What makes a fantasy fantastic? Magic, of course! Whether it’s unearthly beasts, scheming sorcerers, legendary swords or locales that defy logic and physics, a compelling fantasy story needs magical elements. The tricky part is that in order for the story to work, you have to get your reader or player to believe the unbelievable.

The Kobold Guide to Magictakes you behind the scenes to learn the secrets of designing and writing about magic from 20 top fantasy authors and game designers. Find out how to create more compelling, more interesting, and more playable magic at your table or in your stories—with the word from some of the most talented creators working today.

The topics are wide-ranging, from the secrets of Irish magic to tricks of impractical magic, from how to generate a sense of wonder at the gaming table to how to rejigger the teleport spell for stronger adventures tohow to sell a character's soul and how to run a game with visions and prophecies. There's even sections on the magic of J.R.R. Tolkien and the tools available to a game master for making magic their own.

The Essential Guide to Magic in Fiction and Games

This essential companion for fantasy gamers and readers alike feature essays by:

Wolfgang Baur
Clinton Boomer
David Chart
David "Zeb" Cook
James Enge
Ed Greenwood
Jeff Grubb
Kenneth Hite
James Jacobs
Colin McComb
Richard Pett
Tim Pratt
John Rateliff
Thomas Reid
Aaron Rosenberg
Ken Scholes
F. Wesley Schneider
Amber E. Scott
Willie Walsh
Martha Wells
Steve Winter

This latest volume in the best-selling and award-winning series of Kobold Guides tackles the mystery at the heart of the fantasy genre. Improve your game and expand your magical power with the Kobold Guide to Magic!