(If you're a player in my CircvsMaximvs.com PbP - stay out!)
So, in my game, the local book dealer has a book - a strange book that he keeps close by, and he's become a recluse, and "odd". His sister, a paladin who is also the mayor of the town, gave up adventuring to take care of him. He doesn't cook, he doesn't clean - he just reads. His store is a mess, and he neglects anything that doesn't involve staying in his store, and reading.
The book in question, I'm reasoning, casts lesser geas on him every time he reads it. Basically, the book is a use-activated item that casts lesser gears 1/day on the target. The geas is to basically read the book, and since reading the book (which is written in Draconic) requires more than one day, the poor chap is always under the effects of the geas spell.
It's basically made the guy crazy, and a little paranoid.
I'm reasoning that the geas basically says "read the book, and do what it says." So, he's got the reading of the book down, but it's the doing what it says part that has him stymied.
I was thinking that the book could be some sort of ritual to summon a creature - it could be anything. But, since he's not a spellcaster (just a scholar who happens to read Draconic) he's managed to set up some sort of makeshift summoning circle (perhaps one he keeps hidden from his sister somehow) but casting the proper spells is an aspect of the ritual he is unable to complete. Since the geas can't penalize him for not doing things he is unable to do, he's floundered on this aspect of the geas, and repeats the other aspects of it (perhaps cleansing objects necessary for the ritual, etc.) over and over again. Apparently, he's been doing this for years now.
Any other ideas on what this book might do, or what the actions in the book might tell him to do?
What is the relationship to the PCs?
Is this a single encounter, an adventure or the beginning of a campaign?
Are the PCs meant to help him in his completion of the book-geas; or stop him from accomplishing it?
What is the relationship to the PCs?
Is this a single encounter, an adventure or the beginning of a campaign?
Are the PCs meant to help him in his completion of the book-geas; or stop him from accomplishing it?
His relationship is acquaintance. He runs the map and book store in town, where the PCs are based. He is the older brother of the town's mayor, a female paladin who has helped the party (and continues to do so) with information on some quests they are working on.
This is a side-quest, but it can be as insignificant, or complex as I want it to be. The campaign is a sandbox - the PCs go where the action is. And they're currently investigating this, since they know something isn't right here. Plus, they'd like to help the mayor, since she's been so helpful.
Either/or. I hadn't considered the angle of "helping" him finish it. Though, that seems a little odd - most "good" scenarios wouldn't involve a book that would force someone to do it. I was thinking - planar entity wants to return to the material, and somehow got a magic book created that would somehow ensure that that would happen, and said entity saw to it that the book ended up on the material plane, where it would (hopefully) force someone into doing the deed.
It would be kind of odd that a book that forced someone to complete a task would somehow be happy with the end result. :)
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What if the book were a Holy Text of a God of Famine and Drought?
The text forces the reader to do nothing but read over and over, quoting the glory and power of the diety while the reader slowly starves and dehydrates.
Perhaps the book funnels souls that it kills to a central location - a ritual site - where priests are generating a magically created famine big enough to affect a country or continent.
Maybe an old wizard hid himself in the book to save his life from enemies who do not read, and now he is trapped and needs the reader to free him. Rewards for everyone.
Perhaps there is a pocket dimension within the book, in which the story in the book takes place; a fairy-tale realm. The reader may be geas-ed to transport the PCs into the book to defeat the villain of the story, after which they are released.
The book could once have been a wizards familiar that was transformed into a book. The reader is forced to transform it back into its original form. In gratitude, it will lead the reader and his friends to the now deceased wizard's treasure; which may be guarded by horrible monsters.
The book could be nefarious, and forcing the reader to summon some demonic creature from the depths of hell. This is very cliche.
The book could be a text about an ancient civilization bent on causing the book's reader to create a time portal. This portal could be used to allow the passage of an invading army from the past.
The author of the book has his soul trapped within the pages. She now seeks to possess a body belonging to an aquaintance of the reader. He is forced to capture the girl who's body is desired and must perform the ritual to change their souls.
Your players probably wouldn't suspect that they ought to help the book reader. Their instinct will be to stop him.
This could possibly interfere with a character whose class feature depend on his actions, like a paladin. Stopping the reader might cause the paladin to temporarily lose his powers. That would get the old grey matter buzzing! He would get it all back as soon as he realized he was supposed to aid the reader, but it would be a hoot (for you, not him) until he did figure it out.
Jack's ideas are great.
Here's mine. The book was a trap disguised as a gift from from one wizard to his rival. The idea was to keep the rival from ever being able to study his spells (leaving him defenseless) or perhaps complete enchanting an item, or just distract the rival, thus neutralizing him as competition. If you've got a campaign with an "untouchable" BBEG wizard or better just an obstructive, but powerful NPC, this could be a weapon in the character's hands. Let them fix "the curse" now. Then in a while, when they need to neutralize the NPC or BBEG, hopefully they remember it.
~wicked smile~ Good ideas all around! Consiter them stolen, errr...., Borrowed? Checked out? ~slowly backs away from the thread while writing these ideas down~
All amazing ideas.
Some of them aren't quite feasible (the recreation of murders, for example - the town is only about 1,000 people total).
I'm liking the idea of a silver dragon trapped in a pocket dimension somewhere, and when the ritual is complete, perhaps a portal opens, where the PCs can travel to some sort of prison on the astral plane, and perform another ritual there, to release the dragon.
