''Arcane Power'' is a supplement for the 4th edition of the ''
Dungeons & Dragons
''Dungeons & Dragons'' (commonly abbreviated as ''D&D'' or ''DnD'') is a fantasy tabletop role-playing game (TTRPG) originally created and designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson. The game was first published in 1974 by TSR (company)#Tactical ...
''
fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction that involves supernatural or Magic (supernatural), magical elements, often including Fictional universe, imaginary places and Legendary creature, creatures.
The genre's roots lie in oral traditions, ...
role-playing game
A role-playing game (sometimes spelled roleplaying game, or abbreviated as RPG) is a game in which players assume the roles of player character, characters in a fictional Setting (narrative), setting. Players take responsibility for acting out ...
.
Contents
''Arcane Power'' contains additional options and rules for
wizards,
warlocks
A warlock is a male practitioner of witchcraft.
Etymology and terminology
The most commonly accepted etymology derives ''warlock'' from the Old English '' wǣrloga'', which meant "breaker of oaths" or "deceiver". The term came to apply speciall ...
,
sorcerers,
bards
In Celtic cultures, a bard is an oral repository and professional story teller, verse-maker, music composer, oral historian and genealogist, employed by a patron (such as a monarch or chieftain) to commemorate one or more of the patron's an ...
, and swordmages.
Publication history
Shannon Appelcline commented that the initial product line for Fourth Edition ''Dungeons & Dragons'' was "a set of 'power' books that offered new options for players, organized by the power sources of 4E. ''
Martial Power'' (2008), ''Arcane Power'' (2009), ''
Divine Power'' (2009), and ''
Martial Power 2'' (2010) all focusing on 'standard' power sources; ''
Primal Power'' (2009) and ''
Psionic Power'' (2010) focused on more esoteric power sources, each of which was introduced in the ''
Player's Handbook
The ''Player's Handbook'' (spelled ''Players Handbook'' in first edition ''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons'' (''AD&D'')) is the name given to one of the core rulebooks in every edition of the fantasy role-playing game ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D'') ...
'' published earlier the same year."
''Arcane Power'' was published by
Wizards of the Coast
Wizards of the Coast LLC (WotC or Wizards) is an American game Publishing, publisher, most of which are based on fantasy and List of science fiction themes, science-fiction themes, and formerly an operator of retail game stores. In 1999, toy ...
in 2009. It was written by
Logan Bonner,
Eytan Bernstein, and
Peter Lee. The week of April 30, 2009, it reached No. 13 on the Association of Book Publishers of British Columbia's United States Non-fiction Bestsellers List.
Reception
Viktor Coble listed the entire ''Power'' series - including ''
Martial Power'', ''
Martial Power 2'', ''
Divine Power'', ''Arcane Power'', ''
Psionic Power'', and ''
Primal Power'' - as #2 on ''
CBR''
's 2021 "D&D: 10 Best Supplemental Handbooks" list, stating that "What sets the power series apart – besides their updated rules – is how they translate really well to 5e. Whereas, the "Complete" series needs a little more work. The rules have both been pared down and expanded upon in this guide, which makes picking up a copy for whatever type of character is most in favor worth it."
References
Dungeons & Dragons sourcebooks
Role-playing game supplements introduced in 2009
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