Book Description
A sourcebook unearthing the ruins and secrets of the fallen empires of the Forgotten Realms campaign setting.
For the first time, the secrets of past empires of the Forgotten Realms world are chronicled in one comprehensive sourcebook. For players, this book contains new options for characters wishing to delve into ancient ruins, including new feats, prestige classes, magic, and equipment. For Dungeon Masters, this book contains new material associated with ruins, including rules for how to build and sustain a ruin-based campaign, more than a dozen detailed adventure sites with maps, and new monsters and artifacts.
Customer Reviews:
Absolutely Splendid!!!.......2006-09-18
I found this title the best supplement ever written. That says a lot, since this series has been around since 1987. At last, in one volume, the history of this magical world is laid bare. I have speculated and wondered in the past why the world is like it is. This volume has given up most of those secret! I stand in awe of most of them. This is the flower of Realms lore. Most are not intended for most gamers. I read the novels and continue my illustrations outside this "gamers" world.
I can only say that the Forgotten Realms have come alive at last with a rich and frightening history in its past. Long live Netheril!
Excellent!.......2005-12-14
If you're interested in the history of Faerun, this is a excellent book. It goes into great detail and has a lot of extras, like relics and historical weapons. Great art and a good read.
Excellent Resource.......2005-05-14
Very well detailed and has a great amount of information that can be used in adventures. I would give it 4.5 if I could because of the usual lack of REAL MAPS that Wizards of the Coast seems to neglect. Great book though and a must have for DM's and Players in the forgotten realms.
Relevance is the key.......2005-04-14
I greatly looked forward to this book and was not disappointed. The Forgotten Realms is extremely rich in history that has been developed over the long years of its publication and this is truly a comprehensive source of that. The authors have touched on just about every area I can think of and they have done it well.
The book is divided into several sections, each dealing with a different geographic or cultural area. For instance, one section deals with the crown wars (wars between elves almost exclusively) and the elven nations involved (which covers a large area of Faerun) while another area covers the North and includes detail on several elven realms that had little part in the crown wars. They have timelines for each section of the book.
To be clear though, these histories are given not as a tool to play during those times, but as reference points to incorporate the locales of these ancient empires into the current timeline and an existing campaign. They bring the histories up to the current timeline and give you a good idea of what is going on in the ruins of these empires and the doings of the decedents of these empires.
On top of all of this rich history and information is a great deal of good crunchiness. There are several prestige classes, all of which seem well balanced and a great section on new spells and magic items. They even have specifics on mythal creation which is just plain cool to me. Going back to the integration of the past to the present, there is a section about Hellgate Keep and there they specify magic items of goodly races know to have been lost by fallen heroes there (items from the PGtF and this book).
All in all, a great tool for ANY dungeon master running ANY Realms Campaign for its information on ruins (dungeon - hint, hint) and its balance of historical information and crunchy bits. By far one of the most useful Realms products for any edition.
The misty past of Faerun, now yours to discover.......2005-03-19
I always loved the 3.5 (3.0) Forgotten Realms accessories, but I must say that this book is perhaps the best in the series.
This books gives you a +10 competence bonus to your Ancient History(Faerun) skill, as it offers you in-depth knowledge on almost all of the great empires of the past. You can learn all, about the great elven empires, about the history of the Sword Coast, about the phaerimm manace, etc.
Also, you will find some great feats, prestige classes and spells in the book. Some of them are not really for players, but for the DM (and to the NPCs). Players will also find it interesting, if for nothing else, then to add some flavour to the game.
I found it also great that young DMs get some help in a separate chapter to create adventures based on the "ancient theme". Of course, even old DMs, like myself can learn a lot from it.
Book Description
The heroes of the
Forgotten Realms are as diverse and varied as the regions from which they hail. This collection of Faerûnian lore and arcana allows you to create and equip an endless array of characters braced for the challenges they’ll encounter. From races, feats, and spells to prestige classes, magic items, and more, Player’s Guide to Faerûn provides a v.3.5 update to the
Forgotten Realms setting, reintroduces some old favorites from 1st and 2nd Edition, and offers all-new character-building material.
Includes
* Over 60 feats
* Over 30 prestige classes
* Over 90 spells
To use this supplement, you also need the
Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting, the
Player’s Handbook, the
Dungeon Master’s Guide, and the
Monster Manual.
