Arcana Unearthed: Grimoire

Game: Arcana Unearthed: Grimoire
Publisher: Malhavoc Press
Series: Arcana Unearthed: d20
Reviewer: Wyrdmaster
Review Dated: 25th, August 2003
Reviewer’s Rating: 9/10   [ Something special ]
Total Score: 10
Average Score: 5.00

The Arcana Unearthed: Grimoire is very good. The PDF is the last of three sizable chunks from Arcana Unearthed. It isn’t a supplement; it’s the magic rules and spells from the hardback.

You don’t need any other of the Arcana Unearthed products to use this one but there are references to classes and ideas from it. You don’t have to have the other Arcana Unearthed products; you’ll just want them.

You can use this PDF on its own. If you want to replace your d20 spell system with something familiar but yet different then this is the way to go. In the introduction, we’re told that these rules are for those people who’re tired of the ‘prepare-and-cast’ mantra of typical D&D spellcasting. Oh! That’s me! I’m not simply sick of it – I never liked it in the first place. I don’t need an Ars Magica system but I do crave some flexibility, I do crave imaginative spellcasting and results the whole gaming group can be proud of.

This is what the Grimoire offers.

And yet, the Grimoire remains quintessentially d20.

We keep spell slots and we keep spell lists. With these two stalwarts in place, it might seem that the traditionalists will be pleased but it will be impossible to escape the ‘prepare-and-cast’ trap.

Spellcasters can juggle spell slots around. Three lower-level spell slots can be combined into one higher-level slot. Three second-level slots can be merged into one third level slot. This can keep on going.

This new third level slot can be woven into two other third level slots to produce one fourth level slots. Spell slots can be unwoven; a third level slot can be divided to produce two second-level slots. This division can’t keep going and so these new second level slots can’t be transformed into first level ones.

Already, just with this extra mechanic, the spell caster has a lot more choice and faces a lot more strategy.

There are the different calibre of spells and this is in addition to the basic spell level mechanic. Simple spells can be cast by any spell caster. Complex spells can only be cast by Magister, a character class from Arcana Unearthed, or by magic users with suitable feats.

There’s a calibre higher; the exotic spell. These are rare and largely unknown spells. It’s clear from the Grimoire that in the lands of the Diamond Throne new spells are discovered fairly frequently.

In the Diamond Throne setting, the one that Arcana Unearthed uses, there is a strange well from which magic glyphs float up and out into the air. Very surreal.

It’s an idea first suggested in Malhavoc’s first even book Requiem for a God where the death of a god could create a pool of magic known as a spell well. Hanging around the spell well for too long will cause all sorts of horrible side effects.

Hanging around the spell well just long enough to watch and record some of the glyphs and sigils which float up will be the start of a new spell.

There’s a decision to make with almost every spell. You can diminish or heighten your magic. A diminished spell is one that’s been cast at a lower level, with a lower spell slot, and so it’s not as powerful as the vanilla version.

A heightened spell is one that’s been cast at a level higher, with a higher spell slot, and so it’s more powerful than the basic option. Impressive. I hate static magic. Why would spells be set in concrete? Surely it makes sense that magical effects could ebb and flow as the power into the spell changed? That’s what we have here.

The diminished and heightened spells reflect the amount of power in a spell and with these rules, it’s also possible to change the flavour of the spell. Templates offer even more magical flexibility. Apply the fire template, if you can, to a spell and it’ll deal and extra 2d6 damage. Apply the air template to a spell, it’ll double the range and if the spell fails and was subtle enough then there’s a chance the would-be target remains none the wiser. Nice.

Only those spell casters from the correct class or with an appropriate feat can apply templates and there’s always an additional cost (typically a component).

The Grimoire explains the nuts and bolts of basic spell casting very well. It’s clear when and why a caster will need to make a concentration role and the PDF offers up suitable DC values to. The differences between bursts and spreads are clear; as other the other magical effects; cylinders and emissions, etc.

It’s noted that if someone is raised from the dead their truename changes. Truenames are an Arcana Unearthed game meal and mechanic but their role in spell casting is made clear in the Grimoire. If you know someone’s truename then it’s easier to magically affect them: great for healing friends or dominating enemies.

If someone’s Raised six times then they no longer have a unique truename and must settle for the truename of their race. This makes it easy to discover.

Material components are sorted out here. I really dislike the idea of D&D wizards carrying around handfuls of bat poo, miniature trumpets or umbrellas. I’m fed up of spell slingers needing to spend hours on personal tangent missions just to collect weird trinkets and of making up excuses why it’s impossible to find or manufacture a small rod anywhere in Freeport.

Only the Witch needs material components in this system – but that class isn’t detailed here and doesn’t follow the typical rules for material components anyway. Instead, if the spell caster has access to some specially magical material components and is willing to add them to a spell then he can choose to do so and enhance the spell.

This keeps the option to restrict a spell by rare component open but doesn’t choke up the system with time-wasting nonsense.

I like some of the more subtle observations in the Grimoire. If you cast negative energy spells then the ill effects of this taint you for a while.

Characters tainted in this way will suffer penalties to handle animal and diplomacy roles but will be more intimidating. Demons and undead are always considered to be tainted like this. If there are two long-lasting abjuration spells too close together then this will create barely visible energy fluctuations as the two interfere with one another.

Oh – and there are spells in the Grimoire. There are lots of spells, spells indexed nicely and which you can jump to almost directly via the PDF’s bookmarks. These magic lists are summarised by level and then detailed alphabetically. This approach adds somewhat to the Grimoire’s page count of 95 but does make using the accessory very much easier.

These alternative spell rules are really rather good. They’re a little more complex than traditional d20 but not by much.

For this little extra in complexity, there is a lot more flexibility. I feel the system puts the magic back into the magic system.