I was perusing the artifacts in the Core Handbook today, and I happened upon the Codex of Infinite Planes. I'd heard the name before, but never really looked at what it does. After reading its description, I have one question: Who in the multiverse would ever use it?
First off, it's a massive book that kills you if you open it. (True, you're allowed a save, but a DC 30 Fortitude save is nothing to laugh at, especially for someone who's expecting to make a DC 58 Spellcraft check.) Then, each day you study it, you have to make a save or be driven permanently insane (which is a DC 30 Will save that increases each day you study it, so don't expect many fighters to be using this book). Assuming you aren't killed instantly or driven permanently insane, make a DC 50 spellcraft check! Did you make it? No? Oh, sorry. You are either at the center of an earthquake and a storm of vengeance, the target of 1d3+1 balors, the target of ten Destruction spells (while simultaneously killing everyone around you with ten Wails of the Banshee), or Soul Trapped (no save) while your body is Imprisoned, as the spell. And if you DID make that Spellcraft check, great job! You gain one of several high-level spells as at-will usable Spell-Like abilities. Oh, but it doesn't stop there! In order to use said Spell-Like abilities, you need to make another spellcraft check every single time (DC 40+ double the spell level, which could mean 58 for most of the spells). And if you fail? Ooh, hope you and your allies weren't too attached to, you know, living. (Failing that check brings about the catastrophies I mentioned before.)
Now, with all of the Destructions and Wails of the Banshees and permanent, instantaneous insanity going around, you'd expect some pretty freaking awesome rewards, right? Well, assuming you survive opening the book, you aren't driven insane by studying the book, and you don't fail any spellcraft checks to learn these abilities, you get one of the following (chosen randomly, as if the cost wasn't high enough already): Astral Projection, Banishment, Elemental Swarm, Gate, Greater Planar Ally, Greater Planar Binding, Plane Shift, and Soul Bind. You could theoretically learn all of these (assuming you never fail a spellcraft check or will save), but even still, in order to actually USE any of them, you need to make a spellcraft check EVERY TIME- or else suffer the earthquake & storm, destruction & wail of the banshee, balor onslaught, or non-saveable soul bind.
So... who would use this item? Even if you're amazing at your rolls, none of those spells are that good. I mean, they're good, but are they worth risking a save-less soul bind every time you use one? And the icing on the fact that there's instructions on how to destroy the Codex of Infinite Planes. (In order to do so, you need to tear out and leave a page on every plane of existence, which, every time, triggers a catastrophe, meaning that every single time you risk being soul bound with no save.) Why bother? Anyone idiotic enough to use this artifact would end up killing themselves or being driven permanently insane. So why bother risking (potentially dozens of) lives to destroy it?
Seriously. Is there any benefit to this?
Trap.
|
It's your typical Lovecraftian tome of forbidden lore. It's not supposed to be fluffy and friendly and (god forbid) helpful. It's supposed to be something you turn to in a moment of desperation, thinking it might save you with its fabled powers, but instead dooming your soul to an eternity of torment and madness.
It's a plot device, essentially.
Hell, destroying one seems like it would make a pretty entertaining high level (possibly short lived) campaign.
The codex of infinite planes can be safely read through the impossible eye...
Sounds like a good surrogate for the Octavo.
Ah, artifacts. Whatever happened to an adventurer's morbid curiosity? I remember in 1st edition. My players found the Wand of Orcus. Actually, the gnome illusionist found the Wand of Orcus. And decided to use it in a fight.
"Hey, you might die, and you might go crazy and kill the party."
"Nothing ventured, nothing gained."
He went crazy and killed the party.
No one every forgot how much they hated the Wand of Orcus.
(36 INT is +13, 20 ranks, +3 for class skill is only +36, so we'd be talking epic level characters to even have a shot there)
Nah. You're missing +10 from Magical Aptitude and Skill Focus: Spellcraft, +1 from a luckstone, +1 from a pale green prism ioun stone, etc. Just those bring it to +48, enough for a 55% chance to make the check, and within range of a take 10 if your DM determines that's allowable (I wouldn't -- artifact and all).
|
Seriously. Is there any benefit to this?
Yes. As campaign flavour, as story 'fluff', as an exercise in what Artifacts are and the role they can play in a rpg game.
Player characters can hear of Artifacts in legends and myth, can aspire to find such treasures, can even go on great world spanning quests to unearth such great sources of power. But would you actually leave such power in characters hands for long ...?
The Codex of Infinite Planes has a pedigree as old as the Wand of Orcus, or the Eye and Hand of Vecna or the Rod of Seven Parts, et al.
Let your players learn that they should be careful what they wish for ...
It has brought low the ambitions of Arch Wizard Priests, would be conquerors and Effreet nobles since the beginnings of the game and will continue to do so in many campaigns.
: )
|
I actually used this in a game I DMed. It was in the study of an ancient, abandoned giant's castle. Many of the books were of large size, belonging to giants and all, so it didn't stand out all that much besides it be the one on the desk. I even had it already opened for them, but the wizard closed it to read the title, and was then when he opened it up again - utterly destroyed.
I've yet to see a PC take skill focus spellcraft. I've seen magical aptitude though on a rogue or bard or two. You're right on the luck and ion stones though. Anything other than that I'm forgetting?
Skill Focus (Spellcraft) used to be a prereq for Archmage. So several of my characters have had it.
I've yet to see a PC take skill focus spellcraft. I've seen magical aptitude though on a rogue or bard or two. You're right on the luck and ion stones though. Anything other than that I'm forgetting?
The Pathfinder Savant prestige class gives a class bonus to Spellcraft checks as well as the ability to always "take 10" on Spellcraft checks.
|
I've yet to see a PC take skill focus spellcraft. I've seen magical aptitude though on a rogue or bard or two. You're right on the luck and ion stones though. Anything other than that I'm forgetting?The Pathfinder Savant prestige class gives a class bonus to Spellcraft checks as well as the ability to always "take 10" on Spellcraft checks.
where is the "savant" prestige class found?
where is the "savant" prestige class found?I've yet to see a PC take skill focus spellcraft. I've seen magical aptitude though on a rogue or bard or two. You're right on the luck and ion stones though. Anything other than that I'm forgetting?The Pathfinder Savant prestige class gives a class bonus to Spellcraft checks as well as the ability to always "take 10" on Spellcraft checks.
The "Pathfinder Savant" prestige class (not the Pathfinder "Savant" prestige class) is from the book Seekers of Secrets. :-)