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Otherworldly Invocations
by Timothy B. [Featured Reviewer] Date Added: 09/12/2022 17:30:40

Originally posted here: https://theotherside.timsbrannan.com/2022/09/100-days-of-halloween-otherworldly.html

If you are like me and love witches then Pathfinder is the system that just keeps giving and giving. A case in point today is one of many products I have picked up from Necromancers of the Northwest.

Otherworldly Invocations: Advanced Witch Patrons

PDF. 51 pages. 1 page each for cover, back cover, title, and credits. 2 pages of ads. And 2 pages of OGL. 43 pages of content. Color cover and interior art.

This product contains 10 HIGHLY detailed witch patrons for Pathfinder 1st Edition.

Each patron is given some history, how they most often appear to mortals and witches, their goals, their typical followers and witches, as well as what sorts of familiars they have.

There is "mechanical" information as well. This includes what spells they offer with their pact, pact boons, and Pact Prices. Think of these as "anti-boons." Often these are tied to the boons they grant.

They are all great, but for me the section on Baba Yaga is worth the price of the PDF alone. The rest are gravy. Though Thyrvinistar, Don of Dragons is also rather fun.

Obviously, these are for use with Pathfinder. BUT a little tweaking would make them work well with my own OSR witches or even D&D 5e's Warlocks.

The artwork is largely stock photos but they make them work for this. Again the text here is what is important to me.

It is just under $8, so figure about 80¢ per patron. Not bad really.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Otherworldly Invocations
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Weekly Wonders - Archetypes of Sin Volume IV - Lust
by Michael [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 03/11/2022 05:48:37

One of my favorite books in this series. I was able to make great use of the lust singer with a talented bard satyr I created.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Weekly Wonders - Archetypes of Sin Volume IV - Lust
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The Deluxe Guide to Fiend Summoning and Faustian Bargains
by Isaac N. [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 02/13/2022 11:38:11

Love how easy this makes the encounters and helps players find the right fiends to bargain with.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
The Deluxe Guide to Fiend Summoning and Faustian Bargains
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The Book of Forbidden Magic
by Derek H. [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 05/03/2018 08:53:49

As much as I think the rules in this supplement are good, the example spells are not. I did not get Forbidden Magic for evil spells, I got it for those that are beyond human ken. Those that have flaws because of an incomplete understanding of the methods and basis for the spells' magics. And the spells section is all evil spells.

So if you want evil spells that will corrupt or destroy the characters, this is for you. If you want other forms of forbidden magic, well the rules will help you design your own.



Rating:
[3 of 5 Stars!]
The Book of Forbidden Magic
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The Ebon Vault: Unstoppable Hammers
by David D. [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 04/03/2018 14:19:01

Having bought a printed copy of ‘The Ebon Vault: Unstoppable Hammers’, I hereby provide my review of this product. It is a very useful product for any GM who wants to add more detail in their campaign concerning the availability of different kinds of hammers (and other bludgeoning weapons) when player characters go shopping at a nearby NPC weapon store. This supplement offers also some new special materials to make hammers from and also a lot of special weapon abilities and mundane weapon properties to make an otherwise ordinary hammer more special. Even at low levels, player characters are provided quite some customization choice. Not only an useful supplement for a GM but of course also for any player that likes hammers or other bludgeoning weapons (when the GM allows it, many of the abilities can be easily applied to other weapons).

The editing and formatting are nice. The only negative point about this product is that the print quality of the different tables throughout this product is quite poor, while the print quality of all the rest in this supplement is excellent. It takes some effort to read the listed prices or bonus/penalty numbers in the different tables, just because of the rather poor print quality of the tables.

Still, considering the price paid for this product versus all the useful information gotten therein, I consider personally ‘The Ebon Vault: Unstoppable Hammers’ a quality product worth its 5 stars.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
The Ebon Vault: Unstoppable Hammers
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Horizontech Catalogue 002 - Unique Starships
by Kim F. [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 12/15/2017 13:30:48

This was originally revied on the Open Gaming Network.

