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Book of the Ancients

Wondrous Item, artefact (requires attunement)

The Book of the Ancients contains various sections and chapters, written in Deep Speech, many of which can cause instant madness- for these writings are so alien that most mortals are unable to fathom the extent of the power contained within, nor the cyclopean structures, creatures, worlds and realms mentioned.

The clasps which hold the black book shut are wrought to look like purple tentacles, and even gazing upon the cover is enough to send weaker-willed creatures into madness. There exists no table of contents within the book, nor is it possible to create one- for the structure of the chapters changes every time the book is read.

Once the book is opened, the attuned creature must spend 80 hours reading and studying the book to digest its contents and gain the benefits. Others who attempt to read the book will see the strange, alien runes, risking madness and gleaning no information.

Any creature that is not of Chaotic Neutral alignment must make a DC 17 Charisma Saving Throw. On a failed save, their alignment becomes Chaotic Neutral.

The Book of the Ancients remains with you as long as you sow the seeds of madness with the knowledge gifted to you. If you fail to perform at least one ritual within the book or cast one spell from the pages within the span of 10 days, the book disappears.

If you die while attuned to the book, your soul is transported to the Far Realms- never to return.

Random Properties. The Book of the Ancients has the following properties:

  • 1 minor beneficial property
  • 1 major beneficial property
  • 1 minor detrimental property
  • 1 major detrimental property

Blessings of the Ancients. After you've spent the spent the requisite time reading and studying the book, your Constitution and Intelligence scores increase by 2 to a maximum of 24. The book can't adjust your ability scores again.
Mark of Horror. At the DM's discretion, those who study the book's utterly alien teachings may develop similar physical traits to the aberrations detailed within, although the effects usually manifest mentally, with most developing nervous ticks, stutters, twitches or even forms of madness- such as accidentally exchanging words in other tongues for Deep Speech without even realising.
Ancient Sight. While attuned to the book, once per day, you may grant yourself Truesight up to 60-foot, using the ancient knowledge of the book to see through the very fabric of reality itself.
Alien Knowledge. You can reference the Book of the Ancients whenever you make an Intelligence check to recall information about lore not of this world, such as aberrations and other such creatures. When you do so, you double your proficiency bonus on that check.
Deep Speech. When you carry the Book of the Ancients and are attuned to it, you may use an action to recite the words from its pages in the alien language known as Deep Speech. When you do, you gain a form of short-term madness and all creatures in 15 feet take 3d6 psychic damage.


Destroying the Book. The Book of the Ancients allows pages to be copied from it, but the reader will find themselves physically unable to tear a page from the book, and physically unwilling to share any pages copied. Those who copy a page from the book also subject themselves to a form of short-term madness.

It is said that this book cannot be destroyed as long as The Great Old Ones roam the Far Realms. If the book is destroyed by a Beholder's Disintegration Ray, the Book will be destroyed for 1d100 years, after which point it will reform in an area plagued by aberrations- such as an Aboleth's lair, or a Mind Flayer community.

If the influence of the Far Realms is sealed away from the world, the Book of the Ancients will return to the Far Realms, to find its way to another location in the multiverse.

If the Great Old Ones are somehow entirely destroyed, the Far Realms will cease to exist and the Book of the Ancients will crumble to dust, destroyed forever.

Portals to the Far Realms

The Book of the Ancients, among its varying chapters- in their strange, erratic order- details the method and rituals necessary for locating and opening portals to the Far Realms. It makes mention of an ancient race of Elves who created planar gates that they simply called a "Gateway".

The Ancient Elves made use of a specific cosmic event that lasted 12 days every 25 years, whereby the stars Shuldau and Toth align with the twin moons Badru and Janna, when Badru (the larger) eclipses Janna. During such a time, the fabric between the planes, and indeed, Burus and the rest of the multiverse, grow thin. It is believed by the Ancient Elves that this was how the first Aberrations from the Far Realms came to be within the Material Plane.

To open these gateways, the Ancient Elves used special crystal foci, imbued with the power of those who wish to open the Gateway through spells and rituals. The most common ritual involves first the inscribing on the ground with white chalk, the symbol of the Gateway. Credit: Snailgazer


After this, the leader of the ritual recites

"Ph'nglui mglw'nafhas, Cthulhu, Yog-Sothoth, Shub-Niggurath, Azathoth, Nyarlathotep, Hastur ak Dagon, wgah-nagl fhtagn"

reaching to the Far Realms, to the Great Old Ones- the 'Gods' of this realm of chaos and aberrant forces.

The leader then drinks from a chalice containing the blood of an aberration (conveniently, the Book of the Ancients contains such spells that one might summon a lesser powerful aberration for this purpose) and recites

"Ph'lgathas wgah… mglthas n'fhsa ekshn, ak hf'ta qw'ln r'leh qwan-glas li'y!"

There exists, somewhere in the world, a diary- written by a Wizard who took a particular interest in the Ancient Elves and their construction of the Gateways. It is likely that some unknowing book store owner currently holds this journal, somewhere in the back of their collection, regarding it as no more than ramblings- for their mind is not attuned to such matters.

