and barbarians gain a feat boost at fourth, eighth, fourteenth, and twentieth levels. Nobody else gets feat boosts because Monte hates rangers or something.
Deflect Arrows: You can deflect two ranged attacks in a round.
Greater Weapon Specialization: Reroll one damage roll with the weapon.
Iron Will: Reroll a failed Will save.
Improved Trip: Reroll your Strength check on the trip attempt.
Double Feats
You have to spend two feats to gain double feats. Only fighters can qualify because they’re the only ones who get two feats at once. Whatever.
Disrupt Caster: 3/day, you can interrupt a caster adjacent to you as a free action. (Should probably be immediate.)
Double Strike: As a standard action, you can attack with two weapons. Each attack roll takes a -2 penalty.
Impressive Cleave: When you make an additional attack with Cleave, you do +5d6 damage.
Leap Back: 3/day, you can leap up to 15 feet back in response to an attack (before any attack rolls or saving throws are rolled).
Reflective Shield: 3/day, you can reflect a single-target or ranged touch spell back at the caster (before attack rolls/saving throws are rolled). Only functions if you’re wielding a magical shield.
Uberfeats
According to Monte, these are wicked awesome. These feats have lots of prerequisites, and you have to “retire” a few feats—you choose however many feats the uberfeat specifies and you lose the benefits of those feats. You still count as having them for feat chains and PrCs, however. Only fighters can gain uberfeats.
Right Bastard: Every other round of combat, foes are considered flat-footed against your attacks. On those rounds, you can make a single attack as a full round action that does +7d6 sneak attack damage. Foes are then automatically stunned for 1 round plus an additional round for every five levels you have. You gain an additional +2 competence bonus on attack rolls against foes who are stunned, and any attacks against a stunned foe force a Fort save (DC 10 + ½ your level + Wis modifier) or he’s blinded for 1 round plus one additional round for every three levels you have.
Requires BAB +13 and six feats. You must retire four feats to use this feat.
Saddlemaster: While mounted, you have a “pool” of points equal to your level that you can apply to attack rolls, damage rolls, saving throws, or skill checks—yours of your mounts. You can’t boost any one roll by more than +5.
Requires BAB +16 and three feats. You must retire three feats to use this feat.
Speed Demon: You gain +10 feet to your land speed. You gain an extra move action each round, but you must use it for movement. You never provoke AoOs for moving, and you never lose your Dex bonus to AC.
Requires BAB +18 and seven feats. You must retire four feats to use this feat.
Oblation Feats
Paying homage to the gods or something is what these are about. Basically, you get little bonuses when you do a certain amount of damage. This is a stupid, stupid system and I hate it infinity.
Oblations to the God of Vile Darkness: Once you reach 150 points of damage against good creatures—you must use ranged or melee attacks for this, no spells allowed—you can force one attack to automatically miss you. You must declare the ability before the attack roll is made. Alternatively, you can wait until 1,000 points and gain DR 10/magic and holy for 1 round/level.
I’m not doing any others because they’re all the same.
Thoughts on this entire chapter:
Monte Cook doesn’t understand anything.
Oh, and Monte loves his feat chains. It’s slightly less bad now that characters gain a feat every level, but still.
Normal Feats
Some of these are just the PHB feats with boosts and additional FBF bonuses tacked onto them. (See below.) Some are new.
Accept Attack: You let an opponent hit you automatically and then you automatically do maximum damage to him. (Presumably, you need to wield a melee weapon to use his.) You can’t use Power Attack with this feat.
Advance Mount: After spending a month with your mount, you increase its HD by two. You can take this feat more than once, each time allowing you to add +2 HD, though your mount’s HD can’t exceed yours.
Dodging Charge: You don’t provoke AoOs when charging.
Magical Weapon Focus: 1/day, you can “coax more power than normal” from your Weapon Focus weapon. It grants a +1 ability for 1 round, plus one additional round for every five levels you have.
Power Charge: You deal an additional +2d6 damage on a charge.
Fighter Bonus Feats
Many of the feats give an additional bonus to characters who choose them as a FBF. Instead of just granting bonuses to fighters (because God knows how overpowered that would be), fighters have to keep track of which feats are their FBF because the special abilities only kick in for those.
Power Attack: You gain an additional +2 damage when using PA at 11th level.
Toughness: You gain an additional +10 HP at 10th level.
Weapon Focus: You gain an additional +1 bonus on attack rolls at 9th level.
Weapon Specialization: You gain an additional +1 bonus on damage rolls at 9th level.
Feat Boosts
Feat boosts are a part of normal feats. Characters can spend a “feat boost” to grant themselves temporary bonuses, such as rerolls. Fighters gain a feat boost at third level and every level thereafter; rogues and barbarians gain a feat boost at fourth, eighth, fourteenth, and twentieth levels. Nobody else gets feat boosts because Monte hates rangers or something.
Deflect Arrows: You can deflect two ranged attacks in a round.
Greater Weapon Specialization: Reroll one damage roll with the weapon.
Iron Will: Reroll a failed Will save.
