Magic
Magic is a book in the line of "one-word" titled books by AEG for d20 system fantasy games. Magic provides a variety of classes, spells, feats, and other rules elements to introduce new forms of magic into the game.
Authors contributing to the book include Andrew Getting, Travis Heermann, Jeff Ibach, Mike Mearls, jim pinto, Eric Steiger, and Douglas Sun.
A First Look
Magic is a 192-page perfect bound softcover book priced at $26.95.
The cover of magic has a reddish brown background with gray piping, similar to that used on other AEG books in the series. The front cover illustration by Jon Hodgson has the look of an oil painting and depicts a robed woman standing in front of a basin and an open tome, apparently engaged in some manner of spellcasting.
The interior art is black-and-white and features artists such as d20 product veteran Marcio Fiorito, comic book artist Lewis Larosa, AEG RPG illustrator Daerick W. Gross, and AEG CCG and cover illustrator List Hunt. Most of the interior illustrations are good, with a crisp and straightforward comic-book style. I especially likes some of Daerick W. Gross' pictures, such as the dwarven tinker with the flamethrower.
The books has small body font text as well as close line and paragraph spacing, delivering a good amount of content per page. There were some formatting errors, such as skewed columns and missing column header on class ability summaries. Some of the organization is a little baffling, with feats associated with specific classes in the same chapter in some cases, but in a different chapter in others.
A Deeper Look
Magic is divided into 15 chapters. The first 14 chapters are devoted to new magic styles. The last chapter, entitled Arcana has new rules variants and game elements not linked to any one of the specific styles of magic.
Each one of the first 14 chapters has one new base class as well as items, feats, spells, prestige classes, or other game elements related to the magic concept of the chapter. The new base classes are, for the most part, similar in format to existing spellcasting classes and use the basic d20 magic system with spell slots, spell levels, and the like, but have class abilities and other features that emulate the magic concept of the chapter.
The chapters are:
Chronomancy:
Chronomancy is time related magic; the new core class is the chronomancer. The chronamancer basically operates like a wizard and uses the sorcerer/wizard spell list, but has access to a special school of magic called chronomancy. In addition to the access to the chronomancy school, the chronamancer gains a probability manipulation class ability that allows the character to reroll a dice roll a limited number of times per day. The chronomancer does not have the familiar or feats of a wizard, though.
The chronomancy spells do allow such things as time travel and paradoxes. The book full well recognizes it, but leaves that as an issue for the GM to deal with instead of trying to build in safeguards like Mongoose's Encyclopaedia Arcane: Chronomancy book does. However, this is a simpler treatment and will make some time travel plots possible that the EA: Chronomancy book does not.
Elementalism:
The elementalist is similar to a wizard and uses the sorcerer/wizard spell list (though the text that actually said this was not in the section describing the spellcasting ability of the class, so it took a little looking to dig this fact out.) In addition, the elementalist gains an elemental mastery ability corresponding to one of the four elements. This ability operates very similar to clerical domains: each elemental mastery has a special ability associated with it, and gives the character knowledge of and the ability to cast one additional spell per level per day from a list of element-related spells.
The elementalist lacks the bonus feats of a wizard and does not get a familiar at first level, but gains an elemental familiar at third level.
The elemental adept is a prestige class that provides a bit stronger link to the elements. The class is open to all arcane spellcasters, and has more specific abilities related to the character's element of choice. The feel of the class is good, though perhaps not distinct enough from the elementalist base class. The class has some decent abilities, but the entry requirements are minimal and the class does not lose any spellcasting levels.
I found this to be one of the weaker sections of the book. It does not seem to me that nearly enough is done with elementalists to make them distinct from standard wizards. Mongoose's Encyclopaedia Arcane: Elementalism and Atlas Games' Occult Lore both provide much more distinctive elementalists.
Fetish magic:
Fetish magic is a primitive form of arcane magic that utilizes simple fetishes as focuses for magic. The base class using fetish magic is called the totemist. The totemist resembles the sorcerer in the she casts spells spontaneously and the number of spells they learn are limited by level. The totemist does not have a familiar and uses a subset of the standard sorcerer/wizard spells. However, totemists gain a charm focus ability that can increase the power of a spell, but has a chance of backfiring. Totemists also gain bonuses to certain social skills owing to their position in tribal society.
