Netheril: Empire of Magic (Advanced Dungeons & Dragons / Forgotten Realms) [Hardcover]

Slade (Author), Jim Butler (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover
• Publisher: Wizards of the Coast; Pap/Map edition (November 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786904372
• ISBN-13: 978-0786904372
• Product Dimensions: 11.2 x 9.2 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,059,229 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great box set for 2nd edition fans!, February 24, 2004

By 

"thebootofnero" (Marietta, OH USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Netheril: Empire of Magic (Advanced Dungeons & Dragons / Forgotten Realms) (Hardcover)

Published during the hayday of TSR and Advanced Dungeons and Dragons 2nd edition, this Arcane Age supplement takes us back through time to the days of ancient Netheril, an empire of loosely connected city-stated ruled by god-like archwizards. The setting material is brilliantly written, as is a unique system for taking magic to epic levels. Before there was an Epic Level Handbook, folks, there was Netheril: Empire of Magic.

Two booklets come with the box set, along with assorted maps. The thicker of the two books is a setting book, covering character creation rules and huge gads of setting material. You get a complete timeline of Netheril, from its humble origins as a collection of villages ruled by a priest of Tyche to it's final death at the hands of a supremely arrogant young archwizard. The ten gods of Netheril are also described herein, and a true Forgotten Realms fan will have tons of fun figuring out which deity survives to the modern days, and which do not.

The second booklet, much thinner than the first, details the magic of Netheril. New spells are included, along with an assortment of other magical doodads.

A map is included: One side shows Netheril at its height, green and verdant; the other side shows Netheril as a barely living desert, right before the Folly of Karsus.

All in all, I give this box set five stars. It's well worth the time for any dedicated 2nd edition D&D player to pick up.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A paradise for wizards!, February 8, 2002

By 

Nick Dyson (UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Netheril: Empire of Magic (Advanced Dungeons & Dragons / Forgotten Realms) (Hardcover)

This box set is a masterpiece, lighting up the histroy of Toril for all to explore. The realm of Nethril is a magical paradise in particular the spellcasting charicter classes, but excels for those who enjoy playing wizards. It at last gives DM's an open campaign expansion with scope, not basing the entire area around a singular advennture, and giving the DM several Thousand years of development to play with. I recommend this supplement in particular for high level players, allowing characters to become truly powerful and legendary figures, shaping the future of Toril (Who knows, your character could have been the inventor of the stoneskin spell, eh?)
But don't despair, it's also fun for low levels, and is a great way to show magic in a new light, and design stories which span the centuries in a truly epic way.
A must for those who want to explore the age of magic!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent source materials for creative DMs, July 9, 1999

By 

Gregg Galante - See all my reviews

This review is from: Netheril: Empire of Magic (Advanced Dungeons & Dragons / Forgotten Realms) (Hardcover)

This boxed set (easily coupled with the Cormanthyr expansion) is an excellent starting point for a creative DM who wants to unfold the history of the Realms with the PCs involved.

The boxed set includes the history of Netheril, magical items and spells of the era, and two high-quality maps. The materials offer excellent adventure hooks, great detail of the era, and modern-day issues (racism, slavery, et cetera).

If you're an imaginative DM, and want to shed some light on the mysteries of the Realms' past, definitely pick this boxed set up. It's worth it.