Book of Exalted Deeds

Last updated
Book of Exalted Deeds
Bookofgood.jpg
Author James Wyatt, Darrin Drader and Christopher Perkins
Genre Role-playing game
Publisher Wizards of the Coast
Publication date
October 2003
Media typePrint (Hardback)
Pages192
ISBN 0-7869-3136-1

The Book of Exalted Deeds is an optional sourcebook for the 3.0 edition [1] of the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game published by Wizards of the Coast (WotC) in 2003. It provides supplementary game material for campaigns involving characters of good alignment. Within the game, there is also a powerful magical artifact of the same name.

Contents

Contents

The Book of Exalted Deeds was designed to be a counterpoint to the previously published Book of Vile Darkness , and offered new rules for good occurrences, acts, and characters in the game.

Chapter Summary

  1. The Nature of Good: This defines how good is seen in the Dungeons & Dragons setting, as well as how good-aligned characters of different alignments act in relation to the world around them.
  2. Variant Rules: This simply adds additional rules for a campaign featuring good-aligned characters that allows such characters to become exalted characters.
  3. Exalted Equipment: This talks about the weapons (sometimes special) used by exalted characters.
  4. Feats: This chapter includes several new feats, the vast majority of which are exalted feats, meant specifically for good-aligned characters and usable only by such.
  5. Prestige Classes: This chapter introduces prestige classes appropriate for an exalted campaign.
  6. Magic: This chapter provides spells almost exclusively for good characters, as well as magical items, weapon and armor enhancements, and artifacts appropriate to such a campaign.
  7. Celestial Paragons: This chapter discusses (and provides NPC stat blocks for) celestial paragons, rulers of the Upper planes so overwhelmingly powerful that they are revered as a god would be, even on the Material Plane. It also discusses the Upper Planes to an extent.
  8. Monsters: This chapter contains good-aligned monsters, featuring the Deathless type, as well as templates to create customized monsters.

Mature content

Wizards of the Coast had published the controversial Book of Vile Darkness in 2002, a game supplement that explored evil themes and raised the ire of some with its "Mature Content" sticker, sexualized imagery and graphic details. [2] The following year, WotC released the Book of Exalted Deeds, also with a "Mature Content" warning. [3]

The Book of Exalted Deeds was the flip side of the Book of Vile Darkness [4] and dealt with "the extreme elements of the good alignment". [5] It included "ethical questions that most players might not be comfortable with including in their game" and "also dealt with aspects of real-world religion and tried to use them in the context of Dungeons & Dragons, such as stigmata". [5]

Authors

The book was written by James Wyatt, Darrin Drader and Christopher Perkins, with cover art by Henry Higginbotham, and interior art by Tom Baxa, Steve Belladin, Matt Cavotta, Brent Chumley, Rebecca Guay-Mitchell, Jeremy Jarvis, Doug Kovacs, Ginger Kubic, David Martin, Mark Nelson, Wayne Reynolds, Ron Spencer, Arnie Swekel, and Ben Thompson.

The Book of Exalted Deeds artifact

Not to be confused with the WotC book, Gary Gygax described a powerful magical artifact of the same name in the original Dungeon Master's Guide in 1979. The original item raised the Wisdom ability score of good clerics who spent a week reading it, and also granted them a new level of experience. [6] The artifact has subsequently appeared in every new edition of D&D, although with varying powers.

Reception

Related Research Articles

<i>Spelljammer</i> Dungeons & Dragons fictional campaign setting

Spelljammer is a campaign setting originally published for the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, which features a fantastic outer space environment. Subsequent editions have included Spelljammer content; a Dungeons & Dragons 5th edition setting update released on August 16, 2022.

<i>Dungeon Masters Guide</i> Role-playing game rulebook

The Dungeon Master's Guide is a book of rules for the fantasy role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons. The Dungeon Master's Guide contains rules concerning the arbitration and administration of a game, and is intended for use by the game's Dungeon Master.

The Open Game License (OGL) is a public copyright license by Wizards of the Coast that may be used by tabletop role-playing game developers to grant permission to modify, copy, and redistribute some of the content designed for their games, notably game mechanics. However, they must share-alike copies and derivative works.

<i>Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting</i> Dungeons & Dragons sourcebook

The Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting is a role-playing game sourcebook first published by TSR in 1987 for the first edition of the fantasy role-playing game Advanced Dungeons & Dragons that describes the campaign setting of the Forgotten Realms. It contains information on characters, locations and history. Various revised and updated editions have been produced over the years.

<i>Epic Level Handbook</i> Dungeons & Dragons supplement

The Epic Level Handbook is a rule-book by Wizards of the Coast for the 3rd edition of Dungeons & Dragons. The book was published in July 2002, and contains optional game rules for playing characters who have reached a higher experience level than is covered in the standard rules. This is referred to in the book as "epic level" play.

