The most intriguing part of fantasy role-playing is the use of magic. In the humdrum world in which we live, who hasn't ever thought about being able to fly, turn invisible or use extraordinary strength? The Pathfinder Role-playing Game "Ultimate Magic" hardbound book by Paizo Publishing is a sourcebook brimming with information about everything wizardly.
In Chapter 1, Pathfinder gamers will be introduced to the new magus base class, which is like a cross between a fighter and a magician, perfecting both arcane magic and cold, hard steel. A magus can learn to cast spells and fight with weapons at the same time. Advanced abilities include casting a spell from a weapon or needing no concentration checks to cast defensive spells.
The chapter continues sharing details about new abilities and archetypes for all the 13 base magic-using classes, such as the ranger trapper archetype, which gives rangers mastery over traps instead of spells. There are even new rules for allowing a monk to become a magical force in any adventure setting.
Chapter 2 delves deeper into the world of the mysterious arts with rules on magic curses and diseases called spellblights. It also gives consideration to conduction, wizardly duels between two spell users. There is a long section on binding powerful creatures with magic and building golems and other magical constructs as well as rules for familiars, because everyone wants a pet donkey rat, right?
The best part of Chapter 2 is the guidelines for designing your own spells. Detailed rules on function, damage, targets, range, duration and saving throws associated with spells is given. A grouping of benchmark spells gives excellent examples of what spells of certain levels can do to give gamers an idea of where their imaginations can wander.
Chapter 3 contains a whole new listing of feats with a magical theme. There's the burning spell feat, which allows wizards who use acid and fire to do more damage. There is also the echoing spell feat, which allows a magic user to cast the same spell twice in a day without using an extra spell slot. And don't forget the "voice of the Sibyl" feat, which gives a character with high charisma the ability to gain bonuses on bluff and diplomacy and perform skill checks.
A new form of magic is introduced in Chapter 4 with words of power. A spell-adept character who uses words of power is called a word caster. Word casters use the very words of magic to draw upon new energies and powers that function just like spells. By combining words, a word caster can create almost any effect he can imagine! There are acid words, animal words, death words, life words and weather words, just to name a few categories.
And, of course, any magic book would not be complete without a whole new listing of spells, descriptions and effects. More than 100 are included. There are new spells for all the 13 classes. The bard's fourth-level primal scream allows escape from enchantments and paralysis. The inquistor's sixth-level overwhelming presence compels creatures to bow in your presence as if you possess some form of divinity. And the witch's temporary resurrection brings a creature back to life, but only for 24 hours.
"Ultimate Magic" retains all the high production qualities from previous books by Paizo. Note that there is a ton of fantasy artwork in the book depicting creatures, magic, monsters and spell-casting characters. The book is a fine offering to the role-playing game, providing pages and pages of new content. This is a must-have for those who want to add a little more magic to their games of Pathfinder. Check out more details at www.paizo.com.
In Chapter 1, Pathfinder gamers will be introduced to the new magus base class, which is like a cross between a fighter and a magician, perfecting both arcane magic and cold, hard steel. A magus can learn to cast spells and fight with weapons at the same time. Advanced abilities include casting a spell from a weapon or needing no concentration checks to cast defensive spells.
The chapter continues sharing details about new abilities and archetypes for all the 13 base magic-using classes, such as the ranger trapper archetype, which gives rangers mastery over traps instead of spells. There are even new rules for allowing a monk to become a magical force in any adventure setting.
Chapter 2 delves deeper into the world of the mysterious arts with rules on magic curses and diseases called spellblights. It also gives consideration to conduction, wizardly duels between two spell users. There is a long section on binding powerful creatures with magic and building golems and other magical constructs as well as rules for familiars, because everyone wants a pet donkey rat, right?
The best part of Chapter 2 is the guidelines for designing your own spells. Detailed rules on function, damage, targets, range, duration and saving throws associated with spells is given. A grouping of benchmark spells gives excellent examples of what spells of certain levels can do to give gamers an idea of where their imaginations can wander.
Chapter 3 contains a whole new listing of feats with a magical theme. There's the burning spell feat, which allows wizards who use acid and fire to do more damage. There is also the echoing spell feat, which allows a magic user to cast the same spell twice in a day without using an extra spell slot. And don't forget the "voice of the Sibyl" feat, which gives a character with high charisma the ability to gain bonuses on bluff and diplomacy and perform skill checks.
A new form of magic is introduced in Chapter 4 with words of power. A spell-adept character who uses words of power is called a word caster. Word casters use the very words of magic to draw upon new energies and powers that function just like spells. By combining words, a word caster can create almost any effect he can imagine! There are acid words, animal words, death words, life words and weather words, just to name a few categories.
And, of course, any magic book would not be complete without a whole new listing of spells, descriptions and effects. More than 100 are included. There are new spells for all the 13 classes. The bard's fourth-level primal scream allows escape from enchantments and paralysis. The inquistor's sixth-level overwhelming presence compels creatures to bow in your presence as if you possess some form of divinity. And the witch's temporary resurrection brings a creature back to life, but only for 24 hours.
"Ultimate Magic" retains all the high production qualities from previous books by Paizo. Note that there is a ton of fantasy artwork in the book depicting creatures, magic, monsters and spell-casting characters. The book is a fine offering to the role-playing game, providing pages and pages of new content. This is a must-have for those who want to add a little more magic to their games of Pathfinder. Check out more details at www.paizo.com.
