The Necronomicon

The Necronomicon

Wondrous Item

Legendary Requires Attunement

Random Properties. The Necronomicon has the following properties:

• 2 Minor Beneficial Properties
• 1 Major Beneficial Property
• 1 Minor Detrimental Property
• 1 Major Detrimental Property

Toughened Reading. The Necronomicon attunes to the reader of it's texts, and physically starts to change them for better or worse. They gain +3 to their Constitution, taking it up to 24. This benefit can only be applied once.
Book of Insanity. When reading the contents, the Necronomicon damages the psyche of the individual. Every time it is used, the user has to make a Wisdom check or take 1 permanent damage to their Wisdom. If it reduces the person to 0 Wisdom, they either incurably loose their mind, commit suicide, or die in some mysterious violent way.
Spells of the Stars. If read by a spellcaster, they can learn up to five new spells overall, and no more. These are drawn from the Conjuration or Necromancy schools. It gives the caster a +1 to their spellcasting checks if summoning undead or fiends, or a +2 if summoning abberants. This is in addition to any spells they already know.
Power of the Stars. The Necronomicon attracts abberants to the person attuned to the book. They have a 25% of being sought out by abberants if any are within 2 miles of these creatures, especially if they have Star Spawn in the monster's name. There is a 50% chance the monster will be hostile to the attuned user.
Destroying the Book. The Necronomicon can be destroyed by any normal means but the safest way is by burning it. Even then, nobody knows how many copies are out in the world, and there is a risk it may reappear in some other place at a random date.

The Necronomicon, or the Book Of The Dead, or Kitab al-Azif, was wrote by the Mad Arab Abdul Alhazred. It was given the name Necronomicon only after it was translated into Greek. Originally wrote in Arabic by Alhazred before his sudden and mysterious death in 738 AD. It is the book that he was inspired to write after he became a worshipper of Yog-Sothoth & Cthulhu. Also, he had visited Babylon, subterranean Secret places under Memphis, and the Empty Quarter of Arabia. Many philosophers, magic users, cultists and mad men try to seek the book out to delve into its secrets. Anyone reading it either is driven insane or meets a gruesome end. It pushes 1000 pages, made of some type of leather and has metal clasps. Wherever it appears madness and death follow and it soon disappears, and then reappears somewhere else. It is rumoured that the Vatican keeps it, or at least a copy of it.
The book is rumoured to be a list of spells, rituals & treaties concerning the Elder Evils & Star Gods. This has led many occultists to try hunting it down. Many look to copy or use the information in it, and others to work out how to avoid summoning or communicating these monsters. Many other religions look to destroy it, or at least lock it away to prevent the use of the magic within.

Cost: 5000000gp
Weight: 6 lb

Item type

Book / Document