 | |
| Genre | Role-playing games |
|---|---|
| Publisher | TSR |
Publication date | 1994 |
| Pages | 126 |
The Complete Sha'ir's Handbook is an accessory for the 2nd edition of the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, published in 1994.
| | |
| Genre | Role-playing games |
|---|---|
| Publisher | TSR |
Publication date | 1994 |
| Pages | 126 |
The Complete Sha'ir's Handbook is an accessory for the 2nd edition of the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, published in 1994.
The Complete Sha'ir's Handbook covers sha'irs and also the elemental mages of Zakhara. Presented in the familiar "Complete Handbook" format. it gives role-playing and campaign advice (apprentices, dueling practices), new wizard kits (astrologer, numerologist, clockwork mage, and others), almost a dozen secret magical societies, and ten pages of new spells and proficiencies. The Mechanician, for example, crafts clockwork automata to cast his spells. [1]
This book details the wizards of the Al-Qadim setting, including the core kits of Sha'ir, Sorcerer, and Elemental Mage. It also introduces a number of additional kits.
The Complete Sha'ir's Handbook was written by Sam Witt and published by TSR as a 128-page softcover. [1]
Shannon Appelcline, the author of Designers & Dragons, highlighted that "TSR stopped using module codes in 1994, but The Complete Sha'ir's Handbook is clearly the third book in the 'CGR' series. Like its predecessors, it combines the crunchy kits of the Complete PHBR series (1989-1995) with the background of a specific campaign world". [2]
Gene Alloway reviewed the manual in a 1995 issue of White Wolf. [3] Alloway noted that the handbook filled an information gap in the Al Qadim setting, stating that, "The four key additions—Gen rules, kits, societies and spells—make the Handbook a must for any Al-Qadim player". Out of 5 possible points, he rated it at a 3 for Complexity and Value, a 4 for Appearance and Playability, and a 5 for Concepts, with an overall rating of 3.5. [3]
Allen Varney reviewed The Complete Sha'ir's Handbook for Dragon magazine #219 (July 1995). [1] Varney comments: "The kits work well, especially the Mechanician [...] But the societies come out of nowhere, adding a needless layer of campaign complexity ungrounded in Arabian folktales or the Zakharan campaign. If you want a secret society of desert mages, play in the Dark Sun world. Flatly written and wordy, The Complete Sha'ir's Handbook offers some useful advice on topics like genie prisons and caring for familiars, but its new spells look unusually powerful, as does the wizard assassin called the Spellslayer. Look before buying. [1]
In 2013, Alex Lucard, for Diehard GameFAN, wrote that "Al-Qadim wasn’t the most popular campaign setting, but I do feel it deserves a little love, and I really enjoyed the Sha’ir handbook. More importantly, this particular sourcebook is essentially all about Wizards, and thus makes an excellent supplement for anyone playing a magic user in 2e. [...] With a ton of new spells, information on sorcerous societies and so much more, anyone who enjoys playing a Mage in 2e would get a kick out of this book and find great new concepts for role-playing. The book is versatile enough that you could easily use it with other campaign settings, and it’s unique enough (especially with that desert yellow cover) to make curious players pick it up and start their journey in the Al-Qadim universe". [4]
Shannon Appelcline commented that "though The Complete Sha'ir's Handbook mostly focuses on crunchy kits and other rules, it also detailed the wizardly societies of Al-Qadim, including the Brotherhood of the True Flame and many others. Wizardly societies were apparently in vogue at the time, as TSR had published DSR3: 'Veiled Alliance' (1992) for Dark Sun just a few years previous — though some reviewers thought such societies were better suited for Athas than the land of Al-Qadim". [2]
Spelljammer is a campaign setting originally published for the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, which features a fantastic outer space environment. Subsequent editions have included Spelljammer content; a Dungeons & Dragons 5th edition setting update was released on August 16, 2022.
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.
Al-Qadim is a campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game which was developed by Jeff Grubb with Andria Hayday for TSR, Inc., and was first released in 1992. Al-Qadim uses One Thousand and One Nights as a theme and is set in the land of Zakhara, called the Land of Fate. Thematically, the land of Zakhara is a blend of the historical Muslim Caliphates, the stories of legend, and a wealth of Hollywood cinematic history. Zakhara is a peninsula on the continent of Faerûn in the world of Toril, the locale of the Forgotten Realms campaign setting, although Al-Qadim is designed to stand on its own or be added to any existing campaign setting. The basic campaign setting was divided between two game products: Al-Qadim: Arabian Adventures, a sourcebook describing character creation rules, equipment, and spells unique to the setting, and Al-Qadim: Land of Fate, a boxed set describing the land of Zakhara, with separate sourcebooks for the players and the Dungeon Master.
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 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.
Die Vecna Die! is an Advanced Dungeons & Dragons (AD&D 2nd edition) module released in 2000 by Wizards of the Coast. The module is divided into three sections, each taking part in a different campaign setting: Greyhawk, Ravenloft, and Planescape. It was one of the last official adventures released for the 2nd edition of Dungeons & Dragons.
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.
A sha'ir was a pre-Islamic Arab poet believed to have magical powers.
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.
Ravenloft: Realm of Terror is a boxed set accessory published in 1990 for the Ravenloft campaign setting for the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game.
Golden Voyages is an accessory for the 2nd edition of the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, published in 1992.
Arabian Adventures is an accessory for the 2nd edition of the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, published in 1992.
Pages from the Mages is an accessory for the 2nd edition of the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, published in 1995.
Wizards and Rogues of the Realms is an accessory for the 2nd edition of the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, published in 1995.
The Sundering refers to two events that occurred in the fictional timeline of the Forgotten Realms campaign setting of the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game. It is also the title of both a series of novels published by Wizards of the Coast and a multimedia project Wizards of the Coast used to transition Dungeons & Dragons from 4th Edition to 5th Edition. This project explored the Second Sundering story and included the aforementioned book series, the free-to-play mobile game Arena of War developed by DeNA and an adventure series for the 4th Edition D&D Encounters program.
The Will and the Way is an accessory for the 2nd edition of the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, published in 1994.
City of Delights is an accessory for the 2nd edition of the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, published in 1993.
The Complete Book of Necromancers is a sourcebook for the second edition of the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons fantasy adventure role-playing game. As part of the DMGR series, the information in this book is intended for use by the Dungeon Master to develop villains and NPCs, and is not recommended for use by players.
Neverwinter Campaign Setting is a supplement to the 4th edition of the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game.