FesterJester
Villager
So the players in my game (especially the Wizard) occasionally find themselves in a library and they're always like "is there any interesting books in here?" to which I'm always trying to make something up. So I'm starting to compile a list of books that I can look to in the same way that many people have lists of NPCs they can pull from. Feel free to add suggestions and steal the list for your own campaign, editing names of people and places.
Also, I left a lot of the descriptions blank either because its pretty obvious what they're about or because I haven't come up with any good hooks for them.
Books in DnD:
Places:
“Castle Durinvar: An Omerian Stronghold” – gives a map of the territory 5mi in each direction and castle description, but no blueprints
“The Lowlands: A History”
“Feywild Crossings” – gives a list of a few Feywild crossings, though references to most towns and countries are outdated by 500 years.
“Dragons Unite! A history of Novgardian expansion”
“Teleport With Confidence: 101 Places to Travel That Won’t Get You Killed”
“Azure Vale: Why it’s better than Langonlin Forest”
People:
“Baron Immich: A Look Into the Mind of a Savior”
“Kladamish Stormchaser” – a biography of the famous cloud giant from the flying fortress of the Lowlands
“The Red Wizards of Thay” – a list of famous Thayan Wizards and their accomplishments. Contains mentions of 1d6 lost magical items
“Mortality Thieves: Why Assassins Need a Guild”
“Anton Fallbright and The Dawn of an Empire”
“Brindon The Triumphant: From War to Peace and Back Again”
Arcana:
“How to Train Your Humunculus”
“Magic Item Creation on a Buget” – Gives a list of alternative magic item components that can save you hundreds of GP!
“Spell Components: Keys to the Arcane or Shields from Insanity?”
“Better Living Through Alchemy” – a look at improving alchemy recipes using questionable methods.
“To Summon or Not to Summon, That is the Question” – the pro’s and con’s of summoning dangerous entities.”
“Kilo’s Magical Flying Methods”
“Arcane Blunders” – book looking at the common mistakes new mages make.
Religion:
“St. Cuthbert and His Mace”
“Why Bad Things Happen to Followers of Pelor”
“Fharlanghn’s Favorite Trails”
“Zen and the Art of Iron Golem Maintenance”
Schools of Magic:
“To Kill a Mockingbird (And Resurrecting It)”
“Blowing
Up: The Complete Works” – the cover also says ‘Banned in 50 Baronies!’
“Won’t You Be My Neighbor? Enchanting a Town”
“How to Win Friends and Influence People”
“Better Living Through Necromancy”
“Kord Smash! A Transmuters Guide to Giving You the Strength of a God”
“Fahrenheit 451 (And Setting Other Stuff on Fire Too!)”
“Take Back Your Life” – Divination book on telling the future
“You’re Gonna Need a Bigger Sword” – combat abjuration techniques
“In Too Deep: How to summon within your means”
Magic Items:
“Wielding Wands Wisely: a beginners guide”
“The Robes Make the Mage” – looks at famous mages and the magical robes they wore. Contains clues to 1d6+1 lost robes.
“Dwarven Weaponry” – mentions the Axe of the Dwarf Lords last known location (upon publishing 150yrs ago) and 1d4 other famous dwarven weapons and where they might be
“Deck of Many Deaths” – a (mostly) inaccurate guide to how the Deck Of Many Things is designed to kill you.
“Arcane Blunders: Vol II” – specifically looking at famous misuses of magical items.
“A Gnomes Guide to Tinkering”
Monsters:
“How to Train Your Hippogryff: How not to get eaten in 6 easy steps”
“Oozes: What are they good for?”
“The Angelic Archive” – a compendium of angels and famous examples throughout history.
“Ankle Biters and Worg Riders: Understanding the Intricacies of Goblin Culture”
“You Look Good Enough To Eat: How to make yourself unappealing to carnivores”
“She’s Just Not That Into You” – a look at Harpies, Nymphs, Satyrs and other Charming Creatures.
