Review of Tome of Battle: Book of Nine Swords
If you’re anything like me, you’ve never really enjoyed playing fighters in D&D. There just isn’t much to them. You hit the monster repeatedly until it stops moving. The most you ever get to see of tactics or decision-making is when you perform an occassional sunder or disarm, and then only if you’ve taken the feats for them. It really is a simplistic class, which is why I usually gravitate towards a spellcaster.
That’s why I made sure to pick up this little jewel. Suddenly, being a melee combatant doesn’t have to be boring. Tome of Battle offers a wide array of new options. In lieu of your hum-drum hacking and slashing, you can initiate spectacular martial maneuvers. Enter a Punishing Stance, cut the dragon down to size with a Strike of Perfect Clarity, and follow it all up with a Finishing Move. You can bet I’ll be playing a gestalt warblade in my next game.
The only problem I found with this book is that it’s a bit on the short side. There is a huge potential for new prestige classes here that the writers simply didn’t fulfill. The chapter on maneuvers, while well-packed, feels a bit limited. Then again, this could have been due to game balance considerations more than anything, much like the warlock invocations of Complete Arcane.
All in all, it’s definitely a worthwhile addition to the gaming table. There aren’t a lot of new rules to work through, so introducing it to the game shouldn’t be problematic for most groups.
Of course, I hate feeling ripped off, so I shopped around for the best price before I bought it. Whatever you do, do not get this book at retail, since you’ll end up shelling out $30 or more. The same goes for a lot of online stores. The best price I managed to find was online at Buy.com. Even with shipping, the price there was less than $20, which is better than you’ll find at Amazon or Ebay.