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Ascension
2008-02-11, 12:33 AM
Last night after our D&D session two other players, the DM, and I were talking about various gaming stuff, and I complained "Book of Exalted Deeds, Book of Vile Darkness, where's the Book of Awesome Neutrality?" and laughed. The DM chuckled and said, "There is one: The Book of True Balance. I used it in my last campaign." I didn't ask any more questions (primarily because I simply didn't think to do so), but upon returning home I got curious and googled it. I didn't find anything. Is the Book of True Balance printed in any books anywhere, or is it (as I suspect) something he homebrewed?

I have the feeling that if we ever find this thing in our current campaign the druid's going to end up being even more awesome than usual...

Prometheus
2008-02-11, 12:51 AM
Doesn't appear to be one, google hasn't heard of it, for one My bet is your DM is either messing with you, speaking metaphorically, or like you said, a homebrew.

RTGoodman
2008-02-11, 01:15 AM
Were you all talking about the in-game items? Or the published sourcebooks?

If he meant in-game, that would be an easy homebrew. It'd be just like the artifacts. I'd provide a link, but apparently they weren't published in the SRD.

If he was talking out-of-game, I'm not sure. I seem to remember the name being kicked around at some point as something the forum-goers over at the WotC boards had talked about, but I don't know if anything ever came of it.

Solo
2008-02-11, 01:23 AM
Look within yourself, grasshopper, and you will find what you seek.

kamikasei
2008-02-11, 01:25 AM
I could swear I've heard of such a thing, but I don't think it was called "True Balance". Wikipedia has failed me, too.

Solo
2008-02-11, 01:29 AM
I could swear I've heard of such a thing, but I don't think it was called "True Balance". Wikipedia has failed me, too.

Cast aside these unnatural sources, and seek the truth within your self.

RTGoodman
2008-02-11, 01:42 AM
Okay, after a quick Google search seeking the Truth within myself, I discovered that someone mentioned an artifact called the Book of Perfect Balance in the Underdark supplement from Forgotten Realms. There's no actual published supplement named after it, though, as far as I know.

horseboy
2008-02-11, 01:51 AM
Okay, after a quick Google search seeking the Truth within myself, I discovered that someone mentioned an artifact called the Book of Perfect Balance in the Underdark supplement from Forgotten Realms. There's no actual published supplement named after it, though, as far as I know.
Does it add +5 posture bonus?
:smallamused:

kamikasei
2008-02-11, 01:57 AM
Cast aside these unnatural sources, and seek the truth within your self.

All is fundamentally one, and nature is all-encompassing. When I use Wikipedia to do my remembering for me, is it not a part of my self?

*whacks Solo on head with staff*

Also, moo.

VanBuren
2008-02-11, 02:52 AM
Cast aside these unnatural sources, and seek the truth within your self.

Do you seek to blaspheme our holiest of ways? Surely this be the height of arrogance to suggest that the answer be found within oneself instead of consulting That most High.

Aeric
2008-02-11, 03:16 AM
If there really was a Book of True Balance it would never allow itself to be opened anyway :smallbiggrin:

Belkarseviltwin
2008-02-11, 05:13 AM
As rtg said, there is a Book of Perfect Balance in Underdark. It acts like a BoED, except that it harms good or evil users as a BoED harms evil users.

Solo
2008-02-11, 08:16 AM
All is fundamentally one, and nature is all-encompassing. When I use Wikipedia to do my remembering for me, is it not a part of my self?

*whacks Solo on head with staff*

Also, moo.

*Solo catches the staff with the Preying Mantis Chops Wood maneuver*

Nay! All fundamental truths are internal; the external world you live in is merely an illusion! One should rely not upon illusions, but instead, upon substance!

AtomicKitKat
2008-02-11, 12:34 PM
*Solo catches the staff with the Preying Mantis Chops Wood maneuver*

Nay! All fundamental truths are internal; the external world you live in is merely an illusion! One should rely not upon illusions, but instead, upon substance!

