Paquin's Black Book

This is a bit of a departure from my usual article. This tome is from a 2nd edition AD&D game I ran a few years back. I keep meaning to adapt it to my usual system, and then letting it sit in my queue for another month, so I decided I would post it up as is. Most of the material here should be familiar to any D&D player, and easily adapted to any D&D-flavor game.

This is a book of black stained leather, bound with bronze and silver fittings. The book radiates both strong magic and evil. It contains the collected writings of the mage Paquin, a vile black sorcerer from the early days of the Empire. The main book is actually five volumes within a single binding. Each sub-book is protected by a shell of chitinous leather and guarded by a magical seal (except the first, which is open).

Within each sub-volume is the specific ritual that will unlock the next section. Each time the ritual is performed, there is a 50% chance the guardian spirit of the section being opened will be invoked. Discovering the ritual for the next section should be treated as discovering a spell within the book. Each week spent studying a sub-section of the book has a chance of revealing one of the contained spells or some useful piece of information (chance equal to chance to learn a spell). Each week of study also has a 25% cumulative chance of invoking the demonic spirit that guards the particular sub-volume.

The book's guardians are permanently bound to the volume. If defeated they disappear, but can be reinvoked after 1 day has passed. If a guardian is invoked it appears in a pillar of fire and smoke that bursts from the book, choking and blinding anyone within a 10'R for 1d4 MR (ST vs. spell to avoid).
The book cannot be destroyed by any mundane means. Only the burning breath of a dragon will destroy it and send its guardian spirit back to the nether planes.

Volume I

Guardian: Hook Horror (HP: 30 AC: 3 Dam: 1d8/1d8 THAC0: 14)

• Mount (1st)
• Paquin's Ghoul Touch (1st)
• Detect Undead (1st)
• Clay Flesh (2nd)

Volume II

Guardian: Shadow Demon (HP: 40 AC: 9/5/1 Dam: 1d8/1d6/1d6 THAC0: 12)

• Summon Swarm (2nd)
• Irritation (2nd)
• Fools' Gold (2nd)
• Paquin's Vortex of Terror (3rd)

Volume III

Guardian: Doombat - enhanced (HP: 50 AC: 4 Dam: 1d6/1d4, shriek THAC0: 10)

• Dispel Magic (3rd)
• Protection from Evil 10' Radius (3rd)
• Protection from Normal Missiles (3rd)
• Paquin's Rain of Horror (4th)

Volume IV

Guardian: Guardian Daemon (HP: 60 AC: 1 Dam: 1d6/1d6/2d12 THAC0: 8)

• Enchanted Weapon (4th)
• Phantasmal Killer (4th)
• Contagion (4th)
• Paquin's Fire Tornado (5th)

Volume V

Guardian: Necrophidius - enhanced (HP: 70 AC: 0 Dam: 1d8 (ST vs. magic or paralized) THAC0: 6)

• Conjure Elemental (5th)
• Major Creation (5th)
• Domination (5th)
• Reincarnation (6th)

Paquin was a historic figure of legend in my campaign, a mage who once advised the Emperor, he fell from grace and was eventually hunted down and slain. His name is considered curse, his works tainted by demonic forces and blackest magic.

I've written about Paquin and some of his leftovers previously,

• The Seal of Paquin
• Paquin's Deceiving Circle
• Paquin's Spellbook - which actually describes a few of the spells here.

As for Paquin's Rain of Horror, that's right here in its original form:

Paquin's Rain of Horror

This spell causes a rain of protoplasmic globs to rain from the skies within a 30 foot radius circle. These blobs are acidic in nature, searing flesh and eating away at metallic objects. Once they land the globs animate, becoming gooey worm-like creatures, each seeking the nearest living target to sear and feed upon. 1d4 globules fall in each 5 foot square within the area of effect. Each globule must be slain (HP: 1 AC: 8 THAC0: N/A, Damage: 1d4) before they cease movement. This spell has a 200 foot range, and a full round cast time.

