Some good ideas with varying levels of success. Would have liked to have seen some more variety myself, but all in all not bad.

Some very good ideas here, and some of these character classes can actually be used as-is. Most books of alternate/prestige classes are badly unbalanced, but if anything these sorcerers are slightly lower than average with very strong abilities in one or two areas. Specialists are slightly harder to GM but have a lot of storytelling potential.

The best of the lot are the Numeromantic Sorcerer, who starts out mostly as a depowered version of the class but rapidly gains some fascinating abilities; the Immanent Heresiarch, a worshipper of human potential who seeks to destroy the gods; and the Follower of the Sixfold Septateuch, a millennarian cultist with powers over mathematical dimensions.

These classes are pretty arcane, and possibly suited more for an "intellectual fantasy" campaign (like Planescape) than rough-and-tumble sword-and-sorcery.

The extras aren't as impressive as the main text. There are two short stories leading the book which aren't bad but whose presence doesn't make much sense. The magic items are another set of Baubles and Urus, additional varieties of the same magic item type in most Unorthodox books. The selection of spells is strange -- many of them are very unimpressive, and one of them amounts to a date-rape spell.

Extras or not, though, the main thrust of the book is its character classes, and those are useful and have great campaign potential.

It seems as though they just threw together some vague ideas about new sorcerer types without proper development. All the classes are flawed. The numeromantic sorcerer contradicts itself. It says that they cannot cast spells with material components, then says only spells with verbal components then says only spells with somantic components. The Occult detective has an ability Retributioin that summons an "arrest force" from the "Lords of Justice" to his aid. This "arrest force" is nowhere defined. The Follower of the Sixfold Septauch has a list of abilities but does not say at what level you gain them and the final ability turns the character into a NPC. The other classes aren't much better. The one prestige class has no caster level increase unless you forfeit the class special abilities, not acceptable for a caster class. The most this product is worth is $1.<br><br> <b>LIKED</b>: The only good things were the short stories and the baubles. The 1st story could have been expanded as a campaign setting. <br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: Just about everything. <br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Poor<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Ripped Off<br>

The Le Games scores another hit with ?Unorthodox Sorcerers,? a collection of variant sorcerer classes for use in your Dungeons & Dragons game. There are two short stories (?Playing God? by Martin Jenner and ?Farm Boy? by Melinda Moore) that are entertaining, but as fun as they are, they are not the reason you will want to pick up this supplement. Rather, there are five variant classes that demand attention.

(As with all their products, The Le Games includes two versions of ?Unorthodox Sorcerers? in this supplement ? one printer-friendly version and one formatted for easy screen viewing. For purposes of this review, I?ll be referencing the printer-friendly version.)

Each of the sorcerer variants is not just a sorcerer with different class abilities. What makes each of them stand out is the accompanying text explaining why they are different. This material isn?t just written for a player?s use; DMs paying attention can find inspiration for interesting NPCs or organizations.

The numeromantic sorcerer is a numerology-based caster, expressing their spells through numbers rather than words. Immanent heresiarchs believe that humans are on the path of transcending themselves and becoming something greater (perhaps even greater than the gods). Followers of the sixfold septateuch are sorcerers that combine their spellcasting with a fanatic religious faith in a demon god.

The two unorthodox sorcerers that stood out, however, are the suppresser (a sorcerer that believes that magical power should only be used by the select few who truly values and deserve it) and the occult detective (a sorcerer that acts more like a magical policeman/woman and crime scene investigator, pursuing crimes perpetuated by magic users). The descriptive text of these classes alone more than makes this supplement worthwhile.

A prestige class called the pyramid mage is introduced, and, as its name suggests, he or she derives most of his or her magical ability through the use or focus of pyramids (even going as far as sleeping with a small pyramid on their head). The flavor here is interesting, but it should be noted that one of the class skills for the pyramid mage is listed as Alchemy, which would be contrary to the current Dungeons & Dragons rules set in which the skill should have been listed as Craft (alchemy).

