Hail and Well Met, Fantasy Gamers!

I've decided to review TSR publication number 2154: "PLAYER'S OPTION: SKILLS & POWERS," an Advanced Dungeons & Dragons ™ rulebook. It seems that TSR is coming out with new rulebooks for their AD&D ™ game left and right these days, and several of you have found that such works as the "DUNGEON MASTER OPTION HIGH-LEVEL HANDBOOK" and "PLAYER'S OPTION: COMBAT & TACTICS" add little to the game for what they take from the pocket/purse. Skills & Powers is, I think, different.

Character Points

In Skills & Powers, TSR introduces the concept of character points. Under this system, every character begins play with a number of CPs (character points) based on his or her race and class, and more points can be obtained with each level advancement. CPs are used to purchase weapons, NWPs, traits, racial abilities, class abilities, extra spells, hit points, or can even be added to die rolls during play to alter an unsuccessful "to hit" or save.

The book introduces Method VII for generating character ability scores, which I like because it's what I have been using for five years before the book's release! Each player has 75 points (I was using 72) to divide among a character's six ability scores. No score can be lower than 3, and none can be higher than 18 (I allowed 2s and 19s after racial adjustments), and all raciai maximums and minimums must be observed.

If character points are used, then Method X comes into play, which is really Method VII, but that 75 CPs are used, and a warrior may purchase ten points of Exceptional Strength by spending one of those 75 CPs. Thus an 18/30% Strength would cost 21 CPs, leaving the player 54 CPs to spend on Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma. I find this system to be very reasonabie (as I have already been using some form of it for years).

Character Background

Also introduced in Skills & Powers (but over a decade old with me) is the concept of Character Background, used to flesh out a character by providing it with "traits" (should sound familiar to my players) and disadvantages such as phobias (I cailed them lrrational Fears"). Accepting disadvantages grant extra CPs. The later is a great idea, as it encourages players to allow their characters obsessions and shortcomings, something which few player would otherwise do voluntarily.

For my own system, "Dawn of Fantasia," I came up with four physical abilities (Strength, Agility, Endurance, Appearance), three mental abilities (Reasoning, Knowledge, Intuition) and two mystical abilities (Attraction and Luck). Skills & Powers introduces the idea of dividing AD&D's traditional six abilities into two "subabilities" each, and I find it interesting to compare these subabilities with my own nine. The subabilities are Stamina and Muscle, Aim and Balance, Health and Fitness, Reason and Knowledge, Intuition and Willpower, and Leadership and Appearance.

Originaliy subabilities reflect the same scores as the standard abilities they divide, but a subability can be raised one or two points by lowering its associate subability an equal amount. Thus a wizard with a 14 Intelligence could opt for a 12 Reasoning and a 16 Knowledge. As the maximum number of spells per level is govern by Reasoning and the percentage chance to be able to learn an encountered spell is govern by Knowledge, the wizard could begin the game with as many as seven first level spells, as if s/he had an Intelligence of 12, and s/he would have a 70% chance of learning any knew spell she encountered during the course of the game, as if she had an Intelligence of 16.

Another feature ot the book brings back the half-orc of the 1st Ed. game and introduces the half-ogre. The races are further subdivided, presenting the likes of Deep Dwarves, Aquatic Elves, Forest and Rock Gnomes, and so forth. Less detailed but also avaiiable with the DM's approval are Centaurs, Giffs, Goblins, Lizard Man, and many more.

Several kits are either introduced here or revised from past works. Kits of particular interests, for being either better or less interesting than past versions, are the Barbarian, Cavalier, Pirate, and Swashbuckler. Other kits of particular interest are the Animal Master, Assassin, Mariner, Mystic, Rider, and Savage.

The Non-Weapon Proficiency has been well reworked and is preferable to what's in the PHB. The grouping of weapons, armor, transportation, and livestock into ages and settings, from the stone age to the renaissance, is especially useful for the DM. The list of weapons is much broader than in any AD&D rulebook to date, and the book even features racial equipment lists.

New Schools of Wizardry offer us the Alchemist, the Geometer, the Shadow Mage, and the Song Wizard, none of which impressed me although the new spells introduced with these are interesting. As for the Psionic chapter, you can skip it H you are like me and prefer the 1st edition system to that introduced in the Complete Psionics Handbook, for this chapter only offers a few minor changes and additions to the new system. In fact, there is much in the book to be rejected.

But there is yet enough within this volume which can add to the game to make the $20 purchase worthwhile. Leave Combat & Tactics on the shelf along side the High-Level Handbook, but do give Skills & Powers a perusal. Those of you who are familiar with and enjoy my style of DMing should especially appreciate this less than remarkable yet worthy book.

Fare Ye Well, Undaunted Champions!

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