User:Wildmage/Area 51/How Books Work

Why to Read a Book
Knowledge is Power

All creatures with a intelligence of three or higher can gain study benefits from books.

A creature can have a maximum of intelligence modifier + 1/2 HD Study bonuses at any one time. If a creature reads a book and makes the clarity roll which would put the number of study bonuses above maximum allowed, he must automatic remove a book from his study bonus list.

Any time there have gone 3 months without having read in a book a creature have a aktiv study bonus from, that creature must make a intelligence check with a DC equal to Orginal clarity roll +1 for each 3 months without study. If this check is made the creature don't lose the study bonus and can go 3 months more before making a new check with 1 higher DC. If the check is failed the creature fails the check it looses the study bonus from the book until it have been studied agein and a new base clarity check is made.

How to Read a Book
Besides from one end to the other.

All books can be quickly summed up with a few Keywords:

TITLE: Title of the work also sometimes the edition.

TYPE: What type of book it is (Mundane Book, Lexikon, Tome, Manual or Grimoir)

DESCRIPTION: What it is made of (Stone tablets, Papyrus, Human skin...)

AUTHOR: Who wrote the work.

PUBLISHER: Who if any published the work and how many copies printet.

LANGUAGE: What Language the book have been written on

SUBJECT: What the Book is About

CLARITY: DC and what check you must make to understand the book and gain the Benefit

LENGTH OF STUDY: How long you must studie it to make the Clarity check.

BENEFIT FROM STUDY: What you get out of having studiet it.

BOOK'S MONETARY VALUE: What it is worth

NOTES: If it is cursed, have a secret compartment with a map or anything that do not belong in one of the above

Example:
TITLE: A Druids Guide to Redwood forest's most beatiful places.

TYPE: Mundane Book

DESCRIPTION: A Simple brown leather book not very thick, the book is clearly worn, but in good condition still.

AUTHOR: Bearkia the druidess

PUBLISHER: Sarel's printing house

LANGUAGE: Sylvan

SUBJECT: It tells about Redwood forest and how you can find the easy trails up to the hill known as Redwood lookout, it contains little or no information on anything else, often with long sentenses describing the plants moving in the wind and other page fillers to the point of very borring.

CLARITY: Int DC 8

LENGTH OF STUDY: 2 Hours / Skimming it in 10 Minutes raices the Clarity DC to 14

BENEFIT FROM STUDY: You now know the way to Redwood lookout

BOOK'S MONETARY VALUE: 6 GP /50 GP if sold to Sarel's Wife

NOTES: On the last page there is written in elvish "Sarel likes Bearkia"

Types of Books
Mundane Books These are the bread of the mill, most books you will run into fall into this type. Books that are on single subjekt or tells a storie, books about cooking (without rescepies) and books about animals without details, it would be easely to just state that books of this type are mundane books.

Example: A Druids Guide to Redwood forest's most beatiful places.

Lexikons

These books are the ones that help you understand the subject within its pages, a book that can help you in sitiatutions were knowledge about the books subject can make a difrence. These books often gives you a bonus to skill checks (mostly knowledge skills, but somtimes other) and a chance of a re-role if you have time to studie the book.

Example: Jal'vor's guide to the bloodwars or how you can spot the difrence between a devil and a demon.

Tomes

These books helps you grow, they teach you to grow mind, body or soul depending on their varity. Often this will be stat bonuses or boost to your class abilities if you have the right kind of Tome

Example: Tome of Understanding +4

Manuals

These books tells you how you do difrent things or how you build somthing, they often let you use a feat you don't have or give you access to a class ability.

Example: Jade Golem Manual

Grimoirs

These books holds secrets of magic, spells and rituals. From the most lowly mage apprentis spellbook to the Necronomicon

Example: Book of Infinite Spells

How to Make a Book
+ A general guideline about things like pricing, bonuses and flavour.