Customer Reviews:
Very Good Supplement.......2007-07-27
Player's Guide to Faerun is a very good FR supplement, but it lacks any information on the facts that happened (are going to happen depending on the year your campaign is going on) after the Year of The Rouge Dragons. It focus a lot on the planes other then the material plane and prestige classes, but not much on geography and politics between the realms.
Very prompt .......2007-05-08
This book was well worth the money I spent, it was delivered to me in quick timing, and was in almost perfect sondition.
Useful Upgrade to 3.5.......2007-05-07
I'm always a little leary about buying "Player's Guides" since I'm a DM most of the time, but this one was almost necessary to correct the errors and region system in the original Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting (Dungeons & Dragons). Also upgrades spells from the Magic of Faerun! Very cool and worth every penny I spent so far.
A USEFULL GUIDE FOR FEARUN PLAYERS.......2006-11-18
A USEFULL GUIDE FOR FAERUN PLAYERS
This book contains 3 specification
- 3.5 Updates of FR Realms Campign Setting
- A gathering book from other FR Rule Books
- Some new addition things
The most important thing of this book that is care us; it is a gathering guide book from main books of Forgotten Realms. (FR Campaign Setting, Faiths & Pantheons, Races of Faerun, Magic of Faerun) This Guide takes the important things for players from these 4 books and collects together. It is a Summary of them.
Player Guide to Faerun includes nearly all things for Forgotten Realms players. The players can find necessary knownlodge for their characters in one book. But if they wants more details and other specific things they should to have ektra books.
The main reason for to get this book is; The standard Faerun Players may use this book without need the other books. They may take only two book to games; The Players Handbook and Players Guide to Faerun. This may be second main book for them.
Also, they can create their characters and play after for dont need the FR Campaign Setting.
It is only few new additon things whose is not other books. So dont think to buy for only new additions.
If you thing to have minimal number books to play in Forgotten Realms, you should buy only two books; FR Campaign Setting, Player Guide to Faerun. (After to have 3 core rule book of D&D)
The players who have other FR books, they may also get this book if they want quick summary guide under their hand during their games.
Includes the Collection of these:
Races, P.Classes, Skills, Feats, Domains and Spells, Magic Items, Epic Levels.
This was my fifth FR book, I have had before these books; FR Campaign Setting, Faiths & Pantheons, Races of Faerun, Magic of Faerun, but I want to take this guide also because I want a usefull thin guide for bring it to games. Sometimes it is some difficult to look and find your needs other 4 books, it may took time.
I recommended this book for Players of Forgotten Realms Players, but not for any DM. It is a Player Guide like name. And I repeat this; it is a summary book for FR players.
Playing or running a Forgotten Realms campaign? Pick this up!.......2006-11-04
I'm usually a pessimist when it comes to the glut of D&D monthly products, but this book is entirely character options, and while none of them are top notch, it's got very detailed info on deity and regional stuff that pertains to players. Very useful, and although some of it is only a rules update from the F.R. campaign book (3rd edition), it's also a lot easier to skim through for bits of information. It's definitely a solid book, a must-have for DMs, and I'd give it 5 stars if it weren't campaign-specific.
Book Description
Mighty heroes deserve wicked foes
Demons and half-demons, dragons and dragonkin, animated corpses and restless spirits, wielders of magic and eaters of spells: These are the creatures of Faerûn, the monsters of the
Forgotten Realms campaign setting.
Monster Compendium: Monsters of Faerûn contains scores of new monsters for use in
Dungeons & Dragons adventures. From the aarakocra to the Tyrantfog zombie, these monsters present a whole new range of challenges.
Although usable in any campaign, these monsters are especially suited for the
Forgotten Realms setting -- a world of great magic, terrible villains, and high adventure.
Customer Reviews:
PRETTY GOOD.......2007-01-27
this book covers mnay cool monsters that can be used in any campain. Its monsters are also very creative. But the price if a little to much. It is overall worth it.
Another Great Forgotten Realms Reference.......2003-07-11
The Monster Compendium is a useful reference for extra beasties and baddies to include in any campaign, but it's best suited for use in the Forgotten Realms Setting.
Though it only provides a fraction of the monsters given in the Monster Manual, the Monster Compendium still provides a lot of info and even some extra realms-specific info on location and habits. The monsters are interesting, and the stories behind them are also quite intriguing. And some of the monsters are just downright awesome (Fang Dragon, anyone?)