The chapter includes a two new item creation feats, craft magical charm and craft greater charm, and several sample magical charms. Charms are used to enhance spells or create other effects, but their efficacy is random, and they can explode.
There is also a new prestige class, the charm master, specialized in creating the charms. The charm master is intended for totemists, but other spellcasters may take the class as well.
Flesh magic:
Flesh magic is magic based upon modifying and enhancing the body. The flesh mage casts spells much like a sorcerer, but lacks a familiar and has a spell list limited to effects such as healing and physical enhancement or alteration. The flesh mage also fights as well as a cleric.
The flesh mage begins with a special ability called flesh crafter. Flesh crafter lets the flesh mage make permanent alterations to his or other's bodies. The ability works similarly to the permanency spell. The XP cost is much cheaper than permanency, but the flesh mage must tend the effects each day or they fade. Some spells can be truly made permanent, but this use costs the target charisma.
The prestige class in this chapter is called the beast maker, which have a close relationship with animals and take on animal characteristics.
The author proposes that flesh magic be treated differently from other magic, and not be dispellable by standard arcane spellcasters. Further, many new flesh mage spells have no spell resistance, even ones that have a powerful offensive effect. Further, one spell talks about "racial maximums", a concept that is not used in third edition.
Forge magic:
Forge magic is a craft combining arcane spellcasting and smithing. The base class for forge magic is the mage smith. The mage smith is similar to a sorcerer (and uses the sorcerer/wizard spell list), but has no familiar and peaks out at fewer maximum spells per day for each level, and has a small chance of a spell backfiring. However, the mage smith has smithing-related abilities and has better combat ability and hit points than a sorcerer.
The chapter includes an artifact (a book called "Spirit Made Flesh"), a new feat (Craft Prosthetic Limb) and a prestige class (Mason of the Black Seal). Both the prestige class and the artifact has a sinister bent to them, but both refer to a feat called Souldbinding, which is not anywhere to be found in the chapter. It is in the last chapter under the section on intelligent items; it is a bit hard to find in that it is not listed with any other feats nor is it in the index.
The classes seem a bit unexciting to me, as well as too powerful; the mage smith does not seem it gives up enough for what it gets. The obscure placement of the soulbinding feat may cause some confusion for those hoping to use this chapter.
Ki magic:
The idea behind ki magic is that the ki ability of the monk can be shaped into bona fide spells. The class is the arcane monk. The arcane monk is similar to a monk that gains few class abilities as they advance. In exchange, they gain slow-advancing spell-like abilities similar to a bard or psychic warrior. Also similar to a bard, the arcane monk has a more limited spell list; the arcane monk's spells are primarily defensive spells and "pump" spells that aid in hand-to-hand combat.
The chapter includes a prestige class, Monk of the Cloaked Fist is slightly different from the arcane monk, and represents monks who discover a sorcerous ability in their training. The cast spells as a sorcerer, but only gain spells up to second level. The class also gains one of four aspects (draconic, demonic, angelic, or godly) depending on their bloodline, and their class abilities are shaped by this selection.
Madness Magic:
Madness magic is a variant of arcane magic in which characters with sick and twisted minds manipulate the world by means of their altered perception of reality. The core madness magic class is called the adept of the awakened eye. The adept is similar to a sorcerer in that they use charisma as a casting statistic and have a limited amount of known spells. However, they have access to a more limited set of spells than sorcerers.
As adepts of the awakened eye progress, they acquire a number of "taints of madness," psychological quirks that affect them if play in some very real ways. They also have some unusual characteristics and abilities compared to normal arcane spellcasters. Every time the adept gains a taint, they also gain an aspect, which is a class ability stemming from the character's madness, allowing effects such as a rage or a jumbled mind that prevents the influence of mind-affecting spells. The adept's magic is also difficult for normal mages to identify or dispel.
There are a number of feats available to the classes in this chapter. The prestige class in this chapter is called the god-touched, which is a normal spellcaster that has been exposed to a powerful otherworldly entity. The god-touched continues to progress in their previous spell-casting class (at a slowed rate), but gains many class abilities of the adept of the awakened eye.