A handful of spells (including an interesting one called ?map dungeon? which allows the caster to send his or her spirit into a dungeon or underground complex to create a map within the area of effect of the spell), baubles and urus of power, and a thorough glossary providing complete spell lists, select spell descriptions and core sorcerer class information from the SRD.

Clip art is peppered throughout this supplement, and most of it is used effectively. Some pages are devoted to nothing but this clip art, however; there are over ten pages that could have been either devoted to more material or eliminated completely. Also, as I?ve read and used a number of The Le Games? previous products, I?m starting to recognize some of the clipart. (For example, a portrait used in the occult detective section was also used as a cultist in ?Unorthodox Clerics.?)

Overall, however, ?Unorthodox Sorcerers? is a solid supplement and is well worth its cost. As a player, I?m eager to give a few of these classes a try; as a DM, I plan on incorporating them into the game I run.

<br><br><b>LIKED</b>: The creativity and diversity shown here is top notch, and is indicative of most of The Le Games' products. The five classes are unique and playable, and the extra effort made in explaining just what these classes are and how they work, they can be used in your game soon after downloading this product. (And including a piece of excellent gaming music is a definite plus!)<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: Saying I didn't like the short stories is a bit strong, but I don't know if I would have enjoyed the product any less if they were absent. The repeated artwork was a bit distracting as well. However, these factors did not cause me to think this was anything but a 5-Star supplement.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Excellent<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Very Satisfied<br><BR>[THIS REVIEW WAS EDITED]<BR>

If there is one thing I enjoy about these Unorthodox books, is that they take routes on the current classes are completely out of left field. With Unorthodox Sorcerers, they give our favorite natural spellcasters a series of six spellbinding makeovers, each of which providing a diverse and unique take on the sorcerer class.

Sorcerors is a small 99 page book of variant sorcerer classes. The book begins with two five page stories featuring sorcerors, which are possibly the weakest part of the book and should have been regulated towards the back. The stories are nice and intriguing, but add nothing to the reason for the book?s purchase. After the writers? feel they have shown their fictional prowess, the meat of the book is presented to the reader and it is quite meaty.

There are six variant classes. Each class not only introduces a class, but also introduces uses of the class and its backstory. The additional information makes the classes more than just a few new abilities traded out for traditional ones. It gives each class a specific purpose of why it is different and unconventional that your traditional sorcerer. It is also not too lengthy, which makes it easy to insert into a campaign world. There are also new spells and Baubles and Uras, small magical stones with unique powerful abilities. They have been featured in previous books and I believe this may be the best crop yet.

For the Dungeon Master

It adds a bit of flavor to a campaign when you replace one of the campaigns with something more ?campaign world? specific. Each one of these classes can really add a dynamic to your world. The numeromantic sorcerer is a magic user whom uses complex mathematics to cast his spells. This is a brilliant idea as I have recently started playing a caster whom does a similar thing, believing magic is actually just complex mathematics. DMs can easily build a campaign world or portion of one where magic is replaced with hard nosed science. You may also enjoy the magical police occult detectives, the demon worshiping Sixfold Septateuch, the magic hording Supressers and the prestige class, Pyramid mage, which reminds me of an astrology type mage.

There are also some neat spells For the Player

Introducing a new class into some campaigns can be destructive and some of these are obviously harder to integrate without DMs consent than others. Again I think the Numeromantic Sorceror is easy to integrate. I also like the Suppresser and Immanent Heresiarch for players. Both classes have ideologies and abilities that properly match.

More importantly, players will enjoy throwing these new spells into the mix. Spells such as Switch target (which there are three of) can really mess with a DM, allowing players to replace themselves in a bad situation with an NPC or monster. The most useful spell may be map dungeon. I can imagine the look on a DM?s face when you cast map dungeon and they hand you the poorly designed sketch they have.

The Iron Word

Another strong entry of classes by Le Games. I even liked the Baubles and Uras this time around and now understand their concept. The best part, as usual, is the classes which provide a strong enough variety to influence a campaign world. <br><br> <b>LIKED</b>: Variety is always good and all six classes are strong this time around

The spells here are useful

The Urus and Baubles are interesting this time around<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: Two stories was a bit too much for me to start the book with. <br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Excellent<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Satisfied<br>