Magic of Faerun (Forgotten Realms Campaign Option) [Paperback]

Then I actually got to read it, and all that went out the window.

If you're running the realms- this will be a great add to the campaign world. More spells were a given, but here's the thing: They're actually useful! Amanuensis (A spell to transcribe magical writing in minutes rather than days) will soon be gracing the libraries of many a wizard. The clerical spells have some nice flair (a L1 healing spell for the faithful that cures 8HP plus a level bonus-nice! and they've finally given blunt weapons a keen-like enhancement spell, Weapon of Impact). Rangers, often thought to have gotten short shrift in the new D&D, get some good stuff in this book: spells that give their melee weapons +3 enhancements, and a spell that makes their next ranged shot critical, so long as it hits (I ask you, what ranger wouldn't want that?).

Of course, new feats are part of the package. The metamagic feats are mostly for panache (like the feat that allows you to give your spells a 'theme' which makes them harder for opponents to identify, but has few other mechanical benefits) but they still add to the overall feel of the realms play.

The prestige classes in this book are, in contrast with previous offerings, broad-based and allow for customization. Whereas there are few differing ways to play a Pale Master (from Tome & Blood), there are countless ways to play a Mystic Wanderer (a clerical prestige class, with a splash of the arcane) or the Mage Killer (a shadowy spellcaster who has a bone to pick with arcane types). With a campaign world as a backdrop, prestige classes can really explore their potential as world-building as well as character-building tools.

In the 'Places of Power,' chapter, we are introduced to ready-made settings for magic events in Faerun. A magical bazaar where PC mages can buy and sell magic, as well as participate in Mage Duels. The Mage Duel rules are a great idea, although the rules are a complete aberration with the core rulebooks (spellcasters are allowed counterspells without readying actions, for example). The dueling rules promote a free-flowing and non-lethal way for mages to settle their differences. However, since a duel is unlike anything that exists outside of the dueling arena it is unclear if it will serve as anything more than the thrill-seeking stunt that it currently is.

A chapter is devoted to explaining Faerun's peculiar magic backstory, which is useful for immersive campaigns and can serve as inspiration for spells, items and adventures alike. Rules for Gem Magic detail an expensive way for a magic user to store (and trigger) spells in gems-much like scrolls. Gem Magic increased cost (it uses gems, after all) comes with increased flexibility in use. A gem with a stored spell can be triggered when a certain creature approaches within 5', something a scroll cannot do.

All in all, the book is chock full of what you would expect, more magic for the Forgotten Realms setting. The book is gorgeous, in keeping with the FRCS' look and feel, and the text does not disappoint. If you play the realms, this one's a keeper.

The spells and cleric domains add a lot of dimension and color to D&D3e. I was expecially interested in the new prestige classes. A couple of them seem better suited to NPCs, such as the Master Alchemist and the Mage-Killer, but the write-ups are balanced and well thought out.

The magic items chapter is quite good, too. There is a lot of flavor added to the list, and not simply more powerful items, or more ways to cheat the rules. Too many past supplements from the previous versions of AD&D have introduced items and spells far too powerful for most campaigns. This supplement is very well balanced.

The feats are good, too, Spell Thematics especially (but get the errata download from WoC!).

My only disappointment was there weren't very many monsters, but that wasn't the thrust of this supplement, so my disappointment is very minor.

Overall, this book is worth the price, and very handy for both players and DM's who want a better understanding of the magic of Forgotten Realms.

This book is, rather obviously, intended primarily for Forgotten Realms. I still think that the setting is on the rather obnoxiously silly side, but the material is more or less first-rate, and thus easily stealable for better d20 settings.

The meat of this book is the massive number of new spells, a great number of which are useful. There's Speed Swim (1st-level spell, gives a Swim speed of 30), Hunter's Mercy (ranger spell, 4th-level, if the arrow hits, it crits), and the utterly awesome Wieldskill (1st-level spell for clerics of Gond, gives +10 competence bonus to ANY skill, or a half rank in one skill you don't have, *or* any feat). All classes get good spells, and some are multi-use; Mace of Odo, for example, can be used for damage or to block incoming spells.

You'll also find a good chunk of the book devoted to the various methods and practices of magic in Faerun, including sample temples, mage guilds, mage fairs, and odd schools of magic. These are okay, but not particularly great.

There are also nifty prestige magic-based prestige classes, like the mystic wanderer, mage-killer, and the Harper Mage and Harper Priest. There are mostly okay, though some are too dependant on the setting to be useful elsewhere. The Guild Mage of Waterdeep is an almost exact copy of the Mage of the Arcane Order from Tome & Blood.

Magic items and stuff are also well-represented. There are a great many new weapons and armor enchantments, as well as specific varieties of items. Some aren't particularly useful; the Rod of Cats springs to mind as one of the more pointless items (yes, darkvision is nice, but there are easier/cheaper ways of doing that...). The magical materials available are greatly expanded, including special weapon/armor materials and gems that enhance spells. Last, but not least, you'll find a selection of monsters and templates that appear in the setting.

All in all, this is a pretty decent book. The production value is very high, and they obviously put a lot of effort into it. If I liked Forgotten Realms at all, it'd get 5 stars.