However, to be honest, the small amount of monsters featured is a disappointment. Still, the book as a whole is a very good one, and a necessity for any 3e FR campaign.
Changes.......2002-08-07
Like everything in 3rd edition, be ready for big time changes. One of my biggest surprises was what they did to dragons of all types. Basically the dragon's magical powers are now much more limited than they had been in 2nd edition, including getting rid of their polymorph abilities; and their spell-casting abilities have been restricted...
Basically the moral of the story is if you're going to play 3rd edition, be sure you fully check over the new descriptions of the monsters. They may have totally different powers, or they may be more or less powerful. Something you thought was foolproof against certain monsters now may do nothing.
a good book.......2002-04-19
For what the price is, there should have been more monsters here. However, the ones that are in this book are very good, especially the Yochlol and the dragons. A great book to get, but see if you can get it used for a slightly lower price.
Excellent.......2002-01-04
This book is excelent for anyone who needs a good monster. It contains things not mentioned in the first MM, such as more templates,such as Cursts, a new undead template which kicks butt. Some monsters are very fun to pit your PC's against, such as Alhoons(a.k.a., Ithilliches, Illithid Liches). It also provides FR connections such as history. However, even though I don't like Forgotten Realms it is an excelletn book worth it's very steep price...
Book Description
Unleash the dragons within!
Long ago, dragons ruled the world, and although their power has waxed and waned over the millennia, they never forget the glory of the distant past. Now and then, some world-shaking event or revelation brings out the worst in them … and transforms Faerûn forever.
If you want dragons to serve important roles in your campaign, this supplement is for you! It describes some of Faerûn’s most notorious dragons and dracoliches and presents information on dragon-related organizations such as the church of Tiamat and the Cult of the Dragon. In addition, this book includes ready-to-play adventures, new traps and treasures found within dragons’ lairs, new dragon spells, and new monsters.
For use with these Dungeons & Dragons® products
Player’s Handbook™ Dungeon Master’s Guide™ Monster Manual™
Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting Draconomicon™
Customer Reviews:
More Dragon Fun.......2006-11-07
Wizards of the Coast seems to be doing a lot of dragon based supliments lately. This one, is not the best of the batch, but nor is it the worst. It is mostly a collection of Dragon NPC's, with suggested story/adventure hooks, an assorted handful of maps. As usuall, a few prest classes, some spells, but it's mostly "crunchy bits".
Errors abound.......2006-10-12
This would have been a great book (4 stars) with elements we were all looking forward to integrating into our campaign. Unfortunately, it reads more like a second grade English test, with volumes of errors waiting to be corrected. Not small errors, but missing images, mis-labeled pictures, charts missing data and obviously incorrect information.
The book is passably usable, but only barely. Having to struggle with these errors drops it down to 2 stars at best. If there were editors, they need to be fired. Anyone having purchased this book should be offered a free (corrected) replacement. It's literally as if they accidentally went to publishing with an alpha document instead of the final version.
WotC editors need to learn to spell........2006-10-07
The editing on this book is terrible. There's a laundry list of typos, and even more mistakes in monster statistics. Stat blocks in the book that are not screwed up would be easier to list than those that are. This would be useful material, but to make use of the actual game material, I'll have to do the editors' jobs for them. At this price, I might as well just make up my own dragons.
That said, if you're into the fluff of Forgotten Realms and haven't read the novels, this book has an excellent summation of the events of the Year of Rogue Dragons. But the novels would be more entertaining (presuming they weren't written by some hack, like some FR novels are).
All in all I'm not happy with the designers for making these mistakes, nor with the editors for not correcting them. I intend to write long and angry letters to Wizards of the Coast concerning this matter.
EXCELLENT EXAMPLES OF UNIQUE DRAGONS.......2006-08-09
There's probably no debating that Dragons are the most popular monster in Dungeons & Dragons. Heck, it's part of the name! But for a long time there was a problem with dragons, dating back to the first Monster Manual for AD&D. Instead of striking fear into the hearts of adventurers the way they should, the appearance of a dragon was usually cause for celebration by players. There was never any doubt that they were going to defeat the dragon, and haul away a truckload full of loot and magic items. There were two reasons for this: One, dragons originally were vastly under-powered, and two, DM's were often not skilled enough to take advantage of all the dragon's abilities.
