Customer Reviews

Tome and Blood: A Guidebook to Wizards and Sorcerers (Dungeons & Dragons d20 3.0 Fantasy Roleplaying)

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Tome and Blood, while a better product than Sword and Fist, is still hampered by a formulaic approach to rules supplements and a regrettable amount of filler. This volume contains new feats, new spells, new equipment, new prestige classes, new magic items, rules clarifications (and explanations!), detailed information on familiars, and a map and description of an arcane-themed structure.

It would be almost unthinkable for a rule supplement to be printed without a smattering of new feats, new items, and new prestige classes. While some of this book's offerings seem the result of an all-night brainstorming session  most new items and feats will find their way into campaigns based on their genuine usefulness. Sticklers for a fantasy feel will find easy pickings in several of the items (like the scroll-organizer) that seem reverse-engineered based on rules-rather than a tangible fantasy world need.

Feats. Perhaps no pairing of classes could benefit more from a set of expansion-oriented feats than the Arcane spell-casting duo of Wizard and Sorcerer. Metamagic feats open up endless possibilities of modifying a given spells attribute. Twinning spells (casting a spell and getting its effect twice) or chaining spells (having a spell strike a target, then arc to strike another target at a lesser effect) are just two of the new metamagic feats. Devious spell casters will surely come up with ways to use them to wreak havoc on targets expecting the same-ol same-ol. The concept of Metamagic is marvelous as it makes magic exponentially more diverse. In practice its use is a bit hamstrung by its sheer cost. (A metamagic feat AND a jump in the spells level). Few would quibble that casting a Twinned Fireball (and thereby getting two fireballs with one spell) is a substantial increase in *ahem* firepower, but not a lot would be eager to take the feat in order to cast the spell as if it were level 7. Other metamagic feats allow casters to substitute new types of damage for existing ones (like a fireball that does acid damage instead of fire damage - acidball for monsters that are immune to fire), and while these are intriguing  they are still quite expensive. All in all I very much like the new metamagic feats  I dont expect to seem them used much in my campaigns, mores the pity.

The new spells offer some excellent food for thought, and spells like corpse candle (revealing hidden and invisible creatures) will quickly be welcomed into PCs spell books everywhere. A host of spells for repairing constructs have been created, along with some nice ideas in numerous schools.

Prestige Classes. While the idea of prestige classes is marvelous, WotC's approach to listing new ones leaves a lot to be desired. The new prestige classes in T&B are for the most part, tightly focused on some bizarre main theme (like the Acolyte of the skin, a spell caster whose focus is to become an extra-dimensional being, or by far the weirdest, the Blood Magus  a caster whose focus is learning the magic inherent in the blood of living things). To each their own, but these classes are truly bizarre. Most players will be looking for new abilities and new paths of development, and not for a class that re-defines their characters philosophy and worldview. The True Necromancer is a standout, a long-overdue specialist that DMs have been waiting for, as well as the Bladesinger (a powergamers favorite-but still a great concept). The new feats and spells give a DM or Player the building blocks of truly great prestige classes of their own  so there are good things in this portion.

The rules clarifications are what make the book a must buy for a gaming group. The revised version of Polymorph Self, detailed familiar rules and the expanded listing of magic item creation costs are more than worth the price of admission. Absent some house rules or the rules in this book, these are grey areas that will haunt your game (Magic item creation in particular. Its necessarily fluid  but as a result it is very easy to get confused). Familiars deservedly get some serious attention in these rules. The improved familiar feat (while expensive) provides PCs with a meatier option for every casters best buddy. Additionally, its always been a mystery what the familiar is capable of, or what their mental capabilities are- and this book gives the spell caster some easy to follow guidelines. (Homonculi are back, whoo-hoo!).

The new magic items are less impressive than the rules for creating them, but they introduce a startling new item: the Metamagic Rod. A Metamagic Rod is keyed to a particular metamagic ability and allows the wielder to use one of their spells with that feat a number of times a day (sans the increase in spell level!). Previously expensive abilities like the additional firepower of Repeat Spell are now (for all extents and purposes) FREE! These rods are expensive and have limited uses, but beware the caster who possesses one  they can rock your world.

Lastly, the obvious filler of the building and its description are provided for flavor, but lets face it: most people didnt buy this book for a floorplan of some building  they want magic, and lots of it. The descriptions of magical organizations, while helpful in a general sense also smacks of padding. A two-page description of qualities to include in magical groups, plus two examples would have been more than adequate for such a subject.

It would be unfair to criticize this book for what I think it should have been, an expansive tome on the seemingly limitless fields of spells, metamagic and higher mysteries of the art, but even working within WotCs framework of supplements I think I am justified in feeling let down. The prestige classes are bizarre, the organizations are uninspired, the building is (to my mind) a waste of paper, and as a result space is taken away from really good material like metamagic feats and spells. The good material is quite good, and I would certainly recommend that a group include at least one copy of this in its collective library  but the best points of this tome arent fully explored.