Reviews represent the opinion of the reviewer only and are intended to reflect upon the specific material reviewed. Reviews are based upon purchases of the reviewer, except where indicated as having been provided by the publisher or other parties. All reviews are based upon products available for purchase on the Open Gaming Store at the time of writing. The reviewer asserts no interest in the sale or performance of the product(s) in question and has no association with the production of the product reviewed.

NETWORK REVIEWS Network Reviews – Horizontech Catalogue 002 – Unique Starships November 30, 2017 - by Kim Frandsen - Leave a Comment Welcome to our little Review section here on the Open Gaming Network.

We take products and review them, intending to give the reader the best chance of evaluating whether this particular release is for them.

There is, of course, a scoring system, similar to that used elsewhere, in a 5-star rating, which we have determined as follows:

1 – Bad 2 – Mediocre 3 – Decent 4 – Good 5 * – Excellent

The following review is an OPINION piece and only reflects the opinion and tastes (because ultimately, all reviews will be based on personal taste) of the reviewer.

That disclaimer out of the way, let’s get on with the show!

This week we give you Horizontech Catalog 002 – Unique Starships!

Publisher: Necromancers of the Northwest

Author: Alex Riggs, Joshua Zaback

Cover Artist: Not listed, and neither are the other artists, but editor is Rosa Riggs

System: Starfinder

Page count: 8 ( 1 page cover, 1 page credits and Open Gaming License combined, 4 page of contents, another page of OGL and 1 page back cover).

As usual, we start with the cover. This shows us some sort of starship, which I’ll be honest, makes me think of the Enterprise from Star Trek, just with added bits. It’s a nice picture, but I’m not sure if it looks “used” as in the title. And I can’t help but notice that the artist for this (and any of the interior pieces) are not credited, which I think is a shame, as they’re good pieces.

Inside we find 5 starships, of Tier 1, 4, 6, 12 and 16. And first, I have to say that while I’m a fan of the ships here, I’d have loved to have a Build Point cost for them as well, so that players can “buy” them if they wish. That’s a minor gripe though since Starfinder obviously ties level to starship tiers. But it’d have been a nice addition.

Secondly, and a bit more of a worry is the fact that none of them have their PCU costs listed. An enterprising GM can easily go back and rework it, but it’d have been nice to have, just as a quick check, in case the PCs manage to fiddle about with the Power Core of the ships.

4 of the ships come with 1 or 2 special abilities as well, which is a nice touch, especially as it makes up for the lack of new equipment or frames in the system. But it makes for some memorable starships that are easily “dragged and dropped” into your campaign.

But let’s jump into the individual ships:

First up is Planet Hopper, a Small light freighter, which both puts me in mind of both the Serenity and the Millenium Falcon. I can almost hear Watto going “Aaah, I have a deal for you. This beauty here can be yours if you have the credits…” – Great ship for a starting campaign (provided there are no more than 6 players), as it is cheap and easy to modify, especially with that special ability.

Next is the Jade Owl. This Large destroyer is a warship and can be run by the players alone (minimum crew of 6), and reminds me of the Corellian corvettes from Star Wars in many ways. If a bit more damaged than they tend to be. Great ship at tier 4, and one I might well implement in my own campaign, even if I might use it as a location instead of a ship. The idea of an ex-pirate’s ship mysteriously vanishing and possibly having treasure aboard would lead many PC groups to gutting the ship trying to find it.

Thirdly is Ha’zaard, a slave ship, and a Huge bulk freighter. Coming in at Tier 6, this ship has clearly been written as an opponent, as it’s the first of the 3 ships to have the stats for the crew. It fits the story of the ship, however. Impressive ship, but the fact that it only has one weapon (an EMP cannon) lets it down a bit. It’s a very nice special ability it comes with though, on behalf of it’s notorious captain.

