Book of Vile Darkness

D&D 2024 item: Book of Vile Darkness. Source: Dungeon Master's Guide (2024). type Wondrous Item, Artifact rarity, Requires attunement The contents of this foul manuscript are the meat and drink of the wicked. It contains knowledge so horrid that to even glimpse the scrawled pages invites doom. Most believe the lich-god Vecna authored the Book of Vile Darkness. He recorded in its pages every horrid idea, every corrupt thought, and every example of foul magic he came across or devised. Other practitioners of evil have added their own input to the book's catalog of vile knowledge. Their additions are clear, for the writers of later works stitched whatever they were writing into the tome or, in some cases, made notations and additions to existing text. There are places where pages are missing, torn, or covered so completely with ink, blood, and scratches that the original text can't be divined. Nature can't abide the book's presence. Ordinary plants wither in its presence, common animals are unwilling to approach it, and the book gradually destroys whatever it touches. Even stone cracks and turns to powder if the book rests on it long enough. Whenever a creature that isn't a Fiend or an Undead attunes to the Book of Vile Darkness, that creature makes a 17 Charisma saving throw. On a failed save, the creature is magically transformed into a Larva under the DM's control. Only a Wish spell can reverse this vile transformation. A creature attuned to the book must spend 80 hours reading and studying it to digest its contents and use its Adjusted Ability Scores, Tireless Form, Spells, Vile Lore, and Vile Speech properties. The Book of Vile Darkness remains with you only as long as you strive to work evil in the world. If you fail to perform at least one evil act within the span of 10 days, or if you willingly perform a good act, the book disappears, your Attunement to it ends immediately, and you lose all benefits granted by it. If you die while attuned to the book, an ent...