I wrote what could be described less as a review and more as a Thesis on this and Spheres of Might. I am going to write this review as bulletpointy and brief as possible so I don't overwhelm possible buyers.

Do I recommend this splat?

not just a regular yes, Yes with a Heading 1 to make it REALLY BIG. that thesis consisted largely of me ranting and raving like a lunatic about my pathfinder nostalgia using SoP/M. this has gotta be one of my favourite splats ever. 5 star for a reason.

Who is this splat for?

• Anyone who is dissatisfied with the very cut-and-dry system of magic that [DnD5e] offers.
• Anyone who Wants to use a magic system that offers Horizontal Progression as an option
• Anyone who is looking for a more malleable magic system for their RPGs, especially those that lean towards actually crafting spells.
• You pathfinder friends who loved this supplement back in that system.

Who is this splat not for?

• Anyone who is averse to reading rules, fortunately, if you're buying this book, that means you're likely part of the ~20% of 5e Enjoyers that don't fall into this category because you actually play the game
• Anyone who already considers 5e's simpleton magic system already too complex; this book has a lot of different concepts and requires a bit of a refocus on how magic works mechanically.
• Anyone who is already using a large amount of modifications to their current games in relation to magic (same for martial combat with spheres of Might). Trying to integrate this system with a lot of existing magic rules will result in a lot of jank and conflicts. it can be done, but it won't be easy. (definitely worth it from experience)
• Anyone who is expecting a more fluffy magical system; more on that later

The Good

• ITS SPHERES OF POWER ITS BACK, ITS UPDATED FOR 5E
• The rules in this system are precise and consistent. if you have a query about how something works, it will be in SoP.
• The rules updates for 5e bring it in line for better balance than just handjamming the pathfinder rules themselves.
• Sphere and Talent selection is broad enough to give players a wide variety of options.
• the class offerings allow easier quickstarts into the ruleset.
• theres a LOT of options in this book and its definitely worth its asking price for the volume of stuff
• combine the above points and you can make a wider array of characters. want to have a blade dancer with six dancing swords that teleport into peoples skulls like in that one final fantasy game? about seven levels with this and SoM and you're set.
• the System can be used interchangeably with regular casting rules. specifically, one character is a spherecaster, the other is a standard vancian caster. you can apparently also mix and match spherecasting classes with regular classes while multiclassing however I am not a psychopath so I will not be doing that.

The Bad

• Spheres of Power is impossible to perfectly balance against regular magic, and will always be inherently slightly more powerful due to the progression options. its a concession that, at least previously, the Authors have accepted. its part of what makes it difficult to make compatible with other homebrew. this makes it a good option if only the players are using it, as its easier than a DM trying to craft spells for every individual NPC, and will allow the party casters to feel adequately rewarded for the ffort they ahve put in to designing and crafting their spherecasters.
• The System is notorious for how fundamentally different it is mechanically to other systems. gone are the days of cantrip spam, you need to learn to manage your MANA (or spell points(tm) ). This system will intimidate newer DMs and players, and i recommend some prior experience before implementing it.
• my consistent criticism, even from the pathfinder days, is that SoP has a somewhat weird and esoteric list of sphere options. you've got stuff like alteration, life, light, Okay that makes sense. but now youve got Mind, Fate, Enhancement. I can live with this, but where's Fire, earth, air, water? ah well those would be assorted through all the other spheres, namely Destruction. Making a multifaceted cryomancer for example is less about investing very straightforwardly into an ice sphere as the name would suggest, but involves stuff from a wide range of diferent spheres(i want to note that it is, however, very possible to build said cryomancer, just not as simple as I feel it could be), which can ultimately lead to my next point.
• Following the older gaming style, its easy for players to accidentally noob trap themselves by spreading too wide and thin on different spheres and miscellaneous abilities. this is not an inherent trait of SoP/M, of course, however nothing that the splatbook is fundamentally different and the the requirement to relearn the core systems of magic can likely result in players struggling to find the right build. too many choices can be just as bad as no choice at all sometimes. Its not as bad as a lot of forward-port conversions, thankfully, and no option or choice in the book is a true "noob trap", however players will need to assess when they should preference horizontal vs vertical progression in their spheres rather than just simply selecting the "top three spells for spell level X"

Notes about the PDF itself The PDF is high quality, easily readable, and has a good smattering of fairly charming, simple hand-painted artwork throughout. its enough to get you thinking about builds, and the descriptions are clear, interesting to read and don't waste your time with excessive flowery writing. this is a PDF that offers a lot of content as is, and is ambitious to bring back this glorious old Magic system to 5e. It's not here to waste your time with novels about the creator's OCs and I respect that. My only major criticism about the PDF is that the top and bottom margin formatting could do with a bigger buffer, sometimes text clips with the top and bottom smoke/fire effect. it doesnt make it harder for me to read or anything, I just figured I should probably put something here for the sake of fairness.

Why 5 star with all those negative points I have dealt with SoP/M in pathfinder, a far more crunch intensive RPG than 5e could ever hope to be. while i meantioned that the system is intimidating to new players, that doesn't mean you should avoid it; rather you SHOULD push yourself to try and use it. you will adapt, it will make you more creative in character building, and give you a good reference on how to houserule and house-errata. I learned all of this, and eventually what appears initially as a negative for this system ultimately becomes transient, or even becomes a positive in my eyes. it made me a better player and an infinitely better 5e GM, as did Pathfinder as a whole.

Anything thi book is missing, should add, or have in future expeansions? WHERE ARE THE PRIMAL ELEMENT SPHERES, DDS? /j in all seriousness, I would love for more sphere options. the class selection is more than hearty enough and that is a testament to how fundamentally rock-solid this ruleset is, all I could possibly ask for is more creative and cool paths for me to branch out with. I should note that the book gives players all the resources to create their own spheres and talents, so theres no need to hold your breath if you have a similar concern, get creative.

In summary, best magic book for DnD5e.

It's the kind of modular magic that 5e needs, it lets me build my caster exactly how I want. It is a little "crunchier" than vanilla 5e, but I like systems with a little crunch!

I have been a fan of Spheres of Power ever since I stumbled across the Pathfinder version years ago. It has completely ruined vancain casting for me, in a good way. I can make any concept of character. NOW it is in 5e! I love this adaptation. I am not a big 5e fan, most of my friends and players are pretty much strictly loyal to 5e. I just get bored with 5e mechancially and how any sort of creativity is bending the rules of a spell or through flavor text. I'm got my start in 3rd edition as a crafter of weird items. An ocarina that summons horses? Done. A trumpet named Louis that casts gust of wind when you play a high C successfully? Done. A pair of boots that cast expeditious retreat if you have genuine desire to flee? Done. I could be creative like that with relative ease and autonomy just following the base rules. I didn't feel that in 5e as much, it felt to stringent.

But with 5e Spheres I feel like I can stretch my creative muscles again in a way I haven't been able to for a long time unless I was the DM. I can make a barriers and use them as platforms. I can shapeshift with a level of finesse that lets me feel like a master shapeshfiter like Beast Boy or Kevin 11 (from Ben 10). I only have good things to say about this product. I hope it can invigorate your table and the love of 5e like has for me and mine.