Tome of donors

Tome of Donors ( " )
Item Type	Book
Artifact?	Yes
Weight	500s
Danger Level	N/A
Material	Paper

The tome of donors is a guaranteed artifact book that may be read to gain a random beneficial effect. If the tome is cursed, or the character is of chaotic alignment, reading will not have any effect. Once read, it cannot be read again for a number of turns; this number increases the more times it is read.

In its unidentified form, it is described as the lavish libram.

Reading the tome for the first time produces the following description:

You seem to have discovered the legendary tome of donors. This tome is said to collect the legends of all Ancardian heroes that donated their blood, souls, and lives in order to ward off past incursions of Chaos. Some succeeded, some failed, but they have all become legends. You start paging through the tome and discover a story...

This text does not appear on subsequent readings.

If the tome is currently "locked", attempting to read it will produce the following message: You fail to open the tome of donors. It seems to be locked by some unknown force!

Successful reading of the tome will provide a randomly generated message mentioning one of the many character names, supplied by the participants of the ADOM Resurrection campaign.

Possible effects

Message	Effect	Requirements
You fail to open the tome of donors. It seems to be locked by some unknown force!	None. Not enough turns have passed to gain an effect.
You suddenly feel well prepared for being eaten alive!	PC gains acid resistance
You suddenly feel well prepared for not getting cold feet!	PC gains cold resistance
You suddenly feel well prepared for hot fights!	PC gains fire resistance
You suddenly feel well prepared for chaotic fights!	PC gains confusion resistance
You suddenly feel well prepared for particularly close encounters!	PC gains death ray resistance
You suddenly feel well prepared for remaining unphased!	PC gains paralysis resistance
You learn a lot!	PC gains some experience points and +2 Learning
You feel well looked-upon by the gods!	PC gains some piety.
You feel much sharper after reading this.	PC gains 1-5 speed.
You feel greatly hardened by the forces of life!	PC gains some maximum HP.	Maximum HP > maximum PP
You feel infused with magical might!	PC gains some maximum PP.	Maximum PP ≥ maximum HP
You feel blessed!	PC gains temporary blessing and loses intrinsic dooming and cursing.
You feel refreshed!	Cures sickness ""or"" PC is restored to full HP and PP or gains +1 Toughness and +1 Willpower if already at full HP and PP.
You feel bolder!	PC gains +1 Strength, Willpower, and Charisma
You feel well educated by this.	PC trains some skills (causing natural skill increase after some time).
Your muscles feel stronger.	PC gains +1 Strength.	Uncursed tome
You feel studious.	PC gains +1 Learning.	Uncursed tome
Your will seems inflexible.	PC gains +1 Willpower.	Uncursed tome
Your movements are getting swifter.	PC gains +1 Dexterity.	Uncursed tome
Your health increases.	PC gains +1 Toughness.	Uncursed tome
You feel very self-confident.	PC gains +1 Charisma.	Uncursed tome
Your looks improve.	PC gains +1 Appearance.	Uncursed tome
You feel more in touch with the world.	PC gains +1 Mana.	Uncursed tome
Your senses sharpen.	PC gains +1 Perception.	Uncursed tome
Your muscles feel incredibly stronger!	PC gains +2-4 Strength.	Blessed tome
You feel highly studious!	PC gains +2-4 Learning.	Blessed tome
Your will seems incredibly inflexible!	PC gains +2-4 Willpower.	Blessed tome
Your movements are getting extremely swifter!	PC gains +2-4 Dexterity.	Blessed tome
Your health greatly increases!	PC gains +2-4 Toughness.	Blessed tome
You feel extremely self-confident!	PC gains +2-4 Charisma.	Blessed tome
Your looks improve greatly!	PC gains +2-4 Appearance.	Blessed tome
You feel a lot more in touch with the world!	PC gains +2-4 Mana.	Blessed tome
Your senses sharpen greatly!	PC gains +2-4 Perception.	Blessed tome

Desirability

Potentially a very good item. Effects are random, but can include gaining paralysis resistance and stat increases.

As an artifact, the tome of donors can be sold for a hefty price, sacrificed for a lot of piety or given to the demented ratling. The demented ratling says "Zhat wazz zweeeet!" when fed the tome, although this doesn't seem to have any special effect.

Guaranteed/Common sources

It is generated on the final (5th) level of the moldy dungeon, if it is entered before the character gains more than 90,160 experience, before more than 90,160 turns have passed, and while the character is carrying no more than 90,160 gold pieces. If these conditions are not met, a useless ruined libram is generated instead. It is guarded by a somewhat experienced stone golem along with a pile of 9,016 gold pieces.

