101 Divine Spell Components

[JoeGKushner]

101 Divine Spell Components is a 33 page book that provides spell components with a religious theme to augment spellcaster's powers. The spellcasters powers are augmented by using the component to boost the spell's effect. It's a pretty simple idea, already done for Arcane Spell users in Philip's 101 Arcane Spell Components.

Unlike the previous book though, this one is broken down into twenty two categories or clerical domains as per the 3.0 PHB with an extra domain of stuff that the author explains can be used with all of them. The material components have a Knowledge (Religion) DC that they have to make in order to unlock the secrets of the components. Want to use a Chaos Gem? Then you've got to beat a DC check 22 to know the powers. The effects range from moderate to very powerful and GMs should carefully pick and choose which ones they'll allow into their campaign.

To me, the good thing is that there is a chance for a negative effect to occur. If you roll a 1, the text states when making a Spellcraft Check, you suffer a Negative Side Effect. This is a good thing because it helps keep the amount of times a player willingly uses these options down. Remember that Chaos Gem? The bad thing is that if you roll a 1, it absorbs the highest available spell slot that you have. Now that's a side effect. That's harsh, perhaps even more harsh than the Antimagic Ring whose negative side effect is power word kill on the user.

The components are a bit more esoteric this time around. Under the Luck Domain, there is a component called Rogue's Luck. If you're within 10 feet of a rouge who rolls a natural 20, that luck is collected by the spellcaster and can be used within 30 days giving the caster a maximized effect on a spell. More impressive is that you have a 50% chance of keeping this luck for another spell. Thankfully, the author notes that no other components can be used with this one.

GMs who run high fantasy campaigns or those based on myth will enjoy the nature of these components, kind of like the old ones you have to gather in 2nd edition at times to make magic items, “The Breath of a Mountain” or something along those lines. Nothing like watching that priest of Tempus gather the power of war itself to inflict more damage upon his foes.

One thing that Philip has over some of the competition is that his book isn't just the printed version in PDF form. It's landscaped so its easier to read on the computer. It's full color with illustrations by Christopher Shy, so it looks fantastic. Last, all of the text is OGC so that eliminates any doubt as to what the hell is reusable.

The biggest weakness in the book is that it never provides the reader with ideas on how to create their own divine components. Another thing is that it doesn't provide alternatives. For example, if you feel that a skill check by itself isn't enough to justify the extra power, what about adding a Feat, “Use Component” or something along those lines?

101 Divine Spell Components organization allows players to look through it quickly, the Negative Side Effects are a good balancing factor and as always, Christopher Shy's artwork makes this a great book to look through.

REVIEWER'S NOTE: The product is currently on sale for $3.75 from it's normal $5.00 (as of 7-25-03')

 

[Messageboard Golem]

The author of 101 Mundane Treasures and 101 Spellbooks is proud to turn his eye to divine magic.

At last, divine spellcasters are presented with rules for supplementary spell components! For too long the arcane spellcasters have been twisting common items and effects into enhancements for their spells while the divine spellcasters looked on in envy.

101 Divine Spell Components does for divine spellcasters what 101 Arcane Spell Components did for arcane spellcasters. The supplementary spell components in this 33-page PDF help make the magic in your campaign new and fresh.

Includes a .txt version of the PDF's text and a 33-page, landscape version illustrated by Christopher Shy.

 

[Blacksad]

"If you roll a 1, the text states when making a Spellcraft Check, but since it's a Knowledge Check in the text, I'm going with Knowledge Check, you suffer a Negative Side Effect."

It's a knowledge(religion) to know how it work, and a spellcraft to cast it (DC10+spell level IIRC), isn't it?

 

[JoeGKushner]

You know, that is 100% correct. For some reason I didn't edit that. It's in the body of the Effect as opposed to being a seperate line like Spellcraft Check.

 

[Crothian]

101 Divine Spell Components

101 Divine Spell Components is a pdf done by Philip Reed. He has done a few books in this series of 101. Each book has a specific focus and is very detailed. The 101 Divine Spell Components deals with new types of components clerics can use to enhance their spells.

While it is 101 Divine Spell Components it seems really designed for the Cleric class. The divine components are categorized under the domains presented in the 3.0 players hand book and are used to enhance spells of that particular domain. A little work will need to be done to open these components up to Druids, Paladins, and Rangers.

The pdf is 33 pages in length and as with most of Philip Reed’s books it is packed with information. The whole book is considered open game content, so it is a great source for people looking to use these ideas elsewhere. Like many of his books, this one is illustrated by Christopher Shy. The art is has great style to it and the pictures really serve to help the book flow. The pdf is well formatted making it easy to read at the computer. It is full color so it might eat a little bit of ink when printed.

The components are highly varied. It can be a strong wind, the birth of an animal, or even the death of someone near by. There are also the more usual things like Trolls Heart or a specific type of plant. The components can be learned by a knowledge Religion check, but the text also suggests that they are better learned as a reward or after a quest. The components are also not automatically successful. One usually has to make a spellcraft roll to succeed, and a natural one on the roll always fails as well has having a negative effect.

Some of the components add an amazing amount of power to the spell. Some do so at a cost like Angel’s Fury which triples are variables of the caster but also does 5d6 damage to him. Others like Powdered Blood just increase the damage by 1d8 per caster level (maximum 10d8) at no additional penalty. The DM should take care and make sure the components he wishes to use will not drastically affect the game, but in most cases sine the NPCs as well as the PCs should have access to this it should be okay.

