Enchanted, Animated Spell Books!

[SHARK]

Greetings!

Well, besides standard spell books in my campaigns, I also have enchanted, animated and sometimes intelligent spell-books that wizards can find or make in my campaigns. They are very powerful, and offer different twists and possibilities in the campaign.

Do you use such books in your campaigns? I think they add a dimension of mystery and unpredictablity to a wizard's life.

What do you think?

Semper Fidelis,

SHARK

 

[fba827]

You know what this reminds me of - Smurfs (the cartoon from early 80s).

And I don't mean that as an insult (if you knew how much I enjoyed smurfs back in the day, you'd know I'd never imply anything like it to be negative).

The reason I say this is, Gargamel (sp?) (the wizard in the show) would sometimes go down into the cellar of his hovel. Once down there, there would be a secret panel behind which there was a book. He would then recite:

"Oh Great Book of Spells
Whose secrets no one tells
Awake for Gargamel"

At which point the book spins around and magical sparkles fly around it.

It was an intelligent and self-aware book, named The Great Book of Spells. He had quite a crotchety personality and would put down Gargamel and his bumbling quite often.



Anyway, just had to share... I apologize in advance if it doesn't add much to your thread. But, umm, it does show that it is not without presedance and can be done with some rather good mix of personality/rp-ing potentials

 

[Dragongirl]

I remember years ago when the cleric in our party had a prayer book that talked. He tried to keep it secret but at various times one or another of us in the group heard him talking to it. He believed the book was speaking with the voice of his god. As it turns out the book was made by a wizard who had a long standing feud with the cleric's family. The book was designed to slowly corrupt the cleric. But I am afraid the campaign ended before much could be done with it.

 

[kibbitz]

Greetings!

Well, besides standard spell books in my campaigns, I also have enchanted, animated and sometimes intelligent spell-books that wizards can find or make in my campaigns. They are very powerful, and offer different twists and possibilities in the campaign.

Do you use such books in your campaigns? I think they add a dimension of mystery and unpredictablity to a wizard's life.

What do you think?

Semper Fidelis,

SHARK

Well, we had sentient spell-books. A spellbook was not just a huge notebook with formulae, you needed to infuse magic and "inscribe" runes to record a spell in it. With potent enough spells in a book, should the book survive the passing of time long enough, it will be warped by the sheer amount of exposure to magical power within it, causing it to become sentient, and at high enough levels, animated and/or intelligent.

How did this affect the campaign? Well, all spellcasters could Detect Magic as an ability, though it requires full concentration. One can merely be near a spellbook and tell how powerful its contents are. Of course, sentient spellbooks may not be willing to divulge their secrets. This allows for some DM fun...

 

[SHARK]

Greetings!

Hey Dragongirl and Kibbitz! Very interesting stuff! I have really liked the nuances and effects that talking, sentient books have brought to my campaign. It also provides other dimensions that a wizard--or cleric--must deal with when they have to talk to their book to get it to do things and so on!

Semper Fidelis,

SHARK

 

[mmadsen]

I haven't ever used sentient spellbooks, but I have considered the Cthulhu-esque notion of musty tomes that seem sentient. "I must not upset the Tome of Q'al'lagumet! It thirsts for warm blood!" Wizards tend to go mad, you know.

 

[Crothian]

I used one. It was an intellegent spellbook that had power, and an agenda all its own. The characher eventually throw it down a well to get rid of it. All the book wanted was its owner to become powerful, andf the book knew how to make that happen.

 

[Aeolius]

In one of my campaigns, I had the “Living Libram”; a demonic spell book bound in the facial skin of a former PC. It could cast the spells scribed upon its pages and was in the process of crafting a simulacrum, when the campaign folded. Since my current campaign is set underwater, spell books are a bit...different.

 

[mmadsen]

In one of my campaigns, I had the “Living Libram”; a demonic spell book bound in the facial skin of a former PC.

OK, the notion of an ancient tome bound in human "leather" is getting a bit old -- but bound in the facial skin of a former PC?! Whoa! Who needs the Book of Vile Darkness?