Donor messages

For a PC reading an uncursed tome the message has the following structure: You read <story type> of <character name> who <story>.

The following story types are available:

• the adventurous yarn
• the epic poem
• the gallant tales
• the perilous tale
• the song
• the travels

The following stories are available:

• challenged the gods for supremacy
• discovered a magic hoard in the ruined caverns of Ashyra
• fought endless battles to protect the people of the land
• fought so many beasts of Chaos that he was scarred with Chaos during those battles
• fought the raiders of the dark forest
• mapped the Drakalor Chain uncovering many hidden villages and a few forgotten cities
• searched for the trident of the red rooster in all the known lands
• traveled together with Khelavaster, the sage, searching for a cure for corruption
• traversed the forest of living trees
• uncovered a hidden lake full of danger
• uncovered some dark mystery connected to a mad minstrel of yore
• ventured into a burning tower in far away lands
• ventured into the Realms of Chaos after recovering something called the Trinity
• was a mighty collector of numerous artifacts

For a PC reading an blessed tome the message has the following structures: You read about how <character name> <defeated> the <monster descriptor> <monster>. OR You read about how <character name;> <accomplished> in the <location descriptor> <location type> of <location name>.

The following methods of defeat are available:

• defeated
• drove away
• dispersed
• eradicated
• hunted
• killed
• massacred
• slaughtered
• smashed
• vanquished

The following monster descriptors are available:

• accursed
• black
• bloodless
• corrupted
• damned
• dark
• feared
• hated
• horrendous
• merciless
• soulless
• undying

The following monsters were found, but probably any chaotic monster is possible:

• ancient blue dragons
• ancient karmic dragons
• ancient red dragon
• animated armors
• annis hags
• balor
• berserker emperors
• berserker king
• berserker lords
• berserkers
• black baby dragons
• black dragons
• blue dragons
• chaos spiders
• chaos knight
• cutpurse
• dark elven wizards
• displacer beasts
• doppelganger lords
• dwarven chaos knights
• emperor lich
• fire grues
• flesh golems
• gargoyles
• ghost kings
• ghost lords
• ghosts
• ghul(s)
• gibbering mouthers
• gnolls
• great black wyrms
• great blue wyrms
• great white wyrms
• greater daemons
• green hags
• hill giants
• hill orc sergeants
• jackal demons
• large gnoll
• large orc
• lich kings
• lizard man
• lesser daemons
• ogre lords
• ogres
• outlaw leaders
• margoyles
• master assassins
• mimic hivemind
• minotaur mazelords
• raiders
• revenants
• slow shadows
• spectres
• stone snakes
• titans
• vampires
• werewolf lord(s)
• wraiths

The following accomplishments are available:

• answered the riddles of a sphinx
• closed a Chaos portal
• discovered a magic hoard
• found a hint about the Trident of the Red Rooster
• found a precious artifact
• found a great treasure
• healed a lost hero
• recovered lost villagers
• smashed a shrine of Chaos
• uncovered a forgotten tome of knowledge
• uncovered a rune of valor
• won the title of arena champion

The following location descriptors are available:

• barren
• black
• cursed
• damned
• endless
• forgotten
• lost
• rotten
• ruined

The following location types are available:

• abbey
• canyon
• castle
• caverns
• caves
• cyst
• dungeon
• forest
• rift
• temple
• tower

The following location names are available:

• Arvandor
• Ashyra
• Hallbadron
• Moook
• Nazuur
• Oo'ooth
• Thaggoth
• Venissszar
• Yith

For a PC reading a cursed tome the message has the following structure: You read <story type> of <character name> who was <killed> by <monster>.

The following story types are available:

• mournful memories
• pitiful poem
• sad song
• shivering shanty
• sober story
• terrific tragedy
• tragic tale

The following deaths are available:

• blasted to oblivion
• burnt at the stake
• completely devastated
• cursed with undeath
• drowned
• hung
• put to death
• rent apart
• sent to the howling hells of Chaos
• shredded
• tortured to death
• quartered and drawn
• wasted

The following monsters are available:

• Aggravar, dark ghoul of the northern mountains
• Fnuk Longtooth, orc chieftain of yore
• Heshtabahr, the unnight hag
• Medrivar, the soul reaper
• Sharadrinaxiorathadas, vile worm of the south
• Uu'urn, bloated goblin emperor of the dark labyrinths under the Drakalor Chain

Successful readings of the tome of donors are followed by the description of the effect bestowed.

Greater Identify information

------------------------- tome of donors -------------------------

When used in melee combat it grants a -4 bonus to hit and causes 1d8 points 
of damage. When used as a missile it grants a -4 bonus to hit and causes 1d8
points of damage.