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Message: <blockquote data-quote="John Cooper" data-source="post: 2010620" data-attributes="member: 24255">Encyclopaedia Arcane: ConjurationMongoose Publishing product number MGP1016 August Hahn 64 pages, $14.95The 16th in the popular "Encyclopaedia Arcane" line takes a look at conjuration.  As it states in the introduction this is a big task, as the field of conjuration is potentially limitless, allowing just about anything to be called forth out of nothing.The cover, by renowned fantasy artist Larry Elmore, depicts a female human conjurer amid billowing clouds at her feet, looking at a scroll of arcane writing with a dagger in hand.  Despite Elmore's frequent penchant for skimpy outfits on his female figures, this conjurer is modestly dressed.Unfortunately, the interior artwork - 30 pieces in all, each black and white - does not always follow the restraint of the cover.  While many pieces are quite well-done (I find I enjoy Phil Renne's style the most of those represented), some of the artists (in particular Patricio Soler) seem to be under the impression that this is Encyclopaedia Arcane: Exotic Lingerie Fashions.  I know some people prefer their sorceresses scantily clad, and I'm all for it when it's called for, but this just seems like pandering to the lowest common denominator.  (On the other hand, if Mongoose ever comes out with The Slayer's Guide to Succubi, they should keep Patricio in mind.)  Again, I see that some of the artwork has been specially made for the book (there are two Renne pieces that illustrate scenes from some of the fiction that intertwines with the game material in the book, although inexplicably they're on pages 56 and 8, while the fiction they complement begins on page 3), whereas much of the artwork seems "generic fantasy," and not even specifically geared toward conjuration (particularly Patricio's "pin-up chicks").The inside front covers are given to a list of new conjuration spells and feats and an advertisement for Dragon and Dungeon magazines.  It looks like the "inside back cover ad" is becoming a new standard for Mongoose books.Conjuration is split up into the following sections:<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"> Introduction:  describing the purpose of the "Encyclopaedia Arcane" line and following with a page-long bit of fiction (this particular story is picked up at several different points throughout the work) </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"> Conjuration - An Overview:  focusing on the differences between summoning, calling, and creation, as well as the types of arcane spellcasters drawn to conjuration</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"> Reaching Beyond the Veil:  "tricks of the trade - new magic circle options, minor and major creation, compensating for forbidden schools of magic, and four new prestige classes</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"> 16 new Conjuration Feats</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"> 35 new Conjuration Spells</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"> 15 new Magical Items</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"> Help For Games Masters:  dealing with the near-infinite scope of conjuration possibilities in your game</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"> Designer's Notes:  the author's views on why he wrote this book and what he hoped to accomplish in doing so</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"> Rules Summary:  a reprint of the four new prestige class level charts</li> </ul>Another excellent job at the proofreading, this time by Ian Barstow (although a couple mistakes manage to get by him ("populous" vs. "populace" right there on page 2).  The page layout is very nice, with fiction in shaded boxes to set it apart from the meat of the text.  I really enjoy August Hahn's writing style: very polished, very straightforward.  He also does an excellent job at explaining things within the context of the game - for example, I'd always kind of wondered why summoned monsters couldn't summon monsters themselves (in previous editions of the game, you could summon a pit fiend and then he'd summon another and so on, daisy-chaining a small pit fiend army into existence).  Sure, I knew the behind-the-scenes reason (cascading summons like that would throw off game balance), but August wraps up the fact that summoned monsters dissipate when "killed" into his explanation for why they can't summon monsters themselves: summoned creatures manifest a sort of "astral body" on the plane they are summoned to, and this astral body is not sufficiently attuned to the new plane to allow the creature to use its innate summoning powers.  Autumn's answer is concise, fits the facts, and relies completely upon pre-existing "facts" about the game world environment.  Excellent job.August also does an outstanding job at coming up with new material for conjurers to play around with.  He creates 13 new magic circle abilities, each with the requisite cost and Spellcraft check.  (A possible improvement upon their presentation would have been to list them alphabetically; I saw no particular rhyme or reason in the order in which they were listed.)  Of the four prestige classes he comes up with, one - the force mage - is simply fantastic, making me want to run such a PC myself.  Basically, a force mage is a combat-themed arcane spellcaster, one wanting to be on the front lines of combat rather than flinging ranged spells from the safety of the party's rear.  Spell progression is cut in half, but the force mage gains the ability to cloak himself in an ever-increasing mage armor effect, change elemental-based damage to force damage (which has the bonus of bypassing most elemental protection and affecting incorporeal creatures), and summon forth force-based weapons.  The other prestige classes didn't excite me as much - one causes the character to become more and more dragonlike, until he eventually is "reborn" - literally - as a dragon; another is an expert at containment diagrams and dominating creatures; the last is concerned with dealings through a realm of spirits.  These are nicely done, but the Dragonchilde seems only periferally related to conjuration.The new feats are interesting and add some new abilities to a conjurer's bag of tricks.  One of them (Planar Birthright) must be chosen at character creation, but the others are all accessible to conjurers of any level.  Two of them, Celestial Focus and Fiendish Focus, allow for more powerful summoned creatures at the cost of forever giving up the option of summoning creatures of certain alignments.  (I notice that while these two feats are basically mirror images of each other, Celestial Focus has a prerequisite of caster level 3+ that the Fiendish Focus feat does not.  I wonder if this is an oversight?)  My personal favorite, I think, is Instantaneous Draw, which allows you to teleport any object within 5 feet to your hand as a free action.  I could see that coming in very useful!  Naturally, these feats are open to any spellcaster, not just those specializing in conjuration.The new spells are all nicely thought out, although I should point out that even though there are 35 spells listed, 9 of them are the spells bind guardian I-IX and echoing call I-III account for another three.  (They could have saved some room by only printing those lines in the spell formats that had changed, instead of stating the components, casting time, range, duration, saving throw, and spell resistance lines over again for each spell, despite the fact that all nine bind guardian spells and all three echoing call spells are identical in those regards.)  Still, what remain are nicely done; I especially like apportation, basically a Drawmij's instant summons at a much lower level and without the ridiculously-expensive gem that must be smashed to activate the spell.  I also applaud the inclusion of new lower-level power word spells.  I always thought there should be more of those, and giving them less powerful effects allows lower-level conjurers to get into the "power word" game that much quicker.  I also heartily approve of the concept of "spell hanging."  Some of the spells listed here have [Hanging] as a descriptor; these spells can be all-but-cast the first thing in the morning, and then they "hang" - ready to be fully activated with but a single word.  It reminds me of some of Roger Zelazny's fantasy novels, as I believe he used similar concepts in his fantasy stories.The new magic items are interesting as well.  I especially enjoyed the bracelet of foe charms - rather like the bracelet of friends, except the charms are actually captured enemies and can be released as a summoned creature for 7 rounds.  (After 7 rounds, though, get ready for some eagerly-anticipated vengeance on the part of the "former token!")  The theurgical talismans are nice, too, in that they can make summoned creatures more powerful in nine different ways, depending upon the wood used in the talisman's construction.I always enjoy the "Designer's Notes" section at the end, and this was no different.  However, the two pages of reprinted prestige class level charts seem suspiciously like "filler" material to me; I would have preferred those pages be put to use detailing more spells, feats, or magic items (not that there weren't enough of each - I certainly don't feel like I was "shorted" in either department).Overall, this is a very nicely done book.  Unlike some in the "Encyclopaedia Arcane" line, which can get overly convoluted, Conjuration is very easy to use and understand, and best of all everything is completely modular, so you're free to use what rules you like and disregard the others without any difficulties.  I definitely plan on using the Force Mage prestige class in my next game.  Four stars, easy!Edit:  I just found out (on the Mongoose boards) that August Hahn is male, not female.  That'll teach me to assume!  Sorry about that, August!  I went back through the review and edited your gender.</blockquote>

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