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ShortQuests -- Pocket Sized Adventures! An all-new collection of digest-sized D&D adventures designed for 1-2 game sessions.

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Message: <blockquote data-quote="MadTinkerer" data-source="post: 2008639" data-attributes="member: 1883">Wizards and Sorcerers. Where would fantasy gaming be without Wizards and Sorcerers?Tome & Blood is THE sourcebook for Wizards and Sorcerers in the current version of D&D. It is the official version, and also better than anything else I have read.Odds are, you've already read a review for this book or maybe you even own it already. That is because I hadn't though of writing a review for it until recently. I am writing this review for two reasons: because I think it is a perfect product(even before the SFHB came out) and also the euphoria of writing a review of the Dragonstar Starfarer's Handbook(SFHB) is affecting my judgement.Unlike my other review where I listed the Good the Bad and the Ugly, I can only mention the Good here, because it is a perfect product. So on with the review:Chapter 1 is brilliant. This chapter has few game mechanics in it and is mostly about fleshing out the "story" behind those "Human, Sor3, Str 10, Int 18 etc." characters. It's not *just* about that though. what little statistics are included in the first chapter are very nice. Your neccesary Horde Of New And Interesting Familiars and plenty of info on familiars in general are in this chapter. I also like the sections on special organisations(yes I even like the Escriers and the Wayfarer's Union!) and the excellent depiction of a typical mage's "Abode"(Inner Sanctum).Chapter 2 is the Feats chapter. All of the new Feats are real nice and the breif treatise on "combat" feats is interesting for "fireball-phile" types. My favorite is the Improved Familiar Feat (similar Feats to this single Feat appeared in Dragon Magazine, though they were a bit different and I prefer this Feat as a player and a DM.). I likes critters.Chapter 3, the most brilliant and inspired chapter, is chock full of Prestige Classes. Since other reviews have gone on at length about the "best" ones, I'll simply name them and explain why the "worst" ones are actually also brilliant and inspired. The "Best" Prestige Classes are: Acolyte of the Skin, Alienist, Arcane Trickster(my personal favorite), Bladesinger, Dragon Disciple, Elemental Savant, Fatespinner, Mage of the Arcane Order and the Spellsword(NOT the version in the book, but the errata-ed version you can download as a Web-enhancement from WotC).The Blood Magus is a Class that gains insamely powerful class abilities at the expense of only learning actual spells at half the rate of a normal spellcaster. Now I do agree with the main objection other reviewers have of this class. The Blood Magus' 10th level ability is far too powerful: a teleportation ability that optionally can cause 16d6 damage to a creature at the same time. Apart from this problem(and the 8th level ability to do 10d10 damage to a creature with blood in it), it is a quite macabre but very useful and balanced class. I suggest that DMs should come up with a substitute for both abilities.The Candle Caster is a fantastic class that unfortunately doesn't seem as "cool" as the the others at first glance. Now although it is a spellcaster that specialises in candles IN D&D, I prefer to think of it as a prestige class that improves it's spellcasting abilities at each level AND GETS A METAMAGIC FEAT AT EACH LEVEL. This is in addition to a possible metamagic Feat every 3 levels. Sure, you have to get certain "weak" ones first, and they are all limited to candles but IT'S A METAMAGIC FEAT AT EVERY LEVEL! The Candle Caster is almost OVERpowered, NOT underpowered.The Mindbender is one of the most complained about prestige classes in the book. This is because a lot of people have bought the Psionics Handbook and do not fully appreciate the differences between the Mindbender and the Telepath. Sauron was not a Psion. A Mindbender is an Arcane Spellcaster who specialises in *controlling* others, not a "psychic" who can read minds. BESIDES, WHAT IF YOU DON'T HAVE THE PSIONICS HANDBOOK? If you don't "get" the difference, it's not worth me explaining further.Pale Master and True Necromancer: These classes are not themselves "weak", but like the Mindbender and Telepath, many people confuse them; but the differences between the Pale master and the True Necromancer are GREATER than the difference between the other two. First of all, there is the matter of mindset: Pale Masters want to become undead, while True Necromancers want to rule the undead. Big difference, but even bigger is the fact that the Pale Master is ONLY a Wizard or Sorcerer while a True Necromancer is a Wizard/Cleric or a Sorcerer/Cleric! HUGE difference, especially depending on what your exact definition of a "classic necromancer" is!Finally we come to the poor old Wayfarer Guide. It seems nobody wants to be a Wayfarer. Now I admit Wizards should have given the class five levels at least, but it's really pretty good as-is. If you think about it, surely being able to teleport double your normal weight allowance and super teleporting accuracy is worth a very slight decrease in overall spellcasting ability especially when it comes to hauling treasure or making honorable and neccesary retreats? Well I like the class, especially when combined with levels in Arcane Trickster.Chapter 4 is full of Items. Ordinary items, extra details in creating magic items, a few interesting new magic items... you get the idea. I particularly like the fact that the book finally explains how to actually make golems in 3rd edition(the MM explains how to make Animated Objects and Homonculi but not Golems), since Golems are my third favorite magic thing after familiars and summoned creatures.Chapter 5 is the best chapter because it's got lots of lovely spells. Especially spells for Familiars! It's also got some interesting tidbits on using spells and making new spells. My only complaint is that I really think I should be able to surpress my eyes glowing if I have a permanent Arcane Sight cast on myself. Glowing eyes can be very dangerous in a dungeon situation...To summarise: with only a very few caveats, Tome & Blood is a perfect product.</blockquote>

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