Written Review – Dungeons & Dragons 3.5 Premium Spell Compendium

Last week Wizards of the Coast released another great reprinted edition of a core book from the Dungeons & Dragons series. This new book, the Premium Spell Compendium for Dungeons & Dragons 3.5, includes all of the special spells, mechanics, and materials needed by the many different spellcasters in the D&D universe. Whether you’re a necromancer, sorcerer, wizard, or battle mage you’ll need this book by your side when facing perilous evil.

We were lucky enough to grab a copy for ourselves and we’ve spent a great deal going over its nooks and crannies. At its core it’s essentially the same as the regular Spell Compendium a lot of 3.5 players already have on their shelves, though some changes have been made that make this something new for your collection. The following is what you can expect to see if you’re thinking of grabbing a copy for yourself.

The first thing you’ll notice when picking up the Premium Spell Compendium is that it’s bound really well. The hard cover is detailed with raised portions and though its color may be a bit monochromatic, it really shines with its raised portions. The book is sturdy like exactly what you’d expect with a core D&D book, and it’s full of 160 pages of spell descriptions, effects, and all sorts of mystical information.

Inside the book you’ll find a complete list of spells available in the Dungeons & Dragons universe, and they all come with descriptions as well as flavor text to show how they appear when cast. One of the new changes in the Premium Spell Compendium is that some of the spells have been renamed to suit an updated edition of the rules. The good thing is that the book also includes errata – the next change – that lists what spells were changed and what they were changed to. It’s really simple to follow.

The book also includes appendices, and some really awesome artwork. It really helped make choosing spells easier because you can see a better description of the spell, and honestly some of the spell artwork helped make choosing easier and more fun. All together the Premium Spell Compendium is a great companion for any spellcaster.

The book is available now at $49.95 in retail, which isn’t too high a price. You get the original list of spells, errata for updated spells, and a complete set of appendices to help you find what you need. It even houses a full list of domains to help make the cleric’s job that much easier. It doesn’t matter what sort of spell-casting class you choose, but no matter your choice this is something I would not go without if you’re thinking of running back into 3.5. Not to mention it looks really great on the shelf.

Thanks to Wizards of the Coast for providing a review copy of the Spell Compendium for review.

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