The lands of The Shining South are fraught with mystery, magic, and danger. If you've ever wanted to adventure in Dambrath, Halruaa, the Shaar, the Great Rift, Luiren, or the Shining Lands around the Golden Water, this book is for you! Listed below are ten new rules and options from The Shining South that can enhance characters native to these lands, or add to the mystery and excitement any character encounters while adventuring there.

10. Thri-Kreen: Want a character that's more than a little unusual? Then try one of the fearsome, psionic, insectoid hunters that roam the Shaar. Won't those two-weapon-wielding rangers be surprised when your character steps up with two gythkas in his four arms? Add psionic abilities, and even a wemic is likely to give him a wide berth!

9. Defensive Feats:The Shining South introduces some great new feats, some of which provide excellent defensive benefits. In particular, Allied Defense lets a character extend the benefit of Combat Expertise to adjacent allies, and Hold the Line lets her make attacks of opportunity against a charging opponent before the charge is resolved.

8. Wilderness Wisdom:The Shining South offers six new regional feats for the human tribes of the Shaar, plus feats that allow characters to cover their tracks, forage for food more effectively than normal, resist disease, and move and fight in the woods as efficiently as the elves. Several new spells that increase effectiveness in the wild round out the benefits for nature-loving characters.

7. Crinti Shadow Marauder: Who says mounted combat is just for ponderous knights on the battlefield? The Crinti shadow marauder is a master rider who can pop in and out of shadows while mounted, delivering vicious attacks before her opponent even knows she's there.

6. New Familiars: Two of the new creatures detailed in The Shining South -- the beguiler and the starsnake -- can be acquired as familiars with the Improved Familiar feat. Beguilers can see through illusions, and starsnakes are jewel-toned, flying snakes that defend themselves with electricity and possess a host of spell-like abilities. Either of these unusual familiars can make your wizard a force to be reckoned with.

5. Fiery Vision: This new spell lets a character shoot bolts of fire from his eyes. If you want your arcane spellcaster to be worthy of Hollywood, this is the spell for you!

4. Tentacle Spells:The Shining South offers two new variants of the Evard's black tentacles spell. Kyristan's malevolent tentacles bestows negative levels on grappled creatures, and Daltim's fiery tentacles deals fire damage each round.

3. Selective Spell: Every party has one fighter who has to charge everything so that the wizards and sorcerers can't use their best flashy magic. To help out those spellcasters, this invaluable metamagic feat lets them modify an area spell so that it does not affect a designated ally.

2. Tidal Wave: One of the most powerful forces of nature is yours to command with the tidal wave spell!

1. New Magic Items:The Shining South is chock-full of cool new magic items. Your character is bound to love the new special abilities for armor and shields, including freedom, healing (yes, your character's armor automatically drops 20 points of healing on him when he's disabled or dying), masking (to protect characters from divinations), menacing (a fear effect), mirror image, sanctuary, and vermin controlling. Your character can also get a weapon that exhausts, weakens, or paralyzes an enemy, or rusts her armor. And if that's not enough, how would your character like a Halruaan skyship of his very own?