Friday, April 19, 2013

100 Pseudo-magical Tomes for Your Game

I've culled and collated a list of more-or-less silly ideas for pseudo-magical tomes - updated to 100 items with great help and motivation from the G+ OSR Community (looking at Grey Knight, Chris Tamm, Keith J Davies and Noah Stevens in particular. Fellow contributors: if there's some particular link you want associated with your name, let me know. In lieu of other information, I've simply added any active blog I could find to yer naem. :))


  1. Teobaldik's Necrologicon – a book on the theory of necromancy.
  2. The Voerrecian Interpretations of the Ancestors – a book on necromancy.
  3. Childred's Vivifective Sourcebook – a book on reanimating the dead.
  4. Forma Pelluriana – a book on shape shifting.
  5. Philip's Draconiforma – a book on shape shifting with an emphasis on dragons.
  6. Miscellania Pyrologica – a book on miscellaneous fire magics.
  7. Onin's Elementary Pyrotechnics – a book on explosive and elemental spells.
  8. Anthologia Cryomantica – a book on ice spells and weather forecasting in winter.
  9. Nevan's Codex Nevens – a book on snow magic.
  10. The Collected Scrolls of the Chapter of Susurrations – a book on snake magic.
  11. Principia Velenosa – the principles of poisons.
  12. Childred’s Resurrected Works – a book on raising the dead.
  13. Echo’s Soothing Chrestomathy – a book of healing and cleansing spells.
  14. Indra’s Waters of Life – a book on healing draughts and rains.
  15. Iz Sidri’s Manual of the Protection of Sacred Life – a book on hunting the undead.
  16. De Aque Sancte – a book on holy waters of different sorts.
  17. Jillian’s Phantasmagoricystica – a book on phantasmal spells.
  18. Derigeur’s Mirror of Smoke – a book on illusion spells.
  19. Salic’s Lex Sanguifecta – a book on the law of blood magic.
  20. The Diary of a Leech – a book on blood magic and healing.
  21. Piniped’s By the Sword of the Gods – a book on holy weapons and enchantments
  22. The Crusade of the Interstices – a book on holy battle magic and travelling the Paths of the Voids.
  23. Ulrik’s Monographia Insomniae – a book on nightmare magic.
  24. The Umbral Tome – an anonymous book on shadow magic.
  25. Iz Kronske’s Theoriae Petromantiae – on the theories of rock magic.
  26. 2nd Principia Geomantica – the higher principles of earth magics, anonymous.
  27. Hydromantia of Laurent od Sushotsk – an introductory tome of water magic.
  28. Elementaria Aquatica – on water elementals.
  29. Encyclopaedia Phytomantica – a compendium of plant spells.
  30. Shrub Wizard for Life, by W. E. Bos – an overview of shrub and tree magic.
  31. Portando il fine – anonymous book of death magic.
  32. Lilander’s Entropia – a book of death and entropic magic.
  33. De Rarum Daemonicum – a book on daemons and their summoning.
  34. The Excorcist’s Cookbook – a book on fighting daemonic possession.
  35. The Fires of Hell, by E. Quimble – a book on hellfire.
  36. Codex Contegatiae – a collection of works on protective spells.
  37. The Golden Armour of Nilnamur – a book on protective magic.
  38. Magnifica Abjuratica – a poorly spelled book on more protective magic.
  39. Filinda’s Tricks and Traps – a book of magic tricks and camouflage tips.
  40. Der Doppelganger – a book on doppelgangers and the changing of faces.
  41. Petra Alchimistica – a book on the philosopher’s stone
  42. Solvents Versal and Universal – a book on acid magics.
  43. The Arrow of Acid and Other Elixirs – a book on acid arrows and various odd elixirs.
  44. Miffle’s Meta-metallurgica – a book on meta-metallurgy and alchemy.
  45. Iota’s Energia Mystica – a book on spells of force.
  46. Theresia’s Telekinaesthetics – a book on telekinetics.
  47. Cooking Clerics, by W. Itch – a book of potion recipes for the budding witch.
  48. De Orbis Malefex – a book on curses and evil eyes.
  49. Tellurian’s the Mastery of Puppets – a book on voodoo and curses.
  50. Riding the Lightning, by I. Stormborn – a book of electric spells and magics.
  51. A Rare Light, by McFilinda – a book of light spells.
  52. Principiae Lucens en Spectrals – a book on spells of the electromagnetic spectrum.
  53. Channelling for Chumps, by U. Krum – an advanced book on war magic.
