This product’s tag line of “never cast the same spell twice!” is entirely accurate, 1001 Spells is a source for new spells that should outlive any campaign. It provides a wide selection of interesting and dangerous spells for all casting time. If you think can never have enough new spells, this product seeks to prove you wrong.
1001 Spells is a 291-page PDF (287-pages if you remove the cover, OGL page and ads) for the Pathfinder RPG written by Steven D. Russell and published by Rite Publishing. A HeroLab file for the spells for use with that character building program is also included.
1001 Spells has a traditional two columns layout and is easily readable, though done in a tight font. The art is full color cover with a variety of interior pieces in black and white tied to various spells.
1001 Spells contains what it says on the label, many, many new spells. It leaps right into the spell lists for the core spell casting classes without preamble and then to the spells themselves and ending with two appendices covering spell lists for the Advanced Player’s Guide classes and the Magus from Ultimate Magic.
The spells are roughly evenly divided among the ten levels of spells (from 0 to 9th) providing a wide range of options, though -as usual for fantasy game magic- they are weighted toward combat spells. Curses, charms, explosions, all are catered to. Fans of illusions will not be disappointed either. Many clever implementations of various ideas are included among the various spells. A little more color description of some of the spell effects might have been nice but I understand that the product is long enough as it is.
Ironically, it is the very mass of spells here that makes this product troublesome. There is no way to sort them beside the spell lists, which do help especially for wizard’s schools of magic, but some thematic lists (fire spells, good aligned spells, undead affecting and such) would have made it a bit easier to pull thematic spells for a villain or tome. But when the major problem with your product is too much of a useful resource, overall you are good.