Then comes Gold Drift Casino, a Huge cruiser (which I thought an odd choice, instead of a freighter). It is exceedingly heavily armed, and anyone running into that super EMP cannon is going to feel that they’ve been nudged. It is a BIT weird that they haven’t put in guest quarters in the expansion bays, for a casino. I suppose they could be without boarding, but since it has a brothel onboard, it comes across as strange that they would only cater to their crew when it comes to amenities.

Finally the Plastic Dragon Inn, a Gargantuan carrier. Coming in at Tier 16, this again is heavily armed with a super X-laser cannon and some other stuff. The story of the ship, with it being an old base for rebellious heroes made me think of Yavin 4, but this place is way more luxurious, so perhaps a better comparison is the Super Star Destroyer if it had luxurious quarters. I really like the potential of this ship, and it’s a nice touch that the Hyperspace engine has been removed, making it a regular and reliable feature for the system where the GM places it.

And so we come to the conclusion:

There are some minor editing issues here, but nothing really important. It’s just a matter of a misplaced word here and there, that the spell checker didn’t catch, as the word is spelled correctly, but doesn’t make sense there. There’s also the oddity of the choice of “no crew stats” for the first 2 ships, but as said, that makes sense given the backstory.

At a price of $1.49, this is great value, IF you’re a GM who either don’t want to (or doesn’t have the time for) create your own starships. Then you have 4 ready made ones here, with some interesting backstories that you can build on, and insert pretty much at will.

As such the verdict for this one stands at 5-stars.

While I can’t say that I LOVE this product, I do find that it’s incredibly useful, if I’m in a rush to throw something at my players. But I would like for you to credit the artists next time. They deserve it.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Horizontech Catalogue 002 - Unique Starships
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Weekly Wonders - Drunkard's Grimoire
by Bjoern A. [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 08/13/2017 13:15:33

Weekly Wonders – Drunkard's Grimoire by Necromancers of the Northwest is a collection of 12 alcohol-based spells presented in the artistic style typical for those product (nice tome-like cover, a few black and white illustration inside the book.) As stated in the introduction, those should serve to extend that theme on spell-casters and is partly inspired by the Cult of Dionysos, while so far, mainly Monks and Barbarians had alcohol-themed archetypes. Also in the introduction is printed a list of official alcohol-based content. It seems not to be complete (a short Google search pointed me at the official combat trait „Accelerated Drinker“), but I still give bonus points for including that, because it is also stated that the part of the spells work in conjunction with those class features and archetypes, so to have this ready as a reference may come in handy. There's also a hint at another Weekly Wonders Issue (Drunken Feats), that also might work with those spells, but as I don't have that product (yet), I can't say if that's the case.

With two exceptions, the spells are cast at either a living creature or at a drink that has then to be imbibed for the spell's effect to take place. In those cases, the drink in question can be drunk as part of the spell casting, so the casting time is unaffected by that (same goes for alchemists that might use such a spell). To give an impression, a short description of some of the spells follows:

Beer Goggles: impairs the sight of the drinker, who gains save bonus against gaze attacks, but also becomes more susceptible to diplomacy checks and charm effects.

Blackout: impairs the target's ability to form memories, so they can't remember what happened after.

Deadly Tankards: makes tankards into weapons. Also, you won't spill the content while using them this way.

Valorous Whiskey: Drinker gains cold resistance and a morale bonus on attack rolls saves and some checks.

