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Test your magical prowess with a first look at the wizards and spells guide to Dungeons & Dragons
Harry Potter and Sabrina Spellman aren't the only wizards and witches on the block. The sprawling fantasy world of Dungeons & Dragons is rife with users (and abusers) of magic.
To help guide us through the intricacies of the tabletop RPG's various spell-related personas and powers, Ten Speed press is about to roll out another entry in its Young Adventurer's Guide series, this one entitled Wizards & Spells. Jim Zub, Stacy King, and Andrew Wheeler return as writers after the success of Monsters & Creatures, Warriors & Weapons, and Dungeons & Tombs.
"Wizards & Spells is very much in the vein of Warriors & Weapons, only this time we're focused on the magic side of the equation — spellcasting classes, schools of magic, and magical items permeate this guide for readers young and old," Zub exclusively tells SYFY WIRE. "Even when I think I know the D&D rules quite well, carefully reading spell descriptions while generating advice on how spells can be used, revealed possibilities I hadn't considered. Spells are already flexible and then, when you get creative with their application, the possibilities in-game are endless."
Venture below for a first look inside this (dare we say it?) truly magical guide:
"I think Wild Magic Sorcerers are a ton of fun for both players and Dungeon Masters. The chaotic and unexpected nature of wild magic always provides surprises and livens up a game session," continues Zub when asked about his favorite spellcasters and their abilities. "Prestidigitation is a wonderful cantrip with tons and tons of uses for inventive players. It's pure magic that can be used in countless role-playing encounters.
To best represent the different character classes in D&D, Zub, King, and Wheeler were allowed to create never-before-seen personalities for this project.
"Creating new legendary characters that exemplify each character class while showing unexpected race-class combinations was a ton of fun. I hope readers are excited about these new characters and want to see more of them in the future," explains Jim. "We didn't have room to profile every spell from the Player's Handbook, so picking a few examples from each spell level to show the depth and breadth of what's possible was really tough."
If you've been enjoying these guides, you're in luck. Ten Speed Press is willing to keep churning out these beautifully written and illustrated books, so long as positivity over them is high. You can keep the many-sided dice train rolling by picking up a copy next week.
"The response to the Young Adventurer's Guide series has been tremendous and we're hoping we can go beyond these four to explore other aspects of the game. If our audience wants more, we're eager to keep the series going," says Zub, who assures us that these publication's aren't just for kids.
"Although these books are titled a 'Young' Adventurer's Guide, they're built so that anyone — young or old — can use them to understand the precepts of tabletop role-playing and D&D in a simple rules-free way," he concludes. "Give one to a friend you've always wanted to bring to the gaming table and let their imagination go wild."
Wizards & Spells (Dungeons & Dragons) goes on sale this coming Tuesday, March 10. Pre-order a copy right here and it will be "magically delivered" to your door next week.