Nature:
“101 Uses for Wormwood”
“Goodberries to Betterberries”
“Cures to the Common Contagion”
“Druidic Circles and Why They Matter”
“Dire Situations” – a look at the differences between regular animals and dire versions
“Yellow Mold: It’s not just white mold the dwarf peed on”
Also, I left a lot of the descriptions blank either because its pretty obvious what they're about or because I haven't come up with any good hooks for them.
Books in DnD:
Places:
“Castle Durinvar: An Omerian Stronghold” – gives a map of the territory 5mi in each direction and castle description, but no blueprints
“The Lowlands: A History”
“Feywild Crossings” – gives a list of a few Feywild crossings, though references to most towns and countries are outdated by 500 years.
“Dragons Unite! A history of Novgardian expansion”
“Teleport With Confidence: 101 Places to Travel That Won’t Get You Killed”
“Azure Vale: Why it’s better than Langonlin Forest”
People:
“Baron Immich: A Look Into the Mind of a Savior”
“Kladamish Stormchaser” – a biography of the famous cloud giant from the flying fortress of the Lowlands
“The Red Wizards of Thay” – a list of famous Thayan Wizards and their accomplishments. Contains mentions of 1d6 lost magical items
“Mortality Thieves: Why Assassins Need a Guild”
“Anton Fallbright and The Dawn of an Empire”
“Brindon The Triumphant: From War to Peace and Back Again”
Arcana:
“How to Train Your Humunculus”
“Magic Item Creation on a Buget” – Gives a list of alternative magic item components that can save you hundreds of GP!
“Spell Components: Keys to the Arcane or Shields from Insanity?”
“Better Living Through Alchemy” – a look at improving alchemy recipes using questionable methods.
“To Summon or Not to Summon, That is the Question” – the pro’s and con’s of summoning dangerous entities.”
“Kilo’s Magical Flying Methods”
“Arcane Blunders” – book looking at the common mistakes new mages make.
Religion:
“St. Cuthbert and His Mace”
“Why Bad Things Happen to Followers of Pelor”
“Fharlanghn’s Favorite Trails”
“Zen and the Art of Iron Golem Maintenance”
Schools of Magic:
“To Kill a Mockingbird (And Resurrecting It)”
“Blowing
Up: The Complete Works” – the cover also says ‘Banned in 50 Baronies!’“Won’t You Be My Neighbor? Enchanting a Town”
“How to Win Friends and Influence People”
“Better Living Through Necromancy”
“Kord Smash! A Transmuters Guide to Giving You the Strength of a God”
“Fahrenheit 451 (And Setting Other Stuff on Fire Too!)”
“Take Back Your Life” – Divination book on telling the future
“You’re Gonna Need a Bigger Sword” – combat abjuration techniques
“In Too Deep: How to summon within your means”
Magic Items:
“Wielding Wands Wisely: a beginners guide”
“The Robes Make the Mage” – looks at famous mages and the magical robes they wore. Contains clues to 1d6+1 lost robes.
“Dwarven Weaponry” – mentions the Axe of the Dwarf Lords last known location (upon publishing 150yrs ago) and 1d4 other famous dwarven weapons and where they might be
“Deck of Many Deaths” – a (mostly) inaccurate guide to how the Deck Of Many Things is designed to kill you.
“Arcane Blunders: Vol II” – specifically looking at famous misuses of magical items.
“A Gnomes Guide to Tinkering”
Monsters:
“How to Train Your Hippogryff: How not to get eaten in 6 easy steps”
“Oozes: What are they good for?”
“The Angelic Archive” – a compendium of angels and famous examples throughout history.
“Ankle Biters and Worg Riders: Understanding the Intricacies of Goblin Culture”
“You Look Good Enough To Eat: How to make yourself unappealing to carnivores”
“She’s Just Not That Into You” – a look at Harpies, Nymphs, Satyrs and other Charming Creatures.
Nature:
“101 Uses for Wormwood”
“Goodberries to Betterberries”
“Cures to the Common Contagion”
“Druidic Circles and Why They Matter”
“Dire Situations” – a look at the differences between regular animals and dire versions
“Yellow Mold: It’s not just white mold the dwarf peed on”
