The Inside Scoop on Gaming

I began reading Magic of Faerun (MoF) while drinking the preferred alcoholic beverage of winos everywhere: Boone's Farms Strawberry Hill. It goes without saying that I couldn't afford a higher quality drink due to the cover price of the new Forgotten Realms book. $29.95? Ouch, seems a bit excessive for a 190 page book. I will admit, however, that at first glance it looks nice. The layout resembles the Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting (FRCS), although the typeface is considerably larger. Also, it's a soft cover book. For thirty bucks, I'd rather have more content or a hardcover.

The book opens with a short narrative by Khelben "Blackstaff" Arunsun, and does a nice job of setting the tone. It firmly entrenches the idea that magic has a personality in Faerun, and is directly related to Mystra. Veterans of FR will probably not need this introduction, but those unfamiliar with the setting (as I am), will want to read it.

"Understanding Magic" is the first chapter of the book, and starts with a short history of magic, interleaved with information about various deities such as Azuth and Shar. This background info is greatly appreciated, as it directly relates said deities to their role in the magic on Faerun. I was rather impressed with the way the writers tied in the two in such a short space. The various types of magic are explained fully on the next few pages.

Chapter two is "Magic Variants". Here we are given details of magic such as Gem and Elemental Magic, as well as details on Mageduels. Most of this stuff is almost useless unless you have the FRCS, but then again, most people who buy this book will have that one as well. The reason I say that is because the nature of the writing assumes you have knowledge of that book, and you will need it to understand some of the key concepts presented in MoF. Gem Magic seems very interesting, and reminds me somewhat of powerstones in GURPS (although very vaguely).

"Practitioners of Magic" is, as expected, the chapter on various magic-type characters in Faerun. The Prestige Classes included are:

Gnome Artificer
Guild Wizard of Waterdeep
Harper Mage
Harper Priest
Incantarix
Mage-Killer
Master Alchemist
Mystic Wanderer
Spelldancer
Spellfire Channeler
War Wizard of Cormyr

Some are rather interesting, although I don't see the point in the Master Alchemist, really. Being able to brew kick-ass potions at the expense of other wizardly abilities doesn't seem all that appealing. Also, the two Harper prestige classes should have, in my opinion, been included in the FRCS. It almost seems an afterthought to include them here. Still, I was rather pleased with the selection and mix of Prestige Classes.

Chapter four, "Places of Power", is a collection of various magical places characters can venture to or find in Faerun. I think this is probably the best chapter in the book, because it gives hundreds of plot hooks and adventure ideas. Churches, shrines, and other holy places are described; so are Mythals and a few types of guilds characters can strive to join. There is also a section on the markets where magic items are bought and sold, including open trade and blackmarkets. While not greatly detailed, it gives an accurate description of Faerunian economy.

"Spells" is the title of Chapter 5, and aptly named. The back cover promises over 200 new spells, and I believe it. Most of them are variations of PHB spells, but a few are specific to certain power groups, i.e. Fiendform and the Red Wizards. All in all, a good selection that will add some flavor to a FR campaign, but won't break any new ground in creativity.

Of course, Chapter 6 is "Magic Items", and damn, there are lots of them. Like the spells, a lot are just rehashed from the DMG, but there are a couple new ones that are rather cool. Also included are random magic item charts with the new items (for DMs that still like to roll for random treasure I assume). There are a bunch of magic items that are musically-related, finally giving those bards a chance to get something good.

The final chapter is "Creatures". As if buying the Monsters of Faerun and having more in the FRCS wasn't enough, here are a few more. In reality, these monsters SHOULD have been in Monsters of Faerun, no doubt about it. Although, the Magister seems fitting for FRCS, when the Magister were fully detailed but no rules on creating them were provided. Seems a bit too much like someone at WotC decided to split up some of this information in an effort to sell more books.

Overall, I was impressed by Magic of Faerun. It is very well written, clear and concise, if a tad bit dry in some areas. My predilection for D&D 3rd edition extends to collecting more than anything, although I can see myself running a Forgotten Realms campaign in the future. This book is most definitely NOT necessary for a good game, but I think it'll add a lot of favor and background the FRCS left out in the area of magic. As I said before, it seems overpriced a bit, so the decision to buy should directly be related for the desire to own 200 more spells and the ability to play a Spellfire character.