This would have to be a relatively easy ritual, since the party is only 4th level currently.
Still, it's better than what I had originally, which was next to nothing.
I'd try to have the bookworm somehow get his sister involved in the process, if possible. Her being a paladin could result in the loss of her powers, and that could have trickle-down effects on the PC party.
All amazing ideas.
Some of them aren't quite feasible (the recreation of murders, for example - the town is only about 1,000 people total).
I'm liking the idea of a Silver Dragon trapped in a pocket dimension somewhere, and when the ritual is complete, perhaps a portal opens, where the PCs can travel to some sort of prison on the astral plane, and perform another ritual there, to release the dragon.
This would have to be a relatively easy ritual, since the party is only 4th level currently.
Still, it's better than what I had originally, which was next to nothing.
I have the perfect name for that Silver Dragon! ~gives a conniving, toothy Draconic smile~
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On a more horror/evil tangent the book could be a rutual to open a gate to the far realms (aberrent stuff) or could be tied to the madness domain somehow.can't remeber the name, but there was a movie about people watching a movie/reading a book that brought an actually change to reality,something like the far realms moving in and taking over thru peoples accessing these media sources. kinda freaky.
Here's the story thus far:
What I wrote to my player:
The book is written in Draconic. You read the first page and it basically gives a brief background of someone or something named Shelatrox, the gleaming. Shelatrox describes growing up in a beautiful mountain range in a place you've never heard of.
The story covers some of this backstory, and then gets into a complicated bit about how Shelatrox summoned a Janni - a type of Djinni, and ended up earning the enmity of an Efreeti in the process. The Efreeti sought revenge against Shelatrox, and created an elaborate trap - a trap which caused Shelatrox to be stuck in a pocket dimension, unable to escape.
There, he's been stuck for countless years, surviving only through his ability to summon creatures to his aid - and his ability to summon Jannis, which have the ability to create food and water for him, an ability which he lacks himself, as he is an arcane spellcaster, not a divine spellcaster.
Shelatrox goes on to describe how he created three identical books - destroying his own spellbook in the process in order to do so, save for retaining only those spells he deemed critical for his survival. These three books - one of which you are reading currently, were created in order to compel someone, somewhere to follow his instructions to free him from his pocket prison.
Furthermore, he apologizes for the compulsions placed upon you, but he indicates that his very survival is at risk, and he must do what he can to ensure his escape, even at the cost of the free will of whomever might read the tome.
Next, Shelatrox describes a process he wishes for you to complete.
First, cast a rope trick spell.
Secondly, climb into it.
Third, cast hold portal on the door of the rope trick sealing yourself inside. At this point, Shelatrox goes into some weird arcane theory about how this shouldn't theoretically work since a rope trick doesn't actually have a door, and attempts to explain it - a very complicated section which ends up giving you a slight headache.
But also gives you a permanent +1 to Spellcraft and Knowledge(Arcana)
Next, cast another rope trick inside this rope trick. Again, Shelatrox goes into a very deep philosophical discussion describing how most arcane theorists would suggest that this would be an extremely bad idea, but he reassures you, and suggests that it's a plausible and effective way of gaining access to otherwise closed off pocket dimensions. The entire section reads like stereo instructions (but you are compelled to read it), but after reading it, you gain some insight into the nature of the cosmos, gaining a permanent +1 to knowledge(planes) (and it becomes a class skill)
Lastly, he instructs you to cast the spell which he has prepared for you, and can be found at the back of the book. He asks that you tear the page out, and then cast it - as it is an independent scroll which can be cast by any arcane spellcaster. Once inside the second rope trick area, cast this scroll, and it will open up a new area, which will lead you to Shelatrox.
You hastily flip to the back of the book and find the page missing.
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Basically, the book casts three spells:
Lesser Geas
Delusion - a spell of my own invention
and charm person - the last attempts to convince the reader the book is their best friend, essentially.
The lesser geas compells the reader to "read the book; do what it says". Since it's all written in Draconic, the hope is that a spellcaster would read it - one who could cast the required spells.
Delusion (4th level enchantment) basically places the victim into a delusional state. In this case, the recipient believes that everyone around them is potentially capable and willing to taking the book away from her.
Shelatrox is a brass dragon isolated in a pocket dimension. I haven't decided on the details on that yet. I was debating with the idea of Shelatrox being LONG dead ages ago. Otherwise, I have to deal with the possibility that my players free him and then release an ancient wyrm brass dragon into the land (in an E8 game no less) who then owes them a big debt.
Of course, in an E8 game, I'll probably scale the dragons back, to where an ancient wyrm could actually be defeated by an 8th level party, albeit with difficulty. Still, I decided that he could summon a Janni with Summon Monster V, so it's likely that the dragon is/was merely an adult dragon, with the ability to cast 5th level spells.
Check out Escape the Forest of Lanterns (Goodman Games #38). The hook for that adventure is that the PCs get their hands on an intelligent book that sucks them into a plane of fairy tales. You could even pair it with another fairy tale adventure in "The Adventure Continues."
Both are excellent. The first deals with a wicked witch, walking trombones, sprites, gingerbread houses and general insanity. The tone is rather like old fair tales before Disney: "off dreams" that turn bloody. The second consists of a community of failed heroes (low-level) stuck by a portal that they need to activate but can't. If only they could stop Rapunzel from letting down her hair and