Improved Trip: Reroll your Strength check on the trip attempt.
Double Feats
You have to spend two feats to gain double feats. Only fighters can qualify because they’re the only ones who get two feats at once. Whatever.
Disrupt Caster: 3/day, you can interrupt a caster adjacent to you as a free action. (Should probably be immediate.)
Double Strike: As a standard action, you can attack with two weapons. Each attack roll takes a -2 penalty.
Impressive Cleave: When you make an additional attack with Cleave, you do +5d6 damage.
Leap Back: 3/day, you can leap up to 15 feet back in response to an attack (before any attack rolls or saving throws are rolled).
Reflective Shield: 3/day, you can reflect a single-target or ranged touch spell back at the caster (before attack rolls/saving throws are rolled). Only functions if you’re wielding a magical shield.
Uberfeats
According to Monte, these are wicked awesome. These feats have lots of prerequisites, and you have to “retire” a few feats—you choose however many feats the uberfeat specifies and you lose the benefits of those feats. You still count as having them for feat chains and PrCs, however. Only fighters can gain uberfeats.
Right Bastard: Every other round of combat, foes are considered flat-footed against your attacks. On those rounds, you can make a single attack as a full round action that does +7d6 sneak attack damage. Foes are then automatically stunned for 1 round plus an additional round for every five levels you have. You gain an additional +2 competence bonus on attack rolls against foes who are stunned, and any attacks against a stunned foe force a Fort save (DC 10 + ½ your level + Wis modifier) or he’s blinded for 1 round plus one additional round for every three levels you have.
Requires BAB +13 and six feats. You must retire four feats to use this feat.
Saddlemaster: While mounted, you have a “pool” of points equal to your level that you can apply to attack rolls, damage rolls, saving throws, or skill checks—yours of your mounts. You can’t boost any one roll by more than +5.
Requires BAB +16 and three feats. You must retire three feats to use this feat.
Speed Demon: You gain +10 feet to your land speed. You gain an extra move action each round, but you must use it for movement. You never provoke AoOs for moving, and you never lose your Dex bonus to AC.
Requires BAB +18 and seven feats. You must retire four feats to use this feat.
Oblation Feats
Paying homage to the gods or something is what these are about. Basically, you get little bonuses when you do a certain amount of damage. This is a stupid, stupid system and I hate it infinity.
Oblations to the God of Vile Darkness: Once you reach 150 points of damage against good creatures—you must use ranged or melee attacks for this, no spells allowed—you can force one attack to automatically miss you. You must declare the ability before the attack roll is made. Alternatively, you can wait until 1,000 points and gain DR 10/magic and holy for 1 round/level.
I’m not doing any others because they’re all the same.
Thoughts on this entire chapter:
Monte Cook doesn’t understand anything.
Chapter Three
Honestly, I’m not going to do a write-up for the chapter because it’s HP rules and some other useless junk, and most of the mechanics are in the feats and domains.
Overall review:
I have no idea why Monte Cook is a “star designer” in the world of RPGs. He has a few inklings of a good idea here and there, but his execution is so poor that it’s laughable. I mean, a +11 damage bonus at level 20? A +7 competence bonus on attack rolls? That’s what Monte Cook considers good?
I don’t think that Monte Cook understands that it’s a huge pain in the ass to keep track of a million feats, bitch bonuses, and little mechanics. No, I don’t want to play a character with 31 feats, especially if most of them do stupid shit like “derp +1 more damage.” If you went through and cherry-picked the semi-decent feats—the ones that grant additional options—you’d have a half dozen 3/day abilities. GEE THAT’S NOT ANNOYING AT ALL.
And feat boosts? What the fuck? They’re absolutely retarded. Why do the rogue and barbarian get feat boosts but the ranger, paladin, and monk don’t? It must make sense In the Mind of Monte. And they’re not even that great. It’s pretend options, like 4e has.
Oh, and uberfeats just aren’t that uber. And double feats surely don’t seem worth two feat slots. Some of the uberfeat effects are decent, but that doesn’t mean they’re worth climbing the feat chain and then losing access to your feats. For fuck’s sake, how did Cook perceive that as anything but retardedly counterintuitive?
Instead of doing something moderately useful, such as writing up variant non-caster classes, Monte Cook slaps a shit tier system with roughly 20,000 minor rules changes and tweaks onto the existing shit tier system. I don’t care if non-casters technically got a boost in the BOEM II, the entire book can eat a dick because it’s such a pain in the ass to implement.
I honestly have no idea how Monte helped the development of 3e. His solutions to any problems seem to be the equivalent of the hundreds of fighter “fixes” that people come up with each year: BIG NUMBERS FUCK YEAH. I’m sure that he’s a nice guy and all, but he clearly doesn’t understand 3e or what makes the fighter class bad.
A set of clunky house rules does not a good system make, as evidenced by Pathfinder.
Bottom Line
BOEM II is a turd, and anyone who claims that Monte balanced 3e with this crap is an idiot and probably a slavering fanboy.
(If I think of more yelling to do, I’ll add it, but that was the extent of my rage for now.)
