Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Shi'ar Morpheus 03-05-07, 09:21 PM	Codex of Ioulaum Upon first glance, this unassuming tome appears to be nothing more than a simple blue leather book bound with multiple crisscrossing straps. In reality, though, it is a potent major artifact created by the ancient and immensely powerful archmage Ioulaum. The book’s exact history is uncertain, but what is known is that the tome was thought lost in Myth Drannor following the city’s fall to the Army of Darkness in 714 DR. However, in 1375 DR, the book was recovered by the drow wizard Lore when a terrible monster known as a firewurm burrowed through solid earth into previously undiscovered chambers lost beneath the Irithlium Wizard’s School. The Codex is presumed to remain in the possession of Lore, though some reports claim that it was stolen by a former Red Wizard of Thay who now wanders the Heartlands in exile. The Codex itself holds incredible powers. First, the book is believed to be completely immune to damage of any kind, far and away from the traditional indestructibility inherent to all artifacts. In fact, when the possessor of the tome is the subject of a targeted spell effect, they may as an immediate action hold the Codex out like a shield and attempt to reflect the spell back at its caster. This power acts as a spell turning spell but can only be performed if the book is already in hand when the spell is cast. The true power of the Codex, though, is its ability to store and retrieve knowledge of any kind, including spells. The book is seemingly made of an infinite amount of pages and after centuries of acquisition, it now contains information on practically every subject. Also, countless arcane spells have been recorded within its pages. When one wishes to find specific information or a particular spell, they merely open the book and flip to a random page. Unerringly, that page will contain the knowledge or spell they seek. Further, the book can open to a blank page at any time so that new spells and knowledge may be constantly added to this incredible repository. In game terms this has two effects. First, the Codex allows its possessor to consult it as if they had the bardic knowledge ability as a 20th level bard with an Intelligence of 30 (granting a +30 to the bardic knowledge check). Second, the Codex should be considered to have an 80% chance to hold any particular sorcerer and wizard spell found within the PLAYER’S HANDBOOK, and possibly many others, at the DM’s discretion. This allows wizards to learn spells directly from the book so long as they succeed at their prerequisite Spellcraft checks; sorcerers may learn them normally. An additional power of the Codex further enhances the books ability to facilitate the casting of magic. When a caster in possession of the Codex casts a spell that is found within its pages, the book may also act as the material component or focus for the spell. This power functions by way of a little known feature of the book: the front blue leather cover of the Codex contains a seldom manifested face. When a new spell is added to the book, its material component is literally fed to this face, which materializes when the spell component is brought near it. After the component has been consumed, the book gains the ability to substitute itself for the material, though spells that have XP components still draw their requirements from the possessor’s total. Alas, for all of the Codex’s potent abilities, the book exacts its own price. First, the Codex does not hold any epic spells, nor does it have the ability to substitute itself for the material component or focus of an epic spell. Should an epic spell be added to its pages, the material component requirements will still have to be fulfilled for it to be cast, as will any XP requirements. Also, as the book had many possessors prior to its loss in Myth Drannor, it has been scribed in a number of ancient tongues. For a single individual to make complete use of the book they must have the ability to read and write and when appropriate speak the languages and alphabets of Aragrakh, Common, Draconic, Hamarfae, Imaskari, Loross, Roushoum, Seldruin and Thorass. For every language or alphabet listed that the possessor of the book is unable to comprehend, consider them to have a cumulative 10% chance of failing the bardic knowledge check. Moreover, a failed result of 01-10% means that though the check failed, the possessor believes that the check succeeded when in fact the book has revealed misinformation of a dire nature (how this effects individual circumstances is left to the DM’s discretion). Worse yet, each time the bardic knowledge ability of the Codex is used, there is a 1% noncumulative chance that the book will instead drain either a random spell slot or knowledge skill from the possessor (50-50 chance of either). The book will drain a spell slot of level 1d10-1 or a random knowledge skill of 1d10 ranks. This loss is permanent and can only be restored by a greater restoration spell cast by a 20th level divine caster. Finally, anyone who studies from the Codex of Ioulaum for one month without interruption gains a +4 permanent intuitive bonus to Knowledge (arcana) and Spellcraft checks, as well as a bonus metamagic, reserve or item creation feat.
