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Every society throughout time has fielded warriors, men and women who train with weapons when they’re not busy doing their day jobs, and thanks to the non-player character classes in the Third Edition PHB, you can recreate these part-time or ill-trained militia recruits. But why should a Zulu, Mongol, and Viking warrior come out essentially the same on a sheet of paper? What if a society’s warriors ride griffons instead of horses? With Skirmisher Game Development Group’s Warriors d20 sourcebook, no two warriors need ever be the same again. And don’t underestimate that rabble of angry villagers!

Warriors lets you create believable guards, marines, and scouts for any society’s armies, plus the supporting cast of military experts such as engineers, mechanists, pioneers, and musicians. Beyond the battlefield, you’ll find variations on the warrior including mountaineers, gladiators, and woodsmen. The dozens of classes and prestige classes are well-grounded in history, with examples drawn in light of truth being stranger than fiction. The historical backgrounds are enlightening in themselves. For example, you learn why the Beast Driver prestige class’ first trick is to kill their own beast with a spike through the neck (in case the wounded animal is trampling your own troops!). You can also learn about chariots, elephants, European feudal military tactics, and heraldry- I’m assuming there are a number of liberal arts degrees among the authors of this book.

Some of the classes are such that any DM could improvise them off the top of their head - you don’t really need special rules for differentiating barkeeps and thugs, but here they are if you want them. You can roll a lot of dice to see if the headsman dispatches your beloved character with one swing, or if he is embarrassed and has to take a few extra whacks, with the executioner class. If you like a little silliness in your campaign, the war elephants wielding huge greatswords with their trunks should whet your appetite. Also the medieval dirigible and shoulder-fired rocket launcher would fall into that category. Although some of the content is extraneous or unconventional, it is all sensibly designed.

In addition to the classes, there are also many well-thought out skills to include in any campaign. Such as torturing, signaling, sapping under fortifications, and operating siege equipment.  A wide variety of aerial combat and aquatic combat feats and skills create additional dimensions for your battlefields or campaigns.

This 128-page paperback supplement is reasonably priced at $19.95. It includes a large amount of artwork, although the quality of art covers a wide range. Several textbook quality images of knights and gladiators, and Egyptian and Grecian battle scenes stir the imagination. Some sketches hearken to your favorite character drawn in the back of your notebook during high school math class. Like the guy firing the rocket launcher, who looks a lot like Russell Crowe.  A special forward by Luke Gygax is interesting reading.

Players will enjoy Warriors’ great variety of prestige classes, feats, spells, and equipment. DMs need not worry about power gaming; everything in the book is well-balanced. This is a solid, well-researched, carefully designed supplement that can serve as a reference for anyone interested in historical or fantasy miniatures or role-playing games.

Reviewed by Erik J. Olsrud
(Posted 10-20-2004)

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