Index Librorum Prohibitorum (3.5e Equipment)
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Index Librorum Prohibitorum[edit]
"To those just looking at it, this huge, seemingly leather bound, book would garner no special attention, yet the moment it's opened it becomes impossible to see it as anything other than an Artifact of incredible power. When closed the Index will appear just like any other ancient book, it's cover seems to be made of leather while its pages look cracked and stained from age, the cover itsself is a dark black with the words "Index Librorum Prohibitorum" embossed across the top. Once opened however, the pages seem to glow with an artificial light the appearance of age disappearing until they seem to be almost like the surface of a pond."
History[edit]
Believed to have been created by a group of Free minded authors who were unhappy with the suppression and censorship of grimoires and so contacted ancient entities to make deal in return for there souls. The first version of the Index contained just a handful of tomes along with a scattering of forbidden knowledge from said entities eager to see mortals driven mad by the truths of the universe. However, since those early days the Index has grown exponentially with many believing it to hold all recorded knowledge both magical and mundane. The Index has guided great kings and evil tyrants alike pheraps due to this it has, ironically, been banned in most lands. Currently the Index is believed to be lost somewhere in the land of dead, guarded by two great wyrm Lethus Dragons.
Description[edit]
The Index weighs 3lb and until opened is identical in appearance to a normal book of its size, once opened it changes as described above as well as providing the user with a number of benefits. Once opened the Index can float within 5ft of the user and will follow them as they move, it cannot be directed or used as a shield or platform. While open the user is able to cast any spell within it without having to prepare it beforehand so long as they can cast a spell of the appropriate level and meet the spells prerequisites (eg a wizard still can't cast cleric spells or cast more spells of a certain level than he would normally be able to cast in a day). While open the Index also provides 5ft of faint luminescence and seems to faintly whisper the words currently on its pages, usually switching between a seemingly infinite number of languages while doing so.
When first found the Index contains all spells from the standard Wizard/Sorcerer, Warlock, Cleric and Druid list as well as the development process for three epic spells (DMs discretion). New spells can be added by simply dropping the pages there written on into a page of the Index or by reciting it above the open book. Epic spells can never be recorded in the Index though the development process to make them can be. Whenever a spell is cast using the Index it gains the casters ECL to damage and saves as well as making them immune to that spell for the round in which its cast. The user is also immune to the first five spells used against them each round so long as they did not take damage the round before.
Finally, the Index is capable of storing more than just spells, any book dropped into the Index will be absorbed and its information made available to any who speak the title above the Index while open. A user can also ask for a piece of information and the Index will suggest a selection of titles that the user can then read through (think Kindle). So asking "who was the king of Nevarra 500 years ago?" may result in the Index suggesting things such as "The complete history of Nevarra's Kings". Exactly what information is stored in the Index to begin with depends on the DM, though it should be assumed to hold any generally known historic information as well as information regarding important events. However, all of this is simply information recorded by others and then absorbed by the Index so it's not necessarily trustworthy, indeed many books will undoubtedly contradict each other. Furthermore,whenever the user sercehes the Index role 1d100+(lvl of last spell cast) if the result is higher than their intelligence then they must take a will save (dc 231). If they fail this they stumble across some forbidden lore and are driven insane.
Destroying the Index itself is impossible, it's creators had watched many great tomes of magic and literature burn and were adamant to never let 'their' greatest work meet the same fate. However, it is possible to destroy the information stored within the Index by having the user rip out each page within it. Only the one who last opened the Index is able to do this, the pages will tear like normal parchment and once free of the Index will immediately burn to ash. To all others the Index is utterly indestructible and even the user is unable to affect the cover in any way. The Index will contain one page for every 10 spells stored within it and one page per every 10,000 normal books, whenever a page is ripped out remove the last 10 spells used from its currently stored ones. Spells are always destroyed before normal books, assume the Index holds 100 pages worth of normal books when first found. The back page is always blank no matter how many books are added or pages ripped out and even if every page is ripped out a new blank one will 'regrow' within 24 hours. Once devoid of all but blank pages the Index ceases to provide any bonus to its user and does not regain these until it contains at least 50 pages, it will still follow them and provide light however.
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