Wizards & Spells

Dungeons & Dragons Young Adventurers Guide

by Jim Zub, Stacy King, Andrew Wheeler

An immersive illustrated primer to the enchanted beings, magic users, and spells of Dungeons & Dragons, the leading fantasy role-playing game.This illustrated guide transports new players to the magical world of Dungeons & Dragons and presents a one-of-a-kind course on the wizards, sorcerers, and other magic-makers for which the game is known. Featuring easy-to-follow and entertaining explanations of how spells are created and used in the game, along with original illustrations of the game's essential magical characters, this book shines a spotlight on the mystical side of D&D.The perfect jumping-on point for young fans of fantasy looking to give D&D a try, Wizards and Spells also features prompts to encourage creative problem-solving skills in the dangerous situations that may be encountered in a Dungeons & Dragons adventure.

Genres: Fantasy, Dungeons and Dragons, Role Playing Games, Gaming, Fiction, Games, Magic

110 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 10, 2020

About the author

Jim Zub is a writer, artist and art instructor based in Toronto, Canada. Over the past fifteen years he’s worked for a diverse array of publishing, movie and video game clients including Disney, Warner Bros., Capcom, Hasbro, Bandai-Namco and Mattel.

He juggles his time between being a freelance comic writer and Program Coordinator for Seneca College‘s award-winning Animation program.

Reviews

[Diz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This volume of the Young Adventurer's Guide series covers the magic casting classes of 5th Edition D&D. It provides a nice overview of each class without giving too much information, and examples of characters of each class are given to help kids get their imagination started. I liked that the book gives tips for how to use certain spells (web + fire = memorable results). The only thing is that I liked the art in Warriors & Weapons better than the art in this book. The art is not bad, but Warriors & Weapons set a really high bar.

[Jeremy Blum · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great Young Adventurer's Guide! This one tackles the spell-slinging classes of D&D whereas Warriors & Weapons dealt with the martial ones, which I've traditionally been a bit more partial to. But for everyone who wants to introduce their kids to the magic of Dungeons & Dragons or wants a refresher themselves, this is a very fun read packed with gorgeous art. I especially love the pictures depicting spells like Barkskin, Treestride and Shocking Grasp, which shows a goblin really getting fried. Fires up the imagination, these books.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very usfull dnd book

[Ross · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another in the YA series familiarizing kids with DnD. This one dealt with all things magic user. Quick, clean, and informative. Sets kids on the way to tell their own stories and start their own adventure

[Ricki · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good guide if you are interested in Dungeons & Dragons, or most any RPG.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is a good idea to go back to the basics for inspiration. I came up with some new ways to look at magic and spells with this.

[Rick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Light on rules and heavy on ambience, this is a fun, light-hearted guide book for new players and young readers of Dungeons & Dragons. This book focuses on helping readers understand the differences in how magic is done and what needs to focus on to do correctly in the context of the game. It breaks down the different classes (or occupations) that a player can choose from to be a spell-caster. The book also provides a rules-light guide to some common spells and famous spell-casters and includes a primer on the types of magical items and artifacts that players will likely encounter.

[Laura Atkinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great introduction to all things magical in dungeons and dragons! It mentions types of magic- user classes , famous magic- users, spells and magical items.
They have beautiful illustrations each page which really help you understand and imagine everything. I especially love reading about all the magic items and spells.

[Jason Pym · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another in the series of the children's guides to D&D, and they really are a lot of fun. They do the thing that role-playing games should do, which is to give you a lot of toys and ideas to play with, that you can mix and match in exciting ways, rather than being talked at for a hundred pages about ancient irrelevant history.

I left D&D during the Red Box era, and only played AD&D a couple times, so there were a few things to catch up on. Clerics and wizards are the same, but they've added a couple new 'magic-users'* that are really great.

Sorcerers' magic powers are something they are born with, whereas wizards have to learn their craft. The example given is draconic bloodlines, though I guess there are other sources. Somewhere in your past you have a connection with dragons and dragon magic, and has your power increases so do your draconic traits - scales and wings. And your magic is shaped by the type of dragon you have a relationship with (an evil white dragon would give you ice powers, for example).

Warlocks get their powers from making a pact with a demon, devil or other powerful being. Not sure how these different classes have different flavours of magic, but the warlock gets a 'pact of the blade', conjuring a melee weapon out of thin air, so... Lightsabre!

The spells are a little boring, 'cure wounds', 'speak with animals'. Invisibility and mirror image are second level spells, which seems way over-powered (in the sense that it would take some of the tension out of the story, too easy to overcome problems). None of the spells really fire the imagination though, just extra armour or extra attack. The same with the magic items. But that's what D&D is, so hard to complain.

* In the Red Box they'd call wizards 'magic-users', I always hated that term as it really takes you out of the game, it's so clinical... It sounds like environmental services technician or financial consultant. Why not call them something more in the spirit of the game, like the Arcane, or the Eldritch, or practitioners of thaumaturgical arts, or anything else really.

[Grace Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Where was this when I was a kid???

Thank you so much for making this book, Jim Zub & Wizards of the Coast!
Already recommending this (and the rest of the books in its collection) it to all of the D&D-loving kids I talk to every day at the library.

[Chad · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another solid entry in the young adventurers series. It's hard to put my finger on why it isn't quite a 5 star, but it is still a fun, quick, and enjoyable read overall. These books are simply fun to read and have good artwork. (2nd readthrough)

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

DPL

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked it. It’s good for someone that feels overwhelmed by the Players Handbook and Monster Manuel’s etc and want something that’s straight forward and simple.

[Bookwalker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another informative entry from the “Young Adventurers” series. This one is all about magic. Although it doesn’t include everything, it is helpful in highlighting the basics

[Nuria Sanz Garcia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading this will definitely give me an edge with my current wild magic sorcerer in BG

[CC · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very informational in an easy way :)

[TheTwelveBlades · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Wizards & Spells" offers a simple, fun, and engaging introduction to the vast and magical world of Dungeons & Dragons. As part of a series designed to explain different aspects of this iconic fantasy realm, this book focuses on the magic-wielding classes. Each class is presented with a well-known character from the D&D universe, complete with a brief backstory and personality traits, making it easy for newcomers to understand the roles these characters play.

The book does an excellent job of breaking down the essentials—armor, weapons, skills—before diving into a straightforward explanation of various magic spells and items. It even wraps up with a guide on how readers can incorporate this knowledge into their own D&D campaigns or fantasy stories. The art is exceptional, filled with vivid images, charts, and characters that bring the explanations to life, making the book as visually appealing as it is informative.

While this guide is specifically tailored to the Dungeons & Dragons universe, its content is applicable to most fantasy worlds that feature dragons, magic, and enchanted items, making it a valuable resource for any RPG enthusiast. It's a quick, fun read that perfectly accomplishes its goal: to inspire the imagination and provide a solid understanding of the magic within fantasy realms. Highly recommended for anyone looking to spark their creativity, especially those new to the world of D&D.

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some excellent useful ideas for how to use some common spells, which gives not only players but DMs ideas.

[Bernd · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good starting point for DnD newcomer!