Player's Handbook II (Dungeons & Dragons d20 3.5 Fantasy Roleplaying)

By this point, if you're considering PHB2, you've decided whether D&D is a good system or not, and you've read a tom of supplemental materials with variants on every character idea from the shape-shifter to the illusion-user. PHB2 offers a few MORE class variants, including ground-up base classes and options to modify the core PHB classes. I was hoping for "non-spellcasting" options for Paladin, Ranger and Bard, but they aren't there.As for the new feats - there are a ton! Some of them are extremely powerful, so if you're a DM, you need to pick and choose which ones you allow instead of allowing them all without a thought. Some are good ideas that should have been in PHB1 (Shield Specialization) and others are neat tricks that would help a fighter or wizard further specialize.The rest of the book isn't all that useful. The ideas on personality and background archetypes are probably more useful for DMs creating fleshed-out NPCs fast than for players, who prefer to write their own background and personality thankyouverymuch. They are a fun read, especially if you've read _The Tough Guide to Fantasy Land_ by Diana Wynne Jones; PHB2 basically contains an exhaustive list of *every* cliched fantasy character background and personality archetype ever created.Writing: The writing is clear and descriptive, often to the point of being laboriously exact. It's also well written. It's everything we've come to expect from the new d20 quality standard. The art is very good, as well (and you gotta love the cover art!).This book gets 3 stars, mostly for the feats. You'll use the Core rulebooks, Spell Compendium, Complete series, and Miniatures Handbook (even if you're not big on miniatures) more often, but it's worth having one PHB2 in your gaming group.

Much like the dungeon masters guide 2, the Players Handbook 2 (in my opinion) should've been produced first. The manual covers all kinds of logical ways for beginners to create wonderful characters and is an excellent buy for anyone who is interested in a good read along with learning the 3.5 system. Again, it's my feeling that Wizards was under pressure to publish a manual addressing game mechanics & rules right away to allow for a product to be on the shelf. The Players Handbook 2 for sure picks up for what was lost in the first manual and also contains a few more rulings (more like house rule introductions). Well worth the money and well worth the read. For any one who's never played D&D before, they should read the PHB2 first and have the first manual on hand for reference and cross comparisons.

Got a few books for my brother, haven’t heard a complaint from him yet.

Arguably better than the original Players Handbook for good character content. Contains enough stuff in here to really make your character shine. As a 3.5 DM, I recommend it to every player.

Some good features. Enjoyed new feats & spells, but some of the varient rules didn't thrill me and seemed to have a lot of "filler"

Our group continues to find uses for the material in this book. Our parties Ftr loves it (as would be obvious to anyone that reviews the feats in here), and the DM is constantly using the classes and spells in here.The new starting packages for old classes is good stuff too. Only a few easily corrected balance problems.Good stuff.

this is mainly for high level characters. i found some of the info useful but for the most part could have done without it.

As advertised and fast shipping

Not as good as Book 1 seems like they are struggling for monsters

Exactly as ordered. Already got a PDF copy so I knew what was in it. Very useful for both players and dm. Not sure why it's not more popular....

OK... I was very, very disappointed with this book. Wizards of the Coast is rapidly descending into being a nothing more than a repackaging/recycling company, one with a fraction of the creativity and vision of its former self and TSR before it. This book is a shining example of WotC's worst traits, which is disappointing because some of their material of the last couple of years is pretty strong.For the entrance fee, we get four new classes, only two of which are mildly interesting (the knight has been around for so long and in so many forms that its inclusion here seems pointless). And both of the interesting classes, the duskblade and beguiler, are little more than rogue/sorceror and fighter/sorceror mixes respectively, just with the ability to cast an incredibly minor list of spells while wearing armour. Gee, thanks. One could do better with some creativity and, dare I say it, a smattering of house rules.Chapter 2, "Expanded Classes", is particularly poor. Here we have 37 pages of fluff. None of us needs to pay money for a book that will teach how a Cleric of Pelor should reference his deity in every sentence he utters, nor do we need such a book to tell us what obvious "themes" I can pick to round out the personality of my character.Chapters 3 and 4 are new spells and feats. Usual fare here.Wizards are really struggling for new angles to pitch more supplements from, and the only way they can do it is to strip the imagination of out role-playing my extrapolating every possible detail they can think of. If they carry on like that much longer, they might as well play the game for us as well.Chapter 7 is all about "affiliations", adventuring groups/clans that your PC may hail from. David Noonan should be embarassed. You get stuff like "the Bloodfist Tribe," which is - you guessed it - a wandering half-orc band. There are the Elves of the High Forest, Dragon Island, dwarves who mine deep into the mountain, gnomes who like to make stuff, etc. Again, I return to my gripe about creativity. Anyone with even a passing knowledge of fantasy roleplaying and D&D can create better groups than these to populate a campaign world. They're obviously just included here as filler.Chapter 8 is more filler, and is basically filled with rules on how to switch your character over from one class to another, for all those indecisive players out there. This section could have been released online as an option for those who want to pursue it.Overall, what I'm left with thinking about this book is, why was it necessary to publish something called "Player's Handbook 2"? The few useful bits, the new feats, spells, and rules governing teamwork benefits, should have been included in the FIRST Player's Handbook the first time around. Draw your own conclusions...Wizards of the Coast's D&D 3.5 rules are really a wonder of marketing and I tip my hat to them. They now have approximately 700(!) prestige classes and god knows how many races, spells, monsters, feats and examples of how to make your bard talk scattered throughout dozens of books. There are many fans of D&D that will buy all the books just to see what the new stuff is. My advice to avoid this book, because it's an insult to intelligent gamers like ourselves.

Je m'attendais à ce que le livre soit usé. Aucun problème à ce niveau (endommagé un peu partout). Mais je ne m'attendais pas que cette compagnie met 2 sticker sur le livre qui est quasiment impossible à retiré avec de la colle qui laisse des marques.

great deal