Sentient Magic Item unlock progression.

[Mobius Twist]

I have an Inquisitor Rogue in my game who just found her father's journal (in someone else's hands, not like it was just left on a shelf somewhere). She lost her father decades ago and has more-or-less followed in the same footsteps: an Indiana Jones tomb-raiding archeologist analogue.

I'd like journal to progressively unlock more sentience and personality (as well as add to her capabilities) in line with the amount of effort put into deciphering and understanding the book.

My thoughts:
Necessary requirements to unlock each step: Time in days dedicated to study AND number of successful checks (Arcana and/or Investigation). As she delves deeper into study, she becomes more attuned to the book and expands her connection with it.

E.g.:



Requirement
Unlock


1 day & 1/3 checks, DC 10
Understanding of the cipher. Book accepts her.


7 days & 3/7 checks, DC 12
Gain understanding of symbols written on a new page, as per Comprehend Languages.


2 days & 5/7 checks, DC 15
Cast Mage Hand as a ritual from the book.


20 days & 15/20 checks, DC 18
Cast True Sight 1/day from the book




And so on...

I'm currently pondering borrowing bits from the Order of the Scribes and the emotional/linguistic communication from Sentient Magical Items, so the book becomes more independent and supportive of the character over time and successful research.

Thing is, even in my RP and exploration-heavy game, I make time for the combat and social/negotiation pillars. I'd like to have such a investment-heavy item be fun across all of them. Any suggestions?

[Notafish]

If the journal was penned by a Dr. Henry Jones-type, surely there are some clues in there about where to find ancient artifacts, or advice on avoiding traps? If it's a sentient item, it might be able to confer a latent benefit like the Barbarian's Danger Sense if carried, giving advice drawn from the years of tomb-raiding experience recorded in the journal.

Assuming her father is dead and not simply missing, at a high-level affinity with the book, allowing the Rogue a one-time Commune with her father could offer a cool character moment.

Is the second level a mechanical perk (Rogue gains Comprehend Languages as a spell) or focused on the process of learning about the journal (Rogue deciphers another page of the journal using the cipher)? As written, it's a little confusing to me.

[Mobius Twist]

Great ideas!

Agreed on the confusion about Comprehend Languages wording. I was thinking if she encounters unfamiliar writing or symbols in ruins, copying those down in empty journal pages could do everything from a literal translation to a Legend Lore-like interpretation of the meaning and context. The player is big on Myst-like puzzle games, so copying stuff down and running around ruins is a big draw for the character.

[Mobius Twist]

Inspired by Legacy Items, upcoming campaign content, and suggestions above, here's what I came up with:



A compendium of notes, scripts, and mysteries carried around by explorer, archeologist, and anthropologist of the Black Sands. His travels took him far afield and his expertise and understanding of the world grew along with the volume.
By the time Menelik parted with the tome (left in the care of a close acquaintance), the shared experience imprinted some of that understanding and insight into the volume, giving it an aura of profound wisdom and longevity.
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The covers are thick, tan-colored leather, oiled by handling, cracked with dry air, and irregular in texture. An upraised emblem of a sextant surrounded by stars in an unfamiliar constellation is embossed in faded brass on the front of the book. The book appears to contain several hundred thick, rough pages, but no matter how filled with writing, more pages are added every morning without imposing additional heft on the journal.
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Unlock requirements:
Time - amount of time dedicated to study before understanding comes. 1 day is at least 12 hours of dedicated study.
DC - difficulty of delving deeper into the tome's lore and understanding it.
Skill - Arcana/History/Investigation depending on subject matter, with others on a case-by-case basis.
X/Y - You have Y chances to roll X successes (using DC and skill above). Failing this requirement resets the period of study and skill checks again.
Success: The permanent outcome of successfully further bonding with the journal.
Character level and other requirements may be added for special cases.
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When read by an unrecognized person, the book appears to be written in a cipher, with meaning obscured by confounding symbology.


Recognition of ownership
The book has a mind of its own and will refuse to share the secrets of its contents with any it finds unworthy. Pursuers of knowledge have, in the past, been recognized by dedicating a fair bit of time to study of the scripts within, until the book senses a bond and, slowly, opens itself to a mutual understanding.
⦁ Time: 1 day
⦁ DC: 10
⦁ Skill: Arcana/History/Investigation
⦁ X/Y: 1/3
⦁ Success: Book recognizes bonded owner and unlocks further progress.