In the end, if I had one thing to criticize, then that some of the spells would require the GM to work with the player spell-caster (because there's no use casting a spell on some drinks if the NPCs simply won't drink them), which might be a con for players who don't like such dependencies. On the other hand, as the GM, I immediately had some ideas how to use some spells even to introduce the players into a new adventure, so at least to me, they have a positive inspiration factor. And that you can use some of them as buff spells with (rum) flavor is something I really like very much. Mechanically, the levels of the respective spells seem right to me, and I wouldn't have any problem if one of my players would want to use some of them. So if you like the theme of this product, I think it's well worth it's price and grant it full five stars.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Weekly Wonders - Drunkard's Grimoire
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Intrepid Expeditions: The Island of Life
by Charles E. [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 03/07/2017 14:43:30

This is short and sweet. The book doesn't do anything impressive with design, doesn't do enough with plot hooks, but has some great ideas. The monsters and the environments are very evocative and I'm always a sucker for these kind of settings.



Rating:
[3 of 5 Stars!]
Intrepid Expeditions: The Island of Life
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Advanced Arcana Volume VI
by Megan R. [Featured Reviewer] Date Added: 07/31/2016 10:17:12

Opening as usual with a note to a student working his way through the Aubergrave Academy of Magecraft (how long is the course? He's been there six years now, maybe he's doing a PhD!), apparently the poor lad lost his mentor in rather tragic (if unspecified) circumstances and has had to apprentice to somebody else. It also appears that he now has to start assisting with teaching more junior students (all the more likely that he's doing a PhD as you often get a teaching assistant role at that point). Mention is also made of a new area of study, psychic magic, which is touched on within this tome. In a rare formatting error, the two pages of the letter are superimposed on what appears to be the Credits and Table of Contents pages, which fortunately appear in their own right, the Credits before the letter and the Table of Contents on the following page, so you do get to read them!

Next comes the Foreword by the compiler of the tome, Kabaz Anvitz, who is full of excitement at the discovery of an entire new branch of magic, the psychic magic mentioned in the letter. In previous volumes he's explored and questioned conventional magic, and here the study of psychic magic has led him on to examine spell components in detail. The theme of Advanced Arcana I was the 'cost' of a spell, so returning to that approach, can material components - and indeed the caster's gestures and words - also form part of the 'cost' of casting a spell? An interesting thought that leads him to the concept that it might be possible to cast a spell without the required material components by casting it at a higher level (i.e. using up more magical energy) than normal. Or increase the spell's effects by adding extra components... exciting stuff indeed!

We then move on to more detailed game mechanics to support these ideas. Psychic magic was introduced in Paizo Publishing's Occult Adventures rulebook for the Pathfinder RPG, where the concept of thought and emotion components joined the familiar verbal, somatic and material ones. It's all about the drama and excitement of spell-casting, words and gestures and other elements combining to bring about the effect the caster intends. So here we have intricate components - words or gestures so complex that skill checks are needed to get them right - and other components based on energy, alignment, sacrifice or even terrain. There's a lot to play with here! Detailed game mechanics are provided to help you get to grips with the ideas presented here and translate them into spellcasting within your game.

The actual spells themselves are presented first as spell lists by caster type and level, and then in an alphabetical collection of full descriptions of each one. Read, enjoy, imagine... some of these spells, however, are quite dark, evil even - after all, sacrifice of a sentient being merely to power a spell is rightly deemed an evil act, most of the time.

The appendices present new feats designed to aid interaction with the new game mechanics introduced in this book, new archetypes which mix up the way in which different types of spellcaster engage with their magic, a collection of new (sometimes bizarre) familiars, and finally biographic notes and game statistics of some of the legendary spellcasters who aided Kabaz Anvitz in researching this book - along with a further note from him about the process.

What can I say? These books just get better and better, casting new and interesting light on the study and practice of magic. Particularly appealing if you like to take an academic approach to magic, there is plenty for the more practical spellcaster too.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Advanced Arcana Volume VI
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Advanced Arcana Volume V
by Megan R. [Featured Reviewer] Date Added: 07/30/2016 10:41:22

Opening, as with the other books in this series, with a letter to a now-quite-senior student at the Aubergrave Academy of Magecraft, where he is about to enter his fifth year and now needs to choose a senior mage to whom he will apprentice. In stressing the importance of choosing a mentor wisely, there's an interesting glimpse into mage society - it's quite like the real-world academic society that I inhabit! The author also warns that some of the spells in this volume are 'unruly' if not downright dangerous.

