As I often use books as treasure in my TTRPGs, I created this table for generating the details of written works.
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Roll four times on the following table, once for each column. Develop the title of the book (if it needs one) from the Type, Subject, and/or Author results. Example: The Chronicles of Damocles: A Travelogue; or A Demonology Account by Olaf Wyrmius.
| d66 | Type | Subject | Author | Aspect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | Abecedarium | (Auto)biography | Abbot Voynich | Abridged |
| 12 | Account | Alchemy | Adolphus the Cinereal | Banned |
| 13 | Almanac | Art | Aloysius Prynn IV | Boring |
| 14 | Anthology | Artifice | Archmagus Pol | Conscice |
| 15 | Apocrypha | Astrology | Ba’zai the Wise | Cursed C |
| 16 | Chronicle | Astronomy | Bhlok of Leng | Damaged |
| 21 | Codex | Augury | Comte de Averoigne | Definitive |
| 22 | Commentary | Bestiary | Damocles, Gentleman Scholar | Dense |
| 23 | Compendium | Conjuring/ Demonology | D. Vincente | Disturbing |
| 24 | Critique | Commerce | Khutlukh | Dull |
| 25 | Dialogue | Cosmology | Klarkash-Ton, High Priest | Elementary |
| 26 | Doctrine | Cryptography | L. V. Cherno | Encrypted |
| 31 | Enchiridion | Curses | Lord Braunstein | Entertaining |
| 32 | Essay | Death | Lost Ar-E’ch-Bei | Erotic |
| 33 | Fragments | Divination/ Prophecy | Luveh-Kerapht | Esoteric |
| 34 | Guide | Enchanting | Malik Taus, the Peacock Sultan | Fake |
| 35 | Handbook | Folklore/ Myth | Obsidian Hierophant | Fictional |
| 36 | Incunable | Geology | Olaf Wyrmius | Gilded |
| 41 | Invocations | Botany/ Herbalism | Ragnhildr | Heretical |
| 42 | Journal | History/Lore | Scarlet Sibyl | Illuminated |
| 43 | Key | Incantation S | Scribe Nabu | Illustrated |
| 44 | Manual | Language | Sir Petr | Inaccurate |
| 45 | Manuscript | Magical Grimoire G | Sisters Sybil | Incomplete |
| 46 | Memoir | Music | The Bastard Saint | Incomprehensible |
| 51 | Monograph | Natural History | The Demiurge | Locked/Warded |
| 52 | Palimpsest | Occult | Thelonious | Nonsensical |
| 53 | Primer | Philosophy | Titivillus | Masterpiece |
| 54 | Pamphlet | Poetry | X | Rare |
| 55 | Record | Prose | Zaganagaz | Scholarly |
| 56 | Scripture | Religion | Zorna Dweomermaiden | Trapped T |
| 61 | Scroll/Rotulus | Thaumaturgy S | none/unknown | Unremarkable |
| 62 | Text | Travelogue | none/unknown | Valuable |
| 63 | Tome | Warfare | none/unknown | Vandalised |
| 64 | Tract | Zoology | none/unknown | Verbose |
| 65 | Treatise | Roll Twice | none/unknown | Roll Twice |
| 66 | Volume | Roll Thrice | Roll Twice | Roll Twice |
To determine the value of the book in gold pieces, total all the dice rolled (Average value: ~28gp). If the book has high value aspects (such as Banned, Gilded, Rare, Valuable, etc.) consider double or tripling its value. If the book has low value aspects (such as Damaged, Inaccurate, Incomplete, Vandalized, etc.) Consider halving its gold piece value or changing the value to silver or copper coinage.
C Stealing or reading the book bestows the following curse on an appropriate failed Save. Can be temporary or permanent.
- Amnesia – (Reader forgets contents to the book even existing)
- Bibliomania – (Obsessive book hoarding)
- Bibliophobia – (Fear or hatred of books)
- Blindness
- Dyslexia
- Graphomania – (Obsessive impulse to write.)
- Illiteracy
- Logorrhea – (Excessive wordiness)
(See Book Curse on Wikipedia for additional inspiration)
G Contains 1d4 random spells.
S Functions as a random spell but can only be cast via a complex ritual.
T Book is inscribed with a magical trap or hazard that triggers when open or read.
- Fire Trap – (Book rapidly ignites dealing 3d4 damage. Save for half.)
- Infestation – (Carnivorous bookworms – Treat as Rot Grubs).
- Arcane Ward – (Reader must match specific parameters in order to interact with book.)
- False Book – (The book is actually a Mimic! It attacks!)
- Serpent Sigil – (Save to avoid being struck by serpent or reader becomes paralyzed for 1d4 days)
- Guardian – (Interacting with the book summons a hostile guardian.)
- Explosive Runes – (Reader takes 6d6 damage. No Save)
- Prison Book – (On a failed Save the reader becomes imprisoned within the book in a state of indefinite suspended animation. The book can only imprison a single individual at a time; the next reader to fail their saving throw replaces the previous one. Book may currently contain a prisoner.)
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