F.S. Kessler

Provides pretty balanced rules for adventuring in 17th century France as described in the works of Alexandre Dumas. The systems for black powder weapons and the horrendous injuries they can cause are realistic and only slightly more complicated than standard d20 fantasy play. I was particularly intrigued by the panache system, which rewards characters for impressive deeds performed with witnesses. The points earned are based on Challenge Rating and number of witnesses, and can be spent on further swashbuckling deeds, even allowing a character one-time use of any feat designated a "panache feat" that they have not actually taken. This encourages characters to risk acts of derring-do in order to later be able to pull off cool, swashbuckling stunts without being burdened by a lack of feat slots. Overall, B+… (mehr)