After the phenomenal debut of their core rulebooks, i have not been particularly satisfied with the supplemental paperbacks. In particular, the class enhancements like Sword and Fist and Defenders of the Faith. They're not BAD, per se, and Tome and Blood has its useful information, but compared to what it could have been, and what you're getting for twenty bucks, its just about not worth it. First, the pluses: New skills, new Feats (some of which are overpowering, so DM's' beware) and the best thing is the new Prestige classes, including the interesting Guildmage and the Pale Master. The Prestige classes are well thought out and interesting, and many players will be hopping to try them out. Now, the minuses, which in my opinion outweigh the pluses- The presentation of the book lacks appeal. The artwork is sparse, not all of it good, with few embellishments along the way to jump out and grab the reader. I have to admit, i miss the old brown Complete Handbooks of 2nd edition with their full color inserts. Not only where they longer, but there were cheaper too! There is roughly eight pages of this skinny 96 page book that describes the domicle of a wizard, replete with room descriptions and details. In my opinion, when space for text is so limited as is, this could have gone toward somethign much more useful. The spells are TERRIBLE! How many ice/fire/acid orbs can a person need? I was looking forward to dozens of rehashed spells from the Wizard's Handbook series updated to 3rd edition. Sorry, that's just not really done here. There are a few good spells, but you are better off grabbing the second edition ones and updating them yourself, or wait for yet ANOTHER supplement to come along that has some decent spells. Roleplaying tips are sparse, other than what is included in the prestige classes. EVen these could have been fleshed out some more. To me, the whole project just seemed rushed, slapped together with a minimum of expense and then shipped out at the usual high price. If i could have just gotten some better details out of it i woudl have been happy, but for this DM, they were just too far and few between to give it a higher rating.

I have never, ever played a mage. As part of my policy of letting the people who make a habit of playing a mage worry about magic, I ignored this book for several months. However, lately, I've decided that I might have to turn my hand towards magery.

So, what do we have in this, the splatbook for wizards and sorcerers? Well, there is the obligatory mass of prestige classes, as well as new spells, metamagic feats, playing tips, and rules clarifications.

What's good? I especially appreciated the discussion on item creation, which gives more detail on how it works and what happens, and better information on costs. The metamagic feats are interesting, and some are downright mean; my DM sprang a sorcerer with a fire admixed cone of cold on us one time, doubling the damage output of the spell (but making it into a much higher level spell). I especially liked the Mage of the Arcane Order, Arcane Trickster, Wayfarer Guide, and Bladesinger prestige classes. The spells are also pretty neat, and the tips section is nice and thorough.

What's bad? Aside from the four prestige classes I mentioned above, I barely have a use for any others. They seem to be mostly meant for NPCs. And of those four prestige classes, the bladesinger had to be heavily errataed on wizards.com, due to most of its abilities being left out. If there were less...eccentric prestige classes, I'd be a lot happier.

A note about role-playing stuff: At heart, D&D has ALWAYS been a generic game. Without a setting attached, you can really only do so much to create a background for a class, which is why I believe that WotC isn't pushing the roleplaying component in source material like this. Sure, the default setting is Greyhawk, but the vast majority of people who I know play in any other setting that's been published, or made up their own.

All in all, this is a pretty good supplement. WotC is definitely improving their line of splatbooks as they go along. I can't wait for Song & Silence to come out.

Everyone knows the archetype- The bearded wizard, dressed in flowing robes and carrying a staff, possibly with a pointy hat on his head. That's part of the problem- the previous versions of the Dungeons and Dragons game did little to help players deviate from that archetype. Not to say that many clever players didn't find a way- but that creativity was always an uphill battle. Variation rarely went farther than the occasional wild mage from the 2nd Ed. Tome of Magic, or the 1st ed. Oriental Adventures' Wu Jen.

With the 3rd edition, there is more variety in wizardry. Sorcerers alone add a new dimension. This book keeps it going with more metamagic feats, several very interesting Prestige Classes, and a few helpful spells. From sorcerers slowly transforming to display aspects of their draconic heritage to wizards gaining power through grafts of fiend-flesh, there are odd, interesting varieties available. There is even a Prestige Class for the robed grey-beard with the staff and pointy hat, if you want it.

For those that want to stay close to the norm, there is very good advice on School Specialization, The Care and Upkeep of Familiars, and other developmental aspects for character building through low, middle, and higher levels.

On the negative, there is some overlap with a few spells, feats and such also found in the Forgotten Realms book, but that's about all I could find wrong with it.

Aslo, it seems that with this release Wizards is getting a better handle on game balance. I think thast the features in this book are much less unbalancing than some of the items in the earlier Sword and Fist.