Ramar Aulinvox 03-06-07, 07:04 PM	P.E.A.C.H.???? Please Eat All Crunchy Hippos???
BrennonGoldeye 03-06-07, 10:18 PM	Please Eat All Crunchy Hippos Hey, I think got that game on my 6th birthday! No wait..:lightbulb .. that was something else....:bored: Shi'ar Morpheus, I like. :thumbsup:
Stigger 03-08-07, 03:09 AM	Always assumed it meant Please Evaluate And Comment Helpfully, but I'm probably wrong about one of those words.
Zevox 03-08-07, 03:19 AM	Always assumed it meant Please Evaluate And Comment Helpfully, but I'm probably wrong about one of those words. I think I saw on another board that it mean "Please Evaluate and Critique Honestly", but I also may be wrong. Zevox
MarkusTay63 03-08-07, 11:20 AM	Either way, it means "what the hell do you guys think of this?" ;)
Shi'ar Morpheus 03-08-07, 06:17 PM	Well, thanks for the serious replies people.... anyways, I didn't make it up. Actually, I think it's pretty gay, but I'm just trying to speak the slang to get something done around here. So if someone could actually read the post and respond, I'd appreciate it. Thanks.
Ramar Aulinvox 03-08-07, 07:34 PM	Sorry to get things off subject. In reponse to the actual artifact, it seems a little overpowered. Question, you said that the tome gets knowledge of spells by having them scribed into them; however, how does the tome come by other types of knowledge? Perhaps it should have a number of ranks in various Knowledge skills instead of bardic knowledge (bardic knowledge is usually tales while knowledge ranks would give actual knowledge). Perhaps the book could require something in exchange for knowledge. The expenditure of a number of spell slots for some tasks while others would require a spell being inscribed to function (similar to how Ioulam demands an epic spell or wisdom drain to answer questions).
Paix 03-10-07, 01:54 PM	It is a rather interesting artifact. In fact I think it can even be worshipped in the place of Mystra. It seems to possess most of the traits of the godess. All the spells, all the metamagic and all the knowledge ever produced. I do not see the 'gayness' however. Perhaps if the user suffered from sexual re-orientation while in his possession. If it was meant to be lively and happy then perhaps the user could have some extra bonus to morale and feel giddy at inappropriate times.
Shi'ar Morpheus 03-11-07, 08:17 PM	Paix... what the hell are you talkin about man? Anyways, Ramar, if you look closely it says a blank page exists for inscribing new spells and knowledge. It is alittle powerful, but it is a major artifact created by the Realms premier arcanist. Mechanically, I adapted the Book of Eldritch Might from Monte Cook's Book of Eldritch Wizardry II and just added the spell turning and component substitution properties. I thought a Bardic Lore check as a 20th level bard was high too, but if Monte thinks it's ok, who am I to argue?...
Wizard56 03-12-07, 12:26 AM	Maybe some background about how the elves acquired it. Ioulaum himself disappeared, rumoured to have become a lich. If he had such a powerful, book, it seems more likely he'd have kept it. Hard to imagine someone taking it away from him.
ShadezofDis 03-12-07, 01:58 PM	Ummm... aren't artifacts supposed to have a negative effect that is relatively parallel to it's power level? Perhaps a good negative trait for a book of this power would be a 1% chance that anytime you use the book a spell or knowledge gets drained from you and becomes the books. One won't notice the effect until one puts the book away for a time (which is always insanely difficult when dealing with artifacts) or something along those lines. Basically what I'm saying is; I only see half an artifact here.
msatran 03-12-07, 05:36 PM	Look. I'm a straight white male, and even I realize, thuggish as I am, that peach is a derogatory term for homosexuals. While I realize that there's a functioning acronym here, please don't label it "Gay." That's highly inappropriate.
