Help me create an Arcane Library

[GreyWanderer]

A few more....

Al Azif (A san roll for those who recognize it

Why Save Your Soul? by Azmodeous (Note - reading it casts a charm person & suggestion, DC 35, to start a cult in his name).

101 Ways to Cook Elf By the Swedish Chef

To Serve Man (Otherworldly Signature....until you blow off the dust

The Layers of the Abyss - Vol I through...........................?

Man, Myth, & Magic (Encyclopedia Reference)

Grey

 

[Gez]

A few more....

Al Azif (A san roll for those who recognize it)

You forgot the author. By Abdul al-Azred.

 

[janta]

And if you're looking to throw in a few "tributes", there's always this:
The Invisible Library

 

[Kaodi]

One Title For Now...

I don't think I saw this mentioned anywhere above... it's something I was thinking about a while back, which I changed a bit (again) for here...

A copy of Machiavelli's " The Prince " , translated into celestial and enchanted by a high priest of Hextor. Reading it incurs the following changes to the character... +2 intelligence, gain the persuasive feat, alignment moves two steps towards lawful and one step towards evil.

Alternatively, I thought you might call it, " The Modern Aristocrat " which a knowleadgable player could probably figure out anyone, but would be much less conspicuous... I mean, you don't " want " them to catch on too soon what you are doing, right? hehehe... Of course, depending on your players, it might be more likely they will read it under the real name...

 

[Turanil]

Hi Everyone,

Was just wondering if I could get some help and suggestions for different texts in my character's Arcane Library. My current character is a Lore Merchant who trades in general, secretive and dangerous texts and this is meant to represent his eclectic collection.
I'd really prefer to use some names in game rather than "in this book by someone".

Feel free to make something up, use a book your character may have written or use something from RL. Make them incredibly specific or very general. Applicable to specific schools of magic, particular characters and races or even simple tales of legends.

For example:
Lucifus Cray's Study of the Summoning of Minor Celestials
The Sundridge Chronicle {A focused study and diary on the use of Analyze Dweomer by Evander Grey}

If there are any interesting links anyone could suggest, that would be good too.

Best Regards
Herremann the Wise

You should take a look at the d20 Scriptorium, if you don't already know it. There is a netbook of books available, as well as an online book descrition generator. Here is an example of a book randomly generated:


Epistle of the Mythical Beast at the End of Times

AUTHOR: Edasterion the Scribe.
PUBLISHER: None (handwritten manuscript).
TYPE/ASPECT: Mundane medium-sized hardcover book.
CONDITION: Much damaged, but still readable.
LANGUAGE: Common.
SUBJECT: Political protest veiled as humorous fiction.
ORIGINALITY: Copy of a well known work but expanded with ludicrous developments.
CLARITY: Incomprehensible (Int check DC=20 to benefit from book's contents)
LENGTH OF STUDY: 1 or 2 week (provided Intelligence check succeeded - see above).
BENEFIT FROM STUDY: Good tutorial (for experts) to get up to 6 ranks in Knowledge-local and Knowledge-religion, about the local Church hierarchy.
BOOK MONETARY VALUE: Very expensive (from 100 to 1000 gold pieces).
NOTES: None.

-------------------
Edit: the website has already been mentioned two times; I hadn't read the whole thread before answering.

 

[tarchon]

BENEFIT FROM STUDY: Good tutorial (for experts) to get up to 6 ranks in Knowledge-local and Knowledge-religion, about the local Church hierarchy.

I'm not sure if giving random ordinary books stat increase benefits (especially things like +6 skill ranks or +2 Int) is such a good idea. That's one thing I don't like too much about a lot of the book lists I see, that sense that every book should do something.

I'm also hesitant about "every book has an author." With real MSS, especially in the occultish area, you were usually lucky if you had any idea who wrote the thing, and oftentimes when an the author was indicated, it was a fake attribution to some notable author of antiquity. Solomon, Moses, Virgil, and Homer were popular. Like in Greyhawk, every third magic tome is probably attributed to Vecna. That was common enough that scholars even have the word "pseudoepigraphon" for a work like that. The authors of most of the major ancient and Medieval occult works are still a matter of speculation even today.

 

[Turanil]

I'm not sure if giving random ordinary books stat increase benefits (especially things like +6 skill ranks or +2 Int) is such a good idea. That's one thing I don't like too much about a lot of the book lists I see, that sense that every book should do something.

I am probably not very clear about this part. What I wanted to say (yes: I am the author of this online genrator), is that the book entitles to increase your skill ranks in the said skill. It's not a free bonus, like some kind of magical item: you must actually spend skill-points to increase your skill rank. As such the book is relatively useless and flavor only, except in campaigns where the DM requires that his / her players have an appropriate mentor / source of knowledge to acquire ranks in some skills (i.e.: if right now I want to acquire ranks in cooking or horitculture, I will have to actually learn it from someone else or some book; just having the time -skill points to spend- to learn is not enough).

 

[Kaodi]

Placement

I wouldn't suggest using a book like mine randomly. It's meant to be placed deliberately, as a trap/plot hook...

 

[Sejs]

How to Unlock Hidden Powers You Never Knew You Had, and What to Do With Them Now That You've Wised Up.

Naked Elf Women and Where to Find Them.

Practical Goetia.

Geomancy and Arithulos: A Guide to Runes and Symbols.

Tybor's Complete Tome on Snow-Runes, Their Implementation and Translation. 4th edition, revised.

Succubus Summoning for Fun and Profit.

Mana-infused Flora and Fauna of the Lower Gran Plains.

Mind Control 1-2-3!

The Alchemist's Desk-Reference.

 

[nonamazing]

The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1) by Miranda Goshawk

A History of Magic by Bathiloda Bagshoot

Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling

A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration by Emeric Switch

One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi by Phyllida Spore

Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander

The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection by Quentin Trimble