Stocking an in-game library - give me cool titles and authors from your game!

Piratecat · Jul 5, 2006

The PCs in my game are soon going to be in a big library, and it'd be really useful for me to have a whole lot of book titles and authors to mention when they look at things. The library is in the Astral and has books from all over the multiverse, so just about anything non-goofy is fair game. Can you help? Feel free to use names or ideas from your own game, or to let your imagination run wild; the more titles and authors, the merrier.

Thanks!

Voadam · Jul 5, 2006

A scene copied and pasted from my e-mail game archives

Erepoth leads Jonas deep into one of the towers of the Sigil Hearth
Keep. As Erepoth opens a rune covered door Jonas notes the glinting
edge of abjuration magics as Erepoth walks in. Illuminated by
magically powered torches there are stacks and stacks of books upon
books. Titles call out to you as you walk down the hall: Ogham the
Lyrical Runes, Futhark a Runic Language, Lyrinthalas Quintipalas,
Kasteraeckz Kon Trigurth, Psychoreactive Tattoos of the Chintalean
Mind Mages, Alpha to Omega In the Beginning to the End of All, Graven
in Blood the Art of Runic Warfare, Syntax the Power of Words, The
True Language, Visturium Quintus Valerius, The Language Primieval,
Power Words and the Words of Making and Unmaking, Draconic the True
Speech, Fragments of the Book of Eldritch Might, Manual of the
Planes, Encyclopaedia of Angels, Encyclopaedia of Demons and Devils
Volume I, Volume II, The Slayer's Guide to Demons, Vinthalesus
Kinthalium, The Defiler a Treatise by Erepoth, Vistarok Kurn Talnok,
Death Masters Followers of the Goat, Aatxe the Bull Ertai the
Courtier Death in the Storm, Soul Harvest.

"There is plenty for you to start on here, I shall see if the
documents I recovered from the Goblin cultists seven hundred years
ago will help us shed light on anything revealed today."

Shemeska · Jul 5, 2006

Expect some more books from me tonight when I'm not at work and have access to all of my notes.

Till then:
'Spellhaunts: A Treatise on Creation and Control' - Areya Fenthellis of the Incanterium
'Whispers on the Waste'
'That which is and That which might be'
'Gospel of Truthful Lies'

grodog · Jul 5, 2006

Two good sources to mine for libary contents are H. P. Lovecraft and his associated circle of writers, and Bruce Heard's article "Spells Between the Covers" from Dragon 82. The HPL stuff is nice because you can take the various excerpts mentioned in stories and then adapt them readily to your game, while Heard's article is good for lists of titles and possible authors.

If you want some notable art to decorate your library, Rob Kuntz published a magical art gallery in Maze of Zayene #1, "Prisoners of the Maze" (available from Necromancer Games), and you could lift a painting from there. He also wrote a freebie for his "El Raja Key's Magical Emporium" newsletter; this particular one was a tribute to David Sutherland, and Rob uses the AD&D DMG cover as its basis. Here's an excerpt from the introductory materials:

Rob Kuntz in ERKME #10 said:
Alternate Picture for Maze of Zayene’s Art Gallery

Description: Upon viewing this the PCs see a 6’ by 3’ picture-frame of polished
brass inlaid with many fiery symbols which if touched emit actual heat. Depicted on
the canvas is a black background with a large efreet--lord-like--holding a gigantic
scimitar in one hand and grasping a woman of scant dress--and who also wields a
short blade, or dagger--in his other. Before him and at ground level are two human
figures confronting him: a fighter with a raised sword, liveried in green and having a
shield of white emblazoned with 3 red diamonds and a blue bar dividing it
horizontally; the other figure, a mage robed in blue, is casting a spell of some
intensity aimed at the monster from his upheld left hand. The only indicator of an
artist’s signature appears in the lower right-hand corner, and then is only a stylized
number “3”.

There's about five more pages of material on this painting---detailing its magical effects, possible treasures PCs can acquire from interaction with it---as well as Rob's personal recollections of working with Dave. You can request a copy of this issue for free by signing up for Rob's newsletter (to register, email RJKuntz@ai5.net and use "Sub--ERKME" in the message subject).

For more info/discussion, see the PPP forums at http://pub175.ezboard.com/bpiedpiperpublishing

Chaldfont · Jul 5, 2006

Dirrach's Discussion of Domination
Ucarsh's Manual of Mental Mastery

In my campaign, both of these books were required reading for a ritual to dominate several doppleganger assassins.

Maggan · Jul 5, 2006

As usual the inimitable Dave Graffam has done some sterling job that should help:

Books and Printed Matter (2 pages, 8.5"x11")
A list of 100 books and other publications you can use instantly in your campaigns. I don't know about you, but my players are always wanting to see what kinds of books are in the study when they're babysitting at Castle Wittgenstein.

http://www.davesgames.net/wfrp2/pdf/books-printed-matter.pdf

The link to Daves site is:

www.davesgames.net

/M

DaveMage · Jul 5, 2006

Doesn't CMG have a product that does exactly this?

jdrakeh · Jul 5, 2006

I actually have a fantasy periodical (a magazine in the vein of Weird Tales) that is published in my Twilight setting called "Outre Realms" (I also distribute it in real life as a semi-regular campaign newsletter for my players).

Also, there's Adrian Grigori's Theory of Magic as it appears in the world of Six-Dided Sagas, Unnameable, and Strange Aeons (all little freebie games that I've designed).

Oh - and there's Scobee's Guide to Extra-Dimensional Mathematics (a tome that figures prominently into my Shadows Over Arkham C&C campaign).

ForceUser · Jul 5, 2006

Piratecat said:
The PCs in my game are soon going to be in a big library, and it'd be really useful for me to have a whole lot of book titles and authors to mention when they look at things. The library is in the Astral and has books from all over the multiverse, so just about anything non-goofy is fair game. Can you help? Feel free to use names or ideas from your own game, or to let your imagination run wild; the more titles and authors, the merrier.

Thanks!

Cool! Here's my contribution:

freebfrost · Jul 5, 2006

Any Elder Scroll players in the group?

If so they might know some of these, but it's a great resource regardless.

Stocking an in-game library - give me cool titles and authors from your game!

Piratecat

Sesquipedalian

Voadam

Legend

Shemeska

Adventurer

grodog

Hero

Chaldfont

First Post

Maggan

Writer for CY_BORG, Forbidden Lands and Dragonbane

DaveMage

Slumbering in Tsar

jdrakeh

Front Range Warlock

ForceUser

Explorer

Attachments

freebfrost

Explorer

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