In the era of the Shattered Domains, knowledge was not merely recorded—it was bound. These heavy tomes are relics of an age where ritualistic magic held sway. This Cursed Books OSE conversion represents the ultimate occult trap: when disturbed, they do not simply lie there; they snap open like the jaws of a predator and flap their leather covers like the wings of a bat, diving from their shelves to defend the secrets inked within.
- Armor Class: 14 [5]
- Hit Dice: 3** (13 hp)
- Attacks: 1 × Bite (1d4)
- THAC0: 17 [+2] (Attacks as a 3 HD monster)
- Movement: 30’ (10’) / 90’ (30’) Flying
- Saving Throws: D12 W13 P14 B15 S16 (F3)
- Morale: 12
- Alignment: Neutral
- XP: 65
Special Abilities
- Magical Immunity: The ritualistic binding of these books makes them completely impervious to mundane damage. A Cursed Book can be harmed by magical means only (spells or magical weapons).
- Intermittent Malice: The ancient magic fueling these constructs is fierce but flickering. Once triggered, a book will fly and attack for 1d6 rounds. It then suddenly loses all animation and falls motionless for 1 full round before the curse resets and it begins its attack cycle again.
- Pacification: To permanently bypass the combat cycle, a reader must perform a Pacifying Ritual (see table) during the book’s motionless round, acknowledging the specific protocol of the Ancient who bound it.
The Shattered Lore Table
(Note: If pasting this doesn’t create a clean table automatically, just add a Table block with 4 columns and 7 rows, and paste the text in).
| 1d6 | Offensive Curse (Save vs. Spells) | Knowledge Contained | Pacifying Ritual |
| 1 | Grit-Cough: A burst of sand blinds the target for 1d4 turns. | The true name of a Bound Entity (e.g., Mahrun). | Sprinkle the cover with fine sand or ash. |
| 2 | Rime-Touch: Target’s hands freeze; -2 to Dex-based rolls. | A ritual to temporarily calm a Weaponized Biome. | Recite the names of the rulers who failed that land. |
| 3 | Grief-Howl: A psychic scream forces a Morale check. | The location of an Occult Relic. | Place a natural object (leaf, stone) atop the cover. |
| 4 | Fever-Mist: Soporific vapors cause the target to fall asleep. | The secret betrayal that led to a Domain’s collapse. | Whisper a secret you have never told anyone. |
| 5 | Ink-Blot: Target is marked with magic ink; tracked by predators. | Forbidden math once used to devour stars. | Offer a single drop of blood to the latch. |
| 6 | Static Shock: 1d6 lightning damage to the handler. | A method for extracting dreams from water. | Turn the book upside down and offer a silent prayer. |
Combat & Tactics
Cursed Books are agile, difficult to swat out of the air, and completely immune to standard blades and arrows. They tend to swarm a single target, nipping at fingers and faces to force the intruder to drop whatever they are holding. Their 1-round “motionless” phase is the only window for an adventurer without magical weapons to attempt a Pacifying Ritual or trap the book inside a heavy container.
Habitat
These tomes are found wherever the ritualistic arts of the Ancients were practiced. They appear in high-altitude observatories, sunken scriptoriums, and the private sanctums of fallen rulers. Wherever arcane or divine magic was used to exert control over the world, Cursed Books remain as its final, bitter sentinels.
Society
The Ancients often arranged these tomes in Archives of Despair, where the books could reinforce one another’s enchantments. In this era, magic was used to “stock” knowledge with ruthless efficiency; the consciousness or life-force of a scribe might be used as a living storage medium for complex data. While cruel, the goal was not imprisonment for its own sake, but the absolute preservation of knowledge against the passage of time and the threat of theft.
Ecology
As relics of a broken age, these books are not part of the natural order. They do not consume food but are sustained by the latent magical energy of the sites they inhabit. An intact Cursed Book is a masterpiece of both occult binding and alchemical preservation. Collectors will pay upwards of 500 gp for a “live” specimen, provided the buyer is also taught the secret ritual to unlock its secrets safely.
Featured In: Issue #0 – The Hollow Tower
The Cursed Books originally appear as a high-stakes library encounter in Issue #0 – The Hollow Tower. If you want to drop these flying occult traps into a fully realized, table-ready adventure, you can find the complete module available below.
