Review of Enchanted Items By Hero Games
-== What is it? ==-
Enchanted Items is a book of magical items for Fantasy Hero (5th edition) from Hero Games. It was written by Jason Walters in May 2007. The book starts with a brief introduction then has sections for different types of items. For example, Amulets, Armor, etc. The last section is full of miscellaneous items that do not fit into one of the other categories.
The book has a color cover and an entirely black and white interior. The book is 8.5? x 11? and is 240 pages in length. I am reviewing the print AND PDF copies. I bought the print copy and was given the PDF copy for services rendered. See below for details. 😉
-== What I Like ==-
The book has a great diversity of item types and they are divided into smaller subsections to make finding an item for that pesky PC easy. For example, if you have a mage you could go to the staff section then decide if you want Offensive, Defensive, Sensory, Movement, Miscellaneous, or Unique staffs. At the front of each major section there is about a page of text describing that type of item. These section are often quite good. The introductory text in the Potions section is exceptionally wonderful. 🙂
I also liked the approach of presenting first mundane items then moving up to more powerful unique items. This way you can also get something at the correct power level. The Unique subsection items are typically VERY powerful. These items often contain detailed stories that can be used to drive adventures and such in a campaign.
-== What I Don’t Like ==-
A large percentage of the items in Enchanted Items have the same game effects with different “window dressings”. For example, how many items do you need that give Armor? Or aid Strength? etc. Some folks might not consider this bad but at times it felt like the book could have been shorter and cheaper if these repetitions were left out. I almost wonder what the book would have been like if it was constructed with a section on limitations for item types then a different section with effects. For example, here is a section on limitations that would typically be applied to Amulets. Next would be a section on Defensive Effects, Offensive Effects, etc. I would still like some fully constructed items but this approach might have been interesting and useful.
The printed copy of Enchanted Items has many printing flaws. I tallied up roughly 30 areas in the printed copy where text was missing. Unfortunately the missing text is typically in the rule detail material. When I brought it up with Hero they let me know that ALL copies of the book were in this state. I then offered to detail all of the locations where text was missing if they would give me a copy of the PDF. They kindly obliged. If you are interested in getting copies of the text that is missing send an email to Hero. With the document I sent to Hero it should not be too hard for them to write up an errata sheet for the product. 😉
I would have liked to see more information about creating items and item related characters in Fantasy Hero. The big example here is the alchemist character. It might have been run to have a detailed section on creating a magic item related character with a write up.
The cover artwork is downright ugly. It depicts a simple yellow shield on a solid background. The graphic is juvenile and just plain unattractive. Interior artwork is primarily comprised of pieces from other documents and is fair at best.
-== Summary ==-
Even though Enchanted Items is by far the best coverage of magic items for the Hero System it is very hard to recommend unless you are a GM that really has trouble coming up with ideas. I really love a lot of Jason’s RPG products (check out Scourges Of The Galaxy) but this product is not one of his best. The best option for GM who wants to get a copy of the book is to look for a PDF copy at a cheap price. Wait for that DriveThruRPG sale if you can. 😉
The cover price for the printed copy is $26.99. You can get a copy on Amazon.com at this
I give the printed copy 4 out of 10 paws. I give the PDF copy 6 out of 10 paws.
