The Book That Thinks Foul Thoughts
You never know what magic will do in the hands of the untrained.
Full Item Description
This is a large and ancient spellbook with the words Libri ut Reputo printed in gold letters upon the spine. Embossed on the front cover is a leering demonic face, and the back is what appears to be a pair of buttocks. It is dark red in color; almost black in some places. To open it, a magic-user must stick their index finger firmly between the buttocks then twist 180 degrees. This will invoke a malicious laughfrom the book and a smelly finger for the maqe, but will also cause the book to open.
It will most likely be found by the players in an ancient wizard’s final resting place, or as the mastermind behind the mystery they are currently unraveling.
History
Long ago, a great wizard passed away. His name is lost among the stars, but his maliciousness is not. He poured his final thoughts of vengeance against all who persecuted him for his magic, which they labeled dangerous, into his spellbook. With his last strength he soaked this book in his angry life-blood. Now it awaits the touch of a mortal without the gift of magic to inspire it’s wrath, so it may come to life and cause mayhem on all who do not possess the gift of his art.
There exist ancient texts that speak of this book and others like it, only to be used by those in great need and never by those without powerful magic to begin with.
Contents
This is a spellbook mostly full of ancient and powerful ritual magics. Most of they require an insane amount of magical power to use, or the sacrifice of a few thousand lives. It also contains useful spells of subterfuge and deception, such as illusions and charms.
Powers
At first glance this is just an odd, and creepy, spellbook. Once opened, it contains powerful magic spells not to be used lightly. Yet, if ever touched by a person without "Magic in the Blood" it will give a slight uncomfortable twitch and secretly come to life. One it is alive it will be a hidden plague upon anyone around who associates with, or is, non-magical.
It can cast spells from itself and assimilate other spells into itself from nearby books or magic items. It is an ever-growing spellbook and very useful if kept under control.
Plot
If the book is ever touched by non-magical hands it will come to life, and try to end the life of everyone without magical powers. It is highly intelligent, so it will not immediately start to blast people. It may be very sneaky and underhanded, laying in waiting for the right time to disappear from a player’s inventory. Then it will try to assimilate other spellbooks into it’s collection of spells.
Once it has stolen off, with the party’s magical items and books melded into itself, it will attempt to establish a base in a nearby town. It will use everything at its disposal to hide it’s own identity and use the weak willed people around it to carry out tasks. This book could very well crush a kingdom or rule a group of people.
The Key to Defeat
No way is known to fully destroy this book, and it is a great boon to many spellcasters, but a Dispel Magic type of spell directed at the book will render it inert again. At least until more non-magical hands get at it.
This book is designed to be an Epic Plot, Enemy, or Resource device, usually with world changing results. Use with caution as you would any powerful artifact.
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? Responses (11)
This isn't what I thought it would be. Love the name, the latin, and the buttocks on the book's back cover. Immediately, I assumed something would be coming out of those buttocks, but thats just me :) I thought, as I started reading this, that this would be a peculiar, minor book of mayhem and perverse chicanery.
Alas, its a powerful campaign-changing artefact. Not bad, but I was expecting something a bit more kooky from the wicked plume of Pieh
Are you saying I should change it a bit and go for something more amusing? I suppose I could add a bit more "kook" and maybe have it fire spells out of it's buttocks? Interesting thoughts are pouring through my head, some will likely hit my keyboard but others will hit the floor and eventually dissapear. I do like your suggestion of making it more of a "Pieh Item" and will consider it.
Ok, Yes, I can do just that! Another "Pieh Item" is in the works! This is just the groundwork! EVERYTHING CAN CHANGE! Muahaha...
Updated: bit of an update, still needs work. Advice is still requested.
Well, toning down the power a bit would be cool. For example, it would have to have a duped or charmed mundane to fuel its mightier spells, or use, say, a suicide cult to fuel its mightier sorceries.
With less power, it would have to play off mundanes against each other, and prey on their folly.
Also, if it is a wizard chauvinist/supremacist, I find it weird that it weakens wizards and then runs away with their spells. If it just took the spells into itself, it would become of great value to the wizard and simply indisposable.
Hm.
I find this book's actions to be quite in line with most supremacists, who aren't above harming even their own for "the greater good." I do think just copying the spells out of nearby spellbooks would be enough for the book, though eating magical items of any sort would certainly be allowable within the supremacist motif.
Does the book fly?
I would flesh out the goals of the books. It wants to destroy non magic users? It wants to rule the world?
I like the idea of the book slipping away passively. A character may find himself always forgetting it, saddle bags may always be slipping, it may one day find its way into a pile of library books.
It also seems like the book would by its nature associate strongly with children because they easily influenced. If that is the case you may want to tone the books sexuality or direct only towards literate adults.
On the whole however, I would turn up the erotic trappings of the book. If you are going for creepy non human sexuality you may as well go at it full and hard. The book may be jealous of others compainions, the book may encourge sex acts to go around it.
Also for non magic users you could have the book filed with instructions on perverse and dangerous acts. The books may even have suggestions specific for the person holding the book. How to kill your wife. How to seduce the barmaid. How swindle your landlord. How to hide a body or mix poisons.
As a plot I can see this book attaching itself to series of NPCs with different social and sexual identities. It attach itself first to over educated scribe of low birth leading him to rise in power enough to destroy that which around him and then abandons him for holy woman which it drives to moral ruin, then a young princess...you get the picture.
I love the initial concept of a mischievous book, and the ideas of Axles how it could cause further ruination in the hands of non mages.
A none too wise adventurer may come to rely on it as "the book of answers" providing it continues to adapt its text to provide her with perverse advice on how to solve any current dilemma she faces in her adventures.
Looking forward to the finished sub!
This submission feels not only misleading but rather hollow. I prefer LINDA (looks interesting but never does anything) items to things that are overly malicious. Perhaps the wizard was a *ahem* blue mage? Tired of being mocked by his peers who looked down upon his work he created this spellbook so that any wizard who attempted to steal his work would slowly find themselves... coming around to his way of thinking. Subtly planting erotic images during combat, making erotic sounds at night to keep the party awake, mischief.
I feel this submission veers off in multiple directions without much focus. You have the scatalogical, followed by its use to magic-users, and finally some kind of reaction to non-magical folks?
It goes every which way without really providing the meat of how this tome is malicious. You mention using weak-willed mooks to do its dirty work, but what is it trying to accomplish?
Also, foul thoughts seemed to have nothing to do with the actual item.
Yeah, this idea is pretty much abandoned. Last update: July 30th 2009. I'll take it out of Advice Requested shortly. I agree with all that you said. The original idea was of a spellbook that gained the power to cast spells from itself and manipulated people to scribe more into it and further whatever wizardy goals it had. The Foul Thoughts thing? I'm not sure what the intent of that was anymore. Yup, very jumbled and certainly scattered. Now abandoned.
Edit: Error in editing the submission into Unfinished - Viewable. Guess I'm not doing it right now.