Book of Shadows [Archive] - Wizards Community

Book of Shadows [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Gaia
12-29-05, 12:39 AM This is my idea of a D&D Book of Shadows:

Book of Shadows (Minor Artifact)
A Book of Shadows is a spellbook that has transcended from generations to generations of spellcasters (of all kinds and races). A Book of Shadows is a spellbook of infinite pages. The Book of Shadows is intelligent (Int 18, Wis 19, Cha 16, Ego 30) and is Neutral. It Speaks all languages (including Druidic) and has telepathy. It can cast at will detect magic and detect thoughts. The owner of the Book of Shadows casts all his/her spells at +1 caster level, and can cast spells applying any Metamagic feat to them without changing its level slot (once per day each Metamagic feat). When a Book of Shadows is open, only blank pages are found; however, when the correct command word is spoken (when someone holds the book for more than 1 hour, he/she automatically knows the command word), the pages begin to turn continuously until the owner utters the name of a spell (in any language). If the Book of Shadows judges that the owner is worthy to know it (DM's discretion), the pages stop turning and show the written spell. If the Book of Shadows judges that the woner is unworthy (also DM's discretion), the pages stop turning, showing a blank page. If the spell shown has multiple levels (depending on the casting class) the DM should define it. The Book of Shadows knows all spells. The owner doesn't need to decipher the spell,as the Book of Shadows does it for him/her. However, he /she still needs to make the Spellcraft check (DC 15 + spell's level) to prepare/copy/cast it.

All spells from the Book of Shadows can be copied to a spellbook or casted, using the same process of writing and casting spells from borrowed spellbooks shown in the PHB p.178-179. Also, a Sorcerer or other spontaneous spellcaster cantry to learn spells from the Book of Shadows by leveling up (as described in the PHB p. 179).
If a page is teared off from the Book of Shadows, it vanishes and re-appears in the book.

Also, the owner of the Book of Shadows can use the same command word to look for information about an important person, place or thing. The process is the same as looking for spells, but uttering the person, place or thing's name. The info showed in the pages is the same as it would be by casting Legend Lore.

Finally, the Book of Shadows can be asked to answer questions (also by using the correct command word). Its answers, shown in the pages, result as they would be by making a Knowledge check from the corresponding field. The Book of Shadows has 30 Knowledge ranks for each field. The info provided by the Knowledge and Legend Lore abilities are also DM's discretion.

The Book of Shadows is always looking for more knowledge. The owner of the book needs to write, daily, some kind of knowledge he knows in the blank pages (which "absorbs" the writing, leaving the pages blank again). If the Book of Shadows finds it "interesting" (DM's discretion), it considers the owner true to its goal, functioning normally for that day. If not, the owner must continue writing until the Book of Shadows finds something interesting, or beat the item in a personal conflict (see DMG, p. 271) to be able to use the book freely.

So, what do you think about it? :thinks:
Puca
12-29-05, 10:31 AM I like the concept. Not enough magic books.

1) You havent used the words arcane or divine. I assume arcane.

2) The languages thing: pain in the ass. I have to roll 20 times? Besides, arent all magical writings in the language of magic anyway?

3) The mechanic for determining if a spell is there: also annoying. I feel like the DM would have his own infinite list of spells that youve already asked about. I dont however have a better suggestion.

4) The crunch: where is it? All I get from this is a decent chance of being able to copy down a spell. Granted, I stand to save a lot of cash, but it is an artifact. For that level of power, there should be something.

5) The flavor: What is "shadowy" about this book?

6) I like the legend-lore stuff. That is good.

Heres what I would do:
A) Put the spells in it. Hell, just say, "Every spell in the new Spell Compendium is in this book." Then maybe come up with a way to make them hard to find or understand or something. Its a big damn book.

B) Give some powers, like the possessor casts at +1 level or maybe add the powers of associated with a couple of metamagic rods or something. Id also look at powers associated with darkness or the plane of Shadow or Illusion or something for the flavor.

C) Heres a thought: make the book intelligent. Give it ranks in History, Spellcraft, and some of the other knowledges. Maybe it communicates by writing on itself or something. Flavor it as the accumulated wisdom of its many previous owners. Perhaps that communication could occur in a random language to reflect the owner who originally knew the information?
Gaia
12-29-05, 01:55 PM I like the concept. Not enough magic books.

