Options, Options Everywhere!

Convention season is winding down and that usually signals the end of the major game releases, and while that might be true, it doesn’t mean there’s nothing new. In fact, it looks like there are some great releases on the horizon. And, really, these are the best sorts; not new games, but new options for the games you’re already playing.

Whether you’re a new gamer or an old-time grognard, after playing a game for a while, you’ll come up with ideas for characters or for ways for your character to progress that aren’t covered in the rules in the core book. For example, perhaps your character is a thief or assassin (in a fantasy setting) and you’d like to learn how to use poisons, but the main rulebook only offers a small handful of poisons and very little information about harvesting venom or brewing poisons of your own devising. Or, perhaps, you have a deep, abiding love affair for barbarians, but none of the options in the book exactly match with what you want to play.

If the examples above don’t quite apply to you, then this might; let’s say you’ve played in a handful of campaigns and tried out a few different character types or classes that appealed to you. Most new players fall into two categories: those who are sticklers to a specific class, like magic users or rogues, and those who prefer to test-drive a grand diversity of roles. In both of these cases, the ability for that player to experiment with new options for their character is pretty interesting and exciting. Each of the sourcebooks detailed below fall into these categories. Options are king and queen in roleplaying games for good reason, as they allow players to experience roleplaying in an entirely new, exciting light.

Making the Blood Boil!

For fans of Pathfinder, Potions & Poisons introduces a variety of new options to the game. There are some new archetypes that take advantage of all the new potions and other products of alchemy in the book. Players, especially those who embrace rogues and assassins, will relish all the rules that allow them to create and use poisons and other toxins. In addition to the archetypes and poisons found in this book, there are also new feats and magic items related to potions and alchemy. Finally, the alchemists get a new recipe book to expand their repertoire. 

Spells, Magic, and More!

Fantasy games wouldn’t really be fantasy games if it weren’t for magic. No matter what game world you’re immersed in, any tome that conjures more spells and magic will see plenty of use at the gaming table. For instance, players of the cyberpunk fantasy game Shadowrun will discover a number of options for magical characters in Forbidden Arcana, featuring dozens of ways for Awakened characters to better use their power. Also included are new traditions and a new way to summon spirits that’s more chaotic than previously available.

The most interesting addition focuses on new ways for Awakened characters to gain their magical talents, which affects not just the way the character discovered their power, but also the character’s background and how it’s roleplayed. Any time a new rule or option makes it easier to individualize a character and gives the player and game master more fuel for stories and plot hooks, the better!

All I Want is Everything!

The newest edition of D&D has been around a few years now (a little over three years) and while the adventure support for it has been fantastic, there’s been very little in the way of new spells, feats, magic items, subclasses, and the like. Sure, there’ve been a handful of races, spells, and magic items introduced in some of the adventures, but there hasn’t been a nice, meaty book that adds a lot of crunch to the game. That changes with the release of Xanathar’s Guide to Everything!

Presented as snippets of information from the hoard of the beholder crime lord Xanathar (yes, a beholder that’s a crime lord in Waterdeep), Xanathar’s Guide to Everything is the first major expansion to the rules for D&D 5th Edition. There’s actually a fairly unbelievable number of great additions to the game, including 25 new subclasses for the character classes in the Player’s Handbook, dozens of new spells, feats—including brand-new ‘racial’ feats—a means to randomly generate a character’s backstory, and tips for the Dungeon Master on new and interesting ways to use traps, magic, and more.

For anyone who’s familiar with the Unearthed Arcana column from Wizards of the Coast’s website’s, it’s safe to assume a number of the subclasses that have been provided there as part of their ongoing “open playtest” will be included in the book. Those covered include the Barbarian’s Path of the Ancestral Guardian or ‘Path of Zeal’, the Bard’s College of Glamor, the Druid’s Circle of Dreams, the Fighter’s Cavalier or ‘Monster Hunter’, the Ranger’s Horizon Walker, and the Rogue’s Scout, along with some new Sorcerer Bloodlines and Warlock Patrons. And, to repeat, there are a total of 25 of these new, soon-to-be official subclasses included in the book! That’s a huge increase considering the Player’s Handbook had 39 subclasses, and that includes all of the Cleric’s domains and Wizard’s schools.

Honestly, if this tome only included the subclasses, it would offer players and DMs enough new rules to keep everyone happy for ages! Fortunately, Xanathar’s Guide to Everything also details dozens of new spells that allow players to customize their spellcasters even more!

The inclusion of an option to randomly generate a character’s background is a definite plus! Players are usually able to come up with some sort of history for their characters, but including a way to inspire players in ways they may not have considered before is a great addition. Roleplaying games are all about stories, so creating a unique background the a player and DM can use to build new plots around makes the game, as a whole, better for everyone.

Why Options Matter

If you’re running a roleplaying game, keep an eye on your players. It’s possible to spot a player who’s become bored with his or her character because they make comments about their character being ineffective or uninteresting to them. When you observe that, it’s time to consider adding some new options for the players to experiment with. Adding a new subsystem to the game, such as poisons, or a bunch of new spells, feats, and sub-classes can spice things up for your players. You may even find those new options require you to step up your game as the player characters are able to perform things they weren’t able to previously.

Take It To the Tabletop!

All games include a good number of rules and options in the core rules, but when it starts to feel like you or your players need more, pick up a couple of books that look like they include new rules or abilities that seem interesting. Once you give them a read, decide what you want to add to your game and let your players know so they can evaluate them too—then go game

Jon Leitheusser is a writer, editor, and game developer. He published the Dork Tower comic book, was the HeroClix game designer for years, was a content designer for Champions Online and Neverwinter, was the Mutants & Masterminds game developer for Green Ronin from 2008 to 2016, and freelances for a number of different companies. He cut his gaming teeth on Advanced Dungeons & Dragons and still games twice a week with his friends online or in person. He lives in Renton, Washington, but will be moving soon!