I've read three Core Specialist Wizard books to date, and of all of them this is the one that I felt was the absolute best. For starters, the book begins with a new skill: Profession (Hypnotist) that not only manages to give mundane characters a chance to experience some of the thrills of the Enchantment school, but also gives a believable and interesting skill that the Enchanter core class can use.

Ordinarily, I hate (and I mean HATE) new skills that are developed exclusively for a single class (and even with the fact that anyone can do this, Enchanters are definitely the ones who would get the most benefit from it), but this one was done very well. This particular skill isn't really necessary for the Enchanter class. Sure, you'll probably benefit from using it, and I'd expect you to want to use it...but it's completely optional, so if you'd rather spend your precious skill points elsewhere you won't be up a river without a paddle (not like the Necromancer's Knowledge (Anatomy) class, which bordered on being necessary.)

The Enchanter as a core class itself also gives some wonderful benefits that you'd expect an Enchanter to be able to do, like hypnotising someone by just locking eyes with them without the need to expend a spell or take up an unnecessary feat slot. The class is built to give you exactly what you'd expect.

The magic items are, similarly, useful in a flavor-texty kind of way. From cupid's arrows, to an entrancing stone that might look better in a craft DM's trap list, this book is almost a one-stop shop for everyone who wanted to avoid psionics but still be a master of the mind. I don't think I've wanted to play a class as much after an initial reading as I do now. Thanks, Misfit Studios!

The Enchanter is the latest of Misfit Studio?s Core Specialist Wizards, which convert the various types of specialist wizards into full 20-level core classes.

The Enchanter begins with the Profession: Hypnotist skill and the uses of mundane hypnosis for various tasks. Ranging from acquiring information to post-hypnotic suggestion, it is more than two pages of interesting options for a hypnotist. It is a shame that a prestige class was not provided to built on the potential this elaborate skill.

While this product promises nine new feats, and nine feats are listed on their table of new feats, two (Charlatan and Strengthen Charm) do not receive descriptions and a third (Forbidden Lore) is common to all of the Core Specialist Wizard products. The remaining feats seem balanced and interesting.

The Enchanter class itself is the usual blend of the wizard with special abilities. By comparison to the specialist wizard, the Enchanter loses two bonus feats (but receives a wider range of feats to choose from) and the ability to case an extra enchantment spell per spell level known, but gains more skills and skill points, greater resistance to charms, and abilities that boost the effectiveness of enchantments. The Enchanter strikes an interesting balance but is perhaps slightly weaker then the specialist wizard while being more colorful. There are two prestige classes, the Alpha Warden, combining druid/ranger with enchanter who specializes is dealing with animals, and the Enticer, a straight forward charm-focused character who does use a little of the hypnotism rules. Both seem balanced and interesting, though it would be an unusual character who followed the Alpha Wardens? path.

The product ends with four new magic items, the traditional ?cupid?s arrow?type effect in the Arrow of Love (which I think is overpriced), a Bewitching Stone that has a lot of interesting uses, the useful Globe of Trances, and the Thrall Collar, which is potentially very powerful.

Another useful product for those who like to play with slightly different wizards.<br><br> <b>LIKED</b>: More options for wizard.<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: I did not like that their were missing feats.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Very Good<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Satisfied<br>

