The Bonds of Magic: Volume I: Cabal (3.5)

This is the first book in the series and covers 25 arcane spell users, providing a GM with a collection fully detailed NPCs or possibly PCs if the need arises.

This book is filled with interesting NPCs with fully detailed histories that interact not only with other NPCs from this book but from Volume 2: Faithful as well. All the NPCs are on their own page, starting out with a stat block followed up by a brief history. After that come sections on personality, uses and finally tactics. Also included is a picture that makes it easier to describe what the npc looks like. Each npc also has a new spell, magic item or feat that helps to make them unique.

This book uses a lot of different races half of them are not the standard races. These races range from kobolds to undead and are of various levels and CRs. Of the 25 NPCs in this book one is a generalist wizard and one is a bard with the rest being split between specialist wizards and sorcerers.

Each stat block not only lists the basic information but what spells are memorized, domain spells and domains they know also included are gear that they have magical and otherwise. There is also a listing of what gear to give them if used as a PC.

The history of each npc not only gives you a background but also helps to flesh out the personality on the npc. If need be you could use the histories as one time adventures or with a little work as a campaign.

The personality section is only a paragraph long but offers a good description of how the NPC or PC should be played. The thing I liked about this section is that is takes the histories into account and works to make them a part of how the person acts.

Following personality is the section on how to use the npc. This to is only a paragraph long but gives you information on how to introduce the npc to your group, reasons why the npc would be interested in your group and ideas on using the NPCs as PCs.

Finally is tactics which details the general outline of what the NPCs will do in combat, spells they use, who they attack, etc.

This book also includes 1 new feat, 15 new magic items and 11 new spells. The feat Vitality Spellsource is a little weird it allows you to use points of Con to prepare spells into a lower spell slot, while not to powerful it does have the draw back of losing points of con until you can rest. Most of the new magic items can be created with the craft wondrous items feat and are not that powerful. The spells are anywhere from levels one through fifth, with most being of first or second level. Not all of the spells are limited to wizard/sorcerers two can be used by druids and one by a bard.

Overall I liked this book; it has enough information for a GM to be able to use the NPCs without much modification. With the added advantage of being able to use the NPCs as PCs in case of emergency makes it even better. With the histories that interact with the second book Faithful you have a nice amount of NPCs that can be used together to form rivaling adventuring parties or used separately as challenges for your players. Also because each npc has her/her own special magic item, spell or feat helps to make them more unique.