Shi'ar Morpheus 03-13-07, 06:03 PM	Shadez of Dis, Good point, man, and I like your suggestion... If it had a 1% chance per use of the Bardic Lore ability to permanently drain one random spell (not a spell slot!) of level 1d10-1 or knowledge skill from a users memory would that be a good balancing factor? The user would then have to relearn the spell from another source or the Codex itself. But how would a knowledge skill work? Perhaps the book drains 1d10 ranks from one of the users knowledge skills, chosen randomly? Any suggestions? Does that balance?
ShadezofDis 03-14-07, 03:27 PM	Shadez of Dis, Good point, man, and I like your suggestion... If it had a 1% chance per use of the Bardic Lore ability to permanently drain one random spell (not a spell slot!) of level 1d10-1 or knowledge skill from a users memory would that be a good balancing factor? The user would then have to relearn the spell from another source or the Codex itself. But how would a knowledge skill work? Perhaps the book drains 1d10 ranks from one of the users knowledge skills, chosen randomly? Any suggestions? Does that balance? I would, in fact, have it eat the spell and the spell slot (though the spell slot might only be a 1d4 week duration, thus after 1-4 weeks you get the spell slot back, or you could make it so you can gain back the spell slot through a greater restoration or more powerful magic) and I'd in fact have the knowledge fully taken. I think these two effects, along with a desire to use the book and to keep the book with them at all times (good old artifact effect), might balance the ability to learn any PHB spell (along with others at DM descretion) and use the book for the material components of any spells. Add in the knowledge one possessing the book can call upon then it may even be a bit restrained for the abilities of the item. A couple questions though; Does the book have anything to do with epic magic? If so then I would keep both the negative traits I suggested and add a few others to boot. Well, maybe not a couple then ;D
Zsych 03-17-07, 09:45 AM	I'd kill the indestructibility. You could make it self-repairing if it isn't destroyed(over a reasonable period of time). I can see Netherese arcanists creating pseudo-Nether scrolls, or something similar. I'm not sure all spells in the players handbook were around in the Netherese times, and how much knowledge it has should depend on when exactly it was made. Also, all knowledge it contains should be either that which was available in Netherese times, or according to some specific interest of its elven owner. How much knowledge even Ioulaum might have put in something like this, outside of spells is somewhat debateable. From an archmage, info about governance techniques and such might be expected though. -- As one among many backups of Ioulaum's personal diary/magical reference, I think this has potential. -- As for negative effects... where acquiring this book should be hard, and you might need to know Netherese to read it, I wouldn't really think that its creator would have put serious defences on it unless it contained very private knowledge. If you, let's say, make it a kind of high priced book that might have been generally available in Netheril, and shared for the promotion of knowledge.. or given as a gift to talented arcanists(to share as he will), I would expect it to be something that any user would find quite valuable. --- As for epic magic, I'd expect it to have no info on any epic spells. Although one would think that knowledge of 10+ spells or rather, knowledge of the laws of Torilean physics manipulated by 10+, might give someone creating a similar epic spell a better understanding of what he needs to do, so the research cost/time might be reduced, if the codex has info on that topic... in a way useful today(I'd give this a 20-30% chance, and the benefit would also vary)
Shi'ar Morpheus 03-18-07, 05:57 PM	Ok, I tempered the ability to learn any PHB spell. It's now iffy as to whether or not the book holds the spell. I also added some penalties, including a language requirement and the chance that you get a failed or misleading result. Also, the chance that the book eats a spell slot or knowledge skill has been added for balance. How about the item now? Is it balanced?
Shi'ar Morpheus 03-19-07, 10:41 AM	Shadez... anyone... HELLO!!! It's been fixed... somebody read it, please!!!
ShadezofDis 03-19-07, 12:25 PM	Thinking about it friend, I'll get back to you when I've let it percolate long enough.
