There is not much that needs to be said about this book. The Monstrous Compendium Annuals were a great idea and this one in my opinion is the best of them. It is not a dramatic change that makes it the best and I am not taking into account the creatures contained inside. This version included information about the setting, periodical or other possibilities where the monster originated in. This is not a major improvement but enough to set it apart.
One can never have too many monsters is something I am certain I have said before. This may not always be true though. I think it needs to be modified to say that one can never have too many good monsters to draw from. At some point the line has been reached where the monsters are just either rehashing existing monsters, just plain silly or even worse a combination of the two problems above. This book had not fallen prey to that problem. This along with its predecessors are worth additions to a DM's arsenal of nasties.
Published: 1998
Pages: 96
From the Back of the Book:
Welcome to Annual Number Four! Drawn from our best adventures of the recent past--not to mention the pages of DRAGON, DUNGEON, and POLYHEDRON Magazines--this volume also returns old classics to print and introduces some critters never before seen!
Over 100 creatures are presented, from the Prismatic Dragon and the Clockwork Horrors to the Shades from the Demiplane of Shadow. Creatures in this book have come from the FORGOTTEN REALMS, BIRTHRIGHT, DRAGONLANCE, RAVENLOFT, DARK SUN, RED STEEL, and GREYHAWK settings (and a few have just sprung from the fertile minds of their creators).
This collection, which is fully indexed, features new monsters from the Far Realm, and includes many creatures suitable for nautical and undersea adventures.
Spell:
Arcane Blessing
Level: Fourth
Range: 9"
Duration: 24 Hours
Area of Effect: 1 Creature/Level
Components: V,S
Casting Time: 6 Segments
Saving Throw: None
When this spell is cast the magic user bestows upon the selected targets a blessing. The blessing will remain in effect for a period of 24 hours.
When this spell is cast the magic user must select an additional spell of up to third level. The other spell is then sacrificed and the combined magical energies of the two spells are consumed to provide the selected targets with a magical bonus to almost all rolls except for damage calculations. The level of the spell sacrificed will be the amount of the modifier.
The bonus will apply to the targets To Hit rolls as well as to any saving throws they are required to make. It will also be used as a modifier as needed to any ability checks or skill checks. The modification will be a plus or minus as appropriate. The DM can also apply the blessing to any other rolls that they think it should be applied to.
There can only be one Arcane Blessing in place at any given time. Higher level blessings will replace older ones of a lower level but not the opposite of that. Attempts to place a lower level can be made but the spell will fizzle and the sacrificed spell is lost.
Disclaimer: The spells that you will see, for how ever long the write ups last, were all written up or conceived of back in the 80's so the terminology may not appropriate for anything other than 1e and depending on how well I did back then it may be slightly off for that as well. If there is any duplication of spells that exist now it is most likely I wrote mine first :) Please feel free to comment on them but try not to be too hard on me. If anyone wishes to use these in anything they print please let me know in advance and all I ask is proper credit.
"Go to the sign of Marvel's Axe, a dubious inn on the edge of the Thieves Quarter, in the City of Greyhawk, and look to your own wrist. If you perceive a bracelet and dangling dice, watch for the next throw in the war between Law and Chaos and be prepared to follow the compelling geas." -Signal
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