101 Divine Spell Components can add a lot of interesting variations to a divine spellcaster. There are many opportunities for adventures to locate the knowledge of some of these components as well as the additional hardships of actually acquiring them once one figure out what a certain component is. They can also make a great reward for a divine spellcaster from their god of choice.

 

[Messageboard Golem]

101 Divine Spell Components adds a new and interesting view to the components used in divine spell casting. This PDF is broken down into the twenty two domains from the PHB and a miscellaneous one that can be used with any spell. When using these components, you first make Knowledge: Religion check in order for you to know how to use the component to augment the spell. Then there is a possibility of a negative side effect if you roll a 1 on your Spellcraft check. The DC of the Spellcraft check varies from component to component and some of the side effects can be quite harsh. This is also where a problem presents it self - some of the components do not list the Spellcraft DC that you need to make - only the Knowledge: Religion check DC. The beneficial effects from using the materials can be a little overpowering.


GMs should take a long look at these components before allowing them to be used in their campaigns. Also included are one new feat, a new spell and a new magic item, all have to do with one of the components listed. The feat Draconic Bloodline allows you to increase the damage of one of your spells by 1 point per level (max 20 points), it also gives you a +1 on one type of saving throw versus a energy descriptor (fire, cold, etc.). The new spell Drain Life is a negative side effect of the component Flaying Knife under the Evil Domain. If you fail your check the spell affects you instead of the intended target. Drain life gives the target one negative level for every three levels you have. The new magic item is an Antimagic Ring which can be used for powering spells from the magic domain. Be careful of the negative side effect (power word kill on yourself). Another thing I found is that some of the components are of no use to PCs, either being too big or just too awkward to carry.


The main problem I have with this PDF is that there are no guidelines for creating more divine components, with the vast array of new domains that are included in numerous books it would have been a good idea to suggest a way to make your own. Another problem is that although it says you need to make a Spellcraft check for the side effects, some components do not give you the DC. Some of them like Drain Life from above are a little confusing; it says the side effect is that the spell affects you if you fail your check but no DC is listed except the Knowledge: Religion check DC. Now do you use the Knowledge check or the will save described in the spell which says you get a save because you are letting negative energy pass through you. The last problem I have with this PDF is that it is landscaped; while some people like this I am not one of them. That said the PDF is in color and has nice artwork.


Overall if you are looking for an interesting way to add a little power to the divine spellcasters and plan carefully this PDF is for you. But you need to consider carefully which items you will allow and which ones you will not. The components listed here can change the way divine spellcasters are looked at. Another thing is that these components can change the outcome of a battle or the campaign very easily.

 

[Capellan]

101 Divine Spell Components is a listing of "supplementary" components, that can be used while casting a divine spell, in order to enhance the power of that spell. These components are in no way *required* for casting: they are just an optional extra. Using these components requires first that the caster knows of their value (a Knowledge (religion) check) and second that they use them correctly (a Spellcraft check). Some components, if used incorrectly, have negative side effects.

For the record: this is a *great* idea.

Unfortunately, like many products I've seen recently, the execution of this interesting concept is below what I would consider an acceptable standard. Some of this is from a purely technical (proof-reading and editing) aspect, but most is from a game balance perspective.

Weighing in at 33 pages, the PDF offers - as the title suggests - 101 divine spell components. Not all of these components can be used by every caster, however. In fact, only four pages are given over to general purpose divine components - the remainder of the document lists components that work only when casting spells from an applicable domain. The book does not make it entirely clear whether the spell must be cast *as* a domain spell, or if it simply must belong to the appropriate domain for the component. This has a significant impact on, for instance, the healing domain. I am forced to assume that the latter applies, since otherwise druids and adepts will get almost no use out of this work at all.

The first thing I noticed was the discrepancy between certain domains. Some (such as Earth) have as few as one supplementary component, while others (such as Evil) have as many as ten. I would have liked to see a more even distribution of these components.

I would also like to have seen a more even availability of the components: some domains have components that are all rare; others have several that would be readily and inexpensively available anywhere. Clever PCs will quickly learn how to capitalise on certain of the components: an Animal domain cleric might take a level of Druid so as to procure an Eagle as a companion (cry of the eagle is a supplementary component for the animal domain).

The biggest problem with the game rules, however, is how dangerously overpowered some of the supplementary components are. For example, the Death domain has a supplementary component of a flaying knife - a cheap (3 gp), readily available item. Possession of this supplementary component allows the caster to inflict six negative levels on the target of their spells. Theoretically, there is a chance that this will effect the caster, as a 'negative side effect' is listed, but this is one of a number of cases where no Spellcraft DC is given for use of the component, and negative side effects only occur on a spellcraft check roll of '1'. Is a check required? If so, what is the DC - no default value is listed in the document, and the DC varies from component to component, when it is mentioned.

Possession of a religious tome allows any divine caster to cast a spell without losing it (it remains prepared). Admittedly, it takes an extra 2 minutes to cast the spell, but this essentially means that, in most non-combat situations, a divine caster would never need to use up their spells at all.

There are many more problems of with the mechanics employer: barbarian's blood doubles all variable aspects of the spell being cast, but adds a number of rounds to the casting time equal to the barbarian's level. I have visions of PCs hiring large crowds of 1st level barbarians to follow the party around - it's much easier (and just as effective) to use their blood as it is a 9th level barbarian.

I think 101 Divine Spell Components can be a source of great ideas for an inventive DM, but unfortunately a large proportion of it is simply unusable as written: it will require substantial editing, both for clarification and balance, before it could be used in most campaigns. For that reason, I am giving it only a '3'.