The product starts off with some discussion on mundane hypnosis, through the use of the Profession (hypnotist) skill. It?s a neat idea, but overall, I think that Profession (hypnotist) seems a little overpowered. Imagine a skill that allows you to implant suggestions, create delusions, ferret out information, and even help people regain lost spell slots. Now compare that skill to, say, Profession (sailor). I?m also not entirely sure that I agree with the use of the Profession skill for hypnotism, from a flavor standpoint. In my mind, hypnotism has much more to do with force of personality than force of will; it seems to me that Perform (Charisma-based) would be more appropriate than Profession (Wisdom-based). However, that is just my opinion. The Enchanter then moves on to new feats. For the most part, these feats seem fine, though I noticed that the table of new feats lists a feat, Charlatan, that does not appear in the text. Next is the meat of the book, the Enchanter core class. As I?ve previously stated, I really like the idea of specialist wizards being separate classes, with their own, unique class abilities. However, the core class presented here seems to fall a little flat, while at the same time being of questionable game balance. The only truly unique abilities that the enchanter gets are simple numeric bonuses (to Charisma-based checks and saving throw DCs for mind-affecting spells) that increase with level. In addition, it seems that the author as essentially taken the enchanter specialist wizard from the core rules, and simply added these new abilities onto it, along with some more class skills and Charisma-based spellcasting. This begs the question: if the core rules specialist enchanter is balanced, what does that make this version of the enchanter? Next are two new prestige classes, the alpha warden and the enticer. While they both seem fine as far as balance goes, I can?t help but feel underwhelmed by them. Perhaps I?ve just been desensitized by the dearth of prestige classes available at large, but there wasn?t really anything that made me want to make a character based on either concept. Finally comes perhaps the most interesting part of the book: the magic items. The book presents a few magic items revolving around the enchantment theme, and there?s more flavor in these pages than in the rest of the book. While some (the lover?s arrow, for example) seem somewhat trite and predictable, others (like the bewitching stone) started my brain generating adventure ideas almost immediately. If only the rest of the book could have been this creative. <br><br> <b>LIKED</b>: The magic items were good for the most part, and the prestige classes and feats seemed balanced, if bland.<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: The book could have used a lot of proofreading and playtesting. Many of the rules presented don?t seem balanced in comparison to the core rules, and much of the product is lacking the kind of flavor that I feel should have been present in a product like this.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Acceptable<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Disappointed<br>

The ?The Core Specialist Wizard? series is an interesting concept. It is meant to present specialist wizards as a core, 20 level class. They basically try to ?kick it up a notch? by making the specialists more distinctive than is possible with the core system. In this product, the author focuses on the specialist in the enchantment school of magic. This school includes mind affecting spells of two types; charm (alters how the target perceives the caster) and compulsion spells (forces the target to act in a prescribed manner or alters the target?s mental functions).

I have broken the review up to coincide with each content carrying section of this product.

The ?Specialist and Multi-classing? section simply states the rules for multi-classing any character that uses the proposed variant specialist wizard rules. As I?ve said in reviews of the previous products in this series, this section seems quite well thought out to ensure consistency with a particular campaign, though, as with most things of this nature, the final word will rest to the individual dungeon masters of the world that have a certain ?flavor? they are striving for.

The ?New Skill Uses? section creates a new Profession skill centered on hypnotism. Rather than focusing on earning a living based on this trade, the question of successfully hypnotizing another is addressed with a skill check. Once a hypnotic state is achieved the text presents eight results which the hypnotist can attempt. The results are set out in a chart with typical Difficulty Class for success. These results include some standard effects (such as suggestion) and some less standard ones that vary from instilling a bonus to a skill to recovering a spent spell after casting.

The ?New Feats? section describes 9 new feats in the typical feats format. Also included is a table listing the feat name and the prerequisites. Unfortunately, it does not include a short description of the feat?s purpose as can be found in the analogous ?core? table. With only nine new feats, this missing element is not as critical as if there were a few more feats. Seven of the feats are ?specialist? feats which have class restrictions of various levels. For example, a prerequisite of two levels in enchanter. The chart, which identifies the specialist feats with an asterisk, leaves one specialist feat unmarked despite correctly listing its prerequisites. Generally, the nine feats correspond well with the enchantment school of magic. Two feats appear in other products of this series, one allows the caster to learn spells from a prohibited school of magic. The second feat that is repeated in other products affects the abilities of the caster?s familiar. This feat presents the ability associated with the relevant school of magic in each product. Hence, in this product the ability associated with the enchantment school is presented. One of the other feats alters the mechanic for calculating the Difficulty Class for a mind affecting spell?s saving throw. This is an interesting option to present to players when selecting a feat. The other six feats are also nicely aligned with the theme of this product.

?The Enchanter Core Class? section sets out the variant enchanter class in the traditional class format. As is true for each of the products in this line that I have reviewed, I would have liked to have seen a brief discussion of the ways in which the variant class compares to a core ?specialist?. Obviously, anyone can compare them so I am not asking for a simple list of changes. Rather, a brief explanation of the process by which certain abilities were dropped, why certain abilities were changed, why the new content was adopted in the structure that appears would be quite useful. This would be very useful to everyone that uses this product and, as we know gamers are apt to do, decides that this class can be slightly tweaked to make it perfect. Or need to make an adjustment or two to infuse the class with the flavor they are trying to cultivate in their campaign.

