Ideas for a homebrew monster (Aberration that is essentially a living spellbook)

[InterstellarPro]

I am trying to homebrew a monster (CR5 to CR7 range) that will be an Aberration. A wizard is using the creature as its spellbook. The creature is not inherently evil, and should the party decide to befriend it, they may figure out how to read the spells it has stored in its body. My idea is that it can alter its skin to display runes that can be read by a wizard (think writing in hieroglyphics rather than actual words). So, it would require a higher Spellcraft check to decipher the spells without Read Magic (maybe +5 to the DC). The creature can store up to 1000 pages of spells, and functions as a Blessed Book.

I can use a little help coming up with the creature's stats and other special abilities in case the party decides to fight it instead of befriend it? I am usually good at homebrewing monsters, but I am running short on time before tomorrow's session, so I would greatly appreciate any ideas other people have!

[Falontani]

Have it be able to cast spells stored within, and let it store spells that it is powerful enough to cast. X/day spell absorb, adds spell to spells known, and adds spell to it's spell slots.

[InterstellarPro]

Have it be able to cast spells stored within, and let it store spells that it is powerful enough to cast. X/day spell absorb, adds spell to spells known, and adds spell to it's spell slots.

I was thinking, in addition to the normal method for scribing spells into a spellbook (which a wizard could do), it could consume scrolls to add spells to the spellbook. I don't want it to be too powerful, but the party's wizard could take it as a cohort. Maybe I can give it levels in Wizard. Here's what I have so far:

Size/Type: Small Aberration
Hit Dice: 7d8+7 (38 hp)
Initiative: +1
Speed: 20 ft. (4 squares)
Armor Class: 14 (+1 size, +1 Dex, +2 natural), touch 12, flat-footed 13
Base Attack/Grapple: +3/-2
Attack: Claw +2 melee (1d4-1)
Full Attack: 2 claws +2 melee (1d4-1)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: ??? (Maybe some kind of minor spellcasting?)
Special Qualities: Darkvision 60 ft., spell resistance 17, Insightful Magic, Consume Magic, Living Spellbook ???
Saves: Fort +3, Ref +3, Will +4
Abilities: Str 8, Dex 13, Con 12, Int 20, Wis 8, Cha 4
Skills: Decipher Script +15, Hide +15, Knowledge: Arcana +15, Knowledge: Dungeoneering +15, Move Silently +11, Spellcraft +17, Use Magic Device +17 (+21 for scrolls),
Feats: Eschew Materials?, Spell Mastery?, Magical Aptitude
Environment: Unknown - This is the only one the party knows of (+20 to DC of Dungeoneering checks to identify him)
Organization: Solitary
Challenge Rating: 5
Treasure: Double standard
Alignment: Always Neutral
Advancement: By Class
Level Adjustment: —

Insightful Magic (Ex): Use Intelligence rather than Charisma for Use Magic Device checks
Consume Magic (Su): Capable of learning spells by consuming scrolls, stores up to 1000 pages of spells in body (as blessed book)
Living Spellbook (Su): Capable of being used by a wizard as a spellbook. He can alter his skin to bring forth text stored in his body (either by a wizard "scribing spells" in him, or through his Consume Magic ability).

Also, the party wizard is a fairly unoptimized Half-Ogre Wizard/Barbarian gestalt.

[Falontani]

I was thinking, in addition to the normal method for scribing spells into a spellbook (which a wizard could do), it could consume scrolls to add spells to the spellbook. I don't want it to be too powerful, but the party's wizard could take it as a cohort. Maybe I can give it levels in Wizard. Here's what I have so far:

Size/Type: Small Aberration
Hit Dice: 7d8+7 (38 hp)
Initiative: +1
Speed: 20 ft. (4 squares)
Armor Class: 14 (+1 size, +1 Dex, +2 natural), touch 12, flat-footed 13
Base Attack/Grapple: +3/-2
Attack: Claw +2 melee (1d4-1)
Full Attack: 2 claws +2 melee (1d4-1)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: ??? (Maybe some kind of minor spellcasting?)
Special Qualities: Darkvision 60 ft., spell resistance 17, Insightful Magic, Consume Magic, Living Spellbook ???
Saves: Fort +3, Ref +3, Will +4
Abilities: Str 8, Dex 13, Con 12, Int 20, Wis 8, Cha 4
Skills: Decipher Script +15, Hide +15, Knowledge: Arcana +15, Knowledge: Dungeoneering +15, Move Silently +11, Spellcraft +17, Use Magic Device +17 (+21 for scrolls),
Feats: Eschew Materials?, Spell Mastery?, Magical Aptitude
Environment: Unknown - This is the only one the party knows of (+20 to DC of Dungeoneering checks to identify him)
Organization: Solitary
Challenge Rating: 5
Treasure: Double standard
Alignment: Always Neutral
Advancement: By Class
Level Adjustment: —

Insightful Magic (Ex): Use Intelligence rather than Charisma for Use Magic Device checks
Consume Magic (Su): Capable of learning spells by consuming scrolls, stores up to 1000 pages of spells in body (as blessed book)
Living Spellbook (Su): Capable of being used by a wizard as a spellbook. He can alter his skin to bring forth text stored in his body (either by a wizard "scribing spells" in him, or through his Consume Magic ability).