Magic of Faerun
Magic of Faerun Capsule Review by Brad Everman on 03/08/01 Style: 4 (Classy and well done) Substance: 4 (Meaty) Another foray into the Forgotten Realms. Product: Magic of Faerun Author: Sean K. Reynolds et al Category: RPG Company/Publisher: Wizards of the Coast Line: Dungeons & Dragons 3rd ed. Cost: $29.95 Page count: 190 Year published: 2001 ISBN: 0-7869-1964-7 SKU: WTC11964 Comp copy?: no Capsule Review by Brad Everman on 03/08/01 Genre tags: Fantasy	I began reading Magic of Faerun (MoF) while drinking the preferred alcoholic beverage of winos everywhere: Boone's Farms Strawberry Hill. It goes without saying that I couldn't afford a higher quality drink due to the cover price of the new Forgotten Realms book. $29.95? Ouch, seems a bit excessive for a 190 page book. I will admit, however, that at first glance it looks nice. The layout resembles the Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting (FRCS), although the typeface is considerably larger. Also, it's a soft cover book. For thirty bucks, I'd rather have more content or a hardcover. The book opens with a short narrative by Khelben "Blackstaff" Arunsun, and does a nice job of setting the tone. It firmly entrenches the idea that magic has a personality in Faerun, and is directly related to Mystra. Veterans of FR will probably not need this introduction, but those unfamiliar with the setting (as I am), will want to read it. "Understanding Magic" is the first chapter of the book, and starts with a short history of magic, interleaved with information about various deities such as Azuth and Shar. This background info is greatly appreciated, as it directly relates said deities to their role in the magic on Faerun. I was rather impressed with the way the writers tied in the two in such a short space. The various types of magic are explained fully on the next few pages. Chapter two is "Magic Variants". Here we are given details of magic such as Gem and Elemental Magic, as well as details on Mageduels. Most of this stuff is almost useless unless you have the FRCS, but then again, most people who buy this book will have that one as well. The reason I say that is because the nature of the writing assumes you have knowledge of that book, and you will need it to understand some of the key concepts presented in MoF. Gem Magic seems very interesting, and reminds me somewhat of powerstones in GURPS (although very vaguely). "Practitioners of Magic" is, as expected, the chapter on various magic-type characters in Faerun. The Prestige Classes included are: Gnome Artificer Guild Wizard of Waterdeep Harper Mage Harper Priest Incantarix Mage-Killer Master Alchemist Mystic Wanderer Spelldancer Spellfire Channeler War Wizard of Cormyr Some are rather interesting, although I don't see the point in the Master Alchemist, really. Being able to brew kick-ass potions at the expense of other wizardly abilities doesn't seem all that appealing. Also, the two Harper prestige classes should have, in my opinion, been included in the FRCS. It almost seems an afterthought to include them here. Still, I was rather pleased with the selection and mix of Prestige Classes. Chapter four, "Places of Power", is a collection of various magical places characters can venture to or find in Faerun. I think this is probably the best chapter in the book, because it gives hundreds of plot hooks and adventure ideas. Churches, shrines, and other holy places are described; so are Mythals and a few types of guilds characters can strive to join. There is also a section on the markets where magic items are bought and sold, including open trade and blackmarkets. While not greatly detailed, it gives an accurate description of Faerunian economy. "Spells" is the title of Chapter 5, and aptly named. The back cover promises over 200 new spells, and I believe it. Most of them are variations of PHB spells, but a few are specific to certain power groups, i.e. Fiendform and the Red Wizards. All in all, a good selection that will add some flavor to a FR campaign, but won't break any new ground in creativity. Of course, Chapter 6 is "Magic Items", and damn, there are lots of them. Like the spells, a lot are just rehashed from the DMG, but there are a couple new ones that are rather cool. Also included are random magic item charts with the new items (for DMs that still like to roll for random treasure I assume). There are a bunch of magic items that are musically-related, finally giving those bards a chance to get something good. The final chapter is "Creatures". As if buying the Monsters of Faerun and having more in the FRCS wasn't enough, here are a few more. In reality, these monsters SHOULD have been in Monsters of Faerun, no doubt about it. Although, the Magister seems fitting for FRCS, when the Magister were fully detailed but no rules on creating them were provided. Seems a bit too much like someone at WotC decided to split up some of this information in an effort to sell more books. Overall, I was impressed by Magic of Faerun. It is very well written, clear and concise, if a tad bit dry in some areas. My predilection for D&D 3rd edition extends to collecting more than anything, although I can see myself running a Forgotten Realms campaign in the future. This book is most definitely NOT necessary for a good game, but I think it'll add a lot of favor and background the FRCS left out in the area of magic. As I said before, it seems overpriced a bit, so the decision to buy should directly be related for the desire to own 200 more spells and the ability to play a Spellfire character.