Thankfully these days we don't have the former problem, and really shouldn't have the latter problem either. Dragons have been upgraded to the terrors they should be, and are no longer as generic as the average Orc. When it comes right down to it, no two dragons are alike. They are unique in their personalities and their motivations. Afterall, these are extremely intelligent creatures.
Wizards of the Coast's latest supplement is Dragons of Faerun, a compendium of unique dragons, new dragons, new dragon spells, new magic items, ready-to-play adventures, and much more. These unique dragons run the gamut from the young adult Mercury dragon named Tostyn Alaerthmaugh with a CR of 8, to the great wyrm red dragon who is Tiamat's Chosen champion, Tchazzar with a CR of 40! But before we get to the unique dragons, the book provides a very detailed history of Dragons and the unending war between Tiamat and Bahamut.
The book goes into great detail on each of the unique dragons featured, with details on all of their abilities/feats and powers, history, treasure hoard, lair, known allies and enemies, and tactics. In addition, each entry provides various knowledge checks for players to locate the dragon's lairs and other information, and adventure hooks for players and DMs to encounter the various dragons. One caveat is that a few of the unique dragons do not have their stats listed but instead your directed to use the stats of a typical specimen as described in the "Draconomicon" and abilities from various other supplements. These notes even give the page number to these other books but it would still have been nice for them to be included all in one spot. In addition, 25 more dragons are each given a capsule notation. These dragons originally appeared in Ed Greenwood's long running series "Wyrms of the North" in Dragon Magazine and the original articles are available on the Wizards of the Coast website for free.
But the book isn't just 160 page of dragons, there's lots more here. The Cult of the Dragon, the Church of Tiamat, and other dragon orders are featured which include short, but in-depth complete adventures. One of my favorite chapters is on dragon lairs and provides new, and devious traps, tactics, and monsters, all to help protect a dragon's lair. Your PC's won't think they're on the way to a tea party after encountering the Exhaustion Trap or new monsters like the Redspawn Birther. The Birthers were abnormal Red Dragon spawn but are now being bred by the Church of Tiamat.
Some two dozen new spells and a like number of new magic items, including both minor and major artifacts are also included. Finally three new dragon types are described: The Mercury Dragon, Steel Dragon, and Mist Dragon, although if memory serves there were earlier incarnations of these many years ago in Dragon magazine. The book concludes with a 10 page appendix of every known dragon on Faerun.
The Dragons of Faerun is a perfect complement to 2003's Draconomicon. Even if you don't want to use the Dragons in the book, it will help players to devise unique dragons of their own. This may be my favorite supplement of 2006 so far!
Reviewed by Tim Janson
Book Description
Discover the Diverse Denizens of the Realms
Encounter reclusive avariel, arrogant Calishites, noble centaurs, and bold Rashemi. From the steppes of Thay to the shores of Evermeet, the inhabitants of the Realms are as distinct as the regions from which they hail, whether hero, henchman, villain, or villager. With complete information about the noteworthy races, subraces, and ethnicities scattered throughout Toril, Races of Faerûn offers a detailed look at the many and varied peoples who inhabit the
Forgotten Realms game setting.
* 80 new feats
* 26 new magic items
* 8 new monsters
* 9 new prestige classes
* 13 new spells
To use this accessory, you also need the
Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting, the Player's Handbook, the Dungeon Master's Guide, and the Monster Manual.
Customer Reviews:
Almost got it right........2005-10-23
This book is quite useful.
It expands on some races and reintroduces some old classics. like the Winged Elf, the water elf, the Wemic, and the centur.
However it also just copies the entries for dark elves and planetouched races basically straight from the Forgotten realms campaign settingbook.
They could have used the space a little better instead of repeating races that 97% of us have access to. (If you have an interest in this book then its pretty much fact that you already have the Forgotten Realms Campaign setting).
Some of the region feats are nice and the a couple of the prestige classes are going to appeal to my players so for that regard it was worth the purchase price.
Summing up it gathers all the races from the Realms campaign setting and adds in some new ones. Mixes in some new feats, some old ones tweaked and a few prestige classes.
Races of Faerun.......2005-09-20
This book contridicts the Forgotten Realms book written by Ed Greenwood. The elves inpertcular.