  54. The Death Dealer – a semi-autobiographical book on battle magic.
  55. Hippie Hexen Herbarium – a compendium of herbal potions and decoctions.
  56. Opus Herbata – more herbal spells.
  57. The Clock of Fate – a book on trapping elemental souls in clockwork cages.
  58. Vaporous Layaboutry – a book on steampunk magic.
  59. The Clockwork Goblin, by S. Tubbins – a book on automata.
  60. Origen’s Exothermonomicon – a book on magical bombs.
  61. Shilben’s The Perversions of the Mind – a book on psionic spells.
  62. Handel’s Tabulations of the Razor – a book on domination and mind control.
  63. Sachsen’s Magic Axe – a book of heavy metal bard spells.
  64. The Thunder of the Gods – a book of loud sonic spells.
  65. Karver’s Resilience of Rust – a book on the rust monster and the replication of its powers.
  66. Cyclopedia Golemica – a book on the manufacture of golems.
  67. I, Golem – a semi-autobiographical magic book on golem programming.
  68. Wyrding for Women – a book on divination.
  69. The Scissors of Life – a tome on astrology and curses.
  70. The Seven Forbidden and Hidden Tomes of Unknown Contents: the Skin Book of Innumerable Eyes, Ulrik’s Gazes Beyond the Void, the Six Tongues of the Fast Stars, Origen’s The Stars Like Dust, Curiosites of de Vooid, Handel’s Calculations of the Immortal Mind, Krasius’ Rips in the Sail of Time.
  71. The Perpidexicon of Knaardge - insane geometry and esoteric poetry (Chris Tamm)
  72. Mysteries of True Form: A pamphlet on the regular solids and their magical connections to higher planes of existence. (Grey Knight)
  73. Agamu's Matters Relating to the Care of Rulers: A carefully-worded treatise useful for those wishing to become an éminence grise.  Without going so far as to directly state anything incriminating, to the discerning reader the tome gives tips on controlling from behind the throne, including some subtle spells which superficially appear beneficial to the recipient. (Grey Knight)
  74. A Booke of Babie-Catching - a lavishly illustratted twoe kolor toom desined fore de expert midwyf hoe woudde improewe haar skilles with severale jusefull spelles and ointments for Healing, de Easing off Paines, de Blessinge of Chinderens ande de Skaring Awaye off Eville Spiritts. (LR)
  75. Deringle's Spelling in Spelles: a treatise on the importance of properly archaic spelling for maximum magical magnificence. (LR)
  76. On The Discovery of Changelings : a worn folio illuminated manuscript describing the methods of finding out children and adults whose forms have been replaced by faerie creatures. None of the spells actually work or do anything. The book radiates subtle magic a la Nystul's Magic Aura (Noah Stevens)
  77. Riobalt's On the Permutations of the Elements - a weighty alchemical tome on ways to transmute gold into other, less valuable metals and ores through the application of time and effort. (LR)
  78. This collection of scrolls is marked with an ancient glyph for PROTECTION, and, on the inside, the words for BANISHING and DESTRUCTION in beautiful illuminated script. It seems at first reading a series of instructions for managing safety from various entities ranging from bothersome to evil. Upon closer reading, it is just that, only it's talking about ways to effectively secure your house from a variety of household pests and nuisances. Some of the suggested tactics are magical, others mundane. (Shoe Skogen)
  79. Kaasandra's Tome of Prophecies Ignored - a pseudo-autobiographical work detailing the woe that befell those who did not heed the prophecies of Kaasandra of Nuurt. Among the dross are several useful spells for making people forget small things, like where they left the keys yesterday, as well as a rare version of the ancient Sumoninge of Sockes, which is a curse that removes one sock, never a pair, from the target's luggage, baggage, chest or wardrobe. :) (LR)
  80. Fulster's Transnominacon - a tome with a lot of name magic, including spells for permanently altering the true names of other wizards, weakening their spellcraft. (LR)