1) You havent used the words arcane or divine. I assume arcane.

2) The languages thing: pain in the ass. I have to roll 20 times? Besides, arent all magical writings in the language of magic anyway?

3) The mechanic for determining if a spell is there: also annoying. I feel like the DM would have his own infinite list of spells that youve already asked about. I dont however have a better suggestion.

4) The crunch: where is it? All I get from this is a decent chance of being able to copy down a spell. Granted, I stand to save a lot of cash, but it is an artifact. For that level of power, there should be something.

5) The flavor: What is "shadowy" about this book?

6) I like the legend-lore stuff. That is good.

Heres what I would do:
A) Put the spells in it. Hell, just say, "Every spell in the new Spell Compendium is in this book." Then maybe come up with a way to make them hard to find or understand or something. Its a big damn book.

B) Give some powers, like the possessor casts at +1 level or maybe add the powers of associated with a couple of metamagic rods or something. Id also look at powers associated with darkness or the plane of Shadow or Illusion or something for the flavor.

C) Heres a thought: make the book intelligent. Give it ranks in History, Spellcraft, and some of the other knowledges. Maybe it communicates by writing on itself or something. Flavor it as the accumulated wisdom of its many previous owners. Perhaps that communication could occur in a random language to reflect the owner who originally knew the information?

1) I didn't want the book to contain only arcane spells, it would be very limited for an artifact and many useful spells (like the healing and resurrection ones) would miss.

2) Right, it's a pain in the ass, I'm gonna fix it. Also I think you're right about the language of magic.

3)Right, it's annoying, but it would be hard to find a list of infinite spells.

4)Right again, it's not so powerful to be an artifact, but some of your ideas below would help in this point.

5)"The Book of Shadows" was supposed to be a book where witches and other magic users wrote spells and some other magic stuff (like rituals). It's not that it's "shadowy".

6)Thanks.

About your ideas, I think they are pretty good. The book could contain ALL spells, but it would be intelligent, so it wouldn't share them that easy. Look at the updated version of the "Book of Shadows" to see if you like it.
Gaia
01-01-06, 06:38 PM :bump:
green_yawgmoth
01-01-06, 08:23 PM I think it looks a lot better now with the edits.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v91/yawgmoth/kittyjig.gif

