Complete Scoundrel: A second look

Now that I have cooled down from my initial reaction to the Complete Scoundrel, I think I can see some really good stuff in there.

I’m saddened that there were some missed opportunities. I can deal with that.

Here are some highlights:

Prestige Classes: The Master of Masks is one of the coolest prestige classes I’ve seen. I want to play a Beguiler/Master of Masks. Several of the prestige classes build off the luck feat and skill trick mechanics introduced in the book. This isn’t bad, but it isn’t my cup of tea. The prestige classes that don’t build off these mechanics, though, look pretty cool.

Equipment: There are some clever, tricky, nonmagical items in the book. My favorite is probably the rust monster wand, a hollow tube filled with rust monster larvae. The end of it is perforated (and able to be capped) so as to allow the antennae to stick out. Rub them against something metal and it will eventually rust. Also, you can empty this into the paladin’s armor for extra-wacky fun!

Magic: There are some spells and magic items that lend themselves to clever uses. I approve of that.

Background: There’s a writeup on the Free League from Planescape. I’m a bit of a Planescape fan, so I appreciated this, even though I think the Free League is sort of pointless.

Advice: There’s a big section on running adventures that are based on cleverness and such. I haven’t read through it, so I can’t speak to the quality of it – but this is an area where advice is invaluable.