Named Spellbooks & Traps

 I'm gonna start cleaning out all my old notes and scribbled ideas by posting them unfinished to the blog. This is my style and it's best I come to terms with it 

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Spellbooks should be named. The best ones have personalities and egos like magic swords. There's only a few dozen legitimate spellbooks in existence, all the others are cut up redrafts, splintered manuscripts, hastily jotted pamphlets, xeroxed fakes, and general rip offs.

Start off Mediums with one of these knock offs, with a number of spells in it equal to the limit allowed in Greyhawk. Let the player pick the first spell then roll for the others.

All DM-made spellbooks should have names reflecting the spells they contain. Any caster worth their salt will have hexes, curses, and traps laid on their books &/or libraries to protect them from prying eyes and thieves. Stronger casters lay stronger, meaner hexes. Disabling these requires 1. Suffering the consequences 2. Spending money and time on research, or 3. Hiring a Sage to do it but they might just make off with the book themselves.

The Orbital Servitor and Other Injunctions

A Commentary on Transversing Celestyal Sphears

Treaties Concerning Numinous Omniphorms

Potent Regulations of Cosmic Conducement

Paleologghorithmic Triganometries for the Advanced Student

Grimore Rogus Pandebutic

Encapsulating Daemonic Servitors

1. Erase pupils

2. Dismal itch

3. Spreading fur

4. Engorged tongue

5. Hair falls out

6. Putrid stench

7. Hungry for soil

8. Bone collector

9. Fear of water

10. Extremely boyany

11. Insomnia

13. Metallic skin

14. Fungal growth

15. Attracts insects

16. Poor posture

17. Age 10 years

18. Combustible flatulence

19. Enlarged hands

20. Casts no reflection

21. Penchant for humming tunelessly

22. Difficult to awaken

23. Size increases or decreases each day

24. 1 in 20 chance any spell backfires

25. Copper turns to dust at touch

26. Sheds cobwebs

27. Glowing eyes

28. Infectious rash

29. Liver parasite with its own opinions

30. Tormenting imp companion

31. Obnoxious crow familiar occupies retainer slot

32. Mouth on stomach talks, eats

33. Smoke from ears

34. Sensitive hearing

35. Compulsive lying

36. Compulsive truth telling

37. Poor night vision

38. Bunyons

39. Bone spurs

40. Invisible Servitor misinterprets orders

41. Only speak in black tongue

42. Spells cast leave run identifying enchanter

43. Hated by lawful magic swords

44. Missile magnet

45. Mildly magnetic

46. Usually wet

47. Debilitating tinitus

48. Nearsightedness

49. Agoraphobia

50. Useless spell occupies random spell slot, changes daily

51. Constantly starving

52. Can only drink wine

53. Skin mildly acidic

54. Leaves slime trail in wake

55. Haunted by poltergeist

56. Retainers have poor morale

57. Tormented by tedium