Book of Nex

Post/Author/DateTimePost
#1

dnkedue

Feb 04, 2009 0:17:13		Hey there. I recently hosted the adventure, "The Curse of Menstaugher Manor" by 'Christianmichael' Dutton. The main feature of this adventure is that a cursed book detailing the sadistic beginnings of a demon named Nex has cursed a town hero and the adventurers come to defeat the shade of the hero and hopefully do away with the book.

I need more. The premade adventure details everything about the Book of Nex volume I, which was in Menstaugher Manor damning the hero in undeath, but now I want to get details on the other books. I couldn't find any information on the other volumes online, so I was hoping someone creative with a little bit of time would be willing to flesh out the other volumes for me.

Here's all the details on the original book:

A great dramojh of horrible power known only as Nex scribed these horrific books. In life Nex details his life in pursuit of many horrendous pleasures that can only be described as crimes against all the races and his knowledge of demon summoning. The books are magical and when together (Nine volumes total) form a horrific artifact. They also contain many horrific secrets within.

Volume I -- The Beginning
This book will grant a +2 circumstancial bonus on any knowledge skill check -only- involving any matter relating to demons. It details much of Nex's early life and his dark pursuits. Reading this book causes a character to lose 1 point of Wisdom permanently, but can call upon the knowledge contained within. It takes 72 hours to read and decipher the book's maddening script

[Naturally it seems that each volume would be very similar, however.. each volume also has these 'Madness Feats' which would be amazing if they were unique to each book alone]

Madness Feats
(The following feat prereqs all require the Book of Nex Volume I [specifically] to be read. Also, each feat has the following 'Special': The character can call upon this power without having to take it as a feat, but after doing so, the cahracter must reread the book in its entirety to be able to relearn this horrific knowledge [and thus losing another point of Wisdom permanently]).

Know the Demon Within (Prereq: 1st level character)
This feat allows the character to call upon a surge of horrendous strength once a day. A character who activates this feat gets a +4 enhancement bonus to strength for 3 rounds + their new strength modifier, however they suffer 1d3 temporary wisdom damage as the power makes them more mad-like.

Know Where The Blood Flows (Prereq: 3rd level character)
This feat allows a spellcasting character to cannibalize their own blood to gain an extra spell for one time. Calling upon this feat allows the character to suffer 1d6 damage and 1d3 temp WIS damage but is able to cast any spell they know up to a 3rd level spell. The damage cannot be healed normally and the WIS damage will return at the normal rate.

Dire Weapon of Blood (Prereq: 4th level character)
This feat allows the character to inflict 1d6 points of damage to herself by cutting herself with a weapon that she wants to become a weapon of blood. A weapon of blood becomes sharper, more menacing, and does more damage. Any slashing or piercing weapon (including natural) where the blood is applied has its base die increased to the next die (d8=>d10) and the critical threat range is doubled (19-20=>17-20). The affected weapon will remain so until combat starts for 1 round + the character's CON mod. This feat can only be performed once per day and also inflicts 1d3 temp. WIS damage when activated. This feat takes a move-equivalent action to activate

If you'd like to know some more about the Book of Nex, look up Christian Michael Dutton, since there's more information relevent to side effects [people with the book are practically forced to murder] and how to destroy the book.

Nonetheless, what I really want is the other 8 volumes, or at least complete, thought-out feats that could be included in the other 8 volumes that scale with the original volume's feats, or have their own theme [like this one had a lot to do with blood and power].

Please and thank you!
#2

yong_kyosunim

Oct 31, 2011 12:47:14 		Hi Dnkedue,

Thanks for your interest in my module! I wrote it a while back for the Arcana Unearthed campaign.

I didn't get a chance to really delve the other eight volumes as I intended to use them in later modules, but here are their titles:

Volume II -- The Book of Carnal Pleasures
Volume III --The Book of Flesh and Pain
Volume IV -- Summoning and True Names
Volume V --The True Nature of Pact Rituals
Volume VI -- Innocence Destroyed
Volume VII --The Eyes of the Watcher
Volume VIII -- The Lord Demon's Return
Volume IX -- The Final Abyss

Each of these books are larger than their predecessor. The Book of Nex Volume I is 100 pages, volume II is 150 pages and is slightly larger and so on until you reach Volume IX which measures a book large enough to be carried by an ogre and is over 500 pages, written on leathery flesh. Also, the time to decipher each book takes longer as well. The first volume takes 3 days to comprehend and read. For each volume beyond the first add another three days.

Each book contains three madness feats which get more powerful with each volume. However, the true power is when all nine books are combined which allows the reader to gain the power of a demon lord or transform oneself into such a creature without the centuries of pain and torment that such transformation normally takes place.

I intended Books I - VIII to be in the lands of the Diamond Throne with Volume IX in the hands of a powerful demon lord in the Abyss.

Given that all nine volumes are part of an artifact, destroying each book should be a difficult undertaking. My rough notes on the first book was that the book needed the following to be done before it could be destroyed:

1. Have it buried for 31 days in consecrated ground.
2. Wrapped in mithril holy symbols of an ancient dead god of good for 3 days thereafter (the mithral holy symbols must be found in a ruined city and never touched by hands of evil.
3. A convent (at least six of them) of holy priests or magi of at least 7th level must perform a rite of purification over the book.
4. The book then must be taken to a volcano that is considered holy and good to an elemental god of fire and be tossed in there.

Sorry that I don't have more info for you, but that's what I wrote. Thanks for enjoying the module!

P.S. My first name is Christianmichael, not Christian Michael. Thanks!