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Enchanted Trinkets Complete--a hardcover book containing over 500 magic items for your D&D games!

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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Messageboard Golem" data-source="post: 2010177" data-attributes="member: 18387">By Brad Mix, Staff Reviewer d20 Magazine RackSizing Up the TargetThis review is for Codex Mysterium by Sovereign Press. Written by Greg Porter, this 199-page book details magic in its different forms and how the inhabitants view magic for the Sovereign Stone campaign. This book retails for $29.95First BloodCodex Mysterium is the much needed magic source book for Sovereign Stone. The core rulebook only offered a few spells to get the player started. This book fixes that problem. Chapter 1 starts out by discussing the mage characters. The five different types of magic are reviewed and information given on how they interact. Right away several new feats are offered. Some standard ones are offered like, Brew Potion, Craft Staff, and Extend Spell. Some Sovereign Stone exclusives include Elemental Tolerance that bestows a +2 bonus to resistance to one of the 4 elemental forms of magic. Magical Attunement allows the character to sense a certain type of elemental magic without using a spell. Second Wind allows the removal of subdual damage equal to 1d6+ Con modifier. Chapter 2 delves into the nature of magic. Some of this material was printed on the first campaign book but adds little to that information. How the different elements interact as well as how Void magic affects the user are covered. The one thing that sticks out is the inability to bring back the dead. Attempts to do so result in an angry undead creature with limited memories of its previous life. The races and how they view magic is next. This is basically reprinted information from the campaign book. A little more information is added but it really doesn’t offer any new insights. Mages, Monarchies, and Money examines the different orders or institutions of magic that exist. Different views are offered from the sometimes competing groups. The most worthwhile part in this chapter is the mage ware shop information. Prices and availability are given for many mage related items. Some good information on spell design is offered in chapter 6. The different options for the spell are given a cost. Take all the information and plug it into the easy formula and the final casting threshold number is reached. The rest of the chapter deals with the modifies to the spells. Like fire damage only spell gets a –1, making the casting threshold less because fire is easier to control when it is doing damage. Several magic items are also included. Each magic item is unique and has a story or history attached to it. Like the Axe of Kilvan is named for the warrior that first commissioned the item. Over 30 magic items and stats are provided along with 1 new minor Artifact. The book ends with instructions on how to make magic items and the cost involved including the prerequisite caster levels and feats. The market price is also included. Critical HitsChapter 5 is the main reason to get this book. 120 new spells add to your arsenal of devastation. Each spell is presented in the standard block format and a brief description is given. Eight new prestige classes are offered to help characters specialize. They are Artificer, Hallowed Earth Cultist, Death Mage, Element Master, Hebentorin, Kalatorin, Sea Witch, and War Mage. The Artificer gains effective levels as he advances and gains additional bonus item creation feats. The Hallowed Earth cultist believes in getting back to nature, just not in the usual way. They forsake all worldly items including clothes and never accept money. On the plus side he does gain a +1 effective level for every level he progresses. He also gains the ability to cast fire-earth dual spells. The Death Mage gains the ability to rebuke and command undead and animate undead. Taking this class does forever taint the caster and can never be healed by magical means. Elemental Masters seek to become one with the elements. Gaining great resistance bonuses to all forms of elemental magic. The Hebentorin are basically Druids with an affinity to animals and gain shapechange ability. Kalatorin are more attuned to plant life. They gain Plantspeak and damage reduction of 5 at 4th level and 10 at 10th level. The Sea Witch, as you probably guessed, is at home on the sea. Some shape changing abilities are gained but are aquatic forms only. Finally the Battle Mage is equal parts of fighter and mage gaining improved armor proficiencies along the way. With an abundant amount of prestige classes to chose from it will make the character think carefully before choosing. Critical MissesThe amount of reprinted material detracts from an otherwise good book. While a little refresher information is needed from time to time. Taking complete passages from the campaign book is not necessary. A quick reference to the campaign book would have sufficed. Coup de GraceThis is a much needed book for spellcasters and for that reason alone it is worth getting if you are in a Sovereign Stone campaign. I would have liked to have seen more original material included. Rehashing or adding a little bit of new information about the races or major groups of the world is better left for web enhancements. The black and white artwork is good and sprinkled through out the book. A complete spell list is included at the end, including spells from the campaign book and The Taan.To see the graded evaluation of this product and to leave comments that the reviewer will respond to, go to The Critic's Corner at <a href="http://www.d20zines.com/html/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=index&catid=&topic=3" target="_blank">www.d20zines.com.</a></blockquote>

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