The Spellbook of Vile Darkness

What is This? Madness

I am a firm believer that, in the style of Frodo Baggins, some When told to roll against the madness table, make a Wisdom
characters' stories can be motivated by the finding of a Saving Throw:
powerful artifact. This is a great way to provide a source of Madness Severity
conflict. However, when looking through most of the artifacts
in the Dungeon Master's Guide, they are very obviously not Roll Madness Type
designed in a way conducive to such a process. 5 or less 1 indefinite madness
What follows is my creation ( a loose term, as most of this is 10 - 6 1 long-term madness
from the original artifact description and a few reddit posts on
the subject) of The Spellbook of Vile Darkness, a version of 15 - 11 1 short-term madness
The Book of Vile Darkness designed to provide an interesting 16 or higher no effect
storyline and abilities to a Wizard who has foolishly taken it
on as a spellbook, while also (hopefully) keeping the game
relatively balanced. Dark Enticements
As the unfortunate wizard spends more time with the Book,
Situational Effects they occasionally will experience the effects of carrying
The book itself contains a great many horrific and dark pieces around such a vile artifact.
of knowledge that could prove useful to the brave researcher. Starting at 3rd level, and continuing every other level until
The pages of the book rarely contain the same information, 15th, the holder of the Book will experience the temptations
and may be in languages from Abyssal to Infernal to Deep of the dark forces contained within. They will receive a
Speech or any dark languages in between. beneficial effect as well as a detrimental effect from the book.
They also have a low-level spell transformed and a new spell
Dark Knowledge: The book can be used to gain added to their spell list.
knowledge on dark subjects. The holder may choose to The price of these changes comes in the form of a
look through the book in order to gain an Expertise (twice Charisma saving throw, of which the DC is equal to 10 + the
their proficiency bonus) bonus to any Arcana, Religion, number of previous saves. If the save is failed, the holder's
History, or Nature check relating to Dark or Evil subjects alignment shifts to evil.
(what qualifies is up to DM discretion). Notably, this feature
may be able to reveal the true names of certain fiends.
When used this way, the researcher should make a Terrifying Temptation
Wisdom saving throw against the madness table. In order to highlight the temptation aspect of the
Dark Speech: The holder can read evil text from the book, dark artifact, the DM is encouraged to accompany
taking 1d12 psychic damage themselves and causing non- or proceed each round of effects with a dream
sequence, often containing imagery of the holder
evil creatures within 15 feet to take 3d6 psychic damage. performing vile deeds in exchange for power.
Using the book in this manner causes the speaker to roll You can also require a roll on the madness table
against the madness table. to highlight the terrifying nature of the experience.

Dark Enticements
Level Beneficial Effect Detrimental Effect Spell Buff Spell Addition
3rd Dark One's Own Tongue Dark Punishment 1 1st level transformed spell Angry Wounds
5th Dark One's Own Presence Corrupting Aura 1 2nd level transformed spell Destroy Memories
7th Dark One's Own Will Demonic Appearance 1 3rd level transformed spell Borrow Limb
9th Dark One's Own Command Animal Enmity 1 4th level transformed spell Weight of Ages
11th Dark One's Own Strength Dark One's Own Flaw 1 5th level transformed spell Curse of Ghatanathoa
13th Dark One's Own Resilience Power's Toll 1 6th level transformed spell Deep Sleep
15th Ritual of the Lich ─ 1 7th level transformed spell Choke