The book is put together well, but WoC should get their sources straightened out before they publish them
Helpful and informative, BUT.......2004-09-14
It should be called SOME of the Races of Faerun. The book offers a great deal of information, however it leaves gaps here and there just so it can fill them through another volume. For the price tag of this book I feel it is a bit incomplete. It could contain a lot more info on a lot more races. If you're only looking for general information on the most prominent races of Faerun, this is for you. However it should not be considered THE source of info, as it is anything but complete and thorough.
A necessary book for the lover of Faerun.......2004-03-18
This book is a great resource for any lover of Faerun and the Forgotten Realms. The background on the human subraces adds some great flavour to the Forgotten Realms! The feats and prestige classes are good. And the information about the different races of Faerun is also very helpful (particularly about the planetouched - tieflings, genasi, and aasimar).
Critical info for Faerun.......2004-02-13
Well, this book covers many races for Forgotten Realms. It also adds in a few interesting feats and a few items. It gives much greater depth to all the races already covered in FRCS. However, there is one problem here- if the race already had it's base stats covered in FRCS, only the extra "fluff" is here, none of the "crunch". This means you'll need both books, and note that Race of Faerun is 3.5 and FRCS is 3.0, so there's a little problem here. I'd have prefered a bit less fluff, and the basic race stats redone for all.
However, there are also quite a few interesting new races here, some which were only covered lightly in another supplement. For instance, there are complete rules for playing a Shade or a Wemic.
There is also a lot of background fluff on the various human "races'. This may thrill you or bore you- depending.
Anyway, if you play in the FR, at least one of your group should get this book.
Book Description
Rule the Realms
You’ve survived countless deathtraps, slain hordes of monsters, and overthrown your fair share of petty warlords and would-be tyrants. Ever wonder what it would be like to hold sway as an influential member of the royal court, a mighty general, a powerful religious figure, or a successful merchant prince? Power of Faerûn shows players and Dungeon Masters how to play high-level characters and run high-level campaigns in the Realms. It presents worthy challenges and opportunities for heroes who have had their fill of crawling through caverns and plundering forsaken tombs.
For use with these Dungeons & Dragons® products
Player’s Handbook™ Dungeon Master’s Guide™ Monster Manual™
Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting
Customer Reviews:
AMEN.......2007-04-07
Ed Greenwood has lost whatever he might have had. The man is responsible for killing my interest in Forgotten Realms RPGs. He has turned magic into somethat that can be bought for a few pennies out of a vending machine. Everyone in the realms seems to have some uber powerful magical item to make free use of. The history of the place has been way over developed and the creatures that are running amok across the countryside, its amazing that there is anyone left alive, but then if someone does die no big deal, just raise them so death does not matter either. Also there are way to many gods, as pointed out in some other book its amazing there is not a god for dinnerware. Also I fully agree with previous article about the man being obsessed with naked women oddly attracted to fat bushy old men, I noticed that in Spellfire and he repeats it in every one he has written, is there one of the Seven Sisters that Elminster hasn't scored with?
power..........2006-08-09
not update info on the epic characters ofthe realms
could have used some more umph like epic spells and the like
Power delivers on many areas for role playing but..........2006-05-26
Power of Faerun
Written by Ed Greenwood and Eric L. Boyd
Published by Wizards of the Coast
www.wizards.com/forgottenrealms
160 full color pages
Hardback
ISBN 10: 0-7869-3910-9
$29.95
Power of Faerun is devoted to bringing the game outside the dungeon and to the courts, churches and wilderness by focusing on areas of character growth that while involving power, often involve power of a sort not traditionally associated with Dungeons and Dragons characters.
Ed Greenwood and Eric L. Boyd are two of the best scribes of Forgotten Realms material and while the game mechanics fall flat more often than not, thankfully the majority of the book is in the form of non-game mechanics with background details.
Interior artists include Lucio Parrillo, who also handles the cover, as well as fan favorite William O'Connon along with others like Eric Deschamps, Francis Tsai and others. Kyle Hunter handles the cartography this time around and provides maps that are generally easy to read and easy to use.
The graphic design, like most of the Forgotten Realms books, is top notch. The yellowed parchment pages still look great even years latter. Use of sidebars with darker yellow easily catch the eyes. Chapter titles are at the top of the page centered while on the bottom are page numbers. Layout is standard two-column format and makes good use of white space despite the page within a page design of the book.
