TITLE PAGE & INTRODUCTION
The Ebon Grimoire
Death is the final arbiter. It claims everyone, regardless of class or station, fame or notoriety, gentleness or depravity. In some cultures, death is regarded as the threshold to an elevated spiritual existence or as a doorway leading to another mortal life in a never-ending cycle of reincarnation. In other societies, death is believed to be the ultimate ending of awareness, marking complete annihilation and utter oblivion. But what if it was neither? What if you could continue to serve a purpose? What if you could still contribute to society, even in death? If not in soul, then at least in body. Kazerabet
I found this book in the the ruins of Skalabar Keep, or what is left of it, as it lies now in a crevice of The Sunken Lands. It appears it had already passed through many hands, but it appears the necromancer, 'Kazerabet of Turath', was the one to organise and compile the original material from various sources. This is clearly a vile book and deals in death and undeath… yes, a large part of me wishes I had left the tome in the darkness. I hope in years to come, people do not write about me as the one that brought such evil into the light… or worse yet… I become an entry in its pages. Ruud Blackheart (This last part is a signature, but it is clear someone else added 'Blackheart' to Ruud's name.
EBON GRIMOIRE CONTENTS
| Page(s) | Content | Game Mechanics or References |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Title page & Introduction (see above) | - |
| 2-6 | Info on necromancy, raising the dead, and undead in general. | +1 lore checks to deal with these topics. Enough info for entry to School of Necromancy wizard subclass. (5E D&D PHB/SRD) |
| 7-8 | (blank) | - |
| 9-11 | Info on a city called Nocturnus. Supposedly on an island southeast of Turath and the inspiration for Turathi to use animated dead as labour. | +1 lore on Nocturnus lore. (4E D&D Open Grave p20) |
| 12-18 | Info on necromatic practice of undead grafts, including how to perform such rituals. | (4E D&D Open Grave p51) |
| 19-22 | Information on brains in jars, including rituals on how to create them. | (4E D&D Open Grave p140-1) |
| 23-32 | Information and rituals to grow necrotic cysts. if you have a mother cyst, you can cast necrotic cyst spells, which are particularly gruesome. | (3E D&D Libris Mortis p28 & 68) |
| 33-40 | Information and rituals to create bone swarms. It requires the casting of a 6th level or higher create undead spell but the creature is not under your control. | (5E D&D Tome of Beasts p41) |
| 41-44 | Spell 4th level: wall of bones | (3E D&D Oriental Adventures p118 - I will convert to 5E if needed) |
| 45 | Spell 1st level: lesser animate dead | As animate dead but can only animate tiny creatures. (5E D&D PHB/SRD) |
| 46-48 | Spell 3rd level: animate dead | (5E D&D PHB/SRD) |
| 49 | (blank) | - |
| 50-54 | Spell 5th level: pact of hollowed return, but you return as a hollow one | As 7th level spell pact of return in (3E D&D Heroes of Horror p131); hollow one stats in (5E D&D Explorer's Guide to Wildemount p |
| 55-57 | Spell 3rd level: wither limb | (5E D&D homebrew spell, see below) |
| 58-63 | Spell 6th level: create undead | (5E D&D PHB/SRD) |
| 64 | (blank) | - |
| 65-69 | Info on Orcus, the Demon Prince of Undeath | +4 on lore checks to do with Orcus. (5E D&D Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes p152; 4E D&D Monster Manual p206; 3E D&D Hordes of the Abyss p73) |
| 70-72 | Spell 3rd level: summon lesser servant of Orcus | As summon lesser demon in (5E D&D Xanathar's Guide to Everything p166) but can only summon demons and undead listed below |
| 73-76 | Spell 4th level: summon greater servant of Orcus | As summon greater demon in (5E D&D Xanathar's Guide to Everything p166) but can only summon demons and undead listed below |
| 77-84 | Spell 8th level: Abi-Dalzim's horrid wilting | (5E D&D Xanathar's Guide to Everything p150) |
| 85-112 | (blank) | - |
(Feel free to Google any of the above topics. I can also take a photo of any relevant pages and send to you ;)).
NEW SPELLS
WITHER LIMB
3rd level necromancy
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: 60 feet
Components: V,S
Duration: 1 minute
A ray of sickly, mustard-coloured energy shoots forth towards one creature you can see within range. Make a ranged spell attack against the target. On a hit the target takes 3d6 necrotic damage and must make a Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, one random limb withers and is unable to be used until the spell ends.