This is unofficial Fan Content permitted under the Fan Content Policy. Not approved/endorsed by Wizards. Portions of the materials used
are property of Wizards of the Coast. ©Wizards of the Coast LLC.
 Transformed Spells
Enticement Effects One of the effects of being bound to such a powerful source of
Beneficial Effects evil and darkness is a sort of 'mutation' effect in the wizard's
Dark One's Own Tongue: Dark words seem to come more magic, causing some of their spells to become darker versions
naturally to you. You are now proficient in the Deception of those effects. Each time the holder gains a new
skill if you weren't already. transformed spell, the DM should choose one of the spells the
** Dark One's Own Presence:** You are getting used to a wizard already has access to (preferably one they already use
harsher attitude towards others. You are now proficient in fairly frequently) and then the next time the holder casts that
the Intimidation skill if you weren't already. spell modify the effects, creating a vaguely different spell.
Dark One's Own Will: The darkness in which you walk Here's an example:
has strengthened your inner will. You cannot be charmed Barkskin
or frightened. 2nd-level transmutation
Dark One's Own Command: Other creatures that walk in
darkness recognize the power you carry. Once a day you Casting Time: 1 action
may cast the spell Dominate Monster on an evil creature, Range: touch
with a DC of 18. Components: V, M, S (a handful of oak bark)
Dark One's Own Strength: The supernatural artifact you Duration: 1 hour (concentration)
carry has had much time to change the makeup of your You touch a willing creature. Until the spell ends, the
being. One ability score of your choice increases by 2, with target's skin has a rough, bark-like appearance, and the
a new natural cap of 22 if necessary. target's AC can't be less than 16, regardless of what kind of
Dark One's Own Resilience: The pure darkness that armor it is wearing.
flows through your veins imparts strength to you. You can This spell could easily be tweaked into
no longer be blinded, deafened, petrified, or stunned.
Ritual of the Lich: One of the things you will notice is that Skin of Atlach-nacha
at 15th level the wizard encounters something called 2nd-level transmutation
'ritual of the lich'. By that point I assume that the Book has Casting Time: 1 action
given them enough information that beginning the process Range: touch
of becoming a lich is the natural next step. I have purposely Components: S, M, V (the moult from a spider)
left off that section in this resource, as there are many Duration: 1 hour (concentration)
different ways DMs choose to run such magics and it will
likely be heavily affected by the story of your individual You touch a willing creature and turn their skin to a hard,
campaign, so laying it out in this document would be shimmering black chitin. Until the spell ends, the target's AC
insufficient in terms of helpfulness. can't be less than 16, regardless of what kind of armor they
are wearing. In addition, the target has advantage on
Detrimental Effects Intimidation checks made while they look like this.
Dark Punishment: Attempts to abandon the book are not Naturally, the DM has much free reign to determine
take lightly. Any time you move more than 10 feet from the whether these transformations are this small or
Book, you immediately become blinded. something much larger.
Corrupting Aura: The dark artifact you carry carry reviles New Spells
what is sacred. Holy Water that is brought within 30 feet of
you is instantly destroyed. One of the best ways to give the impression that the wizard is
Demonic Appearance: Your appearance changes, with learning dark secrets from the book is to award them with
one of your features becoming dark in nature. Your hair new, dark, and interesting spells they can add to their
might fall out or your eyes might perpetually burn with a spellbook. Listed on the table above are a few of my favorite
purple flame. This grants Disadvantage on Persuasion homebrew spells to use for this purpose, taken from the
rolls against non-evil creatures, and Celestials and documents below (which I highly recommend you check out
creatures of great goodness are naturally hostile to you. anyway):
DMs should definitely consider the other negative social 101 #nd Level Spells has documents for several spell
ramifications of this change.
Animal Enmity: The dark presence that goes with you is levels detailing some interesting options.
immediately apparent to animals and beasts. Any animal Secretum Secretorum by B.A. Morrier (I can't seem to find
that comes within 30 feet of you becomes hostile towards a link to this document anymore)
you. Lovecraftian Spells is a great resource for flavoring spells
Dark One's Own Flaw: The book exacts a price from you and has several great ones in it (the Skin of Atlach-nacha
for your increased ability. One ability score of your choice comes from that list).
decreases by 2.
Power's Toll: After remaining in the hold of the Book for
so long, it begins to extract vitality from your physical form.
You are vulnerable to all bludgeoning, piercing, and
slashing damage.

This is unofficial Fan Content permitted under the Fan Content Policy. Not approved/endorsed by Wizards. Portions of the materials used
are property of Wizards of the Coast. ©Wizards of the Coast LLC.
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