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| Author | Skip Williams, Penny Williams, Ari Marmell and Kolja Raven Liquette |
|---|---|
| Genre | Role-playing game |
| Publisher | Wizards of the Coast |
Publication date | October 2006 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback) |
| Pages | 160 |
| ISBN | 0-7869-3937-0 |
Complete Mage is a supplemental rule book for the 3.5 edition of the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game. It is effectively the sequel to Complete Arcane .
The book provides feats, prestige classes, and other options for characters interested in magic. Unlike Complete Arcane, Complete Mage contains no new core classes, but it contains alternative class features for existing classes.
Complete Mage adds 13 new alternative class features.
Rangers learn to track and hunt creatures of a certain type when choosing a favored enemy. Some rangers concern themselves less with what a creature is, and more with what it does. These rangers learn to identify signs of the arcane and make it their business to combat those who use arcane magic in opposition to their goals.
Every swashbuckler relies on her agility and quick wit to get her out of scrapes. Some take this a step farther, learning magical tricks that boost their mobility or defense.
Rare is the fighter who hasn't envied the wizard's bag of magical tricks. Although even the most basic arcane spell remains beyond a fighter's abilities, those who aspire to such talents can, with practice, learn to cast simple arcane spells while wearing light armor. On its own, this alternative feature grants little benefit to a single-classed fighter; only in conjunction with one or more levels of sorcerer, wizard, or a similar arcane spellcasting class does this ability come into play.
Most paladins use their divinely granted powers to combat diseases that plague their allies. Paladins with an interest in the arcane particularly those who battle necromancers sometimes prefer to learn to counteract the effects of magical curses.
Although the ability to turn undead is arguably a defining cleric characteristic, some clerics (and paladins) find that they can be even more effective crusaders by opposing evil spellcasters. The ability to negate an enemy spellcasters magic grants a character an unexpected edge.
Deities influence the world through the divine spells they grant their worshipers. Some clerics, however, choose to explore magical powers beyond those commonly provided by the gods. By giving up some of their divine power, these clerics gain access to spells normally beyond their abilities.
Every druid reveres nature, but some pay more respect to the fundamental building blocks of the natural world than to its flora and fauna. By forgoing her bond with the animal kingdom, a druid can instead take on an elemental creature as her companion.
Every wizard who calls himself a specialist takes pride in wielding his preferred form of magic. Those who are exceptionally pure of purpose take this specialization to an entirely new level, disdaining breadth of skill in favor of even greater focus.
The traditional monk seeks balance in body, mind, and soul, and through this equilibrium gains various combat talents. A monk who learns the secret of the soulwarp strike masters an arcane talent of necromancy that infects her enemy's ki, producing an effect akin to terrible sickness.
Many masters of stealth share the signature talent to avoid explosive blasts of magical energy. It takes only a little training, however, to twist this defensive flair into the ability to reflect magical attacks back upon their creator.
Most barbarians and rogues have a preternatural awareness of danger, whether the threat of a nearby invisible attacker or the hidden peril of a spear trap. Some, however, fine-tune this ability to focus on magical attacks, granting them the ability to dodge the orbs, rays, and eldritch blasts of their enemies.
Bards pride themselves on being masters of language and sound. A rare few learn to use their voices to interfere with enemy spellcasters, twisting word and sound to defeat spells before they are cast.
Most sorcerers hide behind walls of steel, slinging spells at enemies safely distant. You have no patience for such cowards and prefer to be near the front line. Your breadth of magical knowledge might not compare with those craven weaklings, but you are proud to dive into the fray alongside the fighter. [1]
Complete Mage was written by Skip Williams, Penny Williams, Ari Marmell, and Kolja Raven Liquette, and was published in October 2006. Cover art was by Matt Cavotta, and interior art is by Miguel Coimbra, Eric Deschamps, Wayne England, Carl Frank, Randy Gallegos, Ralph Horsley, Jim Nelson, Eric Polak, Mike Schley, Ron Spencer, Anne Stokes, Arnie Swekel, Eva Widermann, and Kieran Yanner.
Andy Collins explains how this book relates to Complete Arcane : "Both books cover similar topics--how to enhance your character's magical (arcane) abilities. That said, they don't follow exactly the same format (though both contain spells, feats, and prestige classes as one might expect), so the range of subject matter varies a bit. Complete Mage, for example, doesn't introduce new classes like Complete Arcane did, though it does provide some new options (feats, spells, and so on) for the new classes from Complete Arcane." [2]
Shannon Appelcline identified Complete Mage as one of the books that "changed the way that D&D worked in dramatic ways" and may have influenced the design of 4th edition D&D. [3]
Viktor Coble listed the entire Complete series - including Complete Adventurer , Complete Divine , Complete Warrior , Complete Arcane , Complete Champion , and Complete Mage - as #9 on CBR 's 2021 "D&D: 10 Best Supplemental Handbooks" list, stating that "These books took a deep dive into specific class types. They expanded on what it meant to be that kind of class, gave informative prestige classes, extra abilities, and even new concepts for playing them." [4]
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In tabletop games and video games, a character class is a job or profession commonly used to differentiate the abilities of different game characters.