<i>Libris Mortis</i> Role-playing game supplement

Libris Mortis: The Book of Undead is a book which is an official supplement for the 3.5 edition of the Dungeons and Dragons role-playing game. The book covers the fictional undead within the D&D universe and comprises seven chapters, introducing new content for Dungeon Masters and players, as well as providing general information about undead.

<i>Book of Vile Darkness</i> Dungeons & Dragons supplement

Book of Vile Darkness is an optional supplemental sourcebook for the 3rd edition of the role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons. The book was written by Monte Cook and published by Wizards of the Coast on October 1, 2002. Described as a "detailed look at the nature of evil," it was the first Dungeons & Dragons book labelled for mature audiences.

A character class is a fundamental part of the identity and nature of characters in the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game. A character's capabilities, strengths, and weaknesses are largely defined by their class; choosing a class is one of the first steps a player takes to create a Dungeons & Dragons player character. A character's class affects a character's available skills and abilities. A well-rounded party of characters requires a variety of abilities offered by the classes found within the game.

The Wheel of Time Roleplaying Game is a role-playing game based on The Wheel of Time, an epic fantasy series by American author Robert Jordan.

<i>Races of the Dragon</i>

Races of the Dragon is an optional supplemental source book for the 3.5 edition of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game.

<i>Dungeonscape</i>

Dungeonscape is a supplement for the 3.5 edition of Dungeons & Dragons.

Drow of the Underdark is the name of two supplemental rules books for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, providing supplementary game rules focusing on drow culture, equipment and folklore for both players and Dungeon Masters.

<i>Villains Lorebook</i>

Villains' Lorebook is an accessory for the Forgotten Realms campaign setting for the second edition of the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game.

<i>Lords of Darkness</i>

Lords of Darkness is the name of two accessories for the fictional Forgotten Realms campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game.

<i>Magic of Faerûn</i>

Magic of Faerûn is an accessory for the fictional Forgotten Realms campaign setting for the 3rd edition of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game.

<i>Stronghold Builders Guidebook</i>

Stronghold Builder's Guidebook is a sourcebook for the 3rd edition of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game.

The Wand of Orcus is a fictional magical weapon described in various Dungeons & Dragons media. Because of the popularity of Orcus as a villain within the Dungeons & Dragons universe, many different authors have written materials describing artifacts created by or associated with the character. The Wand of Orcus is consistently the most important and most described of these artifacts. Screen Rant has noted that "[t]he weapon that Orcus wields in battle is almost as famous as the demon lord himself". Furthermore, the device has at times been employed in books, games, and other media within the franchise as a thing distinct from Orcus himself, such that adventurers may encounter the wand as a freestanding element of the game or story.

<i>Heroes of Shadow</i>

Heroes of Shadow is a supplement to the 4th edition of the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game. This was the first post-Essentials Dungeons & Dragons release and the supplement was designed to be compatible with both the Essentials line and the base game.

<i>Xanathars Guide to Everything</i> Tabletop role-playing game supplement

Xanathar's Guide to Everything is a sourcebook for the 5th edition of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game published in 2017. It acts as a supplement to the 5th edition Dungeon Master's Guide and the Player's Handbook.

References

  1. ↑ Wyatt, James; Perkins, Christopher; Drader, Darrin (October 2003). Book of Exalted Deeds (3.0 ed.). Wizards of the Coast. pp. Cover, Inside cover, pp.5, pp.191, back cover. ISBN   9780786931361.
  2. ↑ Donovan, Dale (October 2002). "Is the Book of Vile Darkness a Good Gaming Product?". Pyramid. Steve Jackson Games. II. Retrieved 2018-03-14.
  3. 1 2 deMorris, Alex (2004-01-23). "Review of Book of Exalted Deeds". RPG.net. Skotos Tech Inc. Retrieved 2017-05-09. With variant rules and magical items, the Book of Exalted Deeds seems on the surface not to qualify for the mature audience sticker pasted to the cover.
  4. ↑ Kulp, Kevin. "Book of Exalted Deeds (3.5) | Product History". DriveThruRPG. Retrieved 2020-07-28.
  5. 1 2 Baird, Scott (2020-05-28). "Dungeons & Dragons Books Released With Mature Audience Labels". ScreenRant. Retrieved 2020-07-28.
  6. ↑ "Magic in the Realms: General Artifacts". Forgotten Realms Helps. Retrieved 2019-12-03. Study of the work requires one week, but upon completion the good spellcaster gains a +1 inherent bonus to Wisdom and experience points sufficient to place him halfway into the next level of experience.
  7. ↑ Blackman, Merric (January 2004). "How Good are you?". RPG Geek. BoardGameGeek. Retrieved 2019-12-03.
  8. ↑ "Book of Exalted Deeds by Wizards of the Coast". Game Monkeys Magazine. Game Monkey Press. Retrieved 2019-12-03.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.