Book of Eldritch Might 2: Songs and Souls of Power [Paperback]

Enter supplemental materials like the Book of Eldritch Might II, by Monte Cook. Let's take a look:

VALUE: Under 15 bucks for the printed version, or 5 bucks for the PDF file (available from his website). After shelling out at least 20 for each of the class books, I find this very refreshing.

DESIGN: The art in the printed version is some of the finest yet in a Malhavok product. Monte continues to enlist better and better artists for each product. (I went with the PDF and had Kinko's print it out and spiral bind it.)

CONTENT: This is where all of Monte's D&D 3E material shines. The man is brilliant when it comes to fantasy game design. Like BoEM I, The BoEM II contains new feats, spells (primary for Wizard's and Sorcs), new prestige classes, and new magic items. However, these aren't just more of the same things we've seen. Each has a unique flavor and purpose. However, first lets go over what's totally new: Variant versions of the bard and sorcerer.

BARD: Since 3rd Edition came out, I've seen a million variant rangers, and half a million variant bards. Monte comes through in spades with his variant bard. No longer the sub-par sorcerer rogue fighter, the new bard uses spellsongs to power his unique magical talents. Big thumbs up.

SORCERER: Unlike Monte's variant ranger & bard, his sorcerer is not an attempt to fix a class that was considered 'broken' by so many. Indeed, many consider the sorcerer to kick butt. But, he can get a little boring, casting the same spells all day. This sorcerer really captures the feel of innate, raw magical power. I use Monte's bard, ranger, and sorcerer in my game, and have never looked back.

SOUL MAGIC: A brand new concept for intelligent... spells. A really cool idea that I don't want to spoil. Check it out...

OTHER: Then we have pages of fantastic feats (the lace spell feats rock), spells, prestige classes, and magical items. Like BoEM I, these are all innovative, stylish, and rather deadly. In my campaign I've made the Book of Eldritch Might I & II spells a bit more rare. They are considered powerful secrets to learn of. Once you see some of these spells, you'll see what I mean by powerful...

OVERALL: 5 Stars. One of the few accessories that I've opened up in its entirety to my game. Visit Monte Cook's website for errata to this book, and all his other Malhavok Press products...

The rewrite of the bard is the highlight of this book for me. From a new and unique method of spellcasting, to a new set of skills and special abilities, the bard in this book goes from being a sort of utility spellcaster to being a completely new and unique class, a thing apart. The idea of casting spells as songs is not a new one, but the way that it's done here is nothing short of brilliant, encouraging bards to use their spells while not sacrificing any of the other abilities of the class.

The feats focus mainly on bardic activity, as do the prestige classes, making the addition of the soul magic section seem, at first, like a last-minute add-on. It's not. Soul magic is, as another reviewer's said, the use of intelligent spells, and saying more than that would be spoiling things. They really will add depth to my games in the future.

As if that weren't enough good stuff (for less than half the price of a standard hard-bound WoTC title), there are also a smattering of new and useful spells, perfect for making surprise scrolls and adding detail to a campaign.

I recommend this book to anyone looking to spice up the bard class, and anyone interested in some new and unusual spells and abilities.