The Book of Tongues

This artifact is a thick tome covered in dull gray leather reinforced with a silver spine and reinforcing bands. Two broad straps of black leather is woven into the front and back covers and can be fastened together with a delicate silver latch to hold the volume shut. A white silk ribbon is bound into the books spine and serves as a page mark. There are no markings of any kind on the spine or cover to hint at the book's contents. A Great test of divination magic will reveal Superb alteration magic at work and a second such test will reveal the workings of the item.

Two dozen sheets of the finest vellum lie between the covers of this magical tome. The pages are enchanted with potent spells of translation. The book can be used in the following ways:

• A page can be attuned to a specific language by having the book's owner hold it while someone speaks the desired language. Full attunement requires three hours of speech be 'heard' by the page, during which time it slowly fills with magical symbols encoding the underlying structure of the tongue. Each attunement is permanent.
• The book's owner can speak and understand any attuned language simply by opening the book to the desired page and placing their hand upon it. This ability lasts so long as they hold the book in this fashion.
• The book's owner can understand speech in an attuned language, but not speak it by marking the appropriate page in the book with the attached place mark. This ability lasts so long as they carry the book.
• These two powers can be combined, allowing the owner to speak and comprehend one language and comprehend another at the same time.

Any spoken language can be attuned with the book, but there must be an audible component. The item does not grant the ability to read and write the attuned language, only to speak or comprehend it when it is spoken.

The Seeker's Tome

This thick tome is bound in bright yellow leather inscribed with runes of divination and scrying. The volume's spine, edges and corners are reinforced with tarnished copper plates that are fastened to the binding with black rivets. The Tome contains 79 pages of the finest vellum, each bearing an ornate hand-drawn border rendered in purple ink on one side, a dense hash of magical runes on the other. If examined for magical properties the Tome radiates Epic divination magic. A Superb test of divination magic will reveal the Tome's powers.

Binding the Page - The owner of the Tome selects a blank page, names a sentient being, and speaks a command word. An image of the target instantly appears upon the page, showing their current appearance and locale. Blocking this effect is a Superb test of anti-scrying magic (and the page remains blank if the block is successful). Once used in this manner the page is forever bound to the chosen target, and can be used in conjunction with the Tome's other powers. This power can be invoked at will, though a blank page is consumed with each successful invocation.

Scrying Touch - Using a bound page, the owner of the Tome can establish a scrying connection to the portrayed target. This connection lasts ten minutes and provides a view of the target and their immediate locale. Blocking this effect is a Superb test of anti-scrying magic. Once the connection ends the page retains the last image of the target. This power can be used up to five times per day, but a single page can only be activated once per day.

Sending - The Tome's owner uses a bound page to establish a mental connection to the target. Sending lasts five minutes and allows two-way mental communication between owner and target. The either party may attempt to use other charm or psychic magics through this link once it is established, though the Tome's owner gains a Good bonus to all such attempts. Blocking a Sending is a Superb test of anti-scrying magic. This power can be used once per day.

The target of a Scrying Touch or Sending can attempt to permanently break the linkage between themselves and the Tome. Breaking the link requires a Legendary success at dispel magic while a connection is active. If a link is successfully broken the associated page turns black and becomes forever useless. A link can be reestablished using a new Binding the Page, but the target gains a Fair bonus to block the attempt.

Book of Mutations

This malignant volume is more rumor and myth than fact. Legend says the tome was created by a powerful demon lord as a reward for one of his most loyal worshipers in the material world. The Book grants great power, but like all such gifts, the volume exacts a price from anyone that chooses to use it.

The Book is a large volume, approximately 18 inches wide, 24 inches high, and several inches thick. The covers of the Book are fashioned from strips of bone, carefully polished and woven together with human hair. The volume's spine is made of black-dyed human vertebrae, while the pages are carefully tanned and stretched human skin. The contents of the book are written in the foulest of demonic tongues using human blood as ink.

The Book radiates Epic protection magic and Legendary alteration magic. It is a potent artifact of evil.

The Book's protection magic is aimed at protecting the volume itself. This protection has two components:

• Only the most potent destructive magics can harm its pages. It is immune to physical attack, and only Legendary magical attacks will affect it.
• Despite its horrid appearance the Book exerts a powerful effect on any that handle it. Anyone touching the volume will find themselves draw to it, and desire to keep it safe. Shaking off this effect requires a Great test of willpower.

