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Arcanis 5E - The Codex of the Mind PCI2609
by Eric G. [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 04/14/2023 02:27:24

Arcanis is the award winning setting developed by PCI. Codex of the Mind is their book of all things psionic in nature. You probably want it. CotM has 8 chapters and 3 Appendixes including a small collection of threats at the end. I'm giving it a full 5 stars because it's pretty strong across all phases of what it does. Good mechanics? Check. Beautiful art? Check. Proffesional layout? Check. For followers of the Arcanis setting ... expose previously hidden mysteries? Check. Terrifying villians and monsters? Check.

Mechanically the book introduces three new core classes and a few psionic archetypes that can be added to other classes (I particularly like the Rogue Occissor). The psion class is loosely based on the warlock and the idea of foci. Your foci essentially grant you your boons. But you also burn foci to manifest your powers/spells which create bigger effects in combat ...but which also mean you loose a focused ability/boon until you get your foci back after a short rest. The Psychic Warrior also uses foci and is loosely based on the D&D paladin. You will use your foci to smite as well as manifest a few spells. Finally a class called the wilder has less range of spells than a true psion but hits somehwat harder. Its the "barbarian" of the spellcasting set. All of these have a large collection of archetypes ... about 50 new archetypes across all classes in the book .. hope you like creating characters or have time to start a new campaign or three.

The fluff is set within the world of Arcanis. Depending on wether or not you actually play in the Arcanis setting (you should!) this material is either must have for the secrets of the worlds history that are revealed ... or just interesting material to mine stories from for your own campaign. The fastest summary of Arcanis you need to know as a potentyial buyer is that it's loosely based on the fall of Rome (the Coryani Empire is in decline) and the human controlled lands are ruled by various "val" Families. Who alone posses the power of psionic magic due to their ancestors alignment with the Pantheon of Man. In 2016 at a special event at Origins the Arcanis Living Campaign first heard of a secret family that once held power in ancient Empires. The val'Cessari. Now 7n years later their history is included and revealed.

Visually the book is as good as other Arcanis products ... which is pretty good! In addition to Pat Loboyko who has been the "face" of ARcanis for some time, the book also has great art from a number of newer artists. Sjoerdie Devos does creepy monsters very very well.

Chapter 8 deserves a special shout out for all the GMs reading this. Eight is about the Silence, the shadowy behind the scenes uber villians of the Arcanis setting who seek to turn off the Universe. Psions in Arcanis have lived a priveleidged life because they are supposed to stop the Silence in "the End Timns." Good luck to them. Arcanis has Voicessless Ones rather than Illithids. To its great sorrow. This chapter talks a little about the known history of the Silence (not a lot!), its goals as Inquisitors understand them and some crunch for the building of cultists and monsters that serve it. You could build a campaign out from this chapter if you wanted to.

I have a few nits to pick but they're small. Gamers old enough to remember the first and second edition of D&D will see a ressurection of "Psionic Combat" in an Appendix with Attack Modes and Defenses as optional rules. I wasn't a fan then, and one look at the current expanded rules, looks like paralysis by analysis. But maybe you've missed them all these years? Along with THAC0 ... if so I won't judge. Still I would have prefered those pages be spent on something else. That's my most serious criticism.

Does your campaign desperately need a different spellcaster? If yes then stop reading and buy it! But even if your response is maybe not, you should consider a look. There is A LOT here that can be mined and used in your campaign.

Five stars



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Arcanis 5E - The Codex of the Mind PCI2609
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Arcanis 5E - The Codex of the Mind PCI2609
by Bruce L. [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 04/13/2023 18:49:57

A great book that adds to the already rich detail of the world of Arcanis. Want some psionics in your campaign? This book is full of ideas.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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Arcanis 5E - The Ssethregoran Empire Codex Geographica vol. II
by John T. [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 10/23/2022 02:22:30

It was great to see the Ssethregoran Empire rise again in 5E. The artwork is amazing. I'm glad to see one of my favorite 3E supplements now has life in 5E.



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[5 of 5 Stars!]
Arcanis 5E - The Ssethregoran Empire Codex Geographica vol. II
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Living Arcanis 5E HP 2-15 We Do What We Must
by Matthew P. [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 01/07/2022 17:25:47

(Spoiler Review)

We do what we must is the last 'episode' of Season 2 , THe Coming of the Destroyer.

Battle Interactives or (BI) are a constant in Living Arcanis. Consisting of generally 7 or so battles of increasing difficulty, this scenario is no different.

In the case of We do what we must, the party seek to stop a coup by an npc the party may of encountered in an earlier scenario.

The first battle to me is one of the most interesting of perhaps the entire scenarios not so much in terms of the enemy combatants but how it goes about introducing the players to the story and then how they are equipped

The players are at a social function sans Weapons or Armor. For many characters this is an alarming moment. The start of the coup begins here by some decorative boxed text (which Battle interactives have a fair bit of). Players are in a social situation and suddenly attacked by people with ranged weapons while they are below them around a table and as I stated earlier minus their equipment. Players here will need to improvise, rely on magic or other. While not an incredibly difficult encounter for some players it will be most alarming as their gear is often very important to them.