Zsych 03-22-07, 07:24 AM	I don't approve of counter abilities added purely for the sake of balance. If you have a leftover artifact from Netheril, it has to be something that someone at least, would have found useful and feasible. Besides, its easier to make several magical items than one item with a quadrillion abilities. -- Why would anyone add the ability to randomly steal spells or spellslots into it(and they didn't even have spellslots in Netheril days) I'd suggest just leaving it as a high-end spellbook/diary with quick reference from the old days... maybe link it to a central repository of shared Netherese knowledge(that could be interesting for the campaign... although the the repository could be partially broken) Being able to use it as a defence against virtually any spell attack is a bit much.. automatic defence against specific attacks might be more reasonable(plus it makes the user mildly like a Chosen of Mystra :)) -- If you need defence against a lot of attacks, why not create a seperate item for it?
ShadezofDis 03-22-07, 09:55 AM	I don't approve of counter abilities added purely for the sake of balance. That's part of the point of artifacts, they are immensely powerful and that power is balanced by both the artifacts side effects (the negative effects) and the social consequences of possesing such an item. If you have a leftover artifact from Netheril, it has to be something that someone at least, would have found useful and feasible. Besides, its easier to make several magical items than one item with a quadrillion abilities. First, how is this not an immensely useful item? Second, an artifact is both an incredibly useful item (so long as you tread carefully) and a social status symbol (we are talking about Netheril here, you needed to do SOMETHING to set yourself apart) Why would anyone add the ability to randomly steal spells or spellslots into it(and they didn't even have spellslots in Netheril days) Artifact negative traits are rarely placed in the item (unless you have a "work around" for the negative trait and are using it to keep others from using your item), most often they are negative side effects the creator never intended. I'd suggest just leaving it as a high-end spellbook/diary with quick reference from the old days... maybe link it to a central repository of shared Netherese knowledge(that could be interesting for the campaign... although the the repository could be partially broken) Then it's not an artifact (though you could have the "central repository" be an artifact item, then it could be up in the air if you make the book/books artifacts themselves). Being able to use it as a defence against virtually any spell attack is a bit much.. automatic defence against specific attacks might be more reasonable(plus it makes the user mildly like a Chosen of Mystra :)) Eh, if the spell has to strike the book itself then it's rather limited anyhow. AoE's, spells that target but don't send a "ray" or "ranged touch" type attack, ect. Basically, I'd rule it as "any spell that's spell power can be intercepted by the book" and then it the case of ray or ranged touch the PC (or NPC) would have to make a contested attack roll in order to get the book between them and the caster. If you need defence against a lot of attacks, why not create a seperate item for it? A limit on how many items you can wear? The fact you want to create the "uber defense item of the year". You were bored. Besides, this effect reads much more like "The book was intended to be indestructable and as a side effect people found that you could use it as a 'spell shield'" That reminds me of something that's missing though; How does one destroy the book?
Zsych 03-26-07, 09:06 AM	The point is that this book has been described as indestructible beyond most greater artifacts. First, I'm not sure Ioulaum could do that. Two... why would you make an indestructible spellbook? ... also, Netherese didn't have very good luck with high-end artifacts(although the stuff left by them is now often artifact class by virtue of it being over the level of current wizard's creative ability) --- Basically, the indestructibility reminds me of the Nether Scrolls(which were only immune to magic). And the Netherese didn't have magic enough to replicate the Nether scrolls. --- I do expect great creations from Ioulaum, but this somehow doesn't feel like one of them. .. and getting data from an old repository would make the book like a computer connected to the internet... artifact class by virtue of being over the level of most current day wizards :) -- On artifacts with side-effects. I don't think all artifacts have random side-effects. Sure there have been artifacts with accidental properties, but Ioulaum was never researching carelessly well beyond his level. ... looking at the Imaskari.. 7... <don't remember what they were :)>.. Like the book which is the 3rd artifact and was in the underground Imaskari city. Those artifacts hurt you if you don't know the Imaskari language. But that's actually a reasonable security measure. ... Normally, I'd think that you should make negative abilities that are explainable, and not just there to balance things out. --------------- I think a question is in order. @OP: What is this book for? Where is it intended to be used?