Next we hear from Kabaz Anvitz, putative author of this tome. He states that magic is a tricky subject, that for every answer you get two more questions arise, that even after a lifetime of study there are things that still elude him totally. He then raises the question: is magic in some way alive? An idea that is widely discredited in academic circles yet... he cites research that suggests otherwise. Certainly a matter which could be disputed at length within academia, and perhaps by scholarly mages in your campaign world too.

Next, stepping out of character, the introduction identifies the core question of this volume as being "What would a spell with a mind of its own look like?" Magic is generally represented as either a scientific process, cause and effect studied and understood, or as a primal force that is cajoled and manipulated, with the first being more common in role-playing games as it's easier to write rules for! But a lot of the... well, MAGIC is lost if you get too scientific in your approach. The spells herein are an attempt to regain some of the feeling of wonder about spell-casting, even if they still abide by the rules. There are various different methods employed, including Patron spells (for those whose magic comes from an outside source, clerics and the like), Automatic spells (which go off apparently at random without the caster having much control), Capricious spells with random effects based on a Spellcraft check made when they are cast, Interactive spells which the caster can attempt to modify after he's cast them, and Unsafe spells - which have a tendency to get out of hand. Plenty to conjure with here!

After outlining and explaining the rules mechanics necessary for these new spells to operate within the game and notes on various ways of handling an influx of new spells into your campaign, we move on to spell lists (by caster type) and the detailed spell descriptions of over an hundred new spells. As always, just reading through them spawns plenty of ideas for their use... and they make for fun reading as well.

After the spells, there are four appendices. To start with, some new feats designed to be used by those who would cast the spells presented in this tome. Next come familiar traits, a new mechanic for giving your familiar assorted beneficial, mixed or awkward traits - each has a points value and the sum of your picks must equal zero. Then come notes on sentient spells - neutral outsiders whose abilities and personalities are based on a specific spell, literally a spell come to life. Wierd... but with potential. Finally there are biographical details (and game statistics) for various luminaries of the magical world - who knows, maybe one of these will turn up to discuss the nature of magic with your party wizard.

Overall, another collection of thought-provoking spells, these ones with considerable potential to cause havoc on your tabletop. Enjoy...



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Advanced Arcana Volume V
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Advanced Arcana Volume IV
by Megan R. [Featured Reviewer] Date Added: 07/29/2016 09:17:27

Like previous volumes in the series, Arcane Arcana IV takes an aspect of magic that you might not even have thought about before and, by presenting a series of innovative spells around that theme, turn whatever you did know - or thought you knew - about it on its head. This time it's all about the concept of 'schools' of magic. The opening letter, addressed to a student who is embarking on his fourth year of study at Aubergrave Academy of Magecraft, points out that it is at this point in his training that he needs to select which (if any) school he will specialise in, and introduces this book as containing spells that challenge the classification of spells by school. The foreword by the compiler of the collection, the academic mage Kabaz Anvitz, is on similar lines complete with references to other (sadly imaginary) works in true academic style.

The introduction explains, out-of-character, a little more. For many players, a spell's school doesn't really matter, it is just a handy classification and based on the sort of effect that spell produces. This book attempts to make schools more meaningful. It includes dual-school spells, whose effects cross the boundaries between schools, alternate-school spells, which have a core action and additional effects based on how they are cast, and alternate-list spells where the effect is mostly the same whoever casts it, but with variations depending on whether the caster is a wizard, a druid, a witch or whatever. There are also more fountain spells (which enable the caster to regain spells already cast as well as having their own effects) and of course other spells that are just here because they sound interesting...