I must say that I find this book to be VERY useful. I'll review the cons first, then the pros.
--There are wildly varying detail levels on what could have been very cool. For example, The Hallow (a sample mages' domain) is given huge detail. (In my opinion this is unnecessary, but that's a personal preference). The arcane order is given huge detail and has a reflecting prestige class. However, the beastchasers, wayfarers, and broken wands are given very little detail (which could have been VERY intriguing).
--The spells themselves and even some feats reduce things to statistics. No longer is there the exotic, unique flair of a fireball. Now, with energy substitution and "acid ball", there is much less uniquness. I sound old-fashioned, but some things should be a bit unique. This does have its plus sides though.

HAving said all that, this book is EXCELLENT. There are many pluses
--the new feats are for the most part unique and interesting. Some are redundant, but most do fill much-needed niches (for example, augmented summoning and greater spell focus).
--the magic items are fairly well thought out... there's also an EXCELLENT explanation of item-creating.
--The new spells vary... some are cool, some formulaic (Gee, there's a level 1 fire spell, let's add a level 1 ice spell).
--The best part, by far, is the section on Prestige classes. They really allow characters to be customized. No longer is every wizard the same. Beyond abilities, they allow characters to have whole new goals, outlooks, even cultures.
--Some prestige classes are better than others (the blood magus is overpowered while the candle caster is underpowered, IMHO). However, I'll say one thing about the D&D prestige classes. Even if an individual class doesn't impress you, it will make you think. "They are not so much to be thought of as to inspire thought." Many DM's may say "this class is okay, but I can come up with a better one"--and then do so. This is a talent on WOTC's part, not a flaw.

In conclusion, this is an excelent book that any D&D player should consider buying (perhaps waiting until it's on sale).

This book has some good new arcane spells, especially some low to mid level combat spells which add a great deal of potential power to your wizards. There are some interesting new familiars and several magic items, a few of which are useful, and several prestige classes. There is a much needed fighter / wizard prestige class which (eventualy) has the ability to wear armor while casting spells.
A few of the other prestige classes are either useful or at least intersting (like the "Alienist" class, a thinly veiled Lovecraft cultist type done up in an amusing manner, and the candle making class which uses candles like potions or scrolls). Some of the other prestige classes are downright silly and / or unusable unless you are running a very cartoonish campaign.

Like most of the books in this series, this one has a lot of filler, including a fairly useless section on wizardly orders and an almost completly superfluous chapter all about a certain particular wizardly hideout.

Overall though far from perfect, this is a suppliment which even the most demanding D20 player or GM should get some use out of. The new spells alone are worth the price.

Tome & Blood is by far the best of the three class books that WotC has published. I believe that this book adds some excellent rules/depth to playing wizards or sorcerers in the 3e D&D world. There are 15 new prestige classes, and nearly all of them seem playable. Also, players of evil spellcasters will also actually have some prestige classes this time. The True Necromancer is a wicked class.

In addition to the new classes, there are new feats, metamagic feats, expanded rules for item creation, new spells, descriptions of wizardly organizations (although brief in some cases), and a few new magic items.

The most amazing new rule covers magic sneak attacks. Now a rogue/wizard can do sneak attack damage with ray spells. Ray of frost is amazing as a 1d3 +5d6 sneak. Wow!

Excellent Sourcebook!

Well, I'm not sure how someone can call the Acolyte of the Skin unimaginative, the Guild Mage nonversatile, or feats like Energy Substitution and Energy Admixture and Sanctum Spell nonoriginal. Did you read the same book? Do you play a spellcaster? If so, you, like me, will goob over these powers and abilities. True, one prestige class deals with dragons, another with demons, and two with undead, but c'mon, there are at least 12 prestige classes in here, including the Spellsword, the Bladesinger, and the Arcane Trickster. If you're looking for prosaic, try the Candle Caster.

Anyhow, this book was perfect for me, and I wholeheartedly reccommend it, even though I couldn't do the same with all the previous builder books.

For once, since the first few "example" prestige classes in the DMG, Tome and Blood brings some great, unique, well thought-out prestige classes to the D&D world. The rest of the book is just fine - the new feats are useful and there are some that really stand to enhance the flavor of a character (such as the improved familiar and the energy substitution feat), the new spells are great and fill some holes that have been missing in D&D players spellbooks since the first edition of the game. However, the prestige classes themselves make this book my favorite of the class-geared rules series so far.

With the Wizards practice of keeping the core book prices low, and jacking up the optional books, I realized they titled it wrong. If you own the Forgotten Realms sourcebook, most of the information in TB is duplicate. There are a few interesting pieces, like half-dragon sorcerers becoming full dragons as part of a prestige class. But really, how often are you going to run across one? I sold my book within days of getting it to a fellow DM who collects the books.

Archmages, circle magic, runecasting, all are mentioned in this book again. They probably just removed the Faerun references, and copied the section. I was extremely disappointed. It's made me leery enough that I now peruse any book I might purchase at a local bookstore before shelling out the cash.

As unhappy as I am with this book, you may wonder why I gave it two stars. The book does have considerable value for those people who do not already own the Forgotten Realms Sourcebook. My guess is that with the popularity of FR, and since that book came out first, there are comparatively few people who will fail to purchase the FR book, at which point this one becomes redundant.