Wizard's and Priest's Spell Compendiums: Four Volumes and Three
Editorial date: ยท TSR Archive
Identify all seven AD&D volumes, including the two printings of Wizard volume one. Separate the series from Encyclopedia Magica and later spell books.
The AD&D Wizard's Spell Compendium has four volumes. The Priest's Spell Compendium has three. A complete checklist therefore needs two series, not one four-volume template applied twice. Wizard volume one also has two printing records under the same product number.
Three priest volumes, despite searches for a fourth
The publisher descriptions reproduced in the archive explicitly identify a four-volume wizard series and a three-volume priest series. The observed search suggestions for this article included "priest spell compendium volume 4 pdf." A suggestion is evidence that a phrase is returned by search, not that the requested product exists. The archive's third priest volume is dated 2000 and numbered TSR 11611.
For wizard volume one, the archive distinguishes a 1996 first printing and a 1997 second printing, both TSR 2165. The pictured covers belong to those specific records. They establish a visible printing distinction. This article has not collated their interiors and does not claim that a new cover means new spells.
Use product numbers to assemble the two sets
| Series and volume | TSR number | Archive date |
|---|---|---|
| Wizard one | 2165 | First printing 1996. Second printing 1997 |
| Wizard two | 2168 | 1997 |
| Wizard three | 2175 | 1998 |
| Wizard four | 2177 | 1998 |
| Priest one | 11359 | 1999 |
| Priest two | 11421 | 1999 |
| Priest three | 11611 | 2000 |
Each of these volume records gives a 288-page perfect-bound book. A photograph of a stack should still show the series and volume labels: the similar bindings make a matching color an inadequate inventory method. When recording an incomplete set, list the volumes present rather than describing it as a compendium set without qualification.
The table identifies the published volumes represented here. It does not supply alphabetical spell ranges or certify which volume contains a particular index. For those tasks, consult the actual contents and index of the copy you will use. A fabricated index would make a complete-looking checklist less useful.
Updated spell references still need a rules context
The reproduced descriptions say the editors gathered spells from AD&D books and magazines, reaching back to 1975, and updated early material for use. Treat the claim to collect every spell as the publisher's description of the project. This article has not audited every magazine and adventure against the finished books.
An updated entry is also not the original printing of that spell. For campaign use, note the compendium volume and page you have adopted. For historical comparison, identify the earlier source separately. If two versions differ, decide which governs your campaign before copying one onto a character sheet.
The Encyclopedia Magica guide concerns magic items and its own volume and index arrangement. Its four-volume structure does not determine the priest series' length. Likewise, a later book titled Spell Compendium should not be treated as one of these AD&D volumes without checking its rules edition and product identity.
Sources and scope
Product identification and reproduced publisher descriptions: dd1/wsc1-1.htm; dd1/wsc1-2.htm; dd1/wsc2.htm; dd1/wsc3.htm; dd1/wsc4.htm; dd1/psc1.htm; dd1/psc2.htm; dd1/psc3.htm. Cover images are preserved local archive files, linked to their source records above. No exhaustive spell index, reprint collation or proof of the publisher's every-spell completeness claim. Preparation methods in this article are editorial recommendations, not a report of a new playtest.