Rating: 
Summary: The best splatbook to date
Review: I found this Class book to be extremely helpful. Great info on magic and the classes that use it. And compared to the other class books so far, I found this one to have the most prestige classes that have that "cool factor" going for them. The Dragon Disciple and the Blood Magus are the two that really stand out. The feats section has some very useful new feats, the best being Eschew Materials, allowing a mage to ignore material components that cost 1 gp or less. This is great for those that have nit-picky DM's.This book is definitely a must have for any one who enjoys playing a mage, and a must-have for any DM with mage players.
Rating: 
Summary: Credible expansion, especially for seekers of the fantastic
Review: Relative to the other class books, Tome & Blood is superior, with an interesting array of unusual prestige classes and thoughtful ideas and considerations in playing a mage. There is the usual forgettable filler, such as eight odd pages squandered on a city wizard's dwelling. The additional Feats are a solid offering and increase the flexibility and variety of arcane spellcasting in an otherwise static magic system. The Spells are a mixed bag, but the sometimes bizzare prestige classes are a fairly creative, idea-inspiring, and balanced selection. Unfortunately the cursory attention devoted to magic item, spell, and golem creation is extremely disappointing. Most likely, given the buisiness-wise mercenary approach of WotC, the information will be issued in another overpriced "book of magic."
Final thoughts? Overpriced and a poor value, Tome & Blood is still a useful addition, but place it lower on your purchase list. The quality, though good for the guidebook series, really suffers compared to the well crafted core rulebooks.
Rating: 
Summary: overall, a good book
Review: I found that unlike what other reviewers have said, the prestige classes are by far NOT overpowered...while its true that some (like guildmage) have no disadvantages when compared with wizard, any prestige class that offers a significant advantage also doesn't give spell casting levels every level. One of the major weak points were the spells + items, the items were good, but there were far too few of them, and the spells were just bad...very few are actually useful.
Rating:
Summary: Good Book...for making your own Classes...
Review: Most of the stuff in "Tome & Blood" gives players templates for various Prestige Classes...which, by far, is mediocore at best. Candle Caster is a questionable one in my mind. By the time you actually get to light a Spell Candle, someone might've bull-rushed you in an attack (granted your fellow Adventurers "protect" you)... Blood Magus is a laugh...don't ask. So is Wayfarer Guide...he gets powers up to 4th level, then kaput, no more advances...how the hell is THAT a prestige class? Spellswords seem to be the better of all the rest...as is True Necromancer...thought abit tricky... Still, I like the idea that Tome & Blood doesn't force you to "adopt" their own ways...I mean, mix and match some spells and go to town!! Heck, make your own class while your at it!! And I can get that Shocker Lizard Familiar I wanted!! Helpful, but then again, WOTC could've done better...Of course, that's my opinion, I could be wrong...
Rating:
Summary: Nothing to complain about.
Review: Before i had this book all of my freinds wanted to be Fghters or clerics simply because they thought that Wizards and sorcerers were too weak for use. Now all of my freinds see that after you gain enough levels the Spellcasting characters are more powerfull than a barbarian. Simply put, this book will show you the magical light.
Rating:
Summary: A worthwhile mix of the good and the bad...
Review: Tome and Blood, while a better product than Sword and Fist, is still hampered by a formulaic approach to rules supplements and a regrettable amount of filler. This volume contains new feats, new spells, new equipment, new prestige classes, new magic items, rules clarifications (and explanations!), detailed information on familiars, and a map and description of an arcane-themed structure. It would be almost unthinkable for a rule supplement to be printed without a smattering of new feats, new items, and new prestige classes. While some of this book's offerings seem the result of an all-night brainstorming session ' most new items and feats will find their way into campaigns based on their genuine usefulness. Sticklers for a 'fantasy feel' will find easy pickings in several of the items (like the scroll-organizer) that seem reverse-engineered based on rules-rather than a tangible fantasy world need. Feats. Perhaps no pairing of classes could benefit more from a set of expansion-oriented feats than the Arcane spell-casting duo of Wizard and Sorcerer. Metamagic feats open up endless possibilities of modifying a given spell's attribute. Twinning spells (casting a spell and getting its effect twice) or chaining spells (having a spell strike a target, then arc to strike another target at a lesser effect) are just two of the new metamagic feats. Devious spell casters will surely come up with ways to use them to wreak havoc on targets expecting the same-ol' same-ol'. The concept of Metamagic is marvelous as it makes magic exponentially more diverse. In practice its use is a bit hamstrung by its sheer cost. (A metamagic feat AND a jump in the spells level). Few would quibble that casting a Twinned Fireball (and thereby getting two fireballs with one spell) is a substantial increase in *ahem* firepower, but not a lot would be eager to take the feat in order to cast the spell as if it were level 7. Other metamagic feats allow casters to substitute new types of damage for existing ones (like a fireball that does acid damage instead of fire damage - 'acidball' for monsters that are immune to fire), and while these are intriguing ' they are still quite expensive. All in all I very much like the new metamagic feats ' I don't expect to seem them used much in my campaigns, more's the pity. The new spells offer some excellent food for thought, and spells like corpse candle (revealing hidden and invisible creatures) will quickly be welcomed into PCs spell books everywhere. A host of spells for repairing constructs have been created, along with some nice ideas in numerous schools. Prestige Classes. While the idea of prestige classes is marvelous, WotC's approach to listing new ones leaves a lot to be desired. The new prestige classes in T&B are for the most part, tightly focused on some bizarre main theme (like the Acolyte of the skin, a spell caster whose focus is to become an extra-dimensional