  81. Cereth's Manual of Nothing: creative uses for voids, holes, and absences of things.  Includes instructions on how to build your own "hole box", with which to collect holes from things.  Cereth recommends taking the keyhole from your house with you when you go out — you can even leave the key behind to confuse burglars a bit more!  Advanced topics include how to sew several holes together to make a net. (Grey Knight)
  82. Zuiker's Pyscathonomica Profunda - seventeen different fish based magics and a guide to how to catch a fish without actually cheating very obviously. (LR)
  83. The Loosening of the Arrow - a mystical work that describes archery and its practice, as well as several enchantments and evocations that aid the teaching and firing of arrows from a bow. (Noah Stevens)
  84. Il Sas Domine by Peotra the Second - a tome on the properties of divine stones and the uses of standing stones in divine magic. (LR)
  85. Beyond the  Studies of the Vermicelli Mentali or Mind Worms, sometimes translated as Mind of the Flying Spaghetti Monster  - those magics so corrupting that merely reading them lodges them in the magic users brain, where they corrupt him and drive him toward malign Kaos. (LR and Keith J Davies)
  86. Lo! Apprehension of the Great Noodley One – a book of magic tricks, biology and numerology. (LR and Keith J Davies)
  87. Biblia Pastariffica - over thirty-seven fully fledged pasta based magics, including the ritual for summoning Tensorio's Floating Plate of Pasta, capable of carrying up to 33 pounds of pasta, as well as Pelatio's Instant Pesto, which automagically transforms available ingredients into a thermally treated purée perfect for adding to cooked pasta. (LR) Teratic/Mythos version: including living creatures... but you are compelled to eat heartily. (Keith J Davies)
  88. Kompendio Kompetitivo de Mensen Pugnalant - a compendium of spells to incite greater competitiveness in testosterone fuelled competitors, written in execrable vulgate by the Ringmaster Iu Dauron. (LR)
  89. Movements of the Ents and the Magical Properties Thereof : a work in low Entish, or perhaps Sahaugin (in the 2nd edition) that describes a single spell that may be learned by studying the prolonged mating dances of Ents that sometimes take up to a thousand years to observe in their entirety (Noah Stevens)
  90. The Temporal Compendium to the Movements of the Ents - includes a short discourse on trans-temporality and a spell for the chronopetrification of the participant, allowing him to observe an entire entish mating dance in the form of a petroglyph inscribed upon a cliff or other large, flat surface. (LR)
  91. Zwibli's Schweinmenschen und Vogelfrauleinen - a short volume on defensive polymorphication and the determination of compatible animal forms for opponents.
  92. Ariog od Tamakau's The Way of All Flesh - a grossly padded and voluble volume detailing magics for the creation of flesh golems and electrick zombies.
  93. Sambana's Swordes of Soursery - a fascinating volume on all the different magical swords you will never possess as well as a recipe for crafting a sword +1½.
  94. Elrick's of Yon Coult of de Blaue Oeyster - a treatise on planeswalking, limbo, black blades and the summoning of coultosauroses.
  95. Historie of Daemons & Wizards, an Illustrated Compendium - a guide to different daemon summoners and what happened to them, also includes a do-it-yourself summoning ritual. Guaranteed safe or your money backe.
  96. De Waggone Withoute Horses - a story by the half-mad wizard Necropius dealing with time-travel and meeting the "ghost in the shell".
  97. Visshalt's Kompendium Delique Portee - a tome on the portals into the fae realms and certain fae spells.
  98. Oeilburforse's Vilis a Levioribus Tractandis Hora Prandii - dealing with rapid and effective spells against liches as well as magic to keep dinner warm while you go adventuring.
  99. Oot's Giokando Per Vintere - a tome of wine magic and how to regularly win while gambling, forbidden in most casinos.
  100. Piniped's Eminently Useful Tome - a magical tome of numerous spells for dealing with poisons, digestive issues and other similar afflictions. Comes with fifty magically replenishing empty, thin, soft sheets of paper in the back of the book.


4 comments:

  1. Well, with the last 10 I added just now, it's up to 100 :) a perfectly respectable number.

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