TEXT: Magic Items: Prayerbooks & Scripture | EN World EN5idEr
  ~Magic Items~
  Prayerbooks 
  & Scripture
  T
  he gods are real: that much 
  is true. But as a believer, what is 
  my character’s relationship to this god 
  or that? What role has this god played 
  in the life of my adventurer’s people? 
  What are the spiritual practices of their 
  community? In dark times, how do 
  they call to the gods for help? Prayer-
  books may hold some answers.
   
  WRITING Josh Gentry
   COLOR ART Guilherme Sommermeyer
   
  EDITING Mike Myler
   
  LAYOUT Frank Michienzi
  
  Magic Items: Prayerbooks & Scripture | EN World EN5idEr
  Open Game Content | The game rule information in this 
  article is designated Open Game Content. All other material 
  in this article, including maps and illustrations (including 
  illustrations in the public domain), in-character and out-of-
  character narrative and descriptive text, character and place 
  names, trade dress, “EN Publishing,” “EN World,” “EN5ider,” 
  EN Publishing product and article titles, and  
  EN World and EN Publishing logos, are designated 
  Product Identity.
  Prayerbooks are to divine casters as spellbooks are 
  to wizards. Prayerbook is a catch-all term for any 
  specific collection of scriptures which may include 
  sacred stories, wisdom literature, hymns, creeds, 
  codes, and liturgical formulations. A divine spell-
  caster studying a given prayerbook can add the 
  book’s secrets to their own.
  Wondrous Item 
  (Prayerbook)
  Prayerbooks require attunement by a divine spell-
  caster. A character may only be attuned with up 
  to one prayerbook at a time. Each prayerbook has 
  a spell list, and an attuned divine spellcaster may 
  cast those spells, even if they are not otherwise 
  prepared or known. They still must have spell slots 
  of an appropriate spell-level to cast those spells, 
  even as a ritual. The more rare the prayerbook, the 
  more powerful spells and benefits they bestow. 
  Finally, the attuned character may use their attuned 
  prayerbook as a spell focus.
  A Word of Salvation
  Wondrous item (prayerbook), common (requires attun-
  ement by a divine spellcaster)
  Only the most important stories of the common 
  faith are in this abridged version of Rites of Life, 
  particularly those with an eye toward converting 
  the masses. Appended at the end is a brief commen-
  tary which breaks down the essentials of faith in 
  a way that anybody can understand. Its cover is 
  bright red for catching attention.
  While attuned to this prayerbook, you can use it 
  as a spell focus and you know the following spells:
  1st: bless, cure wounds, charm person
  x
  Rites of Life
  Wondrous item (prayerbook), uncommon (requires attun-
  ement by a divine spellcaster)
  This classic prayerbook features either a modest 
  or ornate cover, depending on the scribe who bound 
  it. Contained within are miraculous stories of saints 
  and gods who intervene to save the innocent, as 
  well as common hymns and liturgy to accompany 
  such life events as childbirth, marriage, funderals, 
  holidays, and everyday worship. While attuned to 
  this prayerbook, you can use it as a spell focus and 
  you know the following spells:
  1st: bless, cure wounds
  2nd: prayer of healing, protection from poison,  
   
  calm emotions
  x
  Imprication & Vindication
  Wondrous item (prayerbook), rare (requires attunement 
  by a divine spellcaster)
  Often published together in book form, these 
  two ancient prophetic scrolls resurge in popularity 
  during wartime. Imprication lists the crimes of the 
  enemy, and condemns them with vows of violence 
  DIVINE SPELLCASTERS?
  The classic definitive list of divine spellcasters 
  includes clerics, druids, paladins, and rangers. At 
  the GM’s discretion, they may choose to extend the 
  use of prayerbooks to other spellcasters who have 
  profound religious bent, such as spiritual leaders or 
  arcane casters with a divine power source.
  
