Eldritch Origins

Taken from the Introduction to The Complete Book of Eldritch Might.

I love magic. I love wizards and spells and magic items.

Small wonder, then, after more than a decade as a game designer, that the very first product I created when I had the chance to write whatever I wanted was a book on magic. The Book of Eldritch Might was written with no idea how it would be received -it was entirely a labor of love. The fact that it was extremely successful was just icing
on the cake.

Only days after the book first appeared, people began asking me, will there be more? I hadn't really thought about a sequel, but I had no shortage of ideas for what could go into such a book, once I considered it. The material already existed, in fact, because so much of what appeared in these books showed up in my own personal campaign before I ever thought of publishing it. (I believe that, generally speaking, if you create something for an actual game session, rather than just to fill the pages of a book, you get much better material. If for no other reason, you saw a need for it in a real game, with real players.) Book of Eldritch Might II: Songs and Souls of Power also saw some real success, due in large part to the popularity of its variant core classes, the bard and the sorcerer.

Then came Book of Eldritch Might III: The Nexus. Again, it was no chore to come up with more material-much of it originated in my campaign -- but I was a little tired of the format. I didn't want to publish just another book of spells and feats and whatnot without context. So I gave them specific locales. Each had a place to be used, and each place could slide easily into a campaign. It was fun to write some setting-style material again.

I've got to tell you, though, after three years, it's wonderful to see all of this information compiled into one book. This meaty tome offers so many new spells, feats, items, classes, and options for your game, it would take months of play to incorporate it all. But what a fun challenge it would be to try.

I hope you find that the material in this book adds the same excitement and fun to your campaign that it added to mine. I'd like to dedicate this book to the members of "Okay–Your Turn," the Malhavoc Press and montecook.com message boards. You asked all the right questions, you provided feedback, you were always ready for new material, and you helped
create and sustain a fun, friendly community for me to be a part of.

And of course, you asked for this book.