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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Messageboard Golem" data-source="post: 2010189" data-attributes="member: 18387">By Glenn Dean, Staff Reviewer d20 Magazine RackSizing Up the Target101 Spellbooks is a 36-page PDF supplement written and published by Philip J. Reed. The black-and-white on parchment pages contain line art by Larry Elmore. The product is available for download for $4.00.First Blood101 Spellbooks, Tomes of Knowledge, and Forbidden Grimoires provides just that – a compilation of 101 different spellbooks and other magical tomes for the GM to introduce into a campaign as treasure or plot items. In addition to the books, 101 Spellbooks also provides seven new feats, ten magic items, four poisons, four skills, a familiar, and 51 Open Content spells.The books cover a range of type from the mundane -- “Halfling’s Breakfast”, a children’s story book – to the routine – the “Grimoire of Dark Arts”, which contains all core necromancy spells – to the truly unique, like the “Crow’s Grimoire” which contains new necromantic spells as well as a new Concentration-based feat. The spellbooks may contain collections of existing spells, completely new spells, or grant any number of additional powers upon reading – anything from skill bonuses to inherent spell abilities.The powers of these tomes are both baleful and benign. Some are downright weird, like the “Book of Sight” with its roving eyeball, while others carry powerful curses, or open mysterious doors or gates. Most of the tomes are designed for arcane casters, but there are some (un)holy books for divine casters, and a handful benefit any character class.Critical HitsWhile the books themselves are interesting and entertaining, most players and GMs will find that the best reason to invest in this PDF are for the new spells. While some of them are the Open Content versions of the “named” spells in the Player’s Handbook, most of them are completely new. The spells are generally well-designed and balanced, and provide some nice changes to routine spells – flame bolt, for example, provides an alternative to magic missile for those that find magic missile a little to obvious spell choice. Gamers looking for new necromantic spells will find 101 Spellbooks particularly valuable, as there are a significant number of necromantic spells and items included.Critical MissesThe one item that each book in 101 Spellbooks is lacking is an approximate value. While there are a number of books that seem to have been included just to bring the total to 101 – like the “Book of Minor Magic”, which contains cantrips, or the “Book of Ultimate Power”, which is completely blank – there are many that are extremely powerful. “Planar Writings”, for example, imbues the reader with the ability to cast gate once per day. It would be much easier for the GM to be able to measure the value of these books against each other when placing treasure if they had an approximate value associated with them, so that the careless GM doesn’t hand out a powerful book he might later regret.There are a couple of mechanics that seem excessive in 101 Spellbooks, as well. One feat, Improved Caster Level, grants +1 spellcasting level to a multi-classed spellcaster – far to great a benefit for a feat, in my opinion. Several of the books also grant an increase in skill ranks, a mechanic that can violate the core d20 mechanic that limits skill ranks to character level +3. Granting a skill bonus would be a more appropriate mechanic than granting skill ranks. Most of the spell mechanics that gamers will find interesting, however, display an appropriate balance with the core rules.Coup de Grace101 Spellbooks is a product designed primarily for Games Masters, but one that has content players might find useful as well. Though it has a few minor rules issues, by and large this 100% OGC product contains a high density of usable features and is worth the relatively minimal cost.*Note: Philip Reed just recently announced that due to some changes to the SRD, he would be dropping some out of date material from this product and adding some new information in, and making the new version available to those who had already purchased it.To see the graded evaluation of this product and to leave comments that the reviewer will respond to, go to Fast Tracks at <a href="http://www.d20zines.com/html/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=index&catid=&topic=4" target="_blank">www.d20zines.com.</a></blockquote>

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