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View Full Version : D&D 3.x Other The Magnificent Library - Rules for Books & other Sources of Information (3.5 / PF)



Horrid
2017-03-28, 06:22 AM
Hello peoplings,

What is this about? Well, I wanted to share my homebrew rules about sources of information like books, which came up during my preparations for my current campaign. Since I couldn't find anything similar (maybe I didn't google hard enough) and since I think they are quite good and can be a nice addition to any D&D or also a Pathfinder game, I'll share them here.
That said, I only know the PF rules superficially and I don't know if there is something similar in them, but I don't think so. Also I do not play 4th or 5th edition and they are probably incompatible to those.

Ok, well, did you ever wonder why a wizard in a D&D setting should set up his own library or carry around books at all (except for his spellbook of course)? I mean it is what wizards do, but why?
Sure the answer is kinda obvious, and can also be applied to almost any other class: for the knowledge they contain. But shouldn't there also be some actual game mechanics for stored information and the knowledge they hold if they are that important to basically everyone? I did think so, and that's why I wrote these rules.
Basically I thought of a different game I used to play, which had such mechanics and everyone always immediately started fighting over the ancient tomes we just found in this long lost library or that wizard's tower, for they would hold new power, old knowledge, rare spells or just unique information.
I never experienced something like this in my D&D campaigns as a player and wanted to change that in my current campaign as a DM.

It mainly happened when I thought about how to introduce new rule sources, which I restriced from use by the players. When we first made characters, I only allowed a certain pool of books to make the characters from, which I think is a common method, but I wanted to add others later to give them stuff like feats classes, spells etc. that were restricted to them before, so they would feel more special and rare.
Also to me it doesn't make a lot of sense, that books simply vanish after you read them, because they are magic items. I know, that's part of the D&D logic, and I didn't change anything about that. But there should also be books of actual off-game or mechanical value, that simply hold valuable information for certain people, mostly depending on their classes.
Maybe you felt that way as well before, and maybe these rules may help you out. Also I had a lot of fun writing the book entries and they might kickstart your imagination as well and give you new ideas for your campaigns, even if you don't use the rules! :)

But I should stop talking about it and simply let you read it, because most of the above is also in the introduction of the PDF.
So have fun with it if you want, give me feedback if you like, it'd be highly appreciated, and change it in any way that suits you to make it work in your campaign:

The Magnificent Library - Rules for Books and other Sources of Information for a D&D 3.5 (or Pathfinder) Game (https://www.dropbox.com/s/5djp9t12h71x0gl/The%20Magnificent%20Library%20-%20Rules%20for%20Books%20and%20other%20sources%20o f%20information%20for%20D%26D%203.5%20%28and%20Pat hfinder%29.pdf?dl=0)
(To make them work for Pathfinder you'll have to adjust some of the rules of course, especially Skill prerequisites and maybe some of the effects as well, but not too much! :) )

BTW, this is my first thread in these forums, I hope it is in the right place, if not I'd humbly ask to move it where it belongs.


Cheers,
Horrid

(EDIT: Just updated it with bookmarks and an index. 03/29/17)