Sovereign Stone Codex Mysterium

Come to think of it this might very well be one of the greatest D & D source books as well. I'm absolutely in love with the system of magic (I was quite enthralled with it when I saw it in the new revised edition of the Sovereign Stone campaign setting). Does the magic do the novels justice? Yes, and then some!!! Mageware shops, spell books, all those wonderful things are covered in this book and then some! Quite a resourceful book even if you do plan on "free playing" the campaign without the official campaign book. Unfortunately in D & D we so often see poorly released source material that barely demands the high prices charged for them: this book is different, truly good stuff.

The Codex Mysterium provides a good system for replacing the basic D20 system. I've never liked AD & D's memorizing spells, and have often come up with home-grown systems or use other third party systems. The problem is, memorized spells just don't match the way most fiction portrays magic. You never get to the point where you can just do simple spells with a thought, like you can with the GURPS system.The Codex's system provides the ability to get to that point, and does it without sacrificing game balance. It balances the ability to cast unlimited spells per day with the chance of failure and a potential cost in hit points for overdoing it.

The Codex Mysterium gives you an alternative magic system to drop into any D20 or D & D campaign. If you don't like the standard D & D magic system, take a look. It also includes rules for creating your own spells. (NB: Actual RULES for creating spells, not just guidelines and suggestions.)One complaint: They duplicated almost everything from the base Sovereign Stone book that you need to use this magic system in your own campaign except for one thing: The basic spells that are in the base book. There's plenty of new spells in the Codex, but you'll probably want the one's from the base book too.