Close
Close
Advanced Search

B/X CompanionClick to magnify
Quick Preview
/gs_flipbook/flip.php?xml=/demo_xml/103412.xml&w=500&h=324
Full‑size Preview
https://watermark.drivethrurpg.com/pdf_previews/103412-sample.pdf

B/X Companion

ADD TO WISHLIST >

The B/X Companion is a re-imagining of what could have been, had the 1981 editions of the Original Fantasy Role-Playing Game (the Basic and Expert sets edited by Tom Moldvay, Dave Cook, and Steven Marsh) been followed up by a third Companion volume promised in their pages. Using the same format as the original volumes, and working from the hints and info provided in those 1981 editions, the B/X Companion provides rules for high level play, including levels 15th through 36th, 60+ new spells, 100+ new magic items, 80+ new monsters, rules for running dominions, mass combat & siege warfare, astral travel, and more...all in 64 pages.

pixel_trans.gif
pixel_trans.gif
 
 Customers Who Bought this Title also Purchased
pixel_trans.gif
pixel_trans.gif
Reviews (2)
Discussions (11)
Customer avatar
Brian H September 06, 2023 5:51 am UTC
Pod version? I can read the pdf, because it gives me a headache and printing is big issue for me.
Reply
Customer avatar
Jonathan B September 07, 2023 3:38 pm UTC
PUBLISHER
Hi, Brian:

I sell the print copies myself; I use DriveThru exclusively for PDFs. If you'd like the hardcopy, check out the sidebar on my blog site:

http://bxblackrazor.blogspot.com/

Hard copy prices include shipping and are dependent on where you reside.

Thanks for your interest. Sorry about the headache!
Reply
Customer avatar
Brian H September 08, 2023 5:51 am UTC
Thank you! I'll look into it soon.
Customer avatar
Charles B September 13, 2020 11:30 pm UTC
PURCHASER
Just want to say that BX Companion is magnificent. One thing that I don't understand is why Backstab never improved in the basic to expert levels. In OD&D, AD&D, and 2e the progression is x3 at levels 5-8, x4 at levels 9-12, x5 at 13 etc...Do you have insight on this? Is it a balance issue? And maybe that's what your book seeks to address among other things. Just seems strange for my BX thief to finally get a x3 multiplier at level 16 when its level 5 in the other systems. Would love to get your thoughts.
Reply
Customer avatar
Jonathan B March 04, 2022 5:33 pm UTC
PUBLISHER
I don't know why the Mentzer/Cook Expert set left out the expanding damage (which has been a part of the class since its inception in the 1976 "Greyhawk" supplement). Perhaps, as a game aimed at introducing children to the D&D game, they felt it necessary to de-emphasize the backstabbing aspect of the class...instead emphasizing the utility of the archetypes skills.

[see also how B/X leaves out the "assassin" specialist hireling, present since the original D&D game was first published. Nearly all other aspects of original game...i.e. the Little Brown Books...were included and incorporated into the rules]

The B/X system as written scales extremely well to level 14...even the demihumans are comparable in ability at their max ends (yes, even the 8th level halfling). Adding the multiplier to thieves for the Companion was me throwing a bone to folks who know the class from other editions.
Customer avatar
Christopher B April 17, 2019 10:02 pm UTC
PURCHASER
This is an excellent reimagining of what might have been. The nostalgia leaps off the pages and I prefer it to the official publication.
Customer avatar
Thomas K January 09, 2019 6:12 pm UTC
PURCHASER
The description of this product essentially says "what if we got level 15-36 rules?...".

But we *did* get those rules!

What is in this product that that would entice me to ignore the Companion, Master, Immortal, and Cyclopedia books produced by the official sources?
Reply
Customer avatar
Jonathan B January 10, 2019 10:27 pm UTC
PUBLISHER
Hi, Thomas.

While Frank Mentzer's basic and expert set were, more or less, a re-packaging of the Basic and Expert sets edited by Tom Moldvay, Dave Cook, and Steve Marsh, Mentzer's later sets of the BECMI series were done in a different style and strayed from the high level play hinted at in the original B/X sets. For example, instead of providing NEW abilities for thieves of levels 15+, Mentzer simply re-writes the skill increments to ensure the class doesn't reach its full potential till L36...essentially "nerfing" the character.

This B/X Companion is a re-imagining of what "might have been:" a single book, 64 pages in length, that provides all the information one needs to run characters up to level 36 in a style similar to the original B and X books. For fans of the 1981 edition, it provides a concise supplement for high level play that isn't spread out over four (or more) volumes.

Fans of Mentzer's opus (or the Rules Cyclopedia) will find a number...See more
Reply
Customer avatar
Thomas K January 10, 2019 10:54 pm UTC
PURCHASER
Thank you for the background.

Now I need to do some more reading :)
Customer avatar
Craig T October 30, 2017 10:18 pm UTC
Interested in the product and I was wondering about the fast combat optional rules I see in the table of contents, can anyone tell me more about it? Can I use it in Basic and Expert level combat for example?
Customer avatar
Cory G April 12, 2017 12:43 am UTC
PURCHASER
I would also order it POD if that was an option!
Reply
Customer avatar
Jonathan B May 25, 2017 8:30 pm UTC
PUBLISHER
At this time, the book is available in print. You can order it from the web site:

http://bxblackrazor.blogspot.com
Customer avatar
Robert M February 17, 2017 2:11 am UTC
Is this still with the original layout or has it been updated with Souvenir font etc? If not, would you like help with that before bringing it back into print?
Customer avatar
Graham L November 27, 2016 8:08 pm UTC
This site is starting to offer print on demand for some classic D&D titles. Maybe yours too?
Customer avatar
albert R February 26, 2016 6:16 am UTC
PURCHASER
I have the PDF but I was wondering if their is any chance in getting a print option up? I would love a dead tree copy from here.
Reply
Customer avatar
Jonathan B March 11, 2016 2:59 am UTC
PUBLISHER
You're not the only one, Albert!

We are approaching "critical mass" with the number of folks interested in a print copy. When there are enough that it makes sense, I'll do another print run of the book and contact all interested parties...though probably not till after August.
Reply
Customer avatar
PB S April 19, 2016 2:07 pm UTC
PURCHASER
Sign me up for wanting a print copy! Bought my PDF a while back, really great stuff. Especially for the Thief, the lost child of later versions.
Reply
Customer avatar
PB S October 07, 2016 5:18 am UTC
PURCHASER
hey there, checking to see if you're planning to do another print run?
Reply
Customer avatar
Lee W October 18, 2016 2:27 am UTC
Adding neutrons to the hope of going critical!!
Reply
Customer avatar
Jonathan B January 04, 2017 11:12 pm UTC
PUBLISHER
@ Big U and Lee W:

Your wish may be granted in the next couple months...stay tuned!
Customer avatar
Jonathan B January 28, 2016 1:04 pm UTC
PUBLISHER
@ Joshua:

Thank you for your business and for taking the time to comment!

There's quite a bit of new B/X material in the book, including new thief skills, new spells (for both clerics and magic-users), several new monsters, new magical items (including a whole new category: Books!), plus new systems for domain management and mass combat. There are additional rules in the Encounter chapter including variable weapon damage by class (rather than weapon type) and two weapon fighting, and additional specialists in the Adventure chapter as well as notes on hazardous environments. The optional Bard class is new for B/X, and the system given for astral projection (the last chapter) is also different from spell-based systems.

However, the thing I like most about the book is that all the options and new stuff are specifically geared for use in "high level" play, to challenge players who have gone beyond the challenges of standard B/X. For example, the turning table for clerics...See more
Customer avatar
March 15, 2014 7:41 am UTC
PURCHASER
Somehow after reading through this I was left feeling like there just wasn't much meat on these bones.

I think that was sort of the point, as it's aiming for a feel that is B/X with a few more levels on top, but I felt like mostly this book was just telling me things I already know with the tables extended a bit.

I may be selling it short, but glossing through the spells and monsters, things looked mostly like stuff I've already played with for many many years.
Reply
Customer avatar
Jonathan B January 04, 2017 11:12 pm UTC
PUBLISHER
@ [purchaser]:

It's certainly possible you saw some things you've seen before. However, I included quite a few of my own original ideas. These appear mostly in the monsters, spells, and treasures section. Many of these things are specifically present to facilitate high level play. Likewise, the domain and mass combat rules are different from what you'll find in earlier books.

I can only suggest giving it a more thorough read. But, yes, part of its design is with an eye towards "economy of space" so it doesn't have nearly the page count of similar products.
Browse Categories
$ to $
 Follow Your Favorites!
NotificationsSign in to get custom notifications of new products!
 Recent History















Product Information
Gold seller
Copy/paste disabled
Author(s)
Pages
68
ISBN
978-0-9845932-0-0
File Size:
8.55 MB
Format
Original electronic Click for more information
Scanned image
These products were created by scanning an original printed edition. Most older books are in scanned image format because original digital layout files never existed or were no longer available from the publisher.

For PDF download editions, each page has been run through Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software to attempt to decipher the printed text. The result of this OCR process is placed invisibly behind the picture of each scanned page, to allow for text searching. However, any text in a given book set on a graphical background or in handwritten fonts would most likely not be picked up by the OCR software, and is therefore not searchable. Also, a few larger books may be resampled to fit into the system, and may not have this searchable text background.

For printed books, we have performed high-resolution scans of an original hardcopy of the book. We essentially digitally re-master the book. Unfortunately, the resulting quality of these books is not as high. It's the problem of making a copy of a copy. The text is fine for reading, but illustration work starts to run dark, pixellating and/or losing shades of grey. Moiré patterns may develop in photos. We mark clearly which print titles come from scanned image books so that you can make an informed purchase decision about the quality of what you will receive.
pixel_trans.gif
Original electronic format
These ebooks were created from the original electronic layout files, and therefore are fully text searchable. Also, their file size tends to be smaller than scanned image books. Most newer books are in the original electronic format. Both download and print editions of such books should be high quality.
File Information
Watermarked PDF Click for more information
Watermarked PDF

These PDF files are digitally watermarked to signify that you are the owner. A small message is added to the bottom of each page of the PDF containing your name and the order number of your purchase.

Warning: If any files bearing your information are found being distributed illegally, then your account will be suspended and legal action may be taken against you.

Here is a sample of a page from a watermarked title:

File Last Updated:
July 02, 2012
This title was added to our catalog on July 03, 2012.