The characters then proceed through more combat encounters against soldiers pursuing the coup. Each combat is generally harder than the last and there are set points to rest for the heroes (even though this scenario would be seen to be going over perhaps half a day or a few hours ).

The variation of challenges in this battle interactive are mostly related to human challenges. The Tiger themed arena encounter does stand out.

The final encounter is versus a Dragon. Dragon encounters can be a little hit and miss ... in fact any singular opponent can be a little hit and miss depending on party synergies.

All in all a very decent scenario. Expect a series of linked encounters from this scenario, not a chance for the characters to interact with npcs or engage in social situations.

Worth a purchase.



Rating:
[3 of 5 Stars!]
Living Arcanis 5E HP 2-15 We Do What We Must
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Arcanis 5E - Children of the Sky
by Douglas S. [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 03/03/2020 17:10:57

The book provided rich background and content to include in my games. On top of that, there were some jaw dropping secrets revealed - things you have to reread twice to make sure they say what you thought they said! Great product!



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Arcanis 5E - Children of the Sky
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Arcanis 5E - The Ssethregoran Empire Codex Geographica vol. II
by Douglas S. [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 03/03/2020 17:09:06

Wow, simply wow. They did it again. The book is beautiful, provides an incredible richness of content/flavor, has tons of content that will enhance my game and makes your eyes pop wide open as you learn about some great secrets! Heck, even if I weren't addicted to Arcanis, I'd be using this book for my D&D 5E game.

I'd like to hear from the 3 star review why they provided that rating - I can't imagine that we read the same book!!!!



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Arcanis 5E - The Ssethregoran Empire Codex Geographica vol. II
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Living Arcanis 5E Introductory Season Packet
by Douglas S. [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 03/03/2020 17:05:01

It's a crime that these scenarios are free! The only issue that I take with the adventures is that they need some additional editing in a few spots. That said, I've GMed countless hours of jaw dropping fun for players with these introductory adventures. They give a great flavor of the richness of Arcanis and give a lot of player ability to create their own stories. I've never run one of these adventures that went the same way - the players really have the ability to choose their own experience. Everyone leaves the table with stories about the game. Awesome, simply awesome.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Living Arcanis 5E Introductory Season Packet
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Arcanis 5E Campaign Setting
by Douglas S. [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 03/03/2020 17:00:18

Three simple points: (1) best RPG setting I've ever read (for context, I've played rpgs for over 30 years). The world is rich and there are some real wows when you read through the world... (2) excellent adaption of 5E - actually outshining WotC big time (3) such a beautiful book that I own two copies - one that just sits on a shelf because I want it to remain unblemished because it's so beautiful.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Arcanis 5E Campaign Setting
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Codex Arcanis
by Anthony O. [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 01/17/2020 13:44:35

Codex Arcanis makes the absolute maximum of Prestige Classes. It's full assault of regular classes was pretty damned good too...really the entire 3.5 line was destroying it's path across 3.5. It was a pleasure to pay for these and have them in my dirty little hands, I hope you enjoy the pdfs with equal vigor.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Codex Arcanis
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Arcanis 5E - The Ssethregoran Empire Codex Geographica vol. II
by William A. [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 12/01/2019 15:04:29

I love the rich history included in this book, it gives me an insight on this unique civilization to run in the Arcanis setting or to drop into a campaign setting of my own. Monsters, as a GM I am always looking for new creatures to add to my campaign and this has a bunch with really good artwork that helps bring the creature to life.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Arcanis 5E - The Ssethregoran Empire Codex Geographica vol. II
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Arcanis 5E - Forged in Magic: REFORGED
by William A. [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 12/01/2019 14:59:40

Not only does this book have new magical items that I can use to add to my home campaign, but the added flavor text of the items history is a great option that I can use for potential side quests for my players. The rune system is an interesting option as well for low magic campaigns, or even allowing players to personalize their items themselves.



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[5 of 5 Stars!]
Arcanis 5E - Forged in Magic: REFORGED
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Living Arcanis 5E SP3-01 Sweet Sorrow
by Lucas A. [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 06/17/2019 16:40:11

One of my favorite mods. A great ghost adventure with a hauntingly sad story.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Living Arcanis 5E SP3-01 Sweet Sorrow
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Living Arcanis 5E HP 2-8 The Invasion of Tultipet
by Lucas A. [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 06/17/2019 16:39:04

Beautifully done two round invasion/Battle Interactive. I really enjoy the story and it gets more disturbing the farther that the players go. The maps are also gorgeous!



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Living Arcanis 5E HP 2-8 The Invasion of Tultipet
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Living Arcanis 5E HP 2-4 Visions of Lives Past
by Lucas A. [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 06/17/2019 16:37:12

One of my favorite modules. There is a very fun mechanic where you get to play two different characters in two different time periods. Also the treasure is great!



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[5 of 5 Stars!]
Living Arcanis 5E HP 2-4 Visions of Lives Past
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Arcanis 5E - Forged in Magic: REFORGED
by Lucas A. [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 06/17/2019 16:34:33

Not only do you have tons of magic items, but you also have history behind each items. They also introduce new categories of items: fetishes, which provide a small bonus, and runes, which may be added to mundane items to provide them with powers.



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[5 of 5 Stars!]
Arcanis 5E - Forged in Magic: REFORGED
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