Hi guys,
A new book from Mongoose Publishing just landed on my desk toady, hot from the printers - the next installment of the Encyclopaedia Arcane series, Enchantment - Fire in the Mind. This is the first book by August Hahn that has been published Mongoose, but not actually the first he has written. Stand by for a lot more Encyclopaedias coming from August in the near future!
The front cover (which will be appearing on our web site in a couple of days, I promise!) is by Ralph Horsely and pretty much sets the mould for the book - a Wizard enjoying the easy life as a group of thralls all serve his every whim! Anthea Dilly also makes another colour appearence on the front inside cover.
As usual for the Encyclopaedia series, we start with an Overview to the school of magic, which in August's case serves to set Enchantment apart from being just 'another regular school'. Why should you pick Enchantment over Necromancy or Evocation? It is all here! Discussing the fine art of manipulation and enchanting foes rather than confronting them head on, this Overview may open a few people's eyes and give another battery of weapons to arcane magic users.
Usurping the Will is a chapter that gives you a good grounding on the more esoteric uses of Enchantment spells, as well as presenting four new prestige classes designed to get the very most out of this form of magic. The Empath focuses on the emotional aspect of Enchantment, and can achieve far more from charm spells than other magic users. The Puppeteer is a powerful individual who can dominate any mind while, my favourite, the Dark Temptress is one who follows the path of damnation, using Enchantment for their own twisted purposes. An _excellent_ enemy for a good-aligned party, if ever I saw one. The Mindbender is the ultimate corrupter, however, one who can turn the noblest warrior against country, friends and family through magic.
Spells of Enchanment open this school of magic right up, greatly increasing the variety of spells an enchanter can utilise to meet his goals. Change of Heart can inflict instant alignment change, while Enamouring Touch can make someone fall in love with you without hesitation. Fractured Unity can sow discord within a group while Shattered Will can make a subject permanently more susceptible to the magic user. A Fireball is no longer the best solution to every problem - combined with new Enchantment Feats such as Absolute Authority, Fair Visage and Beloved Master, the typical Enchanter can be as valuable to a party as the greatest Fighter. Sometimes more so. . .
My favourite chapter has to be Thralls - when a mind has been so completely dominated by the Enchanter, no determined will can oppose his commands, desires or whims. Full rules and a Thrall Template allow characters to bind another utterly to their needs.
As is usual for an Encyclopaedia Arcane book, a full chapter is devoted to helping Games Masters integrate the new rules into their campaign without upsetting balance and destroying entire worlds - I think just about any setting can stands to handle this expansioon of the Enchantment school of magic, however.
As I mentioned before, August is hot at work on more Encyclopaedias and we are aiming to not only introduce other, more radical forms of magic, but detail every existing school as well. The Encyclopaedia Arcane series is building up into a veritable library, perhaps something like that a real wizard would keep on his shelves!
Enchantment - Fire in the Mind will be available in the UK in two weeks time, and within the US in less than a month.
A new book from Mongoose Publishing just landed on my desk toady, hot from the printers - the next installment of the Encyclopaedia Arcane series, Enchantment - Fire in the Mind. This is the first book by August Hahn that has been published Mongoose, but not actually the first he has written. Stand by for a lot more Encyclopaedias coming from August in the near future!
The front cover (which will be appearing on our web site in a couple of days, I promise!) is by Ralph Horsely and pretty much sets the mould for the book - a Wizard enjoying the easy life as a group of thralls all serve his every whim! Anthea Dilly also makes another colour appearence on the front inside cover.
As usual for the Encyclopaedia series, we start with an Overview to the school of magic, which in August's case serves to set Enchantment apart from being just 'another regular school'. Why should you pick Enchantment over Necromancy or Evocation? It is all here! Discussing the fine art of manipulation and enchanting foes rather than confronting them head on, this Overview may open a few people's eyes and give another battery of weapons to arcane magic users.
Usurping the Will is a chapter that gives you a good grounding on the more esoteric uses of Enchantment spells, as well as presenting four new prestige classes designed to get the very most out of this form of magic. The Empath focuses on the emotional aspect of Enchantment, and can achieve far more from charm spells than other magic users. The Puppeteer is a powerful individual who can dominate any mind while, my favourite, the Dark Temptress is one who follows the path of damnation, using Enchantment for their own twisted purposes. An _excellent_ enemy for a good-aligned party, if ever I saw one. The Mindbender is the ultimate corrupter, however, one who can turn the noblest warrior against country, friends and family through magic.
Spells of Enchanment open this school of magic right up, greatly increasing the variety of spells an enchanter can utilise to meet his goals. Change of Heart can inflict instant alignment change, while Enamouring Touch can make someone fall in love with you without hesitation. Fractured Unity can sow discord within a group while Shattered Will can make a subject permanently more susceptible to the magic user. A Fireball is no longer the best solution to every problem - combined with new Enchantment Feats such as Absolute Authority, Fair Visage and Beloved Master, the typical Enchanter can be as valuable to a party as the greatest Fighter. Sometimes more so. . .
My favourite chapter has to be Thralls - when a mind has been so completely dominated by the Enchanter, no determined will can oppose his commands, desires or whims. Full rules and a Thrall Template allow characters to bind another utterly to their needs.
As is usual for an Encyclopaedia Arcane book, a full chapter is devoted to helping Games Masters integrate the new rules into their campaign without upsetting balance and destroying entire worlds - I think just about any setting can stands to handle this expansioon of the Enchantment school of magic, however.
As I mentioned before, August is hot at work on more Encyclopaedias and we are aiming to not only introduce other, more radical forms of magic, but detail every existing school as well. The Encyclopaedia Arcane series is building up into a veritable library, perhaps something like that a real wizard would keep on his shelves!
Enchantment - Fire in the Mind will be available in the UK in two weeks time, and within the US in less than a month.
