Book of Artifacts

Rating:
Summary: Used with care, provides the creative DM with great ideas
Review: Few books will change your campaign as much as the Book of Artifacts. If your characters have progressed to the degree of mastery that allows them to challenge the great powers of the multi-verse (demon lords, elder dragons, arch-devils, demigods, etc.), why not give them a REAL challenge? This book details the creation of artifacts (this in itself will launch your campaign into the world of legends), curses, creating non-artifact magical items (invaluable!), recharging magic items (finally), artifact powers, and more. The rest of the book gives full, elaborate details on a myriad of wondrous artifacts - their history, sage, powers, destruction, curses, and stories. Featured items include Baba Yaga's Hut, Eye and Hand of Vecna, Johydee's Mask, Mace of St. Cuthbert (beware Iuz!), Orbs of Dragonkind, Rod of Seven Parts, Sword of Kas, and much more. A lavish book that is filled with wonderful ideas - even if you don't want to introduce artifacts to your campaign, the evocative treatments will surely inspire you to create your own exciting new adventures based around the arcane magical items of your world. A classic!

Rating:
Summary: Used with care, provides the creative DM with great ideas
Review: Few books will change your campaign as much as the Book of Artifacts. If your characters have progressed to the degree of mastery that allows them to challenge the great powers of the multi-verse (demon lords, elder dragons, arch-devils, demigods, etc.), why not give them a REAL challenge? This book details the creation of artifacts (this in itself will launch your campaign into the world of legends), curses, creating non-artifact magical items (invaluable!), recharging magic items (finally), artifact powers, and more. The rest of the book gives full, elaborate details on a myriad of wondrous artifacts - their history, sage, powers, destruction, curses, and stories. Featured items include Baba Yaga's Hut, Eye and Hand of Vecna, Johydee's Mask, Mace of St. Cuthbert (beware Iuz!), Orbs of Dragonkind, Rod of Seven Parts, Sword of Kas, and much more. A lavish book that is filled with wonderful ideas - even if you don't want to introduce artifacts to your campaign, the evocative treatments will surely inspire you to create your own exciting new adventures based around the arcane magical items of your world. A classic!

Rating:
Summary: Five stars for readability - and one for usefulness
Review: I can't imagine any one group of AD&D players using all those wonderful and imaginative artifacts within their own lifetimes.

Rating:
Summary: Misunderstood
Review: I have several things to say:

1. Artifacts are NOT mere magical items. They are objects of great and horrible power, and as such they deserve to be treated with awe and respect ( by the PCs) and extereme caution ( by the DM).

2. This book will not be of any use to you if you think it will help your campaign. It was never intended for this. Rather, treat it like a book of fairy tales ( not the ones to be told to children). Use the book for the spirit of fantasy, the dark tales that are whispered in none but the softest of voices, the forgotten names of fell powers uttered by none but the most powerful of sages, and even then fearfully. Like it was said below, you cannot possibly hope to thoughfully use all of the artifacts gathered in this tome.

3. Do not use ( buy, borrow, rent, etc.) this book unless: a. you are incredibly creative; b. your role-playing ( and tactical thinking) abilities as a DM are incredibly great; c. you are just reading this book with no purpose in mind;

With those things in mind, the book is fine.

Rating:
Summary: One artifact per campaign, please
Review: I liked this book. You can use one artifact and structure a whole campaign around finding and/or destroying the thing. The rest of the book you can use as generic Bard's tales, provided your party's not so jaded that they interrupt your story to say, "Oh, he's talking about the Eye of Vecna (or is it Venca?)! Let's go find it."

I'm not quite sure why they kept the random powers for most of these artifacts. Is there some rule that says that if you're not rolling dice, you're not playing D&D? Most of these artifacts are centuries old. I would think that they would have powers that were more constant, not different every time someone new found them.

Fun book. Good items. Lots of room for abuse, but I don't feel the need to proselytize game balance right now. That could be because I'm being slowly dominated by the Dice of Mort the Mad PowerGamer.

Rating:
Summary: Your players will hate you for this
Review: Simply because bringing in an artifact means that of the party, probably 1 or 2 will remain. They rest will suffer the artifact curse, get assasinated, framed and beheaded, etc etc.

Why any sane fellow would even touch an artifact with a 10 foot pole, i cannot understand. Of course player characters are not sane people so, if the party is getting bored, just drop an artifact into some poor party member's hand, preferably the scepter of the gods (or some thereabouts) and watch the fun. Personally i find the jacinth of inestimatible beauty to be great fun.

Rating:
Summary: it was ok
Review: the book was useful but not worth the price unless you get it used because it might be cheaper. The book was not a nessary book for your collection, but it was not that bad. Just like a big index of artifacts. Most were fairly useful put it tells you how to made them in the DM's Guide.

Rating:
Summary: Great!
Review: This book was extremely helpful. It gives you many Magical Items, plus tells you how to create them. I would recommend adding it to your collection.