Crothian
First Post
Some days it is just easier to review two small PDFs of a similar theme and voice. That is why one is getting reviews of book of these PDFs done today. A little extra time and a couple of nice books to read really makes the job rather easy. This is the second book in the series and so far that is all there is. It would be nice to see a Wondrous Items one day but I know these small PDFs can be a dicey deal for writers.
Loot 4 Less Volume 2 Rods Staffs and Wands is another PDF by Owen KC Stephens. It is published by Interactive Design Adventures. Owen has done some really good things for D&D and Star Wars and is on the short list of game writers that if I see or hear his name is attached to a product I know I at least want to look at it. The PDF is one of the many small PDFs on the market; this is only a sixteen pages long. It has a simple lay out and no art. The black and white PDF though it has no book marks.
The book starts off with another good introduction to magical items and points out that the items here are all less then twenty five hundred gold in price. The items here are not supposed to be one shot items either making them both low cast and useful for a while.
The book starts off with rods. There is a rod that is a magical grappling hook, another that helps influence NPCs favorably. My favorite is a Rod of smashing doors that gives a nice bonus to smash doors. I easily get tired of all the doors in dungeons and that little item will really help with that. There is a nice side bar in determining the cost of such odd items. I really like how the author really uses side bard to explain things.
Staffs of course are very expensive and have charges. Both of those concepts goes against what this PDF wants to do so they have brilliantly came up with a new way to use staffs. They spells in the staffs become like prepared spells to the caster and known spells so they can be cast using the characters own resources. They just have to have the staff with them. Of course that’s not how staffs work and there is even a one page large sidebar that constructs these staffs like standard ones for people that want that.
The way wands work is also redefined. I like that they move away from the pistol style of the current want system and make them something else Wands the way they have it can increase caster level, damage, range, and a whole mess of different things for one school or possible just one spell. These type of items will be great for a specialist wizard. Even general casters can find that a certain type of wand will shape the way they start to prepare for adventures and with their spell selection.
This one is even better then the first book in the series. Owen does such a great job with creativity and redefining what certain items are and how they can be used. And the items are frankly better for it.
Loot 4 Less Volume 2 Rods Staffs and Wands is another PDF by Owen KC Stephens. It is published by Interactive Design Adventures. Owen has done some really good things for D&D and Star Wars and is on the short list of game writers that if I see or hear his name is attached to a product I know I at least want to look at it. The PDF is one of the many small PDFs on the market; this is only a sixteen pages long. It has a simple lay out and no art. The black and white PDF though it has no book marks.
The book starts off with another good introduction to magical items and points out that the items here are all less then twenty five hundred gold in price. The items here are not supposed to be one shot items either making them both low cast and useful for a while.
The book starts off with rods. There is a rod that is a magical grappling hook, another that helps influence NPCs favorably. My favorite is a Rod of smashing doors that gives a nice bonus to smash doors. I easily get tired of all the doors in dungeons and that little item will really help with that. There is a nice side bar in determining the cost of such odd items. I really like how the author really uses side bard to explain things.
Staffs of course are very expensive and have charges. Both of those concepts goes against what this PDF wants to do so they have brilliantly came up with a new way to use staffs. They spells in the staffs become like prepared spells to the caster and known spells so they can be cast using the characters own resources. They just have to have the staff with them. Of course that’s not how staffs work and there is even a one page large sidebar that constructs these staffs like standard ones for people that want that.
The way wands work is also redefined. I like that they move away from the pistol style of the current want system and make them something else Wands the way they have it can increase caster level, damage, range, and a whole mess of different things for one school or possible just one spell. These type of items will be great for a specialist wizard. Even general casters can find that a certain type of wand will shape the way they start to prepare for adventures and with their spell selection.
This one is even better then the first book in the series. Owen does such a great job with creativity and redefining what certain items are and how they can be used. And the items are frankly better for it.
