The revised edition of what was formerly the "Tome of Missing Magic" is 141 pages long, 1 page front cover, 1 page SRD, 139 pages of content, so let's check it out - again!
This pdf, sans frills etc., seeks to reproduce items from older editions and update them to PFRPG , including feats to make potions of higher levels and wands of higher levels (via a total of 4 feats). Without any ado, the pdf delves right into tables - a realize that this revision is not a half-hearted one: We get stock-art (which is ok) but more importantly, we get a completely reorganized pdf: Want random tables for potions? They are in the potions chapter. Much easier and intuitive to use than the split of tables first, contents later that we had before. Kudos!
Hence, we delve into the descriptions of potions, which include ones of bear's endurance, alter self etc. as well as potions that allow you dominate e.g. any type of dragon as per the dominate monster spell for 17 rounds. Sample scrolls of baleful polymorph etc. are included, but that's where the problems creep in: This pdf provides a lot of potions, scrolls etc. that can be created via the standard rules as well as e.g. items like rings of confusion etc. - all coming with solid statblocks, creation rules, auras etc., including entries that point towards the core-rules for e.g. rods of lordly might.
Per se, this pdf's massive collection of expertly presented items could be considered a nice professional offering, but honestly, the problem is that the items herein can be made by any DM worth his/her salt - no one needs these scrolls and potions, they can be created easily. The item-section could be considered an collection of them like the AD&D encyclopedias of old - but by now, we have the APG, UM and UC - all of which are utterly ignored, with all the rules introduced by them. Now yes, if you're like me, this pdf tugs at your heart's strings with phylacteries of eternal youth, ropes of entanglement and especially the artifact section, but more on that later. Manuals for all attributes get a d%-table to determine their bonuses. Old-school, yes, but do we really need this?
The artifacts especially are a blast from the past, coming with advice and sample DCs for knowledge checks to know about their past. And oh boy, is this nostalgia tugging at the heart's strings - whether it's the arch-lich's hand and eye or a staff made of 7 component parts - this pdf essentially provides you with the IP-free versions of artifacts like Vecna's Hand and Eye or the Rod of 7 Parts and mechanically, they actually aren't bad and come with nice consequences and means of destruction. They are well-made and have their own twists to set them slightly apart from their inspirations without being unrecognizable. Seriously nice.
We also get tables of e.g. banded mails, breast plates etc. from +1 to +5 with price, cost to create, total bonuses, max dex-bonuses etc., also in special materials - again, in tables upon tables, including modifications of e.g. mithral or adamantine, darkwood or dragonhide. Special weapon qualities (though called "templates", which is an incorrect term in PFRPG) are also displayed, e.g. providing the cost etc. stats for a general axiomatic melee weapon +2. And yes, these weapons may again have the benefit of being ready-made for your convenience, but again: Every Dm could create them him/herself. The final section of this pdf is devoted to types of ammunition, including e.g. shocking burst +2 ammunition.
Conclusion:
Editing and formatting are very good, bordering on excellent: I noticed no significant glitch over a pdf this long and the general presentation of the items adheres to all the conventions of PFRPG. Nice display of professionalism there. Layout adheres to a no-fills, 2-column standard with light green used to highlight the respective item entries/table-entries, making the pdf generally rather printer-friendly - were it not for all the entries that only consist of the item's name and a sentence pointing towards the core-book. Were the respective pointers towards other books also included, this would make sense - with the focus on just the core rules, though, this means that the entries only empty toner/ink-cartridges without contributing anything. Hyperlinks to d20pfsrd.com would have gone a long way there. A massive and perhaps the most signifcant improvement, at least for me, though would not be cosmetic rearrangement or the inclusion of stock art, but rather the fact that we now get a vast variety of nested bookmarks, which makes handling this book so much better.
This revision is much more professional in style, presentation and content and is does several things very right indeed: Adhering to PFRPG-standards in wording and formatting, item-blocks etc. Rereviewing this pdf was a colossal pain that took me forever, including checking many of the item's math and from what I could glean, they are correct, meaning that A LOT of work has gone into this pdf. The artifacts and their tugging of one's nostalgic heart's strings also means that grognards will probably find a collection of items that will have them smile.
In the end, a massive problem I have with this pdf is how to rate this: On the one hand, evidently a vast amount of work has gone into the creation of this pdf and generally, the result can be considered professionally appealing. The pdf, while still not beautiful, is much improved from its previous iteration. The price has also been reduced to a point where it is more than fair for teh increased value and usability.
There's a potential problem you might encounter, though: The lack of creativity. Much like academic writing and writing in general, game design is both an art and a craft - craft-wise, this pdf is devoid of flaws regarding the crunch, but it is also utterly artless. This pdf, for me, at once was nostalgic and terribly, utterly dreary to review. I couldn't find a single piece of creative spark, of soul in these pages. Much like a Sepia-tinged photo of an unremarkable day (in contrast to e.g. a wedding or cherished childhood day) gone by, this pdf elicits feelings of nostalgia and can be considered useful, but fails to truly evoke an emotional response or excitement. It signifies towards a nostalgia, but offers not much soul beyond that, remaining a solid example of crafting, but much like something produced in a factory, it lacks the charm of e.g. a work of the "Arts & Craft"-movement.
In the end, whether this is a good purchase for you depends utterly on how lazy you are as a DM and how nostalgic-prone you are. If you have fond memories of those items of old, consider this revised version a neat offering and 5 stars. If You're not that into it, this book still provides a LOT of hard work for you and should be considered a 3-star offering. While personally, in spite of definitely being prone to massive bouts of nostalgia and old-school gaming, this didn't grip me, I can consider the effort and dedication that went into the creation of this pdf and its revision a supreme example of a will to improve. My final verdict for this revised book will hence be between both extremes, at a solid 4 stars and thus a massive upgrade from its previous iteration.
Endzeitgeist out.