Also, the party wizard is a fairly unoptimized Half-Ogre Wizard/Barbarian gestalt.

As it stands the creature is definitely useful to a wizard, but hardly CR 4. I think what your missing here, is the ability to scrap a spell stored inside of it to create a scroll of the spell that the creature can then cast. Or eat and convert back into a spell. Perhaps swift action to convert. This would make it so that a wizard could have the spellbook lose a spell until he rescribed it for a quick way to get a scroll.

[TallerSpine]

If it is a gestalt campaign, you can give the creature casting abilities. Just don't let it overshadow anyone in the party.

Or what about giving him the ability to consume more magic items, then if he has the appropriate item creation feats, he can create magic items, then send him up artificer?

Then him into a pearl of power and allow him to store spell slots for the wizard?

[InterstellarPro]

As it stands the creature is definitely useful to a wizard, but hardly CR 4. I think what your missing here, is the ability to scrap a spell stored inside of it to create a scroll of the spell that the creature can then cast. Or eat and convert back into a spell. Perhaps swift action to convert. This would make it so that a wizard could have the spellbook lose a spell until he rescribed it for a quick way to get a scroll.

That is an awesome idea. I like that a lot.


If it is a gestalt campaign, you can give the creature casting abilities. Just don't let it overshadow anyone in the party.

Or what about giving him the ability to consume more magic items, then if he has the appropriate item creation feats, he can create magic items, then send him up artificer?

Then him into a pearl of power and allow him to store spell slots for the wizard?

I like the artificer idea, and I think it would work well with Falontani's idea. Thank you both!

[Psyren]

If you want it to be a book, it should probably be Tiny. Remember, Small is the size of a Gnome - not something a medium creature can tote around easily usually, especially not a noodly-armed wizard.

[InterstellarPro]

If you want it to be a book, it should probably be Tiny. Remember, Small is the size of a Gnome - not something a medium creature can tote around easily usually, especially not a noodly-armed wizard.

He is a half-ogre gestalt wizard/barbarian. Not very optimized, either.

Anyway, it is capable of storing spells like a book, but unlike a book, it does not have pages. The spells appear on its skin (figure slimy, color changing, mutable skin). It was conjured by a mad genius. So, I would be ok with it having some drawbacks that a spellbook would not have. The wizard who created this monstrosity likely had what seemed to him to be very good reasons for whatever he did, but us pathetic mortals will never understand his (or her) brilliance. Like being too large to be a spellbook. I was even thinking it could be size category Medium or Large, but Small works for my purposes.

[TallerSpine]

He is a half-ogre gestalt wizard/barbarian. Not very optimized, either.

Anyway, it is capable of storing spells like a book, but unlike a book, it does not have pages. The spells appear on its skin (figure slimy, color changing, mutable skin). It was conjured by a mad genius. So, I would be ok with it having some drawbacks that a spellbook would not have. The wizard who created this monstrosity likely had what seemed to him to be very good reasons for whatever he did, but us pathetic mortals will never understand his (or her) brilliance. Like being too large to be a spellbook. I was even thinking it could be size category Medium or Large, but Small works for my purposes.

Half-ogres only have a -2 to Int. Not the worst wizard I've ever seen. A friend of mine made a wizard with an Int of 11. He only ever cast 1st level spells, just modified with Metamagic. Hilarious concept. I loved it.

Anyway, to the point, what is this thing supposed to look like?

[InterstellarPro]

Anyway, to the point, what is this thing supposed to look like?

Its form is semi-amorphous. Its features slide around, appearing wherever they happen to land, kind of like a Picasso. Occasionally, an eye may disappear from one part of its body and then a few moments later reappear on another. Otherwise, it is mostly humanoid shaped. It could wear clothes, although it would probably freak people out.

I should probably give more thought to its sensory perception. Given such a mutable anatomy, its senses are utterly alien. Perhaps I could give it some blindsight, and make its facial features rather superfluous?

[Nifft]

There's a Spellwurm symbiote in ... Magic of Eberron, I think.

It acts as a spellbook, kinda, but you have to attach it to your body, and it deals a point of ability damage every day. (Since you heal one point per day, it's effectively a permanent reduction by -1, and you no longer naturally heal damage to that ability.)

It has a very low CR, but it also has a price in GP, and that's how I'd evaluate such a creature -- not by what it could do on its own, but rather by how much it augments the primary spellcaster who utilizes its power.