The detailed spell mechanics for the new types of spell are explained, but they make more sense once you've had a look at a few of the spells in question. So, on to the spell lists offered as usual by caster type, followed by the full descriptions of each spell. It's here that you find details of how the dual-school, alternate-list and alternate-school spells actually work in practice. Plenty of interesting ideas here, just reading through them starts ideas flowing...

The first appendix presentes the elite arcanist, a new base class of spell caster who is limited in the number of spells that he can cast, but extremely potent with those that he does know. He has access to any and all spell lists, never mind schools of magic. Fundamentally, they believe that the true path to magical power is the ability to master the best of everything that magic has to offer, rather than simply specializing in one small corner of all that is magical. They focus on understanding the underlying principles behind magic, which allows them to unlock the potential of every spellcasting class, and also gives them the ability to perform a number of stupendous feats of spellcasting, including casting two spells at once, copying spells that they have been targeted with, and casting spells that they don't even know. Yet they are active adventurers, not academics who do not venture out. There are certainly potentials here, although they do tend to want to 'talk shop' with wizards and sorcerers whenever they get the chance - and can be a bit aloof and dismissive of those who do not use magic (or even are not as obsessed by it as they are!).

The second appendix talks about places of power. If you have ever wondered if a mage gets any benefit from being in his own sanctum, this will give you your answer with some optional rules that allow the party wizard - or, of course, some evil fellow the party is opposing - to set up their magically-honed base of operations, based around arcane rituals that bind the location to the mage whose sanctum it is. All manner of equipment and decorative features are available and actually provide game mechanical effects as well. The third appendix looks at spell mastery, providing a way for a spellcaster to specialise in a particular spell and cast it to better effect rather than the standard model where - apart from metamagic effects - a spell is as potent when cast by a lowly first-level wizard as it is by an experience one of far higher level. Good if a mage wishes to develop a 'signature' spell or just demonstrate the benefits of all that hard work spent studying his craft. Examples - using spells from the Pathfinder RPG core rules - are given, but it should not prove too hard to come up with similar effects for your favourite spells if they're not listed here.

The final two appedices deal with wish and miracle spells - possibly the most powerful spells in any spellbook and certainly ones where your imagination can run riot - and biographical details (and full game statistics) for some legendary spellcasters, many of them providers of the spells in this book. They're quite entertaining and bring their magics to life.

So, more thought-provoking ideas and spells to conjure with, continuing the academic approach to magic that fits well with the image of the bookish wizard - more gloriously-imaginative spells to delight any mage and ideas to chat about whenever mages gather together.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Advanced Arcana Volume IV
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Advanced Arcana Volume III
by Megan R. [Featured Reviewer] Date Added: 07/26/2016 08:36:05

Like the previous two volumes, this one opens with a letter to a student mage from a well-wishing family friend (or is it his step-father... the friend seems close to his mother and there's been mention that his father is dead?), enclosing the gift of a rather tasty spellbook... the rest of the volume being the spellbook itself.

As before, the spells therein are organised around several innovative themes. This time they are 'opportune' spells that can be cast speedily when specific conditions arise, 'arcane well' spells that give access to unlimited use of a minor effect but only until you cast the parent spell, metamagic spells which alter other spells (somewhat akin to metamagic feats) and 'ascension' spells which are more than one level at once. You may well ask how that works...

The foreword by Kabaz Anvitz is even more philosopical than before, speculation on the nature of spells and of magic itself, and again makes for a good read and inspiration for those spellcasters who like to delve deep... or characters who like to muse over the campfire of an evening! Playing with the underpinning theory of ones trade is a constant habit of the academic, and if you like to portray your wizard character thus, it can prove entertaining. (One wizard character of mine described it as 'contemplating the ultimate which-ness of the why'... and the GM presented me with a beautiful mandala for him to gaze at when he did so!) Of course, the author reaches no conclusion after running through several theories, but says that he's presenting spells that challenge existing notions of what spells are and what you can do with them.

