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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="JoeGKushner" data-source="post: 2426389" data-attributes="member: 1129">Making magic mysticalLegends of the SamuraiThe Mystic ArtsWritten by Charles RicePublished by RPG ObjectsRPG Objects number RPO4010b53 pagesThe second in a three series line, The Mystic Arts is written and illustrated by the same people from the first book, giving the book a similar feel and appearance. This includes use of two-column format, use of red lettering for headers and important notes, and solid artwork that is good but limited.Focusing on the mystical aspect of the pseudo-Japanese setting introduced in the first PDF, The Mystic Arts hits right away with new spellcasting classes. Each class has statement of effect or what this class is for, how they work as adventurers, characteristics, honor outlook, religion, background, bloodline, how they get alone with other classes, and their role. Game rule information includes important abilities, honor requirements if any, hit dice, class skills, and class features, along with the old table with saving throws and bab with a listing of when abilities are acquired.Each of the classes gains some ki abilities. These ki abilities allow them to cast spells without paying the spell point cost. Yes, spells here use a spell point system, that is detailed after the classes. Ki abilities start small with 0-3rd level spells once per day, but then increases in the number of times per day and the spell level.Kenza: Master of the elements.They are arcane spell casters whose element determines their spellcasting ability score. For example, Air is Wisdom, Cold Dexterity, Earth Constitution, Fire for Charisma, and Strength for Water. Each specialty also adds some unique feature like +2 on Fortitude saves for Earth or Clim and Swim to the class skill list for Water.Mahoutsukai are masters of sorcery or “black” magic that influence the minds of those they battle against. Senkensha are divine seers that predict the future.Shukke are priests of medieval Japan and cast divine based spells and unlike their western counterparts, aren’t heavily armed and armored but do have some martial art training to represent their monasteries training.In looking at the spell pint system, you have a table that shows how many spell points you get at each level, it’s a running sum, and a table that shows spell costs. The good thing is that you can cast spells beyond your ability at lower levels to represent that pushing, and that spells cost less in points as you rise in level, representing your mastery over magic. Bad news is that spell points have to be recovered and that certain things can reduce that recovery, like walking or adventuring, where you gain fewer or no spell points at all. Otherwise during sleep, you gain 4 an hour, so a typical night will give you 32, which you’ll pass by ninth level. New skills include Craft Alchemy, with a list of Craft DC rolls, cost, and preparation time for things like blinding grenades and lethal poisons, as well as the idea of using skills to create magic items. For example, Craft Staff, and Craft Wand. More of that latter.For feats, metamagic feats use spell points which results in an increase in the amount of spellpoints spent.  For example, casting Empower Spell is +4 spell points. Other feats include things like Ancestral Weapon/Armor. I don’t like this feat. It takes an existing magic item and allows you to bond with it and use it, gaining more access to it’s powers as you gain levels. It may work well in this setting and this world, but with the wide variety of options for bonded weapons and items raising in power, preventing users from accessing standard magic items seems odd and out of place, especially as most RPGs in this genre don’t really have the hero trading up weapons and using weapons claimed from fallen foes and being unable to use those standard abilities.I’d have to playtest it some and as noted, I can see it working to a point in this type of campaign, but with the plethora of options for standard D&D games, it’d be out.For religion, the author briefly covers the major groups; Buddhism, Christianity, Shinto, Amaterasu, and the family/gods in that pantheon.Fate and Destiny are introduced with game mechanics. Characters pick a fate when their created and gain fate points. Every time the player does that, the GM gains Destiny Points, as the GM assigns the character a destiny. Points can be spent to alter attack rolls, saving htrow,s and skill checks. You get more dice as you rise in level, and unlike standard Action Points, you get to keep all the dice. Fate points reset every level equal to the character’s level but Destiny points do not.Spell lists are broken up by class, then level then for arcane casters, by school. For example, under Mahoutsukai spells, under 1st level, you’d fine Abjur with Alarm, Conj with Mage Armor, Evoc with Floating Disk, etc… Spells range from 1st to 9th level and include some of the boom spells, like Fireball for Kenza with Fire Mastery or the good old Black Tentacles for the Mahoutsukai at 4th level. New domains include ancestor, honor, and weather.New spells are detailed after the abbreviated listing, and start with Arrow’s Flight, a 1st level Shukke spell that doubles base range. Those looking to lay the smack down will enjoy spells like Magma Bolt that inflicts damage on a per round basis or Slayer’s Knives, a slashing wind that inflicts 12d6 to those caught in it’s area of effect as well as making a bull rush attack.This PDF wraps up with mystic items. Things here are created a little differently. Take for example Acid Resistance for armor. It requires a Shokunin 4th level with 5 ranks of armorsmithing and 30+ Honor costings 18,000 tn. Because of cultural barriers and a tip of the hat to realism, only Shokunin should be crafting arms and armor.Items from the DMG are deconstructed and given their new requirements to craft for most items, leaving out only Wondrous Items as being beyond the realm of standard creation. I was a little disappointed that we didn’t see some unique or named weapons and items but perhaps those have been held in reserve for the last volume.Overall this is a solid second chapter in the series and it’s use of spell points and difference in creation of items, will add some depth to campaigns that are tired of the same old same old.</blockquote>

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