Shackled City: The Dead Book: Entry 4

THE DEAD BOOK

Entry 4. Grim (ECL 4, Dan) After a failed attempt to murder Osiris under the compulsion of a vampire, the party debated long and hard about the fate of Grim. At last, as Grim lay unconscious on the ground, Osiris slit his throat. 
Entry 3. Vrabel (ECL 3, Kenneth) The party began to look around for Vrabel. Has anyone seen Vrabel? Looking around they discovered a goblin medicine man standing over the collapsed body of Vrabel. After the party dispatched the medicine man, Osiris examined their fallen comrade. "He's been burned to death," came the report.
Entry 2. Kracken (ECL 3, Dan) It was the beard! The bald under-dwarf with the beard. All fear the beard.
Entry 1. Sirkus (ECL 3, Kenneth) After fearlessly mowing down several enemies in hand to hand combat while defending his party from a brood of hobgoblin archers, a fateful arrow pierced his heart, killing him instantly.

Shackled City: ECL 4 Rain Black Talon Ss'ressen Lizardfolk Ninja 2 Fighter 2: Entry 5

Hmmm...
Is this really the path I want?  Can I live up to my potential when I constantly go against my nature?  Travelling with these people has altered my perception of what is important.  So many times now I have had to look past my own needs for the sake of greater "good".  That is not my want, my desire, my true path.  But how can I hope to survive these dangerous underground tunnels without the help of these so-called companions?  Perhaps I am strong enough on my own.  I may not be the most intelligent creature, but I have the capacity to think through most situations and determine a suitable course of action.  I will let my wisdom guide me as always.  But my time here with these "civilized" beings may be growing short.

Shackled City: ECL 4, Osiris Eloah, Elf Wizard, and (Generalist): Journal Entry 6

Despite our time adventuring together, I still feel a little uneasy with my adventuring companions. Or maybe, it’s just spending too much time underground. I can’t quite put my finger on it but I know we’re being watched, by what or who I’m not 100% sure. Certainly by more goblins, but possible the bugbear vampire that we haven’t seen in a while. Out of sight but not out of mind. One again, I must concentrate on the impending battle that’s in front of me. Two more poor unfortunate souls that must kneel before my wraith! 

Shackled City: Ruce Blackwind; Urban Ranger 3: Entry 9

"You're back!"

Ruce paused at the door to the Dwarven chapel and then nodded wearily. "Yeah...."

"You're naked!"

The urban ranger winced and trudged over to the small pile of his belongings.  I really need my backpack. "Very good, elf. Two for two."

"You're separated from the orc!"

Ruce roared in frustration and whirled on the mage, shaking his fists in the air. "HOW is that your THIRD comment??? HOW is 'you are no longer a two headed abomination' NOT the VERY FIRST thing that this party would notice about me? I'm .... I'm .... I'm STUNNED that my head is no longer on an orc's body and ANYONE would .... that my battle mates wouldn't...."

Ruce let his rant fall into a desperate stare, standing naked and gawking in the middle of the chamber, holding a short sword in one fist and his tunic in the other.

A shuffling sound came from behind him and he turned to see the ancient druid wander in from the secret side chamber. The old man looked up from the book he was reading. "Oh.... you're back."

Shackled City: ECL 4, Osiris Eloah, Elf Wizard, and (Generalist): Journal Entry 5

Unbelievable! Another day of adventuring, another dead companion! This time it was the skilled Monk Vrabel who met his end by the purifying heat of fire. The Goblin shaman, who I strongly felt was the cause quickly followed him into, what I can only imagine as, an unpleasant afterlife. What’s even more amazing is the “union” between Qabbiqah and Ruce! Two heads, one body. From what I can tell a complete merger of body with a distinction on mind, I have never seen this before and would love to study this further; however, I know we don’t have the time and this is certainly not the place. I will need to look into this further. I wonder if this creature can be trusted. No matter, I fear no monster with my companions by my side. But I will sleep with one eye open moving forward. Especially with a, what was it? Some kind of Bugbear vampire abomination and a horde of rats! Great, just great. This is a perfect time to reflect on one of my family’s oldest saying: “It’s during our darkest moments that we must focus to see the light.” For the sake of us all, I hope they are right.

