Source Book of the Damned pg. 167
CR 10; XP 9,600
NE haunt (20-ft.-radius circle centered on the Book of the Damned)
Caster Level 10th
Notice Perception DC 28 (to hear eerie changing and faint screams)
hp 20; Trigger proximity; Reset 1 day
Effect This haunt activates at the whim of the multitude of spirits and foul impressions it comprises (at the GM’s discretion, but generally not until a single evil creature has owned the Book of the Damned for more than a month, or perhaps only after a few rounds after a good creature carries the book). When the servants of the book awaken, the creature with the highest Charisma within 20 feet of the Book of the Damned must attempt a DC 21 Charisma check. If the creature succeeds and is evil, there is no effect; the spirits surrounding the tome accept the newcomer’s dominance. If the creature succeeds and is not evil, all creatures within 20 feet of the tome must succeed at a DC 21 Will saving throw or be affected as per the spell nightmare. If the creature attempting the Charisma check fails, all creatures within the area must attempt saves to resist the nightmare effect (as above) and the haunt uses the telekinesis spell either to harm a creature or to fling the Book of the Damned out of its bearer’s possession. The intensity of the spirits that constitute this haunt makes the DC to resist its effects higher than usual. The haunt cannot trigger while in the area of a hallow effect.
Destruction If the complete Book of the Damned is destroyed, the haunt ends.
DescriptionThe Book of the Damned was never meant for mortal eyes. Even so, over ages of wandering, the elusive tome has granted countless reckless scholars a glimpse of reality’s deepest evils. Those who aren’t driven to ruin by the book’s secrets typically face the knives of covetous thieves, which ensures that the blasphemous volume never lingers in one place for long. At any given time, ambitious fiends, evil cultists, and unscrupulous spellcasters are the most likely guardians of the Book of the Damned—the book’s disparate pieces are not always found in the hands of mighty beings.
The Book of the Damned rarely spends more than a decade in any one creature’s possession. This is in part because of its power, which makes it difficult to hide, and its propensity for drawing the scrutiny of extraplanar evils. Yet most who have held and lost the book refuse to let go of it. Over the ages, the blood of a thousand cultists has spilled upon the tome, giving rise to a vicious haunt that jealously tries to tear the Book of the Damned from any single owner’s grip.
|