In terms of coverage, the book provides little bites on numerous areas. It starts off with wielding power in the courts and moves to the battlefield. From the battlefield to the churches. From the churches to the market. From the market to the wild frontier. From the frontier to patrolling the roads.
Each section provides use of the Leadership feat as well as how to `play' that type of game. For example, when looking at Keep the Faith, information on what religious leaders do, as well as methods of daily worship, are provided. One nice resource is the listing of Faith Specific Prestige Classes in one spot.
Notes on moving up the different ranks are included. Looking at the frontier section for example, provides information on being a vassal state or a fiefdom, how to hold a territory and how to fight off the various threats ranging from bandits and brigands to diseases and monsters.
Each section has it's own maps and NPCs to help the GM use the material right away. If you wanted some sample frontier strongholds, you have Wolfwatch Manor and Stormhawk Keep, each mapped out with an overview and numbered with details. Stormhawk for example has fifteen different locations from the Foreyard to the Feasting Hall.
The section on Play the Market provides Dabron Sashenstar, a high powered merchant prince and his unique mount as well as details on his challenge to the Iron Throne's hold on weapons trade in the Heartlands. A place where clever players can start with Dabron as a patron and perhaps move into their own efforts.
My favorite part is probably the section on the market. When reading one of Raymond Feist's books, there was a whole section with the characters working the market and effecting change on the setting not through swords, but through trade. It's an area that despite six years of an open game license, has rarely, if ever, been detailed. The only weakness is that the section relies on the user have the Dungeon Master's Guide II as it uses the rules for running a business.
From there it moves on to discussing challenges for high level characters. Some of these are obvious like working for or against deities. Regardless of character level, deities are often able to provide challenges. After deities the older dragons are another great adversary. The most interesting option for high level characters though, are other high level characters.
This involves the most work on the GM's part while providing the most dangerous options. For some GM's, it's almost too easy to customize a villain to counter a player, especially a player whose ultra-specialized in one field. Have a fantastic ability to deal death with a greatsword but a terrible fortitude save? Have awesome abilities with fire magic but no enchantment? Still, the advice on using rivals is a good place to get ideas.
Sometimes though, it's not the strength of an individual enemy, but rather, that enemy's horde that you have to worry about. Wizards of the Coast recently put their money where their mouth was with this idea and their adventure, The Red Hand of Doom, deals with adventurers fighting against humanoids and their masters, the dragons.
In addition to details on different character options, details on the Border Kingdoms are included. The Border kingdoms fill a useful role in being a place that the GM can manipulate for his own use, much in the way a similar named kingdom in the Warhammer setting can be used. A place where characters should be able to make long term changes.
Details are included for numerous parts of the land including Bedron, The Land of Two Princes, Owlhold and the Realm of the Ready Sword. Each section gets it's own brief details but is more or less there to provide the GM a place to put his own marker, much like say the Wilderlands of the old Judges Guild.
The book closes off a bit weak with a section on how to rule. This includes expanded Leadership scores and rules for bringing in, and losing cohorts and followers. It's a solid chapter but could be used for any campaign as opposed to just a Forgotten Realms game. Included with the expanded chart for Epic Leadership, are feats to augment leadership such as, yes, Epic Leadership and Born Leaders, a feat that provides a bonus to your leadership score and a bonus to your Influence modifier.
Power of Faerun is a solid book for any D&D campaign. While the specifics are Forgotten Realms, they can serve as examples for someone running a Greyhawk or Eberron game. The rules and methods of working for the church or fighting in the courts are often overlooked in the game and this book provides background information on ideas of what type of conflicts and rewards await those whose dungeon is a castle or cathedral.
An interesting sourcebook for high level play in the realms.......2006-04-23
Very short review time. This book has NO CRUNCH. no prestige classes, no feats, no new spells. It does, however, have a lot of interesting information and tips on how to conduct an epic-level game in the land of Faerun.
Not to say that the book isn't fascinating, but its about 8 light years away from what I've come to expect from Forgotten Realms supplements. Know what you're buying, and if you think this sort of thing might interest you then give it a whirl. I can't give it more than faint praise overall though.