Number Magic:
Number magic is magic that, through mathematics, relates the circumstances of reality to the character's spells; in essence, number magic is a sort of "true name" magic. The base class for this sort of magic is called the number mage.
The number magician is basically similar to a wizard. The number magician's central ability is that if they prepare spells with a specific target in mind, they can increase the DC and reduce the cost of applying metamagic. However, such a spell loses effectiveness if applied to the wrong target.
The number magician also gets a familiar, a probability manipulation class ability, and gains bonus metamagic feats faster than a wizard. All told, this makes the class clearly more powerful than a wizard. The class probably should be revised, or (better yet) the number magic class ability should be made into a feat.
The prestige class in this section is the concordant; the book also has a new template called the antithesis. The two concepts are linked. The antithesis template is applied to a character to create a "planar double", a character that exists elsewhere in the planes whose life parallels your own. If you slay these planar doubles, you can gain levels of the concordant prestige class which grants significant power.
The basic concept behind these classes is strong, but the execution is a bit weak. An enterprising GM could still make use out of these ideas by retooling them.
Rune Magic:
Rune magic is a classic theme in fantasy RPGs, magic by means of runes of powers. The runewright is fundamentally similar to a sorcerer, but they gain spells per day a little slower and their spellcasting is based on the wisdom attribute and they have access to a smaller list of spells. The central difference between the runewright is that the runewright uses small items with runes crafted on them to cast spells. This has a few effects. The runewright needs the runes as a "material component" (per the books verbage, but it acts more like a focus under the d20 system rules), there is no spell failure percentage since the energy is focused through the runes, and the runes can be expended like a scroll to cast the inscribed spell.
Runewrights gain a number of class abilities that allow inscribing runes (essentially item creation feats), as well as gaining a familiar and gaining bonus feats as fast as a wizard. Given all this, perhaps the runewright is a little on the strong side.
In addition to the runewright class, there are two feats and a prestige class. One of the feats, master of the runes, references itself as a prerequisite. I'm not sure if the intention was to use the other feat (know the rune) or one of the runewright class abilities as a prerequisite.
The prestige class is the dwarven runesmith, which is a bit more focused on creation of magic items than casting of spells.
Shadow Magic:
Shadow magic is magic that draws upon the power of darkness and shadows. The shadow mage advances in known and daily spells similar to a sorcerer and has the sorcerer's summon familiar abilities as well as a blacksight ability that lets them see in darkness, even magical darkness. The shadow mage uses a more limited spell list than the sorcer, and also is limited in other ways. The shadow mage has a chance of being able to cast a spell in well lit conditions, and aquires various "taints of shadow" which limit the character's ability to operate in the light. All told, I think this leaves the shadow mage a little weaker than the standard sorcerer or wizard.
There is a prestige class and a number of new spells for shadow mages. The prestige class is the shadow master, which continues normal arcane spellcasting advancement, as well as gaining access to a number of useful but risky shadow-related class abilities.
Technomancy:
Technomancy is the art of creating strange gadgets, close to what we would call technology including guns, robotic constructs and the like. The core practitioner of technomancy is the tinker. The tinker is fundamentally similar to the wizard, but gains class abilities that let them create strange items. They have a more limited spell list, but gain feats faster (albeit having a more limited selection of bonus feats) and has an additional good save category and medium base attack bonus advancement. Again, it seems as if this is a class that doesn't quite balance when compared to its archetype in the core rules.
The chapter has a selection of spells dealing with constructs as well as a complete system for creating a variety of gearwork constructs. This gearwork construct rules are fairly good, and will fit nicely in steampunk settings, but as said the tinker may need toned down a bit.
Thaumaturgy:
Thaumaturgy has a story behind it, but essentially thaumaturgy is magic with fewer limits. The thaumaturge is fundamentally similar to a wizard, but lacks bonus feats and cannot use and metamagic feats. However, the thaumaturge can learn spells from other classes spell lists (including divine spells) as if they were spell on their own spell list of one level higher, and gain access to domains at higher levels.
The remainder of the chapter introduces some elements of the backstory behind thaumaturgy, include some spells and the statistics for the lich Spelcius, a crazed mage who was the inventor of the craft.