The variant enchanter class presents well. It has a progression spread across all 20 levels and incorporates two special abilities that improve over the 20 levels. One improves three times and the other four times after it first appears in the progression. The special ability that improves three times improves the effectiveness of the enchanter?s spells against a specific type of opponent. The other special ability allows an enchanter to apply a bonus to Charisma based skills and ability rolls. At eight levels the enchanter gains either a bonus spell or a bonus feat. This leaves only two levels of the progression with no special ability. The variant enchanter presented here is a strong addition to this line.

?The Alpha Warden PrC? section sets out this prestige class in the traditional class format. The alpha warden is an enchanter touched with a focus on influencing animals. Central to this prestige class is the special ability that allows the character to control animals. This special ability improves three times during the 10 level progression. One of the special abilities gained upon taking this prestige class is a penalty to social situations and to magical effects when applied beyond ?animals? due to the focus on interacting with nature. The alpha warden also gains five spell caster levels during the progression. In addition, this prestige class gains three bonus feats over the course of the ten level progression. Overall, the alpha warden looks very interesting and, if you have been looking for a ?beastmaster? class, this is an interesting presentation. Those of you looking for a prestige class focused on spell casting need to examine the next offering.

?The Enticer PrC? section sets out this prestige class in the traditional class format. The enticer is an enchanter that focuses on the interesting new mechanics for hypnotism presented in this product. The enticer gains spell caster levels at each level of the 10 level progression. In addition, there are six different special abilities gained over the progression. Three of the special abilities rely on the charm person and command spell descriptions. Three other special abilities improve the character?s hypnotic abilities. This prestige class requires a dungeon master that embraces the hypnotism system established in this product. In the right campaign, this class looks quite powerful and should, with an imaginative player, lead to a variety of entertaining situations.

?The Magic Items? section contains four new magic items. The first magic item is a projectile that results in a charm monster effect if the target fails a Will save, in lieu of any damage. However, the charm results in a more ?meaningful? connection than simply a friendly disposition and results in a romantic attachment. There are many mature campaigns that could have a very good time laughing it up with this item. The second magic item is a small object that has the effect of fascinating affected creatures as by a hypnotic pattern. The third magic item enhances the users rate of recovery during rest by inducing a hypnotic state. The final magic item is a set of items that allows one party to enslave another. The master?s item is the key to the lock that secures the other item on the enslaved individual. The relationship is governed via the dominate monster spell.

Overall, this product is a return to a more complete and developed product. The core class is a strong concept and should satisfy those interested in this popular school of magic. The prestige classes in this product stand up on their own and those dungeon master?s looking for prestige classes in this theme are likely to find their campaigns richer after considering the concepts developed in this product.

To rousing gaming and ample rewards, I. Perez<br><br> <b>LIKED</b>:

1. An interesting exploration of the enchantment school of magic.
2. Developed prestige classes.<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>:
3. Lack of discussion of the underlying rationale for the variant class.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Very Good<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Satisfied<br>

The layout of this book caught my attention immediately. Everything is Valentines day red and it looks very appropriate for the enchanter. This immediately sets the tone of the book as one dedicated to the manipulation, charming, of others. The book is very light on romance however, focusing on the core enchanter abilities.

The core enchanter is rewritten. This new class gains spell DC increases against ?favored races? with its force of will ability. It also brings up the DC of all enchantment spells. The class gains additional spells like a specialist but gets fewer feats than a Wizard, which is balances it out. The change from Intelligence to Charisma for spellcasting is appropriate and synergies with many sorcerer feats and spells the character may wish to take.

Of the two prestige classes, I really like the Alpha Warden, which blurs the line between wizard and druid, giving the character animal companions and spellcasting every other level. The requirements are stiff with 8 ranks required in Handle Animal, a cross class skill for the Enchanter unless you hunt down a skill adding feat. The book has a host of new feats and rules for hypnosis.

I was not sure if the book had anything to do with Valentines day until I ran across the Lovers Arrow in the magic item section. This is about the only direct reference to cupid and it?s enough. It keeps the book from becoming silly while allowing for a little fun. <br><br> <b>LIKED</b>: This is a solid addition to the enchanter. If I wanted to play an enchanter, I would want this product for the additional options it provides.<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: Evoker is not out yet. I?m very much looking forward to evoker. When all the schools are done, I would really like to see a print compellation of the books.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Excellent<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Very Satisfied<br>