A sub-standard and not very useful Realms book.......2006-04-19
It's unfortunate that I can only give this book one review, as I really feel like it's two different books; a solid one written by Mr. Boyd and a terrible one written by Mr. Greenwood. Those familiar with Mr. Greenwood's writing style will easily be able to pick out his contributions to this work. His prose jumps from one subject to another and back again repeatedly without ever seeming to get to the point; the end result is pages and pages of unreadable material that should be condensed to a much more useful handful of paragraphs.
Lambasting Mr. Greenwood's style is anathema to most Realms fans, but I find that his work has become less and less creative over time; he rarely has anything new to say. I'm getting very tired of hidden caches of magical artifacts under every tree, ghosts of uber-powerful mages hiding in the walls of every inn, overly-buxom heroines who are very comfortable with their nakedness and who are unusually attracted to out of shape older men (wishful thinking, Ed?), and the plethora of other Realms cliches that Mr. Greenwood can't seem to let go.
This book touches upon some roleplaying subjects (ruling a kingdom, running a mercantile empire, etc.) that could prove to be a lot of fun in some campaigns, but this book rarely made me feel like I needed it in order to explore these ideas. I did find the mercantile section and the frontier section better than the others, although as another poster alluded to, I wish that there were more Realms-specific plot hooks in the book. The courtly rule section was butchered particularly badly by Mr. Greenwood, which was unfortunate as that was the one that I was most looking forward to.
All in all, I would say that Heroes of Battle does a much better job with the military stuff attempted in this book (this book references that work quite a bit, in fact), and Dungeon Master's Guide II gives a good presentation of how to deal with PCs getting involved in organizations (again, that book is referenced a lot in this one). This book feels like something that Ed really, really wanted to do, and the editors at Wizards finally just let him do it despite the fact that it's really a rehash of a lot of prior material that doesn't need to be presented separately in a Realms format. Most of it I could have come up with myself; I usually roll my eyes when people make that statement concerning RPG books, because usually I can at least get a lot of good plot hooks out of them, but in this case I really thought most of the book was worthless.
Book Description
Discover the Power and Master the Art
Magic pervades Faerun. This guide explores the hidden lore and secrets of magic in the Forgotten Realms game setting. From the history of magic to magical variants (including gem magic, spellfire, and the mageduel), magical creatures, locations of power, and advanced options for creating magic items, this book covers what a Dungeon Master or the player of a spellcaster in the
Forgotten Realms setting needs to know.
* More than 200 new spells
* Almost 200 new magic items
* 11 new prestige classes
To use this accessroy, you also need the Player's Handbook, the Dungeon Master's Guide, the Monster Manual, and the
Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting.
Customer Reviews:
Very good source book, but lacking in some areas........2003-04-21
Overall i think this book did a pretty good job of introducing Faerunian magic and a brief background. There were interesting prestige classes, feats, skills, and other extras that i felt were a very good addition. The only real problem, and i think it's a big one, is the fact that after having initially bough the Faerun World book, and THEN the Magic of Faerun, there were many spells in the first book that were NOT in the Mag. of Faerun!! I felt like the writers should have placed all magic spells from the Faerun World book into the Magic of Faerun spell list. It only makes sense. Had i known this i might not have bought it. It pisses me off that much.
Mmm...useful magic..........2002-06-14
You know, I didn't really mind paying for this. Sure, it's overpriced, but it's darn useful.
This book is, rather obviously, intended primarily for Forgotten Realms. I still think that the setting is on the rather obnoxiously silly side, but the material is more or less first-rate, and thus easily stealable for better d20 settings.
The meat of this book is the massive number of new spells, a great number of which are useful. There's Speed Swim (1st-level spell, gives a Swim speed of 30), Hunter's Mercy (ranger spell, 4th-level, if the arrow hits, it crits), and the utterly awesome Wieldskill (1st-level spell for clerics of Gond, gives +10 competence bonus to ANY skill, or a half rank in one skill you don't have, *or* any feat). All classes get good spells, and some are multi-use; Mace of Odo, for example, can be used for damage or to block incoming spells.
You'll also find a good chunk of the book devoted to the various methods and practices of magic in Faerun, including sample temples, mage guilds, mage fairs, and odd schools of magic. These are okay, but not particularly great.