Shackled City: Ruce Blackwind; Urban Ranger 3: Entry 8

Call us a monster. Call us uncivilized. I dare you.

His hand and the hand hand of the orc he had been bizarrely melded to both gripped the cursed war ax: waiting for something to slice. His head turned to look at the elf, who was of course giving him/them a look somewhere between disgust and curiosity, like he couldn't wait to dissect him/them.

I dare….

Ruce's head frowned to himself/themself in confusion. He wanted to blame the elf, or at least take out his frustrations on the elf - on any elf - but for some reason the dislike of that race was subdued: performed out of habit more than from any feelings he/they had. Why was it he should dislike Osiris again?

Hmmmm.

One thing he DID feel now though. POWER! Growing up as an orphan, he had absolutely none. Later as a virtual slave in the wizard's school he had practically none - physical or otherwise. Even living on the streets and slums, he had some ability to affect his own life, but no "power." No power over others. No power to enforce his will!

This orc body he  had been melted into - this two headed abomination - it held strength he had never remotely experienced or even dreamed of! Twice the attacks and twice the movement! Dare he say it? Twice the health!

With the body however came also an odd…. clarity. An expanding of his world view. A re-shifting of not just how he saw himself/themself, but how he was viewing the proper order of the world. With his physical power came also thoughts of order, of the sanctity of life and the importance of the greater good.

Did he buy all of it? hardly… but … maybe… enough of it… he felt his spiritual center wavering. Maybe it wasn't always about just holding on to what is yours.

Not much choice of that at the moment anyway. I feel like a stranger in my own skin.

Ruce's displaced head looked around the room at the party performing their normal morning routines. He fingered the ax more nervously, one other thought troubling his mind.

Why doesn't anyone seem to notice?

DM Entry: Magus Grimoire sample: Magic Weapon

Spell Name

Latest source with full description

Earlier source with full description

Latest Source spell level reference only

Earlier Source spell level reference only

School (subschool) [descriptor]

Level: spell level

Components: components

Casting Time: casting time

Range: range

Target, Effect, or Area: target, effect, or area

Duration: duration

Saving Throw: saving throw

Spell Resistance: spell resistance

Full text of spell description from latest source. Official errata text shown in red. Unofficial errata text shown in blue. Generally speaking, minor changes in the spell text that follow the guidelines in the Accessory Update Booklet 3.0 to 3.5 are not noted.

Magic Weapon

Player’s Handbook

Call of Cthulhu

Dragon Compendium

Faiths of Eberron

Complete Arcane

Complete Divine

Complete Warrior

Eberron Campaign Setting

Book of Exalted Deeds

Dragonlance Campaign Setting

Dungeon Master’s Guide

Deities & Demigods

Transmutation

Level: Artificer 1, Blackguard 1, Champion of Gwynharwyf 1, Cleric 1, Death Master 1, Forge 1, Hexblade 1, Hunter of the Dead 1, Justiciar of Taiia 1, Knight of the Chalice 1, Order of the Impenetrable Crucible 1, Paladin 1, Revered Ancestor 1, Shugenja 1 (earth), Soldier of the Light 1, Sorcerer 1, War 1, Wizard 1, Wu Jen 1 (metal)

Components: V, S, DF

Casting Time: 1 standard action

Range: Touch

Target: Weapon touched

Duration: 1 min./level

Saving Throw Will negates (harmless, object)

Spell Resistance: Yes (harmless, object)

Magic weapon gives a weapon a +1 enhancement bonus on attack and damage rolls. (An enhancement bonus does not stack with a masterwork weapon’s +1 bonus on attack rolls.)

