Note: Could not find this already in the forums, if you know of the post please link it.
Book of Exalted Deeds is my favorite Artifact in the game. When 3.5 existed, I had an exalted character in every game I played, and encouraged my players to make Exalted characters. Every grand game I make has the BOED in it somewhere, and it makes me extremely happy to introduce it to players who have never heard of it (and happy to trick players into trying to destroy it and then realizing they have an artifact on their hands that can turn the tide of a great war).
That being said, I'm a little confused on the Book of Exalted Deeds, artifacts, and how they work from an Attunement standpoint. I also have a game design idea that I'm including in this game that makes this a little less than a Rules Question (otherwise I'd throw it in that forum).
Attunement
The section under attunement indicates that if you are not within 100 feet of a magical item while attuned, for more than 24 hours, you lose attunement. Great. Makes sense.
Random Properties
This section of the DMG implies that an artifact can have random properties attached to it, but seems to indicate you must be in possession of the artifact to gain the properties. *Confusion point 1*
The Book of Exalted Deeds
You must be good aligned to attune. Once attuned, you can then spend 80 hours reading to gain its benefits. Once you read it... it vanishes. However, after this section it indicates that you keep all benefits so long as you do an act of good within 10 days of the last act of good (so be a good guy, got it). THEN it lists the abilities, including, Random Properties, Increased Wisdom, Enlightened Magic, and a nifty Saint Halo. *Confusion point 2*
THE BIG QUESTION
... Am I still attuned to the book after it vanishes? ... Do I lose the Random Properties, but keep the other permanent beneficial properties of the book after it is gone? OR do I get to keep all the properties so long as I'm a good guy every 10 days, and... what about that attunement?
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CAMPAIGN IDEA
One of the nifty things I've included in my game is that anyone who has read the book and is still a saint (the term my game uses for someone who still has the benefits), can summon the book as an action if it is presesntly unattended. This is usually restricted to members of a Knighthood (Knights Regnum Caelestis) who use the book to initiate the highest members of their order. Anyone who cannot look upon the pages of the book without burning up clearly shouldn't be knighted. This caused for an exciting adventure when the Book randomly vanished to the one good hobgoblin on the continent who was trying to convert his brethren. The players found this hobgoblin, believing him to be evil, and killed him. They took the book (after desecrating the scene terribly) and then had to spend months trying to make a scry-proof casing for it after the evil elf king convinced them it was an evil copy of the BOED that should be destroyed. Then the KRC found them and were like "nah bruh, that's a holy relic. Don't destroy it." Cue interesting RP and confused 'good aligned' characters who had defamed the most sacred relic in history.
What are your thoughts on Saints still being able to summon the book?
Oh... and... That attunement.
Thanks!
It makes no sense to require attunement. The attunement mechanic is there to limit the number of powerful items that a character can have available concurrently during adventuring. Since the Book can only be read during downtime, whether or not you have it with you during adventuring makes no difference to what you can do.
Spend a week of downtime studying the Book and you get the benefit. Then it disappears from the game. Simple.
Thanks for the feedback. ;)
I was hoping someone would say that.
BoldItalic wrote:
I would require the item to remain attuned, taking up one of the attunement slots, until the required amount of reading has been completed.
Once the book has been read the benefits become permanent, the book vanishes, and the attunement slot is freed up.
And as established, the benefits disappear if the character ever stops being a goody-two-shoes. 