ShadezofDis 03-26-07, 09:48 AM	The point is that this book has been described as indestructible beyond most greater artifacts. Really? Artifacts as a rule are almost indestructible. . . unless that's been retconned. One of the artifacts I made for a game back in the day needed to be bathed in the breath of Tiamats 5 heads. If you take a look at the 2nd ed Artifacts handbook (or whatever the name of it is), most of the artifacts needed something of that level to destroy them. First, I'm not sure Ioulaum could do that. Two... why would you make an indestructible spellbook? As far as I know there aren't any good rules for artifact creation (and I really would rather not see them made). Ioulaum could have made it with the help of outsiders, his apprentices or anyone else he could have coerced. ... also, Netherese didn't have very good luck with high-end artifacts(although the stuff left by them is now often artifact class by virtue of it being over the level of current wizard's creative ability) True, but creating one artifact doesn't change that. On artifacts with side-effects. I don't think all artifacts have random side-effects. Sure there have been artifacts with accidental properties, but Ioulaum was never researching carelessly well beyond his level. The thing about artifacts is that they are above and beyond what magic is supposed to be capable of, there isn't a "standard" way to create one, they are unique in the history of the world (in most cases). ... looking at the Imaskari.. 7... <don't remember what they were :)>.. Like the book which is the 3rd artifact and was in the underground Imaskari city. Those artifacts hurt you if you don't know the Imaskari language. But that's actually a reasonable security measure. I'm not familiar with this artifact, source? ... Normally, I'd think that you should make negative abilities that are explainable, and not just there to balance things out. These negative side effects that I've suggested for the book work in line with the books "purpose" and powers. The book has grown since it's original creation and now is "hungery" for knowledge and will suck that knowledge from a user if the user is not carefull (and perhaps there should be a way around the potential knowledge drain, but I'd probably keep the effect and modify the chance it happens)
Zsych 03-27-07, 04:55 AM	@ShadesofDis: The OP has described it as being far beyond most artifacts in indestructibility. Lets just say that its invulnerable, and Mordekainen Disjunction certainly won't have any effect. My point is that including an ability like that isn't necessary for a book. If you make pure diamond covers for your books, you've gone too far, and it has gone from cool to stupid(even for a rich guy). -- On Ioulaum's creation of artifacts. With the Netherese there are two types of artifacts. 1. Magical items that were common(or at least could be made by any sufficiently high level mage) in Netheril days due to their superior magical knowledge and the availability of 10+ magic. 2. High end magical items that the Netherese didn't know how to create, but the rules for developing which were available in the Nether scrolls(in a somehow flawed way) With very few exceptions, all Netherese artifacts fall into the first category. They made things with their own knowledge. That knowledge although greater than that of current day mages, wasn't generally of the level of 'kill a god by twitching a finger'. There's nothing particularly unique about most Netherese magical artifacts. Netherese abilities should generally be considered advanced forms of current day magic... from a more technologically advanced people(not quite humans turned gods).. possibly at cheaper cost of production than mages of current day FR. -- As for the Imaskari... refer Lost Empires, and for Deep Imaskar, the Underdark sourcebook... basically those 7 are repositories for the knowledge of the Imaskari, and give various other benefits. -- On the book again... who says anyone would want a book to be sentient enough to hunger for spells? As I said, with a few notable exceptions, Netherese knew what they were making, before they made it. They were not randomly creating high level magic items that might or might not do what they wanted. And incompetance isn't something you expect from Ioulaum. -- In all likelihood, Ioulaum or Lord Shadow, or Aumvor(or any of the other remaining Netherese), can still make magical items that would be considered artifacts by current day Faerunian mages... To them, they'd just be regular magical items.