You can’t cast this spell on a natural weapon, such as an unarmed strike (instead, see magic fang). A monk’s unarmed strike is considered a weapon, and thus it can be enhanced by this spell.

DM Entry: Magus Grimoire 3.5 (complete spell book project, progress notes)

I began working on a document back in 2008 or 2009 that would, in effect, be the Spells counterpart to my Feat Compendium 3.5.
I did a lot of work on this tome back then and had to shelve the project for some time (a few years in fact) due to life's rollercoaster.
However, I want to announce officially that I am trying to do work on this project again, a little here and a little there.

Progress So Far
I originally began by adding all of the spells from the Player's Handbook. And then began with all of the other books, going in alphabetical order. Right now the next book to add is Exemplars of Evil. So far the page count for this Magus Grimoire is 663, with about 214 pages of spell lists by Class and Prestige Class and about 10 pages of small print index at the end.

Most the books that remain will have a few spells here and there. The big ones will be the Spell Compendium and the Player's Handbook 2, as well as other books of spells like Magic of Faerun and Magic of Rokugan and a handful of others with a big selection of spells.

Spells have been added from these books so far:

Published	Book Name
12/18/2007	Elder Evils
10/16/2007	Rules Compendium
08/07/2007	Dragon Compendium
06/19/2007	The Forge of War
06/12/2007	Complete Champion
05/08/2007	Drow of the Underdark
02/13/2007	Secrets of Sarlona
02/13/2007	Dungeonscape
01/17/2007	Complete Scoundrel
12/06/2006	Animated Series Handbook
11/07/2006	Cityscape
10/10/2006	Complete Mage
09/12/2006	Faiths of Eberron
09/12/2006	Dragon Magic
06/11/2006	Secrets of Xen'drik
04/11/2006	Complete Psionic
01/17/2006	Player’s Guide to Eberron
11/13/2005	Complete Adventurer
10/01/2005	Magic of Eberron
08/01/2005	Explorer’s Handbook
07/01/2005	Five Nations
06/23/2005	Dungeon Master’s Guide II
04/14/2005	Lords of Madness
04/01/2005	Races of Eberron
11/18/2004	Complete Arcane
11/12/2004	Sharn: City of Towers
10/14/2004	Libris Mortis
09/01/2004	Whispers of the Vampire’s Blade
07/01/2004	Shadows of the Last War
05/01/2004	Complete Divine
04/01/2004	Eberron Campaign Setting
12/01/2003	Complete Warrior
11/01/2003	Draconomicon
10/01/2003	Book of Exalted Deeds
08/10/2003	Epic Insights Compiled and Updated
08/01/2003	Dragonlance Campaign Setting
07/01/2003	Player’s Handbook 3.5
07/01/2003	Dungeon Master’s Guide
04/01/2003	Fiend Folio
10/18/2002	Epic Insights – Faiths and Pantheons
10/01/2002	Book of Vile Darkness + Leaflets of Triel
07/01/2002	Epic Level Handbook
04/01/2002	Deities & Demigods
03/01/2002	Call of Cthulhu
10/01/2001	Enemies and Allies
	Wizards.com

Before you get too excited though, be aware that about 300 books and web articles remain to be added to the Magus Grimoire, as well as all of the 96 Dragon magazines and 76 Dungeon magazines, 24 Oerth Journals, 11 Knowledge Arcana magazines and 87 other officially published adventure modules--only counting the ones of each of those categories that exist in the 3.0 and 3.5 edition.

As you can see, I am trying to be as thorough as I possibly can. If you think of some source document that you think should be included, don't hesitate to mention it to me.

When the text can be copied, it is copied and pasted, which makes it much much faster. When text can't be copied, I have to hand type each entry (which is very slow).

