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Realmswatch
More Magic
Than You Can
The good bit is this: It's going to be well worth the wait. I mean, I don't know for certain as if I've already gotten a copy -- or even seen the complete and final files with pictures and maps and everything in place. But the bits I have seen are just far too good. Perhaps I've not made it clear before now, but this 320-page cavalcade of Forgotten Realms-ian goodness is going to knock your socks off. Just like in the cartoons. I'm not joking, either -- I have to tie my shoes really tight every time I get to see something new. And if you're a fan of spellcasting types, you're in for a real treat. (And if you're not a fan of spellcasting types, get ready to become one.)
April: The Magic of Faerûn The Magic chapter of the new campaign setting book starts out by introducing the concept of the Weave (which serves as a kind of interface between the will of a spellcaster and the stuff of raw magical energy, for those of you keeping score at home). It then moves on to describe seven different types of special magic. (And that's not counting just regular everyday magic, by the way.) Check it out: wild magic, dead magic, spellfire, the shadow weave, elven high magic, rune magic, and circle magic. There are also the magic portals that instantly teleport users to some predetermined place elsewhere in the Realms or beyond. And then come page after page after page of cleric domains and spells. Spells you've known and loved (and missed since the new rules came out). And many new spells. Cool new spells. Cool new spells you'll want to scribble into your favorite mystical tome as quickly as you can. But the thing about magic in the Forgotten Realms setting is that it's everywhere. "The world of Toril is literally a magical place" says the first sentence of the chapter. And it's so true. This is a world where entire cities can be built using magic. There's a huge desert in the North that shouldn't be there – but it is ('cause of a smattering of magic). There are magic creatures, magic plants, magic water -- you name it, and there's probably a magical version of it somewhere in the Forgotten Realms setting. But the really interesting thing about this phenomenal preponderance of magic is that it all makes sense. The game designers have put lots and lots of thought into each little twinkling bit of magic you stumble across. Virtually everything magical exists for one reason or another. Someone or something, by accident or on purpose, is responsible for the magic on Toril. And that's really cool. Magic is something that could be the cure-all explanation for anything quirky or odd, with no more thought than just a quick "Well, it's magic" accompanied by a "What, d'you wanna better reason than that?" kind of look. But it's not. Magic is indeed everywhere in the Forgotten Realms setting. But it's all there because it was lovingly and thoughtfully crafted and placed there by the fine folks whose names go on those first couple of pages in the book. So, as these last devastatingly long two months drag slowly onward, you'll be seeing more and more of what's going on with magic in the new book. And you'll be amazed.
About the Author Mat Smith is a copywriter who's been here for just over six months now, but has been playing Dungeons & Dragons and waiting to get a job with the company that makes it for well over 18 years. Now, he gets to spend most of his days thinking about new ways to tell everyone in the world to play D&D, which is still the coolest thing ever. His 22nd-level, 1st-edition bard started kicking around the Forgotten Realms back in 1989 and is currently vacationing in the Murloch Vale of the Moonshae Islands. This month, he's too tired to think of anything clever to add to this section. But that doesn't really matter, because he's still getting to work on D&D every day as a part of this whole job at Wizards of the Coast thing.
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It's
April. April is kinda like June, but two months early. Which means the
book isn't here yet. And the annoying part is that the closer we get to
the new 
