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Message: <blockquote data-quote="dm5" data-source="post: 2011401" data-attributes="member: 20351">Product Review Product Identity:    Name of Product: Encyclopaedia Arcane Drow Magic: Sorcery of the Endless NightPublisher: Mongoose Publishing    Author/s: Patrick Younts        Link: www.mongoosepublishing.comArtists: Cover: Anne Stokes, Interior: Alejandro Villen    Stock Number/SKU: MGP 1025        ISBN: 1-904854-01-X    Cover Price: US $14.95        Page Count: 64        Hard/Soft Cover/PDF: Softcover        Color/B&W Artwork: Cover: Full Color, Interior: B&W    Date of Review: June 21, 2004        Reviewer: DM5Summary Ratings:         Features scored 0-5, with comments    Substance: 5 -This is good stuff, and well written.Style: 5 -Mongoose succeeds in making Drow dangerous and enigmatic again.Innovation: 4 -The Black Ceremony rules are a good beginning to an oft considered approach to ceremonial magic, if too lengthy.        Story: 2 -The absence of Story elements is a necessity in lower page-count products where most gamers want more than fluff for their money.  Setting: 0 -Not scored.NPCs: 0 -Not scored.Game Mechanics: 5 -Ceremonial magic rules are enhanced.PCs: 4 -There is much to enhance your PC.Classes/Prestige Classes: 4 One new Class, and 3 new Prestige Classes; each nicely detailed.Feats/Skills: 4 -A handful of balanced new Feats.Equipment: 0 -Not scored.Magic Items: 0 -A book about magic with no new magic items…  Surely this was an oversight?Magic: 5 -The Spells and Ceremonial magic return the Drow to their place of honor.Spells/Psionic Devotions: 5 The heart of the book, and a strong one indeed- worth the cover price!Creatures: 3 -One new creature presented.Art 5 -Great art, overall.Cover: 5 -Good quality, if busy.  It’s the color that gets your attention.Interior: 5 -Above average quality, and consistent quality and style.Maps: 0 -No maps included or required for this product.  Not scored.Critique: First GlanceGM’s take note. Here lies the best kept truth of the Drow- they are still damned sexy and ever so deadly! In this, the latest in Mongoose Publishing’s line of books designed to broaden the horizons of wizardry in fantasy gaming, you’ll found a host of new feats, spells and prestige class options specifically designed for the sinister Drow of your campaign. Read-ThroughIntroduction While all Drow have earned a reputation for cruelty and deadly cunning, none deserve it more than those who command arcane forces. This book shows why.  Mr. Younts has distilled the Drow to their bare essence and built on their foundations as the sleek and sexy supermodels of villainy, rather than the tedious socialites that twenty years of overexposure has made them.  Huzzah! Drow Magic – An Overview  Like the Drow themselves, Drow magic is equal parts subtlety and savagery.   This book captures both of these qualities and expands on the possibilities that are cast off into the dark recesses of the mind by other races.A brief discussion comparing Wizards and Sorcerers leads into the introduction of the Dark Weaver, a powerful new class of arcane caster with religious leanings.Black Ceremony magic is introduced, but is detailed in later pages.The Drow Dark WeaverSeven pages of notes are offered to illuminate this new class, which is balanced against other classes.  GMs should be aware that the innate Drow abilities will increase the overall CR of the Dark Weaver.  A spell list rounds out the detail.Prestige ClassesFour new prestige classes, each finely illustrated and ready to play.  Let your players tangle with a Path Master next time they venture too far under the earth.Drow Magic Feats An offering of seventeen new feats adds greater flexibility to Players and GMs alike.  Let the Womb of Night cradle your character… Drow SpellsThere are baleful new spells to be learned- spells which create living webs, spells which infect enemies with deadly poisons or virulent diseases, and spells which summon up frenzied mounds of shadow to bite and tear at flesh and spirit.  Use these sparingly to strangle dungeon delvers once more in the grip of their own fears.Black Ceremonies  This richly detailed section expounds on the nature and methods of Drow Black Ceremonies.  I have only one criticism- this system is mechanically clunky and could bog down a game session if rolled “live”.  I advise using these rules in advance of a planned session.Help for Games Masters  The first time your players hear that their character’s flesh is bubbling and ripping and erupting into gouts of tiny spiders, they are likely to react with shock, perhaps even a bit of revulsion. In other words, they will react exactly as they should when confronted by the Drow.  This section offers guidance for introducing the material in this book into your game world.Designer’s NotesRead this for insight into the author’s thoughts about who or what Drow are, and what they should act like.  I found myself agreeing with Mr. Younts, point for point.Dark Weaver Spell List This is a one-page reiteration of the spell list given previously.  Photocopy this page for quick reference during play.Should you buy it?  Yes!  This is grand stuff.  It was a joy to read and to test with my gaming group.  Overall Score: 4.36</blockquote>

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