  Magic Items: Prayerbooks & Scripture | EN World EN5idEr
  and curses unto the third thirty-third generation. 
  Vindication is a collection of battle blessings, war 
  speeches, and propaganda of yore, which assure 
  the listeners of their absolute righteousness in the 
  face of (apparent) evil.  
  While attuned to this prayerbook, you can use 
  it as a spell focus. When you do so, you gain a +1 
  bonus to spell attack rolls and your spell save DC. 
  In addition, while you are attuned to this prayer-
  book, you know the following spells:
  2nd: magic weapon, spiritual weapon
  3rd: bestow curse, fear
  x
  Journey Through the Aether
  Wondrous item (prayerbook), very rare (requires attun-
  ement by a divine spellcaster)
  While many sages know this tome by name, few 
  have actually had the opportunity to read it. The 
  Journey contains scribal recordings of an anony-
  mous mystic as they spiritually traveled through 
  the outer realms. For a few centuries it was very 
  popular and proliferated, but a faction suppressed 
  it due to the prophecies and cosmic insights therein. 
  Nonetheless, enough information was gleaned that 
  it is actually the foundation for the present-day 
  academic study of the multiverse. 
  While attuned to this prayerbook, you can use 
  it as a spell focus. When you do so, you gain a +2 
  bonus to spell attack rolls and your spell save DC. 
  In addition, while you are attuned to this prayer-
  book, you know the following spells:
  4th: banishment, dimension door
  5th: dispel evil and good, dream, teleportation circle
  x
  The Hierophant’s Journal
  Wondrous item (prayerbook), legendary (requires attun-
  ement by a divine spellcaster)
  These secret and deeply controversial personal 
  writings of a most-high priest reflect less the 
  thoughts of a pious leader, and more the confes-
  sions of a scheming mage. Besides various accounts 
  of sacrilege and opinions tantamount to heresy, 
  there are also many details embarrassing to polit-
  ical figures. When comparing all this to the life the 
  hierophant appeared to have lived, it reveals certain 
  insights into the true nature of divine magic.
  While attuned to this prayerbook, you can use 
  it as a spell focus. When you do so, you gain a +3 
  bonus to spell attack rolls and your spell save DC. 
  In addition, while you are attuned to this prayer-
  book, you know the following spells: 
  6th: mass suggestion, true seeing
  8th: dominate monster, feeblemind, sunburst
  x
  The Song of Creation
  Wondrous item (prayerbook), artifact (requires attunement 
  by a divine spellcaster)
  This golden tome is a written record of the divine 
  dance which brought the world into being. The 
  Song is eternal, meaning that it has always existed 
  even before the words were wrought onto the page. 
  One wonders—is the Song the written word, the 
  book, or the melody the gods sang? Somehow the 
  Song is more than this and yet they all are one. That 
  means that in a way the Song’s wielder holds the 
  multiverse itself in their hands.
  Mystical Tome. This tome is written in a script 
  that even the angels cannot decipher. While attuned 
  to it, you can read it as though you are reading your 
  mothertongue. Reading the Song reveals beautiful 
  poetry about nature, light, and life, but structurally 
  they do not make sense when read start-to-end. The 
  poems cannot be perfectly translated, as each indi-
  vidual interprets the same poem differently. The 
  
  Magic Items: Prayerbooks & Scripture | EN World EN5idEr
  pages cannot be counted, and various purported 
  complete counts invariably disagree. 
  When you first attune to this tome and when you 
  read it, you must make a DC 18 Wisdom saving 
  throw or else become stunned for 1 hour. If you 
  succeed on this saving throw, you are not subject to 
  it again for 1 week. If you consult this tome during 
  a Wisdom or Intelligence check to recall lore, you 
  gain a +5 bonus to the roll, and any natural d20 
  results of 2 through 9 count as a 10.
  Prayerbook. While attuned to this prayerbook, 
  you can use it as a spell focus. When you do so, you 
  gain a +3 bonus to spell attack rolls and your spell 
  save DC, and you cast the spell without the need for 
  any other material components. In addition, while 
  you are attuned to this prayerbook, you know the 
  following spells:
  8th: demiplane, maze 
  9th: astral projection, gate, true resurrection 
  Random Properties. The Song of Creation has the 
  following random properties:
  • 2 minor beneficial properties
  • 1 minor detrimental property
  • 1 major detrimental property
  Destroying the Song. The Song of Creation is
  made from a material that defies categorization, 
  and it may well be indestructible. The best hope at 
  banishing its power from the world is to return the 
  tome directly into the hands of a god.
  x
  Creating a Prayerbook
  Characters proficient with calligraphy tools can copy 
  or compile a prayerbook during their downtime, 
  just like creating any other magic item. In addition 
  to quality materials, they must also have sufficient 
  scripture and religious documents on-hand (how 
  much is at the GM’s discretion). 
   