being, or by far the weirdest, the Blood Magus ' a caster whose focus is learning the magic inherent in the blood of living things). To each their own, but these classes are truly bizarre. Most players will be looking for new abilities and new paths of development, and not for a class that re-defines their character's philosophy and worldview. The True Necromancer is a standout, a long-overdue specialist that DMs have been waiting for, as well as the Bladesinger (a powergamer's favorite-but still a great concept). The new feats and spells give a DM or Player the building blocks of truly great prestige classes of their own ' so there are good things in this portion. The rules clarifications are what make the book a must buy for a gaming group. The revised version of Polymorph Self, detailed familiar rules and the expanded listing of magic item creation costs are more than worth the price of admission. Absent some house rules or the rules in this book, these are grey areas that will haunt your game (Magic item creation in particular. It's necessarily fluid ' but as a result it is very easy to get confused). Familiars deservedly get some serious attention in these rules. The improved familiar feat (while expensive) provides PCs with a meatier option for every caster's best buddy. Additionally, it's always been a mystery what the familiar is capable of, or what their mental capabilities are- and this book gives the spell caster some easy to follow guidelines. (Homonculi are back, whoo-hoo!). The new magic items are less impressive than the rules for creating them, but they introduce a startling new item: the Metamagic Rod. A Metamagic Rod is keyed to a particular metamagic ability and allows the wielder to use one of their spells with that feat a number of times a day (sans the increase in spell level!). Previously expensive abilities like the additional firepower of Repeat Spell are now (for all extents and purposes) FREE! These rods are expensive and have limited uses, but beware the caster who possesses one ' they can rock your world. Lastly, the obvious filler of the building and its description are provided for flavor, but let's face it: most people didn't buy this book for a floorplan of some building ' they want magic, and lots of it. The descriptions of magical organizations, while helpful in a general sense also smacks of padding. A two-page description of qualities to include in magical groups, plus two examples would have been more than adequate for such a subject. It would be unfair to criticize this book for what I think it should have been, an expansive tome on the seemingly limitless fields of spells, metamagic and 'higher mysteries of the art,' but even working within WotCs framework of supplements I think I am justified in feeling let down. The prestige classes are bizarre, the organizations are uninspired, the building is (to my mind) a waste of paper, and as a result space is taken away from really good material like metamagic feats and spells. The good material is quite good, and I would certainly recommend that a group include at least one copy of this in its collective library ' but the best points of this tome aren't fully explored.
Rating:
Summary: misconceptions
Review: Reading through the reviews, I am seeing a lot of strange minsconceptions regarding game balance. One reviewer complains about the Energy Admixture feat that doubles your damage dice when casting a elemental spells. Well, hello, using this feat bumps the spell by +4 spell slots! I'd HOPE that you can double the damage dice by doing this. Same with Dragon Disciple. Ask me, this guy is underpowered. At the very least, it turns your sorcerer into a fighter, since his caster level doesn't go up. And it takes 10 whole levels to do it. I guess that had to do it in case some fighter type managed to qualify for the class. Anyhow, I stand by my earlier review. This is a great book, and if anything, the most balanced and rules-savy of the three builder books out so far. Some of the reviews are so negative, and just so WRONG, that I can't help but wonder if those reviewers have a very frim grasp on the game rules.
Rating:
Summary: Awesome
Review: Well, I'm not sure how someone can call the Acolyte of the Skin unimaginative, the Guild Mage nonversatile, or feats like Energy Substitution and Energy Admixture and Sanctum Spell nonoriginal. Did you read the same book? Do you play a spellcaster? If so, you, like me, will goob over these powers and abilities. True, one prestige class deals with dragons, another with demons, and two with undead, but c'mon, there are at least 12 prestige classes in here, including the Spellsword, the Bladesinger, and the Arcane Trickster. If you're looking for prosaic, try the Candle Caster. Anyhow, this book was perfect for me, and I wholeheartedly reccommend it, even though I couldn't do the same with all the previous builder books.
Rating:
Summary: Buy it if you have a wizard
Review: Another expensive handbook for the 3rd edition. The new prestige classes are interesting, but some are a bit overpowered. The half-dragon will definitly imbalance your game. Adding sneak attack for wizard/rogues is a nice touch and especially with sneak attack bonuses for some prestige classes. The new spells don't really add anything to those in the players handbook. I would only recommend this book if you really want more prestige class options for your wizard/sorcerer. Sword and Fist was better, but this is much better than the cleric handbook!
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing
Review: I bought this handbook immediately after it came out, hoping that it would be good enough to make sorcerers and wizards as good as psionists. However, I was disappointed. It isn't so much that psionists are more powerful than magic users (they really aren't) but they are much more versatile and easily customizable. However, I found that this handbook did not improve wizards and sorcerers in the least. The feats were stupid, the prestige classes were boring and lacking in interesting powers, and the spells at the end were pointless, repetetive, and leveled wrong. (1d8 points of damage for a level one spell?) Not horribly leveled wrong, but it definitely could have been better. All in all, I found this book to be rather boring. I would never use a single prestige class in it, especially as most require multiclassing prior to getting them. If you're considering getting this book, please don't bother. Borrow it from someone else first, at least. I'm just praying that the rouge and bard handbook will be better, since I usually play a rouge.
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