You realise that almost all Mantis moves, especially one that says "chops wood" would be moving in a downward fashion, right?:smalltongue: The manoeuvre you are looking for, young Han, is Begging Dog Catches Scraps.

SadisticFishing
2008-02-11, 01:11 PM
Wow opening poster guy thing person, nice avatar!

And, um, so that I don't say nothing about this conversation, I've never heard of it, but if he's including that he should have a Lawful and a Chaotic book too.

Solo
2008-02-11, 02:40 PM
You realise that almost all Mantis moves, especially one that says "chops wood" would be moving in a downward fashion, right?:smalltongue: The manoeuvre you are looking for, young Han, is Begging Dog Catches Scraps.

You catch it by pinning it down on the ground after the guy tries to hit you with it but misses.

Duh....:smallamused:

Newtkeeper
2008-02-11, 03:21 PM
You catch it by pinning it down on the ground after the guy tries to hit you with it but misses.

Duh....:smallamused:

Interesting in principle, but of no avail when playing frisbee.

kamikasei
2008-02-11, 03:30 PM
You catch it by pinning it down on the ground after the guy tries to hit you with it but misses.

I do not miss, impudent student, you merely fail to see the wisdom behind my choice of target.

Solo
2008-02-11, 03:42 PM
I do not miss, impudent student, you merely fail to see the wisdom behind my choice of target.

Your choice of hitting the floor?

Perhaps your cunning plan involves making me trip on one of the cracks you create?

Ascension
2008-02-11, 03:47 PM
As rtg said, there is a Book of Perfect Balance in Underdark. It acts like a BoED, except that it harms good or evil users as a BoED harms evil users.

That's probably it. I could very easily have misremembered Perfect as True... or, like I said, it could be homebrew... In the same conversation we discussed giving a magically-powered firearm of some sort to the crossbow-wielding fighter to help a little bit in balancing his power level against... well... everyone else. Me, I'm holding out for the laser cannons. :smallbiggrin:

That being said, I'm curious... from the RAW, would it work for "apathetic" neutrals, or only for "I'm only fighting for the forces of good until evil starts losing!" neutrals? If I were a DM, I'd rule that it would only benefit you if you were at least a little concerned with maintaining the balance of the universe and whatnot, but looking at the RAW concerning the BoED and BoVD artifacts, all that matters is that you're a divine spellcaster. I suppose that the assumption is that any divine spellcaster would be strongly aligned, but if, for instance, you worshiped Boccob The Uncaring, you might truly... not care.

Indon
2008-02-11, 04:08 PM
That being said, I'm curious... from the RAW, would it work for "apathetic" neutrals, or only for "I'm only fighting for the forces of good until evil starts losing!" neutrals? If I were a DM, I'd rule that it would only benefit you if you were at least a little concerned with maintaining the balance of the universe and whatnot, but looking at the RAW concerning the BoED and BoVD artifacts, all that matters is that you're a divine spellcaster. I suppose that the assumption is that any divine spellcaster would be strongly aligned, but if, for instance, you worshiped Boccob The Uncaring, you might truly... not care.

I'd say that if an apathetic neutral were to read it, it would not be unreasonable for him to become less apathetic about it as a result of reading it. A reasonable player should respond to, "You read the book about the awesomeness of neutrality as an alignment and gain benefit from internalizing its' wisdom. *whispered* please RP this appropriately."

Leewei
2008-02-12, 12:32 AM
As rtg said, there is a Book of Perfect Balance in Underdark.

Sounds like just the thing to stop my coffee table from a-wobblin'. :smallsmile:

Green and Red
2008-02-12, 09:07 AM
There is something in epic level artifacts, three books for arcane spellcasters, one each for good/neutral/evil

Heres the neutral one
http://www.d20srd.org/srd/epic/magicItems/artifacts.htm#libramofSilverMagic

However, for epic-level artifacts the things seem a bit weak, i mean enough experience to get to the next level is nice, but all it does otherwise is a +1 inherent bonus in your primary spellcasting ability, and which epic-level char wont have had a tome of whatever of more than +1 by this point, rendering this bonus (since same type of bonus dont stack, correct me if im wrong) completly useless