  When creating a custom prayerbook, use 
  the following guidelines. 
  • A prayerbook exists to help players explore the 
  world and should encourage interaction with 
  in-world faith in a richer way than a divine
  domain or the acolyte background. The prayer-
  book might relate to a divine domain, but it 
  should pose questions, allude to mysteries, and 
  include hints about the world.
  • Mechanically, prayerbooks offer a small set
  of reliable spells. This helps a divine caster
  prepare other spells, or expand their limited
  set of known spells.
  • The rarity of a spellbook informs its power. A
  prayerbook offers a maximum spell level based
  on its rarity:
  » Common—1st level only
  » Uncommon—Up to 2nd level
  » Rare—Up to 3rd level; +1 spell attack
  and save DC when used as a focus
  » Very Rare—Up to 5th level; +2 spell
  attack and save DC when used as a focus
  » Legendary—Up to 8th level; +3 spell
  attack and save DC when used as a focus
  » Artifact—Any spell level; +3 spell attack
  and save DC when used as a focus
  • Ordinary prayerbooks should offer no more
  than 5 spells. Artifacts may offer more.
  The prayerbooks listed above by no means cover 
  the full diversity of scripture and religious texts. 
  When creating prayerbooks, GMs should consider 
  the following questions:
  • What are the various religious groups and
  people groups in this campaign? Whose story
  should be told? Whose story is worth knowing
  more about?
  • What are the important time periods in the
  history of this faith group? What are some of
  the religious phrases, beliefs, texts, and prac-
  tices that originate during this time?
  • Through the ages, how would this people
  reflect their beliefs and experiences in art?
  • Are there any traditions, powers, or secrets
  that were suppressed over time? Were they
  suppressed by the group in question, or by a
  rival group?
  
  Magic Items: Prayerbooks & Scripture | EN World EN5idEr
  Sacred Story Generator
  GMs usually have a good general grasp of their 
  own world history, but there is always room for 
  more detail. The following tables add lore to 
  settings, items, and adventures by zooming in on a 
  specific sacred story from the campaign’s religious 
  lore. A GM can also roll on these tables as a writing 
  prompt, or for an improvised story during an Intel-
  ligence (Religion) check. 
  Consider also the relationship between religious 
  NPCs and the stories they hold sacred. Do they see 
  themselves in the tale, or do they hate the story? To 
  what degree and how does it affect their daily life?
  Historical Context
  Besides adding historical color to a story, the context 
  of a sacred story helps to inform its most correct 
  interpretation. A tale of healing takes on a different 
  sense during the golden age as opposed to a similar 
  story from an age of exile. 
  1d12
  Historical Context
  1
  Famine, plague, or economic depression
  2
  Journey to promised land
  3
  Living in the promised land
  4
  Exile from home
  5
  Peace with nearby people
  6
  War with nearby people
  7
  Political tumult
  8
  Domination by foreign power
  9
  Golden age
  10
  Recent history
  11
  Another plane or prophesied future
  12
  Roll twice, ignoring additional results of 
  12—both contexts are true even if there is an 
  apparent conflict
  Religious Figures
  It is usually best to roll on this table twice. Many folk 
  stories (including sacred stories) are named for two 
  characters, such as “Little Red Cap and the Wolf.”
  1d12
  Religious Figure (Lesser)
  1
  Farm animal, house pet, or wild beast
  2
  Orphan or widow(er)
  3
  Elder, or person with illness or disability
  4
  Priest
  5
  Warrior
  6
  Hero
  7
  Prophet or sage
  8
  Trickster
  9
  Prince(ss)
  10
  Queen or King
  11
  Saint
  12
  Roll on Religious Figure (Major) table
  
  1d20
  Religious Figure (Major)
  1
  Low-rank aberration
  2
  Low-rank celestial
  3
  Low-rank construct
  4
  Low-rank dragon
  5
  Low-rank fey
  6
  Low-rank fiend
  7
  Low-rank giant
  8
  Low-rank undead
  9
  High-rank aberration
  10
  High-rank celestial
  11
  High-rank construct
  12
  High-rank dragon
  13
  High-rank fey
  14
  High-rank fiend
  15
  High-rank giant
  16
  High-rank undead
  17
  Demigod 
  18
  Avatar
  19
  Major deity
  20
  Roll twice and ignore additional results of 20; 
  the entities have a relationship of the GM’s 
  choice, such as master and servant, ruler and 
  army, or rivals
  Religious Happenings
  These details help explain why this particular story 
  lingers in the people’s religious memory. e
  1d12
  Religious Happenings
  1
  Moral lesson
  2
  Origin story or folk etiology
  3
  Divine punishment: plague, famine, exile,  
  or smite
  4
  Holy war
  5
  Advent of prophet, king, hero, or demigod
  6
  Celestial event: eclipse, meteor, or  
  cosmic syzygy
  7
  Interplanar conjunction
  8
  Miracle of feeding
  9
  Miracle of healing
  10
  Miracle of destruction
  11
  Miracle of rescue
  12
  Divine revelation
  Magic Items: Prayerbooks & Scripture | EN World EN5idEr
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Dungeons & Dragons [multi]/5th Edition (5e)/3rd Party/EN World EN5ider/EN5ider 308 - MI Prayer Books Scripture.pdf