This is followed by an out-of-character explanation of the core themes and basically how they work, along with notes of how you might introduce these new spells into your game in a meaningful and effective manner. If you choose to make it more difficult to acquire or learn such 'exotic' spells than it is to access the 'common' magic as presented in the core rule books, some optional game mechanics are presented to make that happen - anything from making them harder to cast to making them harder to locate, needing to be researched from scratch or even acquired via the black market because for some reason or another they are not permitted. If you go for a more plot-based route, one of the appendices has biographical material and stat blocks for some of the mages who invented these spells - your characters can have an opportunity to study with a true master!

After notes on the game mechanics of the novel spell types, we get to the actual spell lists (by every type of spell user) and the alphabetical list of full spell descriptions. Hours of fascinating browsing... and the spell lists are hyperlinked so if you are reading on-screen you can dive straight to the one you want. Throughout, sidebars add interesting commentary and speculation.

Finally, the appendices present a selection of alternate potions, scrolls and wands - such as an aromatic potion that exists in gaseous form rather than a liquid, some new sorcerer bloodlines that are true lineages of arcane power, and some unique witch patrons with real personality! And there are some legendary mages, instrumental in creating some of the spells in this book, all ready for your characters to meet.

All in all, another fascinating delve into the craft of magic, something to keep the most bookish of wizards absorbed!



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[5 of 5 Stars!]
Advanced Arcana Volume III
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Advanced Arcana Volume II
by Megan R. [Featured Reviewer] Date Added: 07/24/2016 10:44:18

Following on from the first volume of Advanced Arcana, this one starts with a similar letter to a student who has now completed his first year at Aubergrave Academy of Magecraft. Likewise, the foreword to the book proper reveals that it was written by the same academically-minded mage, Kabaz Anvitz. This time, he says, he wants to concentrate on useful spells rather than those picked to challenge commonly-accepted principles of magical thought... but of course, he's ended up doing that as well. For a start, he explains - in a wonderful mix of in-character theory and game mechanics - just why a wizard 'prepares' spells in advance in terms of how spell energy is stored and used. At least, a rationale for the game mechanic! It's always been something that bugged me - ok, it's the game rule but why does it have to be like that?

This book presents over an hundred new spells ranging from first to ninth level, and the underlying theme of many of them is the idea of spells which can have more than one effect depending on anything from caster whim to the conditions under which it is cast. There are more of the multi-part or 'segmented' spells introduced in the first volume, which require several spell slots and require extended casting time as well. A full explanation of the mechanic is provided in case you do not have access to Advanced Arcana I, however, and then expands it to encompass layered segmented spells and variable segmented spells, which are new to this book. There are also notes on various ways to introduce new spells into your campaign, a process that causes some GMs no end of difficulty whilst others take it in their stride. The problem of introducing new spells to spontaneous casters who are not limited as to how many spells they know just how many they can cast in a day is also covered. These notes should help enable all GMs to handle novel spells with confidence.

Explanations done, the spells are presented first as spell lists for each spell-using class and then alphabetically with full descriptions. An example of a variable segmented spell is Ardesalf's instant biography which inscribes facts about the target being into a blank book or scroll, the more times cast (one to five times) the more you find out about your target... and there are many more innovative and interesting spells to be found here.

The Appendices are well worth reading too. The first contains notes on some of the distinguished mages who devised the spells herein. Perhaps they will turn up in your campaign, or merely be legends young wizards hear about during their training. The second deals with spellbook customisation. Perhaps a wizard would like a fancy binding or wants to write his spells on something other than paper, parchment or vellum... here are some ideas, their costs and their properties. Oh, and don't forget the ink... Other appendices deal with really wierd familiars (how about a bookworm?), alternate arcane bonds and exotic spell components - if you use one of these along with whatever's required for the spell you are casting, you may get some fascinating additional effects.

This is the sort of book that makes you wish magic were real... but inasmuch as it is within your game, it makes an excellent addition to magical knowledge!