There are also nifty prestige magic-based prestige classes, like the mystic wanderer, mage-killer, and the Harper Mage and Harper Priest. There are mostly okay, though some are too dependant on the setting to be useful elsewhere. The Guild Mage of Waterdeep is an almost exact copy of the Mage of the Arcane Order from Tome & Blood.
Magic items and stuff are also well-represented. There are a great many new weapons and armor enchantments, as well as specific varieties of items. Some aren't particularly useful; the Rod of Cats springs to mind as one of the more pointless items (yes, darkvision is nice, but there are easier/cheaper ways of doing that...). The magical materials available are greatly expanded, including special weapon/armor materials and gems that enhance spells. Last, but not least, you'll find a selection of monsters and templates that appear in the setting.
All in all, this is a pretty decent book. The production value is very high, and they obviously put a lot of effort into it. If I liked Forgotten Realms at all, it'd get 5 stars.
Superior Realmsian Flavor.......2002-06-01
This simply is more meat, more flavor, for the Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting - and of exceptional quality.
MOF knows the importance of discussing the more aesthetic points of magic in the Realms, shows many intriguiging prestige classes like the Master Alchemist and Mage-Killer. It also has many spells and magic items that contribute to a true Realms feel, using the names and based on the history of powerful characters or events of that world. For example, powerful magic rings created for the great military commanders and soldiers of Cormyr, and new magical enchantments for weapons and armor such as Impact - a version of Keen that exists especially for increasing the critical damage potential of bludeoning weapons - and Magic Eating.
Highly recommended supplement to the FRCS that will see a lot of utility by both players and DMs who enjoy the high-magic world of the Realms.
Darn Good! Meaty and Filling!.......2002-04-22
MoF is excellent. I've played D&D through its various incarnations since 1977, and the Forgotten Realms since the early 80's. The price tag was a bit high, so I took a peek at a friend's copy first. What I saw convinced me to buy it.
The spells and cleric domains add a lot of dimension and color to D&D3e. I was expecially interested in the new prestige classes. A couple of them seem better suited to NPCs, such as the Master Alchemist and the Mage-Killer, but the write-ups are balanced and well thought out.
The magic items chapter is quite good, too. There is a lot of flavor added to the list, and not simply more powerful items, or more ways to cheat the rules. Too many past supplements from the previous versions of AD&D have introduced items and spells far too powerful for most campaigns. This supplement is very well balanced.
The feats are good, too, Spell Thematics especially (but get the errata download from WoC!).
My only disappointment was there weren't very many monsters, but that wasn't the thrust of this supplement, so my disappointment is very minor.
Overall, this book is worth the price, and very handy for both players and DM's who want a better understanding of the magic of Forgotten Realms.
Where's the Beef!.......2002-03-15
The quality of the book was fine, a little pricey IMHO, but of acceptable quality, however, I was sorely disappointed in this product's lack of meaty rules and real content and am returning it. Returning it you ask, when most folks seemed to enjoy it, why? Well, for starters I purchased this product mainly for new and expanded rules on magic. While there were some new rules, sadly most of the rules were actually descrtiptions of things to do with existing materials and not any thing new. The Wizards duel rules and the Weave Rules had some interest however, the elemental magic system was glossed over, the moon magi were just silly, over all I felt the rules provided were weak and unfinished. The descriptions of various groups in the Forgotten Realms setting was also thin IMHO, I think the campaign setting book itself does a better job of describing Forgotten Realms characters. The final reason I despised this book was because the majority, almost 2/3s of the pages, were taken up with long lists of spell descriptions and new magic items. I dont know about you, but I find lists of new spells and magic items to be annoying and simply a waste of good paper. If you are really in search of a new spell or magic item, I suggest you try the internet. There are vast amounts of material available for free. So my recommendation is, unless you are a die hard collector of all things Forgotten Realms, skip this product.
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City of Splendors: Waterdeep (Dungeons & Dragons d20 3.5 Fantasy Roleplaying, Forgotten Realms Supplement)
Shining South (Dungeon & Dragons d20 3.5 Fantasy Roleplaying, Forgotten Realms Supplement)
Champions of Ruin (Dungeon & Dragons d20 3.5 Fantasy Roleplaying, Forgotten Realms Setting)
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Player's Guide to Faerun (Dungeons & Dragons d20 3.5 Fantasy Roleplaying, Forgotten Realms Accessory)
