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Complete Mage
This D&D supplement is intended for players and Dungeon Masters. In addition to providing the definitive treatise on arcane magic, it expands the character options available to users of arcane magic, including bards, sorcerers, wizards, assassins, warlocks, and wu jen. Herein you’ll find never-before-seen prestige classes, spells and invocations, magic items, alchemical items, heritage feats, and reserve feats (a new type of feat that grants special abilities to those who remain charged with magical power). Alternative class features give other character classes—from the barbarian to the rogue—a little taste of what it’s like to be an arcanist without sacrificing their core identities.
160 pages, Hardcover
First published October 10, 2006
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About the author
Ari Marmell
101 books436 followersWhen Ari Marmell has free time left over between feeding cats and posting on social media, he writes a little bit. His work includes novels, short stories, role-playing games, and video games, all of which he enjoyed in lieu of school work when growing up. He’s the author of the Mick Oberon gangland/urban fantasy series, the Widdershins YA fantasy series, and many others, with publishers such as Del Rey, Titan Books, Pyr Books, Wizards of the Coast, and now Omnium Gatherum.
Ari currently resides in Austin, Texas. He lives in a clutter that has a moderate amount of apartment in it, along with George—his wife—and the aforementioned cats, who probably want something.
Ari currently resides in Austin, Texas. He lives in a clutter that has a moderate amount of apartment in it, along with George—his wife—and the aforementioned cats, who probably want something.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
October 11, 2018
This is the second pass at offering up options for arcane spellcasters, the first being Complete Arcane. From a presentation point of view, this sourcebook has a rather clean layout, with ample illustrations in full colour. The editing is typical, with your usual misspellings and/or missed grammatical errors scattered about.
The first chapter discusses the nature of magic. Specifically, the differences between arcane, divine, and innate (encompassing the warlock).
There's also a treatment being given to the traditional schools of magic as well as personality and prohibited school suggestions.
Next up are arcane archetypes - a very general look at what sort of roles arcane spellcasters can play, touching on recommended spells and feats. It's still mostly fluff up to this point.
Unlike Complete Arcane, which offered up three new core classes, the second chapter here provides magic-related alternative class features for core classes. Most of these are interesting options.
Next up are new feats. Most of these are arcane magic related, obviously. It has your typical general, tactical, and metamagic feats, as well as heritage and a new type of reserve feats. These latter ones are about holding a spell in reserve to give your character additional options or bonuses. At first impression, they give your spellcaster a lot more utility, but that also translates to a lot of potential for breaking the game.
The third chapter offers eleven new prestige classes, with at least one for each school of magic, as you might expect. They're not very interesting though, as they felt more like having to be checked off a checklist as opposed to being truly inspired.
New spells and warlock invocations come in chapter four. There's over a hundred new spells and over a dozen new invocations. They mostly feel like filling in some gaps in the arcane spell lists.
Chapter five are the new magic items aimed mostly at spellcasters. Nothing much to excite me here. There's a subsection on new alchemical items (that are essentially non-magical options of spell effects) and some special spell components.
The last chapter provides some tips or suggestions for arcane adventures, but there's not much meat here other than some adventure hooks. The chapter finishes off with fifteen magical locations that can be used as adventure rewards for arcane spellcaster.
Overall this is a good sourcebook, but arcane spellcasters are already quite powerful and this sourcebook offers up even more powerful options. Watch the power curve when introducing things from this sourcebook.
The first chapter discusses the nature of magic. Specifically, the differences between arcane, divine, and innate (encompassing the warlock).
There's also a treatment being given to the traditional schools of magic as well as personality and prohibited school suggestions.
Next up are arcane archetypes - a very general look at what sort of roles arcane spellcasters can play, touching on recommended spells and feats. It's still mostly fluff up to this point.
Unlike Complete Arcane, which offered up three new core classes, the second chapter here provides magic-related alternative class features for core classes. Most of these are interesting options.
Next up are new feats. Most of these are arcane magic related, obviously. It has your typical general, tactical, and metamagic feats, as well as heritage and a new type of reserve feats. These latter ones are about holding a spell in reserve to give your character additional options or bonuses. At first impression, they give your spellcaster a lot more utility, but that also translates to a lot of potential for breaking the game.
The third chapter offers eleven new prestige classes, with at least one for each school of magic, as you might expect. They're not very interesting though, as they felt more like having to be checked off a checklist as opposed to being truly inspired.
New spells and warlock invocations come in chapter four. There's over a hundred new spells and over a dozen new invocations. They mostly feel like filling in some gaps in the arcane spell lists.
Chapter five are the new magic items aimed mostly at spellcasters. Nothing much to excite me here. There's a subsection on new alchemical items (that are essentially non-magical options of spell effects) and some special spell components.
The last chapter provides some tips or suggestions for arcane adventures, but there's not much meat here other than some adventure hooks. The chapter finishes off with fifteen magical locations that can be used as adventure rewards for arcane spellcaster.
Overall this is a good sourcebook, but arcane spellcasters are already quite powerful and this sourcebook offers up even more powerful options. Watch the power curve when introducing things from this sourcebook.
November 14, 2014
Woot! New Wizards of the Coast material!
This builds on 'Complete Arcane' and goes to new and interesting places with it. New feats (including a new type of feat: the 'Reserve Feat.' For example - if you have the fire reserve feat, as long as you have a prepared spell with the fire descriptor prepared (or available, if you're a spontaneous caster), you can make minor bursts of fire as a supernatural ability. Finally, your arcane characters aren't attempting to hold onto the one spell they have left, and being useless until they get to the final big battle.
This builds on 'Complete Arcane' and goes to new and interesting places with it. New feats (including a new type of feat: the 'Reserve Feat.' For example - if you have the fire reserve feat, as long as you have a prepared spell with the fire descriptor prepared (or available, if you're a spontaneous caster), you can make minor bursts of fire as a supernatural ability. Finally, your arcane characters aren't attempting to hold onto the one spell they have left, and being useless until they get to the final big battle.
August 15, 2019
Basic Premise: Supplement for D&D 3.5 edition, resource for players of magic users.
There are new spells, magic items, prestige classes, tweaks to core classes, and more in here. It's very useful for anyone interested in playing a more intense magic user. There are also some interesting explanaons of the nature of the various types of magic in the game. A handy book.
There are new spells, magic items, prestige classes, tweaks to core classes, and more in here. It's very useful for anyone interested in playing a more intense magic user. There are also some interesting explanaons of the nature of the various types of magic in the game. A handy book.
May 1, 2015
great book of magical classes!
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews