As some Paizo regulars may know, I'm currently running a summer game for a couple of friends, each of which have two characters. I've tried to develop some sub-plots to weave into the game revolving around these characters and their backgrounds. One of the characters is a warlock, whose background involves a tale of fleeing from an enslaved land under the control of demon cultists. The interesting part about this backstory, and the part I want to use as a hook, is a book that he made off with during his escape.
The warlock has absolutely no idea what the book does, and until recently (as in earlier today) neither did I. Now, the obvious plot hook is that the cultists want their book back and send minions and demons after him to get it. Fine, fine.
But then I had a whole other idea, inspired as I was reading the most recent installation of Dungeoncraft in Dungeon #148, which addressed delimmas and temptations. Why not make the book a potent magical item for the warlock, but laced with certain negative effects (not so much for him as the people around him)? Maybe the cultists come back later, but the main point would be the character struggling with the power of the book as it tried to gain control over him.
Luckily, I happen to know the exact soft spot of this player when it comes to this particular character: polymorphing into fiends. He's played to high levels with a warlock in the video game NWN2, in which one invocation allows transformation into a cornugon. He really liked that and wished it was in regular D&D. Then, low and behold, within the pages of the Complete Mage he finds an invocation that lets him become a bezekira! Love at first sight.
So, a tome that allowed him to transform into various fiendish shapes would be a wet dream come true to him. Enter the book he stole. He's already tried to detect magic on the book, I believe, and at the time I told him it was non-magical. Luckily, I have an out. In the last session, they entered a shrine to Orcus and killed quite a few tieflings. I think I'll say that has "awakened" the book, and now it registers as magical.
If you've read this far, I salute you, and finally get around to asking for your help: What properties should I give to the book? I want this thing to be good, perhaps even a little too good (Read: overpowered) so that it will be a real temptation for him to keep (but I know the player, and I know he will struggle with the decision).
I'm also thinking it should be at least semi-intelligent, perhaps occasionally targeting its owner with a suggestion or similar effect in an attempt to force said owner to commit an evil act.
But how to handle the shapechanging? I could say that the book allows a polymorph effect, but only into evil outsiders. Or, I could use a specific list of creatures that one can assume the form of with this book (similar to the form specific spells that have been popping up recently). Perhaps I should base it off shapechange, which would allow virtually every power and ability of the assumed form.
I also really like the idea that he has to "learn" new forms, starting with weaker kinds of fiends and working his way up towards more powerful creatures. That way, it's really good, but not completely broken, and still relevant and intriguing at higher levels. But how to handle that, as well? Spending time to learn each new form? Taking? Making a check (perhaps modeled off the binder from Tome of Magic)? Giving up XP?
Finally, and perhaps most minor, should this be a magic item, or an artifact (and minor or major if so)?
I've been out of town for quite a while and unable to play, so I'd like to get this done ASAP so the game can move along (thus I brought the question here to Paizo!). Thanks in advance for the help.
I am going to rattle off ideas kind of stream of thought style. Hopefully you will find a few useful tidbits.
First thought:
Make each page / section allow the character to change into a specific form. Each night, the owner can "attune" him/herself to one page / section, allowing transformation into the specific form over the next day.
The book advances from weaker forms up to higher forms.
Have a skill check involved for learning the next section, and you have to advance in order. This way you can "dole" out the more powerful forms as you see fit over time.
Hmmm.... I had hoped there would be more in my brain to share... But that seems to be it.
Sorry for the teaser that suggested there would be more... :/
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You might want to treat it like the Book of Infinite Spells: You can see only the current page (which allows a single form), you don't know how many pages are left, you can never turn back once you voluntarily turn the page, and the page might turn itself regardless of any precautions.
Since you have control of the order of the forms shown, you can play with the player's mind a bit as long as you never allow a form that's too powerful. Say the first form is decent, but the next form isn't as powerful. Will the form after that be a Lemure or Imp? Or perhaps the most powerful form yet.
You could also add in a corruption mechanic that increases the player's corruption with each use. At some point, he has to make a save or be permanently corrupted. (Given the nature of evil, that should probably be an irreversible transform to a minor demon or devil.)
The thought of a Book of Infinite Spells had crossed my mind, but I want him to be able to use all the forms he's acquired, not just one at a time and never that form again once he chooses to move on.
Hmmm.... perhaps I could base it on a druid's wild shape. He has to spend a week reading the book and make an ability check at the end of that time. Perhaps pay a small one-time fee in XP to "bind" with the tome. Afterwards, he effectively gets a new class feature so long as he keeps the book. It's a little unorthodox, but I think it could work.
The book would be completely blank inside. When he spills his blood (perhaps dealing 1 point of ability damage (not drain)), the pages reveal text detailing a particular fiend, including a procedure for summoning the spirit of the creature and assuming its form. However, each form requires a certain level of power to be uncovered (HD, caster level, whatever; it's just a way to control access to them).
The book can summon a fiendish spirit a certain number of times per day (based on the wild shape class feature). Each form can only be assumed 1/day, and the book can only be used a certain number of times per day, as well (perhaps rising with level, similar to wild shape). After using a form, the text for it in the book dissappears for 24 hours. The entire book goes blank after X number of uses in a day, but again, the text returns in 24 hours.
The character isn't just polymorphing into the creature, but actually summoning the essence of a fiend. Unforuntately, this leaves the character suspectible to demonic possession (as detailed in the Fiendish Codex I). There's the drawback.
So, the result is a minor artifact with signifcant powers, some minor overt drawbacks, and potentially lethal covert ones. I'm looking forward to throwing this into my game.... >:)
Saern, have you seen the Fiend Form spell (from Magic of Faerun & Spell Compendium)? It's a 6th-level sor/wiz spell that lasts 1 minute per CL. It lets you shapeshift into any type of fiend that could be summoned by summon monster I - V (or was it I-VI ?).
If that's not powerful enough, you could easily devise a more powerful version.
I've seen fiend form in the Spell Compendium, though I don't own the book. However, that's not necessarily what I'm going for. I want the book to dictate a very specific list of forms and have a very occult feeling about it, and be a bit more interactive than just a spell effect tied to an item.
Oh! And I forgot in my post above- using the book would take a full round action.
Suggestion 1: Make the character have to spend a certain amount of XP to "learn" each form (based on the HD of the form, perhaps). Also, make the character take a "Fiendish Form" invocation to be able to make the transformation in the first place (based on the one in the Complete Mage). This would give the character the ability to change into multiple forms using one invocation, which is definitely more powerful than other invocations, but is still limited by the need to spend XP to "unlock" each form. You could also limit the available forms by the character's level, similar to wild shape and the summon monster lists.
Suggestion 2: The book contains instructions on a ritual involving the sacrifice of intelligent beings (crib the mechanics from Book of Vile Darkness) that can be used to offset or even cover the XP cost of learning each form, depending on the number and quality of the sacrifices. The need to shed blood to read the book is a nice touch, but there's no reason it has to be his blood.
Suggestion 3: The book also contains a nearly complete Ritual of Bonding (see Complete Arcane, pg. 19, under the Acolyte of the Skin PrC). You can also rule that an Acolyte of the Skin has to pay less XP to "learn" each new form.
Sometimes the best temptation is targeted on the player, not the character. ("The first hit's free, kid...")
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Since you went with an "awakening" theme for the book already, you could run with that.
Perhaps it is the blood of certain creatures which grants access to certain forms. Perhaps any blood will reveal the page, but certain blood is need to activate it. Since you will always control what creatures he will meet, you can keep him away from certain things.
And then you can make the most powerful things darn near diabolic to collect. "Oh you would like to be a glabreezu, then i need the blood of a dozen innocents please"
To really push the issue, you could have the pages start to fade away as well. Want to keep that form, I need more <creature> blood.
"Feed me, Semour"
-Little Shop Of Horrors
All right, I've got it done. I think. Presented below is what I've come up with for the Animus Infernum (hey, it SOUNDS Latin-y, and that's all that counts!), which includes a tiny amount of flavor text from my campaign setting. Ideas, suggesstions, and comments on this complex item are most welcome! Although, it's probably going to be put into use tomorrow, so you'd best be quick.
The imp form is basically for scouting. That's the only one I've detailed thus far, since the party is only 3rd level and I've got until 10th to make the next form's stats up. That goes for deciding whether or not to carry the need for blood to unlock more forms, too.
The Animus Infernum
The Animus Infernum is a major artifact. This book was originally penned by none other than the infamous summoner Kyrneth Hellcaller, given as a gift to one of his apprentices with the intention of being a diabolic teaching aid for eons to come.
The Animus allows its possessor to take the shape of various fiends. Unlike a polymorph spell or similar magic, the book calls up the spirit of some evil being and fuses it with that of the possessor. The result is an odd mixture of properties.
However, the Animus Infernum is not easy to use. The first difficulty is awakening the book. From time to time, such as when the book changes hands or lies dormant for years, and seemingly at the book’s own whim, the Animus goes into a dormant state. It appears as nothing more than a book bound in plain red leather, but with absolutely nothing written inside. Not even a title graces its cover.
The Animus is awakened by exposing it to the blood of an outsider (any outsider will do, even one with the Native subtype). Not much is needed. When exposed to the blood, the book undergoes a transformation. Its cover grows thick scales of a dark red hue, and a lock appears on the side (with the key conveniently inserted). The book also swells in size; where as before it looked rather thin and flimsy, it is now a thick tome of intimidating size.
Further, a prescribed message, a forward, from Kyrneth Hellcaller can be found inside, along with an index. The user must now bond with the Animus in order to unlock its further powers.
Bonding with the Animus Infernum requires spending one full week’s worth of time (7 days in which 8 or more hours are dedicated to reading) studying the tome and its contents. At the end of this time, the possessor must sacrifice 100 XP in order to cement the bond between the book and his soul.
Now the book’s owner is able to see a new item in the index: the name of a type of demon. The possessor of the book can now take on the form and some of the properties of that creature for a limited time per day. As the master of the tome increases in level, the number of forms accessible and the frequency of the tome’s use increase. In this regard, the Animus Infernum operates like a class feature (and is treated as such when interacting with other effects).
At 1st level, the owner can take the form of an imp. The Animus Infernum can be used 1/day.
At 5th level, the possessor gains a constant +10 competence bonus on Knowledge (the planes) checks used to identify fiends.
At 10th level, the book’s master can take the form of a barbazu. The Animus Infernum can be used 2/day.
At 15th level, the wielder can use telepathy when assuming the form of a fiend. The Animus Infernum can be used 3/day.
At 18th level, the owner can take the form of a hezrou.
Each new power requires a full day of study and the expenditure of 100 XP to learn. The owner cannot gain a new ability from the Animus until he has learned any lower level abilities that may precede it.
The owner cannot use any of his own extraordinary, supernatural, or spell-like abilities while in the form of a fiend. Likewise, he cannot cast spells. Any equipment carried or worn is subsumed into the new form.
Using the Animus Infernum to assume the form of a fiend is a full-round action that provokes attacks of opportunity. The wielder opens the book to the index, calls out the name of the desired form, and the book automatically flips to the desired page. There, a short phrase is presented, which begins the rapid transformation once read.
The book’s owner can remain in a selected form for no more than one hour, although he can choose to resume his true form at any time as a full-round action that does not provoke attacks of opportunity. The Animus can only be used to take any given form once per day, even if the Animus can be used a total number of times more than that.
However, the Animus Infernum doesn’t just grant boons, but perils to one’s mortal soul. The book seems to be semi-intelligent. At its own choosing, it exposes the soul of its “master” to fel spirits. This replicates the effects of a suggestion spell, and can be overcome by a successful DC 20 Will save. The Animus always tries to make its master perform some evil feat in order to corrupt his soul.
Long time users of the Animus will find themselves not just assaulted by suggestions, but actually facing full-fledged demonic possession. The demon and book attempt to use the power of the owner to further the goals of evil.
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Imp Form
When the Animus bestows the form of an imp to its owner, he gains the following abilities:
• Tiny size. This confers a +2 bonus on attack rolls and armor class, as well as a +8 bonus to Hide checks.
• +4 Dexterity and -6 Strength.
• Land speed becomes 20 feet, but the user gains a fly speed of 50 feet with perfect maneuverability.
• One sting attack, which deals 1d4 damage and delivers the same poison as an imp (1d4 Dex/2d4 Dex). The DC is equal to 10 + ½ the possessor’s HD + his Constitution modifier.
• A +5 circumstance bonus to Hide checks (which combines with the bonus from size and Dexterity to a total of +15), as well as a +10 bonus to Move Silently (for a total of +12).
• Improved Initiative as a bonus feat (which combines with the bonus to Dexterity for a total of +6).
• Type becomes Outsider (Augmented Humanoid) (Evil, Extraplanar, Lawful). If the owner’s type was not humanoid, then he is considered an augmented version of whatever his base racial type is.
• For all intents and purposes, the book’s user appears as an imp. Treat this as a polymorph effect.