To unlock the secrets of the Book requires many days of study and research. Simply translating the contents is a Great test of language skill. Comprehending each of the rituals described requires a Superb test of ritual lore.

The Rituals

There are seven rituals outlined in the book. Each ritual requires a collection of ritual objects (Superb quality and cost) to perform, though the objects are not consumed when used. Carrying out a ritual requires a full day of preparation. The rituals themselves take one hour to carry out (success requires a Great test of ritual magic). A ritual affects a single subject, unless the Ritual of Preparation is used. There are three ways each ritual can be used. Each use of a ritual inflicts Demonic Consequences (see below) on the caster.

• Performed upon self - The Book's owner performs the ritual upon themselves, gaining the benefit outlined in the individual ritual.
• Performed upon a willing subject - The target receives the benefit of the ritual and becomes Bound by Blood (see below).
• Performed upon an unwilling subject - The target receives the benefit of the ritual and suffers Taint of the Demon (see below). Unwilling subjects succumb to the ritual if they fail to make a Superb magical resistance check.

The rituals are:

• Ritual of Preparation - This ritual can only be performed upon oneself. It allows a subsequent ritual to be performed upon multiple targets (six times the subjects). This ritual can be performed multiple times before another ritual is used, multiplying the subjects of the final ritual by six each time (6, 36, 216, etc.)
• Ritual of Subjugation - The subject of this ritual becomes a willing follower of the caster, obeying them as if they were a revered and trusted overlord.
• Ritual of Strength - The subject gains one rank of physical strength and endurance each time this ritual is cast upon them.
• Ritual of Altered Senses - This ritual enhances the senses of the subject, allowing them to see in the dark, hear a pin drop from across the room, or smell as well as a dog. Each use of this ritual improves two random senses one rank.
• Ritual of Living Blood - The target of this ritual gains superior healing abilities. Each casting of the ritual improves their resistance to disease and poison by one rank. It also improves their healing speed by one rank. Three uses of this ritual provide the target with true regeneration.
• Ritual of Guardian Flesh - This ritual strengthens the target's body against physical assault. Each casting of this ritual improves the target's natural resistance to physical harm by one rank.
• Ritual of Resilience - This ritual grants the subject improved resistance to damaging magic of all sorts (though specifically not to the effects of the Book itself). Each time this ritual is cast the subject gains one rank of resistance. Three uses of this ritual provide the target with true magic resistance.

Demonic Consequences

The Book's creator had a purpose in mind when he created this volume: gaining access to the material plane. Each use of the Book's rituals has a chance of inflicting a permanent change upon the caster. Each time the owner uses a ritual they must succeed at a Great test of willpower. If they fail the test their physical form is altered, gaining one physical feature of the demon lord that created the Book. The first changes will be minor, but over time the user will come to resemble the demon lord in physical form. After a score of rituals the congruence between the demon and the caster will form a bond between the two, allowing the demon to influence the user. Eventually the demon will be able to project their consciousness into the ritualist's body, permanently displacing the owner's soul.

Bound by Blood

A willing ritual subject becomes bound to the caster. Should harm befall the caster the bound subject suffers a portion of the consequences. Each wound inflicted upon the ritualist inflicts a minor wound upon the bound follower. Should the caster be slain the follower suffers a permanent Good loss of vitality.

Taint of the Demon

Unwilling victims suffer this effect each time they are subject to a ritual from the Book. Each ritual inflicts one of the following consequences upon the subject:

• Dullness - The victim's mind becomes dulled, reducing their intellect and drive by one rank.
• Demonic Visage - The victim takes on a demonic appearance, gaining one of the following features: black eyes with slit pupils; coarse, scaly skin; horny, sharp claws; twisted, knotted musculature; hunched, hulking appearance
• Cruelty - The victim becomes cruel, and vicious, taking delight in the suffering of others. They must make a Good test of willpower to resist taking advantage of any situation that allows them to be cruel to others.

Eventually use of the book will unleash a demon lord upon the world, complete with his own horde of minions. The idea for this item came from a campaign I participated in many years ago. I'm sure the details of the book are very different from the original creator's ideas. I hope you find it useful!