[.ca] Magic Item Compendium (ISBN 0786943459)

Magic Item Compendium:
First off, let me state openly that I love this book. It is not, despite what some people may think, a collection of every single magic item in the game. That would probably measure upwards of thousands of pages, at this point in 3.5's history. Rather, it is an introduction of several key new item types (crystals), the re-imagining/re-pricing of several existing items that were previously scattered about different books and the inclusion of some very neat new rules, such as how to add a flat stat bonus to a specific item (ex. a Helm of Aquabreathing can be made in to a Helm of Aquabreathing & Intellect +2 or a Rogue's Vest could be made in to a Rogue's Vest of Resistance +5). In addition to your classic damage-heavy weapons, funky magical effects and generally neat tricks, there are some real gems for classes that are traditionally neglected for class-specific gear. Bards, for example, get some really nice toys such as the Crystal Echoblade, which adds a sonic damage bonus to your attack based on your Bard level while using Bardic Music (Bard levels equaling damage, how awesome is that?) while Rogues, Scouts and other precision damage-based classes get the ultra-styling Rogue's Vest while Barbarians get access to items that make them even more terrifying when raging. As if Power Attack wasn't bad enough... A major selling point in this book is the inclusion of items priced within the range of low-level characters. Being able to purchase a crystal that fits on to a masterwork sword or longbow that does an additional +1 acid damage is great for second or third level characters who are typically short of damage adding options. Rapid Shot archers rejoice! Also, the previously mentioned crystals are modular. Meaning one can use them in one encounter, and then switch to a more appropriate one should the nature of the encounter change. Example: A Ghost Touch weapon is absolutely critical when combating incorporeal undead, but is an entirely wasted +1 effect when battling orc hordes. A Truedeath crystal lets you have that +1D4 sonic damage, while being able to swap-out additional fire damage for additional damage vs undead & Ghost Touch. The back reference of items by prices makes shopping for your characters of any level much easier based on the appropriate body slot (throat/shoulders/armor/etc). Seeing as how item selection is often one of the biggest time consumers of higher-level character creation, having a plethora of options immediately available to you in a single tome is fantastic. There are more, but it would take a real hefty amount of time to go over how many things I like about this book. All in all, this book has a wonderful array of different magical items for characters of all classes. Between the Dungeon Master's Guide as the core, Spell Compendium for scrolls/wands/potions and the Magic Item Compendium for more unique items, you'll have well equipped champions for many adventures to come. 4/5 is because I'd like a list, even if only as a web-based add-on, of the item strictly by price for when I'm using the book as a DM to generate treasure appropriate to the level. It isn't perfect, but is an extremely fine product. - Corey