Guidelines
As with my Feat Compendium, I am including official 3.5 updates and errata (where available) directly in the text. Official Sage Advice (from Dragon Magazines) and FAQ's will also be noted with the spell (where applicable). Besides officially published books, I will also be including Dragon Magazine, Dungeon Magazine, and web articles on Wizards.com. All 3.0 sources are either officially updated to 3.5 or unofficially updated to 3.5 (with preferences for those few semi-official unofficial updates like the Leaflets of Triel, which is the unofficial 3.5 update by Monte Cook for the Book of Vile Darkness by its own author). I will also be including power components with the appropriate spells (from Unearthed Arcana).

Comparison to the Feat Compendium
The Feat Compendium weighs in at 727 pages, with 177 pages of feat tables at the front and 20 pages of small print index at the end. So by the looks of it, the Magus Grimoire will surpass this previous document, perhaps getting near to doubling it.

Document Name
I have gone through several names for this mammoth volume, such as Tome of Spells, Codex of Spells, and Spell Compendium, before finally settling on Magus Grimoire.

I still don't really have very much time to do projects like this, but I want to endeavor to add about 1 new book a month in my spare time, a little here and a little there.

I have published the document as it exists right now, in pdf format with bookmarks. So you guys can get that from me at our next game session if you like. Just remember its not even close to 50% complete yet. But for those of you who do get that pdf from me, I will keep you posted with the latest updates as they are pupated from my document hive nest.

Shackled City: ECL 4 Qabbiqah water orc crusader 4: Entry 3

Why doesn't anyone seem to notice?

He was beginning to doubt it had happened himself, but he only had to look to his left and there was Ruce's head on their shoulders.

Surprisingly, sharing a body wasn't all that bad.  It might have made him feel a bit like a stranger in his own skin, if the priests that adopted him hadn't done a pretty good job at that already.

And it brought with it a strange clarity.  The world was thrown into stark relief, and his mission needed to be amended.  Had he brought Justice to those children?  He'd delivered Terem straight into the maw of a beholder.  Sure, he was safe, but the monster could clearly come back for him at any time.  Nevermind he was still an orphan, and having been one himself, Qabbiqah knew that was no Justice.  That was what had driven him to his mission in the first place.

Did Justice even exist?  Standing here in a tunnel piled high with goblin corpses and smeared with their excrement, he was beginning to think not.

Hmm.

It was definitely strange, though.  As an orc, he was accustomed to people looking at him as if he had two heads.  Now that he actually had two heads, no one seemed to notice.

Osiris was awake now.  By the look on his face, at least the elf seemed to acknowledge the curse.  Or did he?  No, that was the same sneering look the elf was always giving him.  Wait, what?  Why doesn't Osiris like him?  Why doesn't he like Osiris?

Hmmmm.

He/they was/were still holding the cursed ax that had melded them in the first place.  He/they couldn't put it down, and actually, at the moment, he/they didn't want to.  Instead, he/they contemplated the blade slicing through an elven neck.

He shook it off.  Just because you look like a monster is no reason to act uncivilized.

Shackled City: ECL 2 Krolor lesser axani druid 1, necromancer 1: journal entry 4

As I wake up in the Dwarf temple and get done preparing my spells for the day, I hear Ruse and Qabbiqah say "Hey, there's a rat-swarm coming down the hallway!" Everyone gets up and braces themselves for the swarm. I tell my familiar and Guano to stand and guard me. I prepare to entangle the whole room with entangle. As I wait for some rats to flood through the door-way, I see a Bug-Bear hanging from the wall pointing at people and trying to take control of people. I try to cast negative energy ray on the wall climbing Bug-Bear, he was to powerful for me to succeed. He was so powerful that not even my comrade with the fancy weapon, that we just found, could hurt him, he defected my spells and no one could hit him. The Bug-Bear ran away like the coward he is. While all this was happening, the ninja lizard threw three shrunkens at my familiar and killed him instantly. Now I plot how he is going to die and then I will put new life in him,a better life, and have him as my minion. This in my mind is a better trade than his life now.

Rules and Format (**read before posting**)

(Reposting for those newer players in the group.)

This blog is for posting your PCs journal.

Please keep all posts on this blog in character.

Comments may be in or out of character.

Please use the following format in the Title of your post:

Campaign: ECL Character Name race class level: Journal Entry Number

For example, one might look like this:

Shackled City: ECL 4 Shushan Turanis lesser fey'ri marshal 1, truenamer 3: Entry 1

**Posting a blog for your character on this site earns that PC +5% xp during the next game session.**

Posting your character bio on this blog earns your character a flat one-time +200 xp.

Shackled City: The Dead Book: Entry 3

THE DEAD BOOK

Entry 3. Vrabel (ECL 3, Kenneth) The party began to look around for Vrabel. Has anyone seen Vrabel? Looking around they discovered a goblin medicine man standing over the collapsed body of Vrabel. After the party dispatched the medicine man, Osiris examined their fallen comrade. "He's been burned to death," came the report.
Entry 2. Kracken (ECL 3, Dan) It was the beard! The bald under-dwarf with the beard. All fear the beard.
Entry 1. Sirkus (ECL 3, Kenneth) After fearlessly mowing down several enemies in hand to hand combat while defending his party from a brood of hobgoblin archers, a fateful arrow pierced his heart, killing him instantly.

Additional Uses of Actions Points

Ignore Waiting Period: When a special mount or familiar dies, there is normally a waiting period before you can gain a new one; thirty days for a paladin’s special mount and a year and a day for a familiar. You may spend 2 actions points to ignore the waiting period before gaining a new special mount or familiar.

Shackled City: ECL 3, Osiris Eloah, Elf Wizard, (Generalist): Journal Entry 4

After a brief reprieve from the party, to gather more information on the double dealings of the proprietor of the bathhouse the one-eyed dwarf, Osiris was finally able to rejoin his companions in the literal maze beneath the bathhouse. As he ran passed the unconscious dwarf he thought it was curious he was shackled but not tied up. Maybe he should take a few moments to secure him. With the sounds of battle ringing out down the musky hallway, it was clear there was no time. He could only hope their prisoner was still there when the tunnels where secured. 

ECL2: Krolor Druid, Necromancer

As I sit around seeing my lizard almost die I think to myself when I learn more about Necromancy I could kill my lizard and raise him from the dead and make him more powerful. How would I kill him? This bothers my mind the fact that i'm thinking about this. Maybe I could make my animal companion do it. Nope, i'll have to do it myself. There's no way I would make him do that, he would have to live with it for the rest of his life. It wouldn't really bug me to kill him it's just that i probably can't do it because i'm so weak. I could ask one of these stronger people that i'm following to do it. No that's crazy.

Shackled City: Ruce Blackwind; Urban Ranger 3: Entry 7

Ruce tightened the bandage around his hand and hissed. What he thought had been just a nick ended up being much more serious.

It started when his cohorts and he finally overpowered the one-eyed dwarf and began exploring his business. Their hunches had proved right, and they all had found a maze of tunnels not unlike the gnomish "lost city," only this one was swarming with goblins.

They seemed endless at first; for every goblin that fell to the lizard man's shuriken, or his own crossbow bolts, or the cavalier's mace, three more would instantly appear - crawling over the bodies of their fallen kin to get closer.

An early mishap with his crossbow had slowed Ruce down, especially after a few minutes of fighting. He had his hand in the wrong spot and the weapon had gone off on him instead of the goblin horde. It was a minor wound, surely, but the longer he continued fighting, the more the pain grew. Only after the last of the enemy had fallen did he take the time to drink one of the "health elixirs" that herbalist had sold him. It eased most of the pain and even closed up most of his cuts and punctures (although one goblin arrow hole still was oozing a bit).

Ruce pulled out his canteen and dribbled about half of the water over his wrapped hand, sighing as the cool water eased the ache. He looked around at his battle mates doing mostly the same, or still arguing over the random junk they had found in the  loot stolen from those warehouses.

What a waste.

It seemed wrong that nearly the entire party's instinct was to keep it and resell it for themselves. Oh, sure, it was perhaps a common instinct -- undoubtedly the city guard would have done the exact same if they had had the balls to come down here in the first place -- but it still felt…. wrong.

