The Year's Best d20 Overview

The Year's Best d20 Overview

Choosing the material to make it into The Year's Best d20 was no easy task. The material in this collection of The Year's Best d20 was selected after a thorough examination of all eligible products submitted. Publishers were invited to submit works of fantasy, horror, science fiction, superheroes, modern, and other genres, as long as they were compatible with the d20 System/Open Game License and published in 2004. Malhavoc Press gratefully acknowledges the companies represented here for granting permission to reprint their selections. Material was selected based on the quality of the game design (how well the material adhered to relevant established rules), playability and usability of the material, creativity in taking the rules system in original directions, and presentation of the material (writing and editing quality). Malhavoc Press products were excluded from consideration.

Here's a look at the selected material, along with the authors and the represented products and companies.

Introduction by Monte Cook:
d20 in 2004
A Rocky Start
Sourcebooks . . . and Lots of Them
New Rules
Fewer, Better Products
What's This Book All About
So, What's in it for Me?

Chapter One: Character Classes
Arcane Warrior (Prestige class by Bruce Graw)
Cosmosopher (Prestige class by Robert J. Schwalb)
Gemcaster (Prestige class by Bruce Graw)
Knight of Tears (Prestige class and feat by Mike Gill)
Ghostspeaker Feat
Reliquarian (Prestige class by Christopher Kennedy)
Urban Ranger (Core class variant designed and developed by Andy Collins)
Urban Tracking Feat
Yogi (Core class and austerity feats by Matt Sprengeler)
Yogic Spell List
Austerity Feats

Chapter Two: Feats and Skills
Awaken Ancestry (By Robert J. Schwalb)
Counterstrike (By David Chart)
Coward's Bane (By David Chart)
Damaging Spell (By David Chart)
Divine Perseverance (By Ari Marmell)
Dretch Spawn (By Robert J. Schwalb)
Dying Blow (By David Chart)
Infernal Insight (By Robert J. Schwalb)
Might of Courage (By David Chart)
Planar Awareness (By Robert J. Schwalb)
Ravid's Blessing (By Robert J. Schwalb)
Spell Cleave (By David Chart)
Spell of Opportunity (By David Chart)
Throwback (By Robert J. Schwalb)
Warrior's Path (By David Chart)
Prophecy Skill (By W. Jason Peck)

Chapter Three: Magic
Spell Lists
Spell Descriptions
Armor of Thorns (By Mystic Eye Games staff.)
Awaken Tome (By Dana Lynn Driscoll.)
Belsameth's Vengeance (By Mike Gill.)
Blood Protectors (By Aaron Rosenberg)
Borrow Limb (By Nevin Flanagan)
Burn Out (By Robert J. Schwalb.)
Despoil (By Robert J. Schwalb)
Elemental Sample (By Robert J. Schwalb)
Escape the Bonds of Flesh* (Design by Anthony Pryor, development by Ari Marmell)
Forbidden Script (By Justin D. Jacobson)
Halting the Wayward Tongue (By Mike Gill)
Impede Magic (By Robert J. Schwalb)
Know Thy Master (By Aaron Rosenberg)
Liquid Form (By Christina Stiles)
Mortal Cloak (By Aaron Rosenberg)
Mortal Cloak, Forced (By Aaron Rosenberg)
Object to Ink (By Mat Smith)
Scapegoat (By Aaron Rosenberg)
Scapegoat, Greater (By Aaron Rosenberg)
Scoundrel's Guidance (By Nevin Flanagan)
Shadow Stitch (By Nevin Flanagan)
Sleep of Power (By Morten Braten)
Song of Serenity (By Christina Stiles)
Summarize (By Dana Lynn Driscoll)

Magic Items
Toxifying Weapon Quality (By Justin D. Jacobson)
Wondrous Items
Candle of Life (By Aaron Rosenberg)
Demon Hooks (By Robert J. Schwalb)
Scabbard of Restoration (By Aaron Rosenberg.)
Spare Hand (By Nevin Flanagan)

Chapter Four: Monsters
Arcanoplasm (By Scott Greene)
Amalgam Template (By Matthew Sernett)
Bedlam (By Scott Greene)
Bipedal Creature Template (By Matthew Sernett)
Carcaetan (By Alex Freed and Robert J. Gallagher)
Clockwork Creature Template (By Matthew Sernett)
Corpsespinner (By Scott Greene)
Corpsespun Creature Template (By Scott Greene)
Crucifixion Spirit (By Scott Greene)
Death Weaver (By Morten Braten)
Ethereal Adder (By Alex Freed and Jeffrey J. Visgaitis)
Goldencrest (By Alex Freed and C.D. Bennett)
Golem, Furnace (By Scott Greene)
Hanged Man (By Scott Greene)
Inscriber (By Alex Freed and Jeffrey J. Visgaitis)
Kei-Ehri (By Alex Freed and C.D. Bennett)
Kulumar (By Alex Freed, C.D. Bennett, Jason Rosenstock and Jeffrey J. Visgaitis)
Madrir (By Alex Freed, C.D. Bennett and Michael A. Mumich)
New Skill: Perfect Recall
Nightmare Collector (By Alex Freed)
Time Flayer (By Scott Greene)
Unholy Chorus (By Lysle Kapp)
Vacuous Engulfer (By Alex Freed and C.D. Bennett)
Warding Visage (By Alex Freed and C.D. Bennett)