If a limb is withered, roll 1d6 and consult the following table. (You can roll a 1d4 for creatures that have no tails or wings. Reroll if you get a result that is not possible).
Creatures with six or more limbs do not suffer speed penalties until half of their limbs are affected.
| 1d6 | Limb affected | Effects |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Left arm | Target drops any item held in this hand and cannot use the limb. Climbing speed is reduced to 5 feet or 0 feet if 2 limbs have been affected. |
| 2 | Right arm | Target drops any item held in this and cannot use the limb. Climbing speed is reduced to 5 feet or 0 feet if 2 limbs have been affected.. |
| 3 | Left leg | Target falls prone and cannot use the limb. Speed is reduced to 5 feet. |
| 4 | Right leg | Target falls prone and cannot use the limb. Speed is reduced to 5 feet. |
| 5 | Tail | Tail hangs limp and cannot be used as a weapon. Items held are dropped. Speed and climbing speeds are reduced by 10 feet and the creature has disadvantage on Dexterity saving throws. |
| 6 | Wing | Flying speed is reduced to zero and the creature descends at 60 feet per round. If all wings are affected, the creature falls. |
At the end of each of the target's turns, it can make a Constitution saving throw against the spell. On a success the spell ends and affected limbs return to normal.
At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 4th level or higher, the damage increases by 1d6 for each slot above 3rd.
SERVANTS OF ORCUS
NB: Any undead summoned as servants of orcus are considered demons too and gain resistance to: cold, fire, lightning. (Some of their CRs have been adjusted slightly to reflect that in the list below. This is the CR used to determine whether they can be turned too):
CR 1/8: manes demon (5E D&D Monster Manual p60)
CR 1/4: dretch demon (5E D&D Monster Manual p57)
CR 1/2: abyssal larva (5E D&D Tome of Horrors); skeleton (5E D&D Monster Manual p272); zombie(5E D&D Monster Manual p316)
CR 1: shadow (5E D&D Monster Manual p269); abyssal skulker (5E D&D Monster Manual Expanded II p46);ghoul beggar (5E D&D Tome of Beasts p213); skeleton captain (5E D&D Monster Manual Expanded p252); plague zombie (5E D&D Tome of Horrors p329); zombie feral (5E D&D Monster Manual Expanded p297);
CR 2: spellgorged zombie (5E D&D Tome of Horrors p331); skeleton captain (5E D&D Monster Manual Expanded p252);
CR 3: bulezau demon (5E D&D Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes p131); ghoul (5E D&D Monster Manual p148); mehrim demon (5E D&D Tome of Horrors p87); minotaur skeleton (5E D&D Monster Manual p272); skeleton knight (5E D&D Tome of Horrors p290); skeleton captain (5E D&D Monster Manual Expanded p252); undead swordsman (5E D&D Tome of Horrors p321); ogre zombie (5E D&D Monster Manual p316)
CR 4: ghoul darakhul (5E D&D Tome of Beasts p216); ghoul adept of Orcus (5E D&D Monster Manual Expanded p115); shadow demon (5E D&D Monster Manual p64); wight (5E D&D Monster Manual p300); barrow wight (5E D&D Tome of Horrors p323)
CR 5: ghoul imperial (5E D&D Tome of Beasts p220); black skeleton (5E D&D Tome of Horrors p291); wight captain (5E D&D Monster Manual Expanded p283);
CR 6: bodak (5E D&D Volo's Guide to Monsters p127); vrock demon (5E D&D Monster Manual p64); ghoul iron (5E D&D Tome of Beasts p221); sword wight (5E D&D Tome of Horrors p325); wraith (5E D&D Monster Manual p302); vrock zombie (5E D&D Tome of Horrors p332); skeleton captain (5E D&D Monster Manual Expanded p252);
CR 7: boneclaw lesser (5E D&D Monster Manual Expanded II p26); maurezhi demon (5E D&D Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes p133); greater shadow demon (5E D&D Monster Manual Expanded p64); wight feral (5E D&D Monster Manual Expanded p286);
CR 8: vrock doomsayer (5E D&D Monster Manual Expanded p64); dust ghoul (5E D&D Tome of Horrors p168); bolld wight (5E D&D Tome of Horrors p324); wight champion (5E D&D Monster Manual Expanded p284);
CR 9: balban demon (5E D&D Tome of Horrors p79); wight hexblade (5E D&D Monster Manual Expanded p284); wight warlock (5E D&D Monster Manual Expanded p200);
CR 10: bodak ravager (5E D&D Monster Manual Expanded II p23); chaaor demon (5E D&D Tome of Horrors p81);