A generally useful product that covers the usefulness and eventual breakdown of cheaply made magic items. It covers all the schools and power levels.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Acceptable<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Satisfied<br>

This small product does a decent job introducing the concept of a substandard or faulty magic item. The rules to make a substandard magic are simple to add and not anymore complicated than the existing magic item creation rules. Each school of magic has a 3 possible backfires when a faulty magic item is used with most of the effects being temporary in nature.

I hope to see more of Bret's work for Ronin Arts in the future.<br><br><b>LIKED</b>: The mechanics for the introduction of substandard item creation is simple to use and does not require the addition of a bunch of new material. Rules for damaging substandard magic items<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: I would have like to see an increased number of choices for each school of magic.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Very Good<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Satisfied<br>

Buying PDFs can be tricky. The cost little and sometimes they read like it. Sometimes, though, you come across a kernel of coolness that makes you wonder why it wasn't incorporated into the core books. I once read an account of a character who had a damaged flying broom. When used it would vomit forth a cloud of sparks and smoke. Cool idea. I'd like to see other items with that kind of flavor.

Substandard Magic Items is just the thing. It provides a concise ruleset for dealing with items made by the less than reputable. The understated fact is that this system encourages clever(and possibly disastrous) use of items rather than squelching ingenuity. If you're a DM who likes the unpredictable, I think you'll really enjoy this product. If you're a player who likes desperate plan Bs, get this for your DM. Either way, at $1.50 you really can't lose. <br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: I want more!<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Excellent<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Very Satisfied<br>