Revelations
Specific parts of the book may relate to discoveries of universal truths, observed by its owner or discovered as part of a cultural exchange. Sharing further discoveries may, in turn cause the book to share its knowledge or help with a deeper understanding.
⦁ Time: 7 days
⦁ DC: 12
⦁ Skill: Arcana/History/Investigation
⦁ X/Y: 3/7
⦁ Success: Spend time to copy unknown text or symbols into a page of the book and receive literal or contextual meaning, as per Comprehend Languages.


Permanent Boons
Should the bond between journal and owner grow deeper through study and determined pursuits of truth, the two parties will establish a link between their essential selves. Such a link leaves a lasting imprint.

Safe Reach
⦁ Time: 3 days
⦁ DC: 15
⦁ Skill: Arcana
⦁ X/Y: 5/7
⦁ Success: Character may cast the Mage Hand cantrip as an Action with a DC 10 Arcana check.
Whispered Advice
⦁ Time: 8 days
⦁ DC: 15
⦁ Skill: Arcana
⦁ X/Y: 10/12
⦁ Special: Requires character level 3.
⦁ Success: Character may cast the Augury spell as a ritual once per Long Rest.
Ramblings of a Wizened Elder
⦁ Time: 16 days
⦁ DC: 20
⦁ Skill: History/Investigation
⦁ X/Y: 14/20
⦁ Special: Requires character level 9.
⦁ Success: Character may cast the Legend Lore spell once per week.
Nothing Hidden
⦁ Time: 20 days
⦁ DC: 22
⦁ Skill: Arcana
⦁ X/Y: 18/22
⦁ Special: Requires character level 11.
⦁ Success: Character may cast the True Seeing spell as a ritual once per Long Rest.


Essential Self Avatar
Dig deep enough into its scripts, secrets, and ciphers and you may find that the tome has a will and intelligence of its own. You may summon a tiny-sized avatar of this intelligence and impart upon it an appearance of your choice, such as a page of flowing text, a ghostly tome, or a person of your past.
⦁ Time: 10 days
⦁ DC: 15
⦁ Skill: Investigation
⦁ X/Y: 7/10
⦁ Success: As a bonus action while the book is on your person, you can cause the journal to manifest as a Tiny spectral object, hovering within your 5-foot space. The spectral mind is intangible and doesn't occupy its space, and it sheds dim light in a 10-foot radius. It looks like a ghostly tome, a cascade of text, or a scholar from the past (your choice). The avatar persists for 1 hour and can be summoned a number of times equal to your Proficiency Bonus (reset upon a Long Rest).


Self-preservation
Tied to its owner's well-being, the tome will do its best to safeguard a close and bonded companion; a sure way to guarantee its own longevity, despite its likely owner's drives toward abandoned ruins and long-forgotten traps. While projecting its avatar, the tome is able to combine its arcane senses to keep an "eye" out for such death-dealing devices and grant uncanny agility in efforts to avoid them.
⦁ Time: 2 days
⦁ DC: 14
⦁ Skill: Arcana/Investigation/History
⦁ X/Y: 1/4
⦁ Special: Character must encounter at least one deadly threat within the study period.
⦁ Success: While the journal's Avatar is active, the bonded character gains an uncanny sense of when things nearby aren't as they should be, giving you an edge when you dodge away from danger. You have advantage on Dexterity saving throws against effects that you can see, such as traps and spells. To gain this benefit, you can't be restrained or incapacitated.


Traveller's boon
The longer a weary scholar puts one foot in front of the other, the more discoveries can be made with the journal in their company. Academics are not all known for enduring the hardships of the road and must, occasionally, be given a helping hand.
⦁ Time: 14 days
⦁ DC: 5
⦁ Skill: Survival
⦁ X/Y: 8/10
⦁ Special: Character must spend the study period in some form of travel or similar outdoor discomfort.
⦁ Success: All Survival rolls made to orient oneself in the wilderness, gather sustenance, or find/make shelter are made with Advantage.


Protective Bond
The journal find the notion of its bonded partner dying intolerable and may, in dire circumstances give of its essence to prevent certain demise. This aid comes at a heavy cost and is not given lightly.
⦁ Time: 20 days
⦁ DC: 18
⦁ Skill: Arcana/Investigation/History
⦁ X/Y: 13/20
⦁ Success: When the bonded character is going to suffer instant death, whether by failing three Death Saving Throws or incurring massive damage, the journal will, as a Reaction, stabilize and return the character to 0 hit points. The journal suffers the trauma of death in your stead and becomes inert for 4d6 days, unable to contribute to research or use any of its abilities.