The Complete Sha'ir's Handbook, 2nd Edition (Advanced Dungeons and Dragons / Al-Quadim Campaign Reference) [Paperback]

Steve Kurtz (Author), Sam Witt (Illustrator)

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Wizards of the Coast; 1st edition (March 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1560768282
• ISBN-13: 978-1560768289
• Product Dimensions: 10.6 x 8.2 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #753,079 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good for players, better for DMs, January 17, 2000

By 

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

This review is from: The Complete Sha'ir's Handbook, 2nd Edition (Advanced Dungeons and Dragons / Al-Quadim Campaign Reference) (Paperback)

This book should more appropriately be called "The Complete Al Qadim Wizards Handbook," because a large portion of the book is devoted to new kits for wizard characters. These kits work best as NPCs, because most of them don't use normal spellcasting rules, but new variations which take days, months, or even years of setup. Examples include the Mechanician, who places his spells inside clockwork automatons, or the Spellweaver, who weaves them into tapestries. They are interesting ideas, and DMs will probably want to use them in their game as soon as they can write them up. But it's hard to imagine a player getting excited about them.

Sha'irs are not forgotten, though. There's a large section of the book about details of the sha'ir's gen, and a list of rituals the Sha'ir can undergo to make his gen more powerful. This list is not all-inclusive-- it encourages the player and DM to make up their own ritual if they wish to improve the Gen in a way not listed in the book.

At the end of the book is a list of new spells for Al Qadim mages. There's more here than is contained in the usual AD&D supplement- quite a few spells for every level. New spells are usually interesting, this being no exception.

All in all, a good book.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful introduction to elementalist magic for Al-Qadim, June 8, 2000

By 

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

This review is from: The Complete Sha'ir's Handbook, 2nd Edition (Advanced Dungeons and Dragons / Al-Quadim Campaign Reference) (Paperback)

If you're a fan of the lavish Arabian world of Al-Qadim, you need this book! Here, we learn the wondrous mystical secrets of that beautiful realm's most exotic and fascinating characters - the Sha'ir themselves. Lore in this book includes: details on the Elemental Sorcerers of Flame, Sand, Water, and Wind, apprentices, rules for sorcerous duels (at last!), The Unseen, powers and enchantments of the Sha'ir (including, best of all, details on the dangerous Djinn), Sha'ir kits (the Ghul Lord is my favorite!), sorcerous socities, new spells and proficiencies (very dramatic), lavish illustrations, and more. Add the mysteries of the desert to your campaign - those arch-mages will suddenly seem boring by comparison!

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Wizard Kits, May 26, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Complete Sha'ir's Handbook, 2nd Edition (Advanced Dungeons and Dragons / Al-Quadim Campaign Reference) (Paperback)

In a game world where you have to have a kit, this hand book is a gold mine. It has creative wizard kits that can be used in any game world, as well as a full explnation of the Sha'ir and their relationship with various Gen.