Chapter Five: Variant Rules
Combat Defense (By Bruce Graw)
Applying Combat Defense
Combat Defense Example
Incantations (Designed by David Noonan and developed by Andy Collins)
Discovering Incantations
Casting an Incantation
Incantation Components
Failed Incantations
Sample Incantations
Creating New Incantations
Planetouched Ancestry Magic (By Robert J. Schwalb)
Race: Cambions (By Robert J. Schwalb)
Race: Nephilim (By Robert J. Schwalb)
Reserve Points (Designed by Jonathan Tweet and developed by Andy Collins)
Using Reserve Points
Replenishing Reserve Points
Constitution Changes
Skill-Based Spellcasting (By Patrick O'Duffy)
New Skill: Spellcasting
Core Spells
Optional Rule: Physical Fatigue
Spontaneous Metamagic (Designed and developed by Andy Collins)
Daily Uses
Extra Spell Slots
Combining the Variants

Appendix
Congratulations to the Year's Best!
Open Game License

Congratulations to the Year's Best!

We encourage you to check out the represented products in full. Ask for these excellent 2004 titles at your local game store or look for them online at print or PDF sales venues.

	Aasimar & Tiefling: A Guidebook to the Planetouched (Green Ronin Publishing): Cosmosopher, Dretch Spawn, Infernal Insight, Ravid's Blessing, Throw-back, Planar Awareness, burn out, despoil, elemental sample, impede magic, demon hooks, cambion, nephilim, and planetouched ancestry magic.
	Advanced Bestiary (Green Ronin Publishing): Amalgam template, bipedal template, and clockwork creature template.
	Advanced Player's Guide (Sword & Sorcery): Arcane warrior, gemcaster, combat defense, and skill-based spellcasting.
	Ancient Kingdoms: Mesopotamia (Necromancer Games): Sleep of power and death weaver.
	The Complete Guide to Rakshasas (Goodman Games): Yogi.
	Denizens of Avadnu (The Inner Circle): Carcaetan, ethereal adder, goldencrest, inscriber, kei-ehri, kulumar, madrir, nightmare collector, vacuous engulfer, and warding visage.
	Libem Liborium: Complete Guide to d20 Books (Silven Publishing): Awaken tome and summarize.
	Love and War (Atlas Games): Counterstrike, Coward's Bane, Damaging Spell, Dying Blow, Might of Courage, Spell Cleave, Spell of Opportunity, and Warrior's Path.
	Metablades (Expanded Edition, Genjitsu Games): Borrow limb, scoundrel's guidance, shadow stitch, and spare hand.
	Modern Magic (The Game Mechanics): Object to ink.
	The Pantheon and Pagan Faiths (Mystic Eye Games): Armor of thorns.
	Player's Guide to Monks and Paladins (Sword & Sorcery): Knight of tears.
	Poisoncraft: The Dark Art (Blue Devil Games): Forbidden script and toxifying weapon quality.
	Relics & Rituals: Excalibur (Sword & Sorcery): Reliquarian, candle of life, and scabbard of restoration.
	Relics & Rituals: Olympus (Sword & Sorcery): Prophecy skill, blood protectors, liquid form, know thy master, mortal cloak, mortal cloak (forced), scapegoat, scapegoat (greater), and song of serenity.
	Strange Lands: Lost Tribes of the Scarred Lands (Sword & Sorcery): Divine Perseverance, Belsameth's vengeance, escape the bonds of the flesh, halting the wayward tongue, and Unholy Chorus.
	The Tome of Horrors II (Necromancer Games): Arcanoplasm, bedlam, corpsespinner, corpsespun template, crucifixion spirit, golem (furnace), hanged man, and time flayer.
	Unearthed Arcana (Wizards of the Coast): Urban ranger, incantations, reserve points, and spontaneous metamagic.

Related Products

Monte Cook Presents: The Year's Best d20
Compiled and introduced by 3rd Edition codesigner Monte Cook, The Year's Best d20 presents a unique collection of spells, monsters, classes, feats, and variant rules that illustrates the d20 System's flexibility.