Theurgy:
Theurgy is a bit like thaumaturgy. The theurgy chapter does not have a new base class; the theurgist is a prestige class. The theurgist is an arcane spellcaster that reconciles their art with divine teachings. The theurgist gains domains like a cleric, and gains other divinity related abilities such as divine companion (gives the theurgist's companion the celestial template).
Witchcraft:
Witches as presented here follow many of the tropes you may be familiar with - they are spellcasters that live on the edge of society, close with nature, and frequently misunderstood. But they are more than that. They are presented as class that can use the spell point system and spontaneous magic system (presented in the Arcana chapter) even if you do not intend to use it for your other spellcasting characters.
The witch is fundamentally similar to the sorcerer, but has a slightly altered spell list. The witch can learn any sorcerer/wizard spell or druid spell except for evocation and conjuration spells (except healing spells, which they can learn.) Witches normally use the spontaneous casting system, but gains some benefits when using their "known" spells. This makes the witch a rather mysterious spellcaster if you opt not to use the spell point system for other spellcasters.
The chapter also includes some new spells, new feats, and a prestige class: the witchknight. The witchknight is a guardian assocated with a witch, with moderate fighting abilities and modest spellcasting abilities.
Arcana:
The last and best chapter is entitled Arcana, and contains a potpourri of subjects relating to magic.
The chapter has a spell point system for use with any of the core spellcasting classes. The system is fundamentally similar to that of the Psionics Handbook. For example, spells cost 1 spell point for a first level spell and two additional points per level, and zero level spells are free for the first 3 times they are used in a day and then cost one point each. All of the core classes are provided with a spell point progression; overall, each class can utilize less total spells per day than the "slot" equivalent in exchange for the flexibility gained.
There are a few additions that don't exist in the Psionics Hanbook system. For example, all of the classes have a spell repetition limit that prevents them from using the same spell over and over. Also, a spellcaster must pay additional points to use it at a caster level above the minimum.
While the spell system seems like it basically works, I have a few questions about how well. Though sorcerers can still throw more spells per day than wizards, I wonder if wizards and divine spellcasters get a lot more out of this system than other classes, as it lets them overcome the major limitations of preparing spells.
The spontaneous magic system, on the other hand, is a rather fresh variant. Using these rules, a spellcaster can change the area of a spell, use a spell out of a spell book in place of a prepared spell, use a spell higher than she can normally cast, as well as try to create a totally new effect. The latter is, of course, very difficult, but several pages are devoted to ajudicating such effects.
Spontaneous casting requires multiple rolls, one each against spellcraft, concentration, and knowledge (arcana). Flubbed rolls can result in reduced effectiveness of the spells, or even dangrous backfires.
I found the spontaneous casting system to be one of the most useful and well thought out sections of the book. If you have some issues with the flexibility of believability of prepared spells or want a bit more variety in magic in your games, the spontaneous magic system is well worth considering.
Another significant and useful section of the chapter is that on intelligent magic items. This section defines some possible personality types for intelligent magic items along with probable abilities for each type.
Also included is a section for magic item advancement. Legendary magic items are intelligent magic items that advance along with the wielder. If you are troubled by the "escalating plus" convention of D&D, this section may be of special interest to you. Legendary magic items are assigned a level and they advance as the wielder does. As the item advances, it acquires new abilities and properties. A few example items are included.
Other material in this chapter include treatise of arcane duels, soulforging (the wicked art of using souls to replace XP cost of an item), mundane equipment for spellcasters, new feats, new (spell point related) prestige classes, and templates to add details magic items.
Conclusion
If you have a taste for different methods of magic, you should probably find something of interest in the first 14 "tradition" chapters. Of those chapters, I found flesh magic, ki magic, number magic, technomancy, and witchcraft the most engaging and potentially useful of the bunch. However, many of the classes in the chapters seem like they are strong or weak compared to the classes in the core books. Further, many of the classes are so close to a sorcerer or wizard that they could fairly have been reduced to prestige classes or even feat chains.
The real gem of Magic is the Arcana chapter, and the gem of that chapter is the spontaneous casting section, which gives spellcasters a bit more variety without handing them the world on a silver platter. The section on intelligent items is one of the better treatises on the topic. Other sections of the Arcana chapter seem useful as well.
Overall Grade: B-
-Alan D. Kohler
