Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Rulebook: Book of Artifacts [Paperback]

David "Zeb" Cook (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Wizards of the Coast; 2nd edition (October 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786911506
• ISBN-13: 978-0786911509
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,497,537 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars One artifact per campaign, please, January 14, 2000

By 

Christopher Dudley (Laurel, MD USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Rulebook: Book of Artifacts (Paperback)

I liked this book. You can use one artifact and structure a whole campaign around finding and/or destroying the thing. The rest of the book you can use as generic Bard's tales, provided your party's not so jaded that they interrupt your story to say, "Oh, he's talking about the Eye of Vecna (or is it Venca?)! Let's go find it."

I'm not quite sure why they kept the random powers for most of these artifacts. Is there some rule that says that if you're not rolling dice, you're not playing D&D? Most of these artifacts are centuries old. I would think that they would have powers that were more constant, not different every time someone new found them.

Fun book. Good items. Lots of room for abuse, but I don't feel the need to proselytize game balance right now. That could be because I'm being slowly dominated by the Dice of Mort the Mad PowerGamer.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Used with care, provides the creative DM with great ideas, June 8, 2000

By 

Kent David Kelly "Author & Anthologist" (Denver, CO USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Rulebook: Book of Artifacts (Paperback)

Few books will change your campaign as much as the Book of Artifacts. If your characters have progressed to the degree of mastery that allows them to challenge the great powers of the multi-verse (demon lords, elder dragons, arch-devils, demigods, etc.), why not give them a REAL challenge? This book details the creation of artifacts (this in itself will launch your campaign into the world of legends), curses, creating non-artifact magical items (invaluable!), recharging magic items (finally), artifact powers, and more. The rest of the book gives full, elaborate details on a myriad of wondrous artifacts - their history, sage, powers, destruction, curses, and stories. Featured items include Baba Yaga's Hut, Eye and Hand of Vecna, Johydee's Mask, Mace of St. Cuthbert (beware Iuz!), Orbs of Dragonkind, Rod of Seven Parts, Sword of Kas, and much more. A lavish book that is filled with wonderful ideas - even if you don't want to introduce artifacts to your campaign, the evocative treatments will surely inspire you to create your own exciting new adventures based around the arcane magical items of your world. A classic!

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Your players will hate you for this, March 13, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Rulebook: Book of Artifacts (Paperback)

Simply because bringing in an artifact means that of the party, probably 1 or 2 will remain. They rest will suffer the artifact curse, get assasinated, framed and beheaded, etc etc.

Why any sane fellow would even touch an artifact with a 10 foot pole, i cannot understand. Of course player characters are not sane people so, if the party is getting bored, just drop an artifact into some poor party member's hand, preferably the scepter of the gods (or some thereabouts) and watch the fun. Personally i find the jacinth of inestimatible beauty to be great fun.