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, psionics are a form of supernatural power similar to, but distinct from, arcane and divine magic.
Mystra is a fictional goddess in the Forgotten Realms campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game.
The magic in Dungeons & Dragons consists of the spells and magic systems used in the settings of the role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons (D&D). D&D defined the genre of fantasy role-playing games, and remains the most popular table-top version. Many of the original concepts have become widely used in the role-playing community across many different fictional worlds, as well as across all manner of popular media including books, board games, video games, and films.
Complete Arcane is a supplemental rulebook for the 3.5 edition of the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game. It expands upon and replaces an earlier soft-cover rulebook entitled Tome and Blood.
Complete Warrior is a supplemental rulebook for the 3.5 edition of the Dungeons and Dragons role-playing game, published by Wizards of the Coast. It replaces and expands upon an earlier rulebook entitled Sword and Fist.
Complete Adventurer is a supplemental hard-cover rulebook for the 3.5 edition of the Dungeons & Dragons game system published by Wizards of the Coast.
Complete Divine is a supplemental rulebook for the 3.5 edition of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game published by Wizards of the Coast. It replaces and expands upon earlier rulebooks entitled Masters of the Wild and Defenders of the Faith, as well as being a catchall for anything that does not fit into Complete Adventurer, Complete Arcane, Complete Warrior, or Complete Psionic.
The bard is a standard playable character class in many editions of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. The bard class is versatile, capable of combat and of magic. Bards use their artistic talents to induce magical effects. The class is loosely based on the special magic that music holds in stories such as the Pied Piper of Hamelin, and in earlier versions was much more akin to being a Celtic Fili or a Norse Skald, although these elements have largely been removed in later editions. Listed inspirations for bards include Taliesin, Homer, Will Scarlet and Alan-a-Dale.
Magic systems in games are the rules, limitations, abilities, and characteristics that define magic in a game.
The paladin is one of the standard playable character classes in most editions of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. The paladin is a holy knight, crusading in the name of good and order, and is a divine spellcaster.
A character class is a fundamental part of the identity and nature of characters in the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game. A character's capabilities, strengths, and weaknesses are largely defined by their class; choosing a class is one of the first steps a player takes to create a Dungeons & Dragons player character. A character's class affects a character's available skills and abilities. A well-rounded party of characters requires a variety of abilities offered by the classes found within the game.
The sorcerer is a playable character class in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. A sorcerer is weak in melee combat, but a master of arcane magic, generally the most powerful form of D&D magic. Sorcerers' magical ability is innate rather than studied or bargained.
The cleric is one of the standard playable character class in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. Clerics are versatile figures, both capable in combat and skilled in the use of divine magic (thaumaturgy). Clerics are powerful healers due to the large number of healing and curative magics available to them. With divinely-granted abilities over life or death, they are also able to repel or control undead creatures. Clerics also have specific 'domains' which usually align with the character's alignment and the god that cleric serves. Whether the cleric repels or controls undead is dependent on the cleric's alignment. It is the only class to be included in every version of Dungeons & Dragons without a name change.
The wizard is one of the standard character class in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. A wizard uses arcane magic, and is considered less effective in melee combat than other classes.
The warlock is a character class in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. It was introduced as a non-core base class who practice arcane magic in the supplemental book Complete Arcane for the 3.5 edition of Dungeons & Dragons. In 4th and 5th edition, the warlock is a core class.
Tome of Magic is a handbook of rules and guidelines for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game. As its name implies, it is a supplement to be used to expand the magical options available in the game. It was first released for Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, 2nd Edition, and the name was reused for a book released for the 3rd Edition of D&D.
Tome of Battle: The Book of Nine Swords is an official supplement for the 3.5 edition of the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, published by Wizards of the Coast in 2006. The book chronicles the rise and fall of the fictional Temple of Nine Swords within the D&D universe and introduces an entirely new "initiator" subsystem that gives greater flexibility.
Complete Champion is a supplement for the 3.5 edition of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game.
Dark Sun is an original Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) campaign setting set in the fictional, post-apocalyptic desert world of Athas. Dark Sun featured an innovative metaplot, influential art work, dark themes, and a genre-bending take on traditional fantasy role-playing. The product line began with the original Dark Sun Boxed Set released for D&D's 2nd edition in 1991, originally ran until 1996, and was one of TSR's most successful releases.