They are thinking so short term.

Couldn't they see the much greater benefit they could get from the goodwill of the businessmen whose merchandise they returned? Did they not remember the 2000 in gold they received from St Cuthberts at the end of their adventure that started with a mugged priest in an alleyway? The priest might have had 30 gold on him -- free for the taking by a group of killers as strong as this party was, even back then. 30 gold versus 2000.

Well… 2000 after two deaths and that experience with the beholder….. GUH…. Long term outcomes have a high cost too sometimes…

Ruce hoped he could choose well which path to take in the future.

New House Rule: Heroic Luck (effective immediately)

Below is the new house rule, Heroic Luck. You may choose to partake of this rule for your character, or you can simply ignore it entirely. That's up to each player to decide for their own character.

Also as a one time bonus, those choosing to partake can begin the next session of the game with 1 point in their action pool.

Heroic Luck

Characters gain a pool of action points that begins at 0. Every time a character rolls a natural 20 on any attack roll or saving throw, his pool of action points increases by 1. Conversely, any time a character rolls a natural 1 on any attack roll or saving throw, his pool of action points decreases by 1.

It is possible to have a negative amount in your pool. When you do have less than 0 action points in your pool, you take a -1 penalty on attack rolls and saving throws for every 5 points below 0 in your action pool. For example, a character with -11 action points would have a -2 penalty on attacks and saves. A remove curse spell can remove 1d4 negative action points per casting of the spell.

The most action points you can have in your pool are equal to 5 + ½ your character level. The least amount of action points you can have in your pool is equal to 0 minus (5 + ½ your character level). Any positive or negative action points gained beyond the maximum or minimum are simply lost. A quick reference chart is provided below.

ECL	Max Action Pool	Min Action Pool
1	5	-5
2, 3	6	-6
4, 5	7	-7
6, 7	8	-8
8, 9	9	-9
10, 11	10	-10
12, 13	11	-11
14, 15	12	-12
16, 17	13	-13
18, 19	14	-14
20	15	-15

These action points behave the same as normal action points, as described in Unearthed Arcana beginning on page 122 (and here), except that you do not automatically gain action points when you gain a character level.

Additionally, for every 5 points in your action pool, you gain a temporary +1 level to any single class ability your character has. This only applies to class abilities that specifically mention they increase by class levels. These bonus levels are lost as soon as your action pool drops below the required amount.

Action Pool	Benefit or Penalty
-15	-3 penalty on attacks and saves
-14 to -10	-2 penalty on attacks and saves
-9 to -5	-1 penalty on attacks and saves
-4 to 0	No penalty or benefit
1 to 4	Action points
5 to 9	Action points, +1 ability level
10 to 14	Action points, +2 ability levels
15	Action points, +3 ability levels

As an example of one class, the abilities for the barbarian have been detailed below, showing which are eligible and which are ineligible.

Eligible	Ineligible
Rage (uses/day and when it improves to greater rage, tireless rage, and mighty rage)	Fast Movement
Uncanny Dodge (when it improves to Improved Uncanny Dodge)	Illiteracy
Trap Sense	Indomitable Will
Damage Reduction

Using these levels to increase your spellcasting does not grant you knowledge of new spells, even if those are normally automatically gained by increasing character level, as with the warmage. But they do increase your spells per day, caster level, and spell penetration.

You may assign your bonus levels as soon as you gain them, and you may only reassign the bonus levels each day at dawn (if you still have them).

Any feats that deal with action points also function normally with the Heroic Luck rules. A small example of feats that utilize action points are listed below.

Feat Name	Summary
Action Surge	By spending 2 action points, you can perform an additional action in a round.
Ancestral Guidance	Reroll action point die that modifies a d20 roll.
Heroic Channeling	Spend action point to turn undead.
Heroic Companion	Your animal companion, familiar, or special mount can use your pool of action points.