Customer Reviews

Advanced Dungeons & Dragons: Tome of Magic, 2nd Edition

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book offers both DMs and players a great opportunity to expand magic within their campaigns. In addition to giving a great array of new spells, the Tome of Magic includes several new wizard classes, all of which have become common in many AD&D campaigns. I especially liked the new wild mage class, which incorporates a moditied (and certainly fun-enhancing) spell casting system. The expansion of the priestly spheres of magic significantly enhanced the previously limited selection of priest spells. The only downside of this product is the selection of new magical items, many of which have not proven to be useful in my campaign. Overall, I have found the Tome of Magic to be one of the most useful accessories for the AD&D game.

The ammount of detail found in the book is astonishing. In addition to adding 5 new mage classess, it also gives the new wizard school of wild magic and 5 or six (can't remember exactly) new preist spheres. It also adds an 8'th level of clerical magic. Although the book is clerically oriented, I bought it for the new spells and mage expansion and was no where near disappointed. I am an avid gamer of Dungeons and Dragons, a player as well as a DM, and this is one of the best books TSR has ever produced. When I take in a new player to a questing group I tell them, first buy the players hand book, and then the tome of magic

If you play AD&D, and do not buy this book the second you see it, you are in a world of trouble friend. TSR almost REQUIRES use of this book in the newer campaign settings. And why not it is a very good book, with interesting new spells and spell schools. The only reason I gave this book such a low score it because first off, you really NEED this book to play AD&D well. Which brings the grand total of books you need to play AD&D with upto 4. (Players Handbook, Dungeon Masters Guide, Monster Mannual, and now this). Secondly the new and improved Players Handbook should have included this in it to cut costs.

I'm an italian dungeon master and I've been playing AD&D a lot. Every serious DM has to admit that the spells and the magical items presented in the Player's Handbook and in the Dungeon Master's Guide are not completely satisfacting... This is my opinion! The Tome of Magic adds a lot of USEFUL new spells to the PH list and some FUNNY new magical items to the DMG list. What can I say? The new spells are surely worth the book's price; the magical items are not the best the writers could do... but if you remember that in this book there are new classes for wizards (elementalists, wild mages, etc) and new powerful schools of magic,... well, you must admit that you can't lose this book! Even the starting 2nd edition DM has to take a look at the Tome of Magic: it will be very useful to him!

New spells. Great. Should have been included in the PHB reprints. New items. Well, it's a bonus, but so many of them are cursed and so few are inherently useful that they are simply forgotten about. Elementalist mages. Wonderful. An official guideline to a specialist mage that most players and DMs already made up in a binder of "house rules". The official elementalist is excellent, however, unlike the official ninja. Wild Mages. Now what more fun could there be than a socially inept chaotic neutral mage who isn't at all certain of what spell is going to come forth from his castings? Of all the specialist mages to come out in all sources, this is the one that can strike fear in everyone's hearts (including the person playing this nutcase). The only problem is you actually have to spend money on this book to truly play this character. They didn't reprint the rules in Spells and Magic either....

There were a number of new concepts introduced into the AD&D magic system, which I now wonder how I lived without.

Wild Mages are a lot of fun, quite powerful, and almost as deadly to the party as to enemies (thus balancing them out with other mages).

New ways for priests to cast powerful spells, make them seem more like holy warriors, and less like walking bandages.

Metamagic: spells that affect other spells, is also an interesting and much needed addition to the spell lists.

If you like spellcasters, get this book. If you don't like spellcasters, get this book. It may change your mind.

The book did have some new spells and interesting items, although the Wild Mage class is lame, the elementalist idea is pretty cool. However, the spells and magical items are either too restrictive, worthless, or downright silly. There are a couple of good spells and items, but not enough. TSR probably held them back so they could force you to buy some other lore book.

I do use this book. SOME spells are pretty neat-o but that is it... most of the spells in it can only be used by wild mages and even the priest spells are weak. My DM uses this book all the time, but only for reference to spells, the magical items stink... you think that they could put some items from the Expensive encyclopedia magica, into other books... Although I do like the name... Tome of Magic...

I think that the TOME OF MAGIC is an above average role-playing book. It is a great source for new spells, but the items could be a little better. If it's just new spells you want though, BUY THIS BOOK. If you just want it for items, you'll be sorry.

Wild mages. They have great power and sole access to wild magic spells. Once powergamer players see the rules for them, they will want to play them. The priest spheres and available spells have been expanded greatly and thus this book is acually more useful to priests. Overall a useful addition to jaded parties