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Gaia 12-29-05, 12:39 AM	This is my idea of a D&D Book of Shadows: Book of Shadows (Minor Artifact) A Book of Shadows is a spellbook that has transcended from generations to generations of spellcasters (of all kinds and races). A Book of Shadows is a spellbook of infinite pages. The Book of Shadows is intelligent (Int 18, Wis 19, Cha 16, Ego 30) and is Neutral. It Speaks all languages (including Druidic) and has telepathy. It can cast at will detect magic and detect thoughts. The owner of the Book of Shadows casts all his/her spells at +1 caster level, and can cast spells applying any Metamagic feat to them without changing its level slot (once per day each Metamagic feat). When a Book of Shadows is open, only blank pages are found; however, when the correct command word is spoken (when someone holds the book for more than 1 hour, he/she automatically knows the command word), the pages begin to turn continuously until the owner utters the name of a spell (in any language). If the Book of Shadows judges that the owner is worthy to know it (DM's discretion), the pages stop turning and show the written spell. If the Book of Shadows judges that the woner is unworthy (also DM's discretion), the pages stop turning, showing a blank page. If the spell shown has multiple levels (depending on the casting class) the DM should define it. The Book of Shadows knows all spells. The owner doesn't need to decipher the spell,as the Book of Shadows does it for him/her. However, he /she still needs to make the Spellcraft check (DC 15 + spell's level) to prepare/copy/cast it. All spells from the Book of Shadows can be copied to a spellbook or casted, using the same process of writing and casting spells from borrowed spellbooks shown in the PHB p.178-179. Also, a Sorcerer or other spontaneous spellcaster cantry to learn spells from the Book of Shadows by leveling up (as described in the PHB p. 179). If a page is teared off from the Book of Shadows, it vanishes and re-appears in the book. Also, the owner of the Book of Shadows can use the same command word to look for information about an important person, place or thing. The process is the same as looking for spells, but uttering the person, place or thing's name. The info showed in the pages is the same as it would be by casting Legend Lore. Finally, the Book of Shadows can be asked to answer questions (also by using the correct command word). Its answers, shown in the pages, result as they would be by making a Knowledge check from the corresponding field. The Book of Shadows has 30 Knowledge ranks for each field. The info provided by the Knowledge and Legend Lore abilities are also DM's discretion. The Book of Shadows is always looking for more knowledge. The owner of the book needs to write, daily, some kind of knowledge he knows in the blank pages (which "absorbs" the writing, leaving the pages blank again). If the Book of Shadows finds it "interesting" (DM's discretion), it considers the owner true to its goal, functioning normally for that day. If not, the owner must continue writing until the Book of Shadows finds something interesting, or beat the item in a personal conflict (see DMG, p. 271) to be able to use the book freely. So, what do you think about it? :thinks:
Puca 12-29-05, 10:31 AM	I like the concept. Not enough magic books. 1) You havent used the words arcane or divine. I assume arcane. 2) The languages thing: pain in the ass. I have to roll 20 times? Besides, arent all magical writings in the language of magic anyway? 3) The mechanic for determining if a spell is there: also annoying. I feel like the DM would have his own infinite list of spells that youve already asked about. I dont however have a better suggestion. 4) The crunch: where is it? All I get from this is a decent chance of being able to copy down a spell. Granted, I stand to save a lot of cash, but it is an artifact. For that level of power, there should be something. 5) The flavor: What is "shadowy" about this book? 6) I like the legend-lore stuff. That is good. Heres what I would do: A) Put the spells in it. Hell, just say, "Every spell in the new Spell Compendium is in this book." Then maybe come up with a way to make them hard to find or understand or something. Its a big damn book. B) Give some powers, like the possessor casts at +1 level or maybe add the powers of associated with a couple of metamagic rods or something. Id also look at powers associated with darkness or the plane of Shadow or Illusion or something for the flavor. C) Heres a thought: make the book intelligent. Give it ranks in History, Spellcraft, and some of the other knowledges. Maybe it communicates by writing on itself or something. Flavor it as the accumulated wisdom of its many previous owners. Perhaps that communication could occur in a random language to reflect the owner who originally knew the information?
Gaia 12-29-05, 01:55 PM	I like the concept. Not enough magic books. 1) You havent used the words arcane or divine. I assume arcane. 2) The languages thing: pain in the ass. I have to roll 20 times? Besides, arent all magical writings in the language of magic anyway? 3) The mechanic for determining if a spell is there: also annoying. I feel like the DM would have his own infinite list of spells that youve already asked about. I dont however have a better suggestion. 4) The crunch: where is it? All I get from this is a decent chance of being able to copy down a spell. Granted, I stand to save a lot of cash, but it is an artifact. For that level of power, there should be something. 5) The flavor: What is "shadowy" about this book? 6) I like the legend-lore stuff. That is good. Heres what I would do: A) Put the spells in it. Hell, just say, "Every spell in the new Spell Compendium is in this book." Then maybe come up with a way to make them hard to find or understand or something. Its a big damn book. B) Give some powers, like the possessor casts at +1 level or maybe add the powers of associated with a couple of metamagic rods or something. Id also look at powers associated with darkness or the plane of Shadow or Illusion or something for the flavor. C) Heres a thought: make the book intelligent. Give it ranks in History, Spellcraft, and some of the other knowledges. Maybe it communicates by writing on itself or something. Flavor it as the accumulated wisdom of its many previous owners. Perhaps that communication could occur in a random language to reflect the owner who originally knew the information? 1) I didn't want the book to contain only arcane spells, it would be very limited for an artifact and many useful spells (like the healing and resurrection ones) would miss. 2) Right, it's a pain in the ass, I'm gonna fix it. Also I think you're right about the language of magic. 3)Right, it's annoying, but it would be hard to find a list of infinite spells. 4)Right again, it's not so powerful to be an artifact, but some of your ideas below would help in this point. 5)"The Book of Shadows" was supposed to be a book where witches and other magic users wrote spells and some other magic stuff (like rituals). It's not that it's "shadowy". 6)Thanks. About your ideas, I think they are pretty good. The book could contain ALL spells, but it would be intelligent, so it wouldn't share them that easy. Look at the updated version of the "Book of Shadows" to see if you like it.
Gaia 01-01-06, 06:38 PM	:bump:
green_yawgmoth 01-01-06, 08:23 PM	I think it looks a lot better now with the edits. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v91/yawgmoth/kittyjig.gif