Just as a note, I was formerly one of the house reviewers for ENWorld, publisher of Wild Spellcraft.
Wild Spellcraft, a sixty-five page .pdf, is the first product to be released under ENWorld’s Natural 20 Press imprint. Written by Ryan Nock it is designed to introduce the concept of wild magic, or "wild spellcraft" as they call it (probably to avoid copyright infringement), into the d20 system.
It is a success.
The Document
Wild Spellcraft is divided into four chapters and two appendices. The first chapter introduces the basis of wild spellcraft: the wild spellcraft template. The second chapter discusses wild spellcraft in the campaign. The third chapter introduces advanced wild spellcraft features, including prestige classes, feats, and some sample characters. The book is rounded out with a chapter on wild spellcraft spells and two appendices that present the OGL and an optional exotic wild spellcraft effects table.
The format of the product is probably its weakest feature. In some cases it is not clear where one section ends and another begins. This can be confusing at times, but does not detract exceptionally from the overall product.
The Content
Wild Spellcraft beings its in-depth exposition on using wild spellcraft in the campaign with a list of ten different ways it can be used. This simple set of ideas sets the tone for the entire book, providing what is probably one of the best toolkit-style books yet to be produced under the d20 system.
The basis for Natural 20 press’s version of wild spellcraft centers on three central standards:
1. The ability (or curse) of being able to tap into wild spellcraft is mechanically based around a template that may be applied to spellcasters or magical object.
2. Wild spellcraft results from failing a roll when casting a spell.
3. Any sort of spellcaster can be a wild spellcaster, even those dedicated to the opposition of chaos, like paladins.
Beyond these three standards Wild Spellcraft is entirely what the GM makes of it. It is very centered on utility, giving you the ability to integrate the world with the rules into one seamless whole. Ideas are given that are as varied as having it based on people taking short cuts in rituals to it being based on the disruption caused by the earth-magic based aura of an elf coming in contact with that of a human.
The first chapter introduces the wild spellcraft template and the rules for wild surges. The template is based around the idea that some individuals or objects are cursed, blessed, or have as their inherent nature the ability to occasionally generate a wild surge instead of their normal spell. A roll of a percentile die handles this but options are also given for a flat d20 roll.
The rules on wild surges themselves are very thorough, discussing different types of surges (personal, spell, target, and general), how to repair the damage surges cause, and how to create surges that are appropriate to a campaign. As a further option, an appendix is provided that details a more complex wild surge generation table. I won’t personally use these, preferring the simpler table for ease of use, but its nice that it is there for those who want to use it.
The second chapter talks about wild spellcraft in the game.
The chapter begins with a section on introducing wild spellcraft into your campaign with a variety of different options and ideas of how to do it. These range from simple caster error to it being a result of the build up of the natural entropy that casters tap into to create a magical effect. My personal favorite is the opposing energies theory, which Wild Spellcraft actually expands upon in its sample world. This theory states that each individual race, or spellcaster type, has its own specific aura that they use to draw upon the energies of the world around them. Whenever the aura of one race is affected by the aura of another race the mixture reacts violently resulting in the potential of a surge.
The next thing that the second chapter discusses is the tone and personality of wild magic in your campaign. This is in many ways an expansion on how to make campaign appropriate surges discussed in the first chapter and probably would have been better served as being a part of that. The information it presents is rather thorough, discussing how to use surges in default fantasy, quirky, serious, and horror campaigns.
Reactions to wild sorcery is next, presenting four different ways that wild magic can be viewed for society depending on the rarity of magic and the rarity of wild spellcasters.
Suggestions on role-playing a wild spellcaster follow, including how to make them more unique, how they handle day-to-day affairs, and how to get rid of the wild spellcaster template. As can be expected from a toolkit product such as this, a variety of different options are given for this, most of them relating to the theories behind why wild spellcraft exists in the first place introduced earlier in the chapter. They range from getting properly trained to atoning at the temple of a god of order to get him to cleanse him of it.
The chapter continues with suggestions on wild magic use in the world. Wild magic items are discussed, with most of the information focused on creating them and different types of them. Most of this material isn’t particularly innovative, focusing on things that are fairly obvious like having items that just flat out generate surges, if they are use-activated, or just cause random, annoying effects if they are more constant. This section also reintroduces wild magic zones. The rules for these are a little bit more innovative than the discussion on magic items, and have rules for introducing different types and strengths of zones. Different auras change the strengths of existing wild surges, cause the caster to be afflicted with the wild spellcaster template, or give penalties or bonuses to rolls on the wild surge table. As can be imagined these effects can be mixed and matched, and notes are provided for how they would affect the ECL of an encounter.
A series of option rules are presented after this including a different way to handle the creation of surges, fluctuating caster level caused by wild magic (which some individuals may be familiar with from the second edition handling of wild magic), how to handle mid-duration surges for non-instant spells, more common surges, never predictable surges, school of wild spells, simple surges, surges on supernatural abilities, and wilder wild spells. These optional rules are going to vary in utility for each individual GM, but as a whole they serve well in adding to the usability of the product.
The chapter finishes up with several sample magical worlds. One of them, based on the sympathetic energies idea introduced earlier in the chapter, is gone into in detail while the other four are given summaries detailing how they could work.
The third chapter, Master of Wild Spellcraft, introduces feats for wild spellcasters, two wild spellcasting prestige classes, and three sample wild spellcasters.
The feats include:
· Chaotic Disruption: Allows you to cause a spell you counter to surge instead of flat out being disrupted.
· Enwild Spell: Causes the spell affected by this metamagic feat to automatically surge with a +10 bonus to the roll.
· Reckless Spell: Enables the caster to attempt to trade out one prepared spell for another spell of one level higher maximum. If this fails the caster takes damage and suffers a wild surge.
· Suppress Surge: Enables the caster to suppress the occurrence of a wild surge in exchange for taking damage.
The prestige classes are the pandaemonicist, which revels in the chaos wild spellcraft causes and taps into the chaos for greater powers. On the opposite end of the spectrum is the Sculptor of Chaos, which seeks to gain power through the controlled usage of wild spellcraft.
The three sample characters include a gnome pandaemonicist, a human cleric, and a dwarven shaper of chaos. Each is given an extensive bio and personality overview and is generic enough that they can be used in most campaigns. Unfortunately, their stats, which were included in the Asgard preview of Wild Spellcraft, are missing. The two new magic items that went with them remain.
The fourth chapter talks about wild spells. The new wild spells introduced in this chapter, and those spells from other sources that could be considered wild spells are presented in a class and level based spell list reminiscent of the Player’s Handbook. The spells themselves are largely colorful and appropriate and include such things as Chaos Blast that creates and entirely random damaging effect (generated through a table), Morphic Curse that permanently makes an individual corporeally instable.
The two appendices contain the expanded exotic wild surge tables and the OGL.
Closing Thoughts
Wild Spellcraft is exactly the kind of thing that we need to see more of on the marketplace. Easily customizable toolkits that provide innovative and easily transplantable ideas are useable for almost any GM, providing them with plenty of usage regardless of their campaign style.
