The Complete Arcane supplement offers a plethora of new spells, feats, magic items, and prestige classes designed especially for arcane spellcasters. Below are ten reasons why Complete Arcane is a great resource for players.

10. Warlock:Complete Arcane offers three new base classes. Of these, the warlock is the most different from the standard D&D spellcaster. A warlock has innate magical power stemming from a supernatural bloodline. Rather than casting spells, he uses invocations -- powers that function as spell-like abilities. In addition, the warlock has damage reduction and can attack with an eldritch blast -- a magical ray that deals increasing damage as he attains levels in the class.

9. Invocations: These spell-like abilities available only to warlocks function as spell-like abilities. Some duplicate the effects of spells, from darkness to baleful polymorph. Others produce entirely new effects, such as fell flight (which grants a fly speed), enervating shadow (which grants total concealment and imposes a Strength penalty on nearby living creatures), and dark discorporation (which turns the user into a swarm of batlike shadows). Still others alter the shape or effect of the user's eldritch blast.

8. New Prestige Classes: Want to play an arcane spellcaster who's completely different?Try the fatespinner, who can control probability by adjusting DCs (for saving throws, skill checks, and ability checks), forcing others to reroll results, and applying major bonuses or penalties to the rolls of others. Or perhaps you'd refer the enlightened fist, a monk who can apply arcane power to her unarmed strikes and other monk abilities. Or maybe you want the Suel arcanamach -- a warrior/spellcaster who can ignore all or part of the arcane spell failure chance associated with wearing armor and also dispel magical effects on his enemies with melee blows.

7. Bardic Prestige Classes: Looking for a prestige class to spice up your bard? Complete Arcane offers two -- the seeker of the song and the sublime chord. The seeker of the song gains numerous defensive bonuses, and her musical effects can deal energy damage, heal, banish extraplanar creatures, or function like dispel magic or dimension door. The sublime chord's musical effects can boost his caster level, lock an opponent in a field of timelessness, or produce a pool of cosmic fire. In addition, his spell progression eventually provides access to 9th-level spells.

6. New Metamagic Feats:Complete Arcane offers a host of new metamagic feats, including Chain Spell (which arcs a spell to a number of secondary targets after affecting the primary one), Repeat Spell (which automatically recasts a spell 1 round later), Cooperative Spell (which boosts the caster level and save DC when multiple casters cast the same spell simultaneously), Transdimensional Spell (which lets a spell affect creatures in coexistent planes and extradimensional spaces), and Nonlethal Substitution (which lets the caster opt to deal nonlethal instead of lethal damage with an energy spell).

5. Sudden Feats: Seven new metamagic feats (Sudden Empower, Sudden Extend, Sudden Maximize, Sudden Quicken, Sudden Silent, Sudden Still, and Sudden Widen) allow the caster to apply a metamagic feat to a spell without prior preparation. What wouldn't your mage give to use a metamagic feat on just one spell at the right time, without preparing it specially, taking up a higher spell slot, or increasing the casting time?

4. Draconic Feats: Finally your sorcerer can get more than a cool family history out of his draconic heritage. The nine new draconic feats in Complete Arcane can give him everything from a dragon's breath weapon to energy resistance. Flight, claw attacks, new class skills, dragon feats, increased spellcasting power, a minor frightful presence effect, and a natural armor bonus round out the options his heritage can grant.

3. Orb Spells: Now your sorcerer, wizard, or warmage can shoot an orb of pure energy (acid, cold, electricity, fire, force, or sound) at an enemy and deal up to 15d6 points of energy damage! Secondary effects (sickened, blinded, entangled, dazed, or deafened) also apply to the targets of orb spells.

2. Spells, Spells, Spells:Complete Arcane has dozens of new spells -- everything from the basic utilitarian (such as energy immunity or fire wings) to the high-flash, high-damage effects (such as emerald flame fist, fireburst, and flensing). Need to beef up your wizard's familiar? Try fortify familiar, familiar pocket, or imbue familiar with spell ability. Want to dispel a major effect that your mage normally couldn't touch? Try reaving dispel, which also gives the caster the chance to redirect the spell effect to herself if desired. Whatever kind of spell you want, you'll find it here!

1. Specialist Wizard Tips: Having trouble getting a handle on your specialist wizard? Trying to decide whether to specialize at all? Complete Arcane offers a rundown on the general characteristics of each type of specialist wizard and offers tips on strategy and roleplaying.