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Advanced Arcana Volume II
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Advanced Arcana
by Megan R. [Featured Reviewer] Date Added: 07/23/2016 11:39:54

How does magical education work in your game? There's quite a trend within Pathfinder RPG product to suggest that you can go to school to study magic, just as you or I in the real world can take classes in history or computer science... a reasonable assumption in a setting where magic is part of everyday life. This book takes this view, opening with a note penned to a newly-accepted student by a family friend, an older mage who wishes him well. This explains the purpose of the work, a collection of spells that should prove useful to any aspiring mage. Three specialist groups of spells are mentioned: 'quick' spells which are lesser-powered versions of spells that can be cast fast in an emergency, spells which refresh the mind and enable the re-casting of spells already used for the day, and 'segmented' spells that occupy several slots rather than one, but allow pretty amazing things to be done.

Next are some delightful philosophical thoughts by the original author of the book, clearly someone who takes magic seriously and doesn't view it merely as a list of actions for use when brawling! Much of this skilfully blends an in-character approach with recognition of the underlying game mechanics... as example, "According to the ancient sage Drawzi of Astocthes. the cost of a spell is measured in mental energy, with spells being classified in nine tiers based on the amount of energy the spell consumes when cast", which is prehaps the most delightful way of describing that spells come in levels and the higher level your character is, the higher level spells he can cast that I have read! It's a very academic approach, some readers may find it a bit heavy going, but if you want to play a spell-caster who takes a studious approach to his magic it will give you some wonderful ideas to throw around in casual conversation to bemuse your colleagues who swing swords or pick locks for a living.

Following an outstanding illustration of a 'Young Mage' lounging with a book in his hand, a couple of sidebars explain the mechanical implications of segmented spells, showing how they play out, and notes on how best to incorporate the spells from this book into your game. A wizard wishing to buy his own copy of Advanced Arcana needs to come up with 25,000 gp, for example!

Now getting down to business, spell lists are followed by full write-ups of each new spell. There are lists of spells for alchemists, bards, clerics, druids, inquisitors, paladins, rangers, sorcerers/wizards, summoners, and witches. The full spell descriptions are presented in standard format, and merely reading through them conjures up many an idea for using them to effect...

As example of the novel concept of the segmented spell, have you ever wondered how places consecrated to a particular deity have all those cool effects associated with them? Perhaps high-level clerics devoted to that deity spent a lot of time and money casting holy presence there: it builds up over six castings of a spell that takes four hours and material components of incense and oils costing 1,500 gp (that's for each of the six castings, mind you) but provides several effects that make it clear that this is indeed a holy place. Even better, you can customise these effects from a list so that they best reflect the interests and concerns of the deity in question.

Then Appendix 1: On the Assembly of this Tome contains a delightful account of the life and times of Kabaz Anvitz, the ostensible author of this spell book. Excellently written and entertaining, it continues the 'academic' theme of his introduction - and demonstrates clearly how being a bookish and scholarly mage can provide plenty scope for adventure! Other appendices present new clerical domains and sorcerer bloodlines, as well as what are termed focussed wizard schools. These allow a wizard to develop a narrower speciality in their magic than the standard schools. Oh, and there are some new familiars tucked away here, if you fancy something a bit exotic - an animated object, perhaps, or a poison frog. Or maybe you'd rather have a rabbit familiar.

The whole book is a delight, with thoughtful spells, an endearing academic approach to the study of magic, and some fantastic illustrations. Just the thing to give to an aspiring mage...



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Advanced Arcana
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A Necromancer's Grimoire: Steeds and Stallions
by Peter C. [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 04/08/2016 19:21:43

I picked this up because the price point was right and I am interested in portraying horses in my Pathfinder campaign. This PDF is a solid piece of work. The look is excellent. All of the sections, including detailed information on what horses are like and how to care for them, don't have one bit of wasted text.



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A Necromancer's Grimoire: Steeds and Stallions
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