Philip Reed seems to be a name people just are not as familiar with as they should. He?s a writer of amazing creativity and his 101 line of books (101 Divine Components, 101 Mundane Treasures, etc) is a great showcase of his creativity. I have read through many of his pdfs and they never cease surprising me with a wow factor and trying to figure a way of using them in my game.

<br><br> <b>LIKED</b>: creative<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: some of the objects can have balance issues<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Acceptable<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Satisfied<br>

Using these things let my games turn into a search for the right (or wrong) ingredient and turning on new depth to the game.

If you do not buy the entire 101 series, you are insane. These have plenty of items/ideas to drop in your game. So far I have never been disappointed with a product from Ronin Arts.

The wizard?s name was Kadaicha. His robe was tattered, a plain color turned dark from age and dirt. Kadaicha kept it pulled tightly around his body with his good right hand in such a way that he almost concealed the limp, melted mass of flesh that terminated the stump of his left forearm. He hobbled when he walked, listing to his injured side. When light managed to penetrate the deep gloom that shadowed his hooded face, one could catch a glimpse of distorted features and milk-white scars.

The apprentice wizards whispered that Kadaicha had slain his finest student in a magical duel decades before. They said that the old wizard had been struck by the hideous twisting of a corrosive acid spell. ?That couldn?t stop him,? went the story. ?He channeled his anger, his pain, the power of the mage acid and turned it against his student. Kadaicha burned her down where she stood.?

No one wanted to ask Kadaicha if the story was true.

The title of Philip Reed?s 101 ARCANE SPELL COMPONENTS is a trifle misleading. For one, there are 117 spell components listed, and for another, the word ?component? is sometimes stretched to encompass some new and different magical elements. This 27-page PDF supplement for d20 is more than a simple list of compounds; it?s a doorway to unexpected realms of magic and deep story possibilities.

Kadaicha, the horribly scarred wizard depicted at the start of the review, was inspired by just one of Reed?s unusual magical elements. The type of magical effect with which they are associated, such as Cold, Light, Evil or Acid, arranges 101 ARCANE SPELL COMPONENTS? contents. Some components are highly exotic materials like Doppelganger?s Eye, and others are circumstantial, like Barbarian?s Grave, which allows a wizard to tap into the warrior spirit of a dead barbarian to gain power for a Force spell. Obviously Kadaicha Suffered Acid Damage and got to turn back on his attacker half of the damage he endured.

Like all of Reed?s 101 series of books, 101 ARCANE SPELL COMPONENTS is extremely well organized. Components are broken down first by type, and are succinctly described before their effects and the arcane knowledge needed to employ them are relayed. Mundanities like value and weight are also there, though Reed stresses that the supplement ought not to be considered a shopping list. This is good advice, because obtaining many of these components (Piece of a Fallen Star) could make for an adventure unto themselves.

Despite the fact that 101 ARCANE SPELL COMPONENTS has a much narrower focus than Reed?s 101 MUNDANE TREASURES and ANOTHER 101 MUNDANE TREASURES, the product is still worth a look. It?s clear that Reed hasn?t forgotten that magic should be strange and mysterious, and that much of that comes from the odd tools wizards use to channel their power. If that?s managed to slip your or your players? minds, this supplement will remind you.

very interesting book on additional spell components to enhance different types of spells. it is very creative, the illustrations are great (but i usually only look at the print version). Great supplement to spice up an arcane game, to specialize characters, or just kick your PC's butts from time to time.

Great idea. I have up to now huose ruled on a few things but it was nice to have some rules, which I liked to add a bit of structure to what I was doing. the idea that acid from the swamp monster once colledted augmented the Melf's acid arrow spell has been used to great effect by my players. Even to the point of them going into the swamp with the single reason to get the stuff and sell teh excess to the local alchemist but keep a lot for them selves.

All the ideas have been interesting and I have enjoyed this product a lot!

This is truly an incredible bargain for the cost. The author states that the book "was written with the idea of making some of those spells wondrous again,if only for a short time."

While this may seem like a bold statement, the spell components contained within are definitely a refreshing addition to the fairly mundane spell component system found in the cire rules.

I would recommend this supplement to any gamer of fantasy roleplaying systems.

The spellcasters in my campaign are always looking for different ways to augment their characters and give their spells a bit of flair. 101 Arcane Spell Components was exactly what we were all looking for. Great format and easy to work into any campaign. A well thought-out product!

Definately an interesting idea. I like most of the components presented, though I think that any DM introducing these concepts will have to take a look at each item for balance within their own campaign. Personally, I found some that were too easy to come by for the effect that they granted (eg. Damaged by Chaotic Character or Creature), while there were some that seemed an awful lot of effort for the result provided (eg Nightmare's Hooves). Overall, though, I rather liked it.

Well, I do like this one. Its good and well-written, despite a few typos and omissions. It didn't grab me quite as much as 'Treasures' did, I confess, but its solid, well-done work. I, for one,am still looking forward to 'Codex Mechanus'..and perhaps technomagic supplements based on it? Keep up the good work, Philip.

A good list of imaginative additional spell effects. While there are no new spells, the additions will definately surprise your players when your Villians start using them. Then let the players research a bit and they can use them too perhaps, maintaining balance.

These are useful ideas and I look forward to future products like this (I also own the other "101" books and recomend them as well to add good variety to your treasures "on the fly").

A very useful product for adding surprises for your players, and we all like that kind of thinghs, right?

Dan

This is another very good publication that greatly enhances th colour and flavour of role-play games. I have always used a regent or suppliment idea in my D&D games, with no real mechanic behind it (ie made up as i went along) but htisbook supplied loads of great ideas and colourful uses of common and exotic items to augment spellcasters!!