The diary recounts the tale of the unknown wizard from the Second Age, their journey under a mountain somewhere in Tezun\pagebreakNum

and the research they underwent to uncover the details of the alignment of stars required to open the gateway.

Throughout the pages of the journal, it becomes readily clear to those who read it that the wizard, through their extensive research and proximity to the Gateway, began to go quite mad.

The wizard writes of the people who accompanied him- individuals like Tasha, who is now regarded as one of the most powerful witches, and a descendant of Baba Yaga; in addition to Evard, now known as a particularly evil archmage and fabricator of several potent dark spells; as well as a band of mercenaries hired to keep the wizard safe.

Indeed, this journal seems to point towards the idea that Tasha and Evard were two of the first to make pacts with, or be heavily influenced by, patrons that would come to be known as "The Great Old Ones", for they are the beings of infinite power who 'rule' over the Far Realms.

Such is the influence of the Far Realms that those touched by it first begin to become plagued by persistent and horrific dreams, of which they are often unable to recall the nature. Fragments of these dreams may be recalled, but are often instantly pushed out of the creature's mind, for the recollection is so disturbing. Those plagued in such a way often begin to pale, and become withdrawn through such tiredness.

The final entry of the wizard's journal leaves the fate of the wizard to the imagination of the reader, for by this point the mind of the wizard had irrefutably snapped.

It would appear that, knowing the gate would close soon for another 25 years, the wizard departed from this realm, stepping through the Gateway and into the Far Realms beyond.

All known evidence that remains of the wizard is their journal and, indeed, the last entry in which it seems apparent that their intentions were to leave the journal behind, returning to it after exploring the Far Realms.


Whilst there is no way of directly translating Deep Speech into Common, those who have studied this ritual claim the translation to be
"In their houses, dead Cthulhu, Yog-Sothoth, Shub-Niggurath, Azathoth, Nyarlathotep, Hastur and Dagon wait dreaming.
That's not dead… which can eternal lie, and with strange eons even death may die!"

Spells of the Ancients

There exist, within the Book of the Ancients, a series of spells centred around the strange, aberrant nature of the Far Realms. These powerful spells come with a price, however- often the cost of the user's sanity, for such forces are not meant to be trifled with by the malleable minds of mortals.

Any spellcaster that prepares spells can learn these spells. Each spell has a Madness cost that is paid when the duration of the spell ends or according to the spell’s description.

If the cost is ability damage, it is restored when the caster finishes a long rest or when affected by a Greater Restoration spell. If the cost is ability drain, it does not recover until the creature receives attention from a Greater Restoration spell.

Even those with no prior knowledge of spellcasting may use the cantrip spells, using their Constitution or Intelligence modifier as they withstand the alien nature of not only an ability they've never learned to use, but also the spells contained within. Learning spells with no prior ability from your class inflicts one random long term madness.

Ancient Spells

Cantrips (0 Level)

Tendrils of the Old One
Mucus Spray

1st Level

Psychic Drain

2nd Level

Ghaunadaur's Gift
Alien Landscape

3rd Level

Weird Insight
Wound Rejection
Aboleth Mucus
Psychic Scream

4th Level

Conjure Minor Alien
Deformation of the Patient One

5th Level

Conjure Alien
Grell Consumption
Eyestalk of the Beholder

6th Level

Tongues of Mak Thuum N'gatha
Dark Prison of Tharizdun

7th Level

Body Thief

8th Level

Ilsensine's Domination
Journey to the brink

9th Level

Portal to the Far Realms

Spell Descriptions

The spells are presented in alphabetical order.

Aboleth Mucus

2nd level Ancient Transmutation spell.
Casting time: 1 action.
Range: 60ft
Components: V, S.
Duration: Instantaneous.

You spit a foul, sticky mucous at a creature using a ranged spell attack. If you hit the creature, that creature takes 4d10 acid damage and must make a CON save. On a failed save, the creature’s respiratory system is fundamentally altered and it can only breath underwater for 1d4 hours. When not submerged, it begins suffocating.

Madness cost: 1d6 INT damage.

Alien Landscape

2nd level Ancient Transmutation spell.
Casting time: 1 action.
Range: Personal
Components: V, S.
Duration: 30 minutes.

The ground in a 10 ft. radius around the caster becomes soft and warped, becoming difficult terrain for those passing through it during the duration of the spell. In addition, a creature that starts its turn in the spell’s area must make a DEX save or have its speed reduced to 0 for that turn.

Madness cost: 1d3 WIS damage.

Body Thief

2nd level Ancient Necromancy spell.
Casting time: 1 action.
Range: Touch
Components: V, S.
Duration: Instantaneous.

A humanoid creature that you touch with a successful melee spell attack must make a WIS save. On a failed save, the creature’s soul is ejected from their body and your soul transfers to the empty vessel that is the target creature. You gain that creature’s appearance and their STR, DEX, and CON scores, but no other ability scores. The only features you gain are physical traits of that character, like Darkvision or a breath weapon. No other features or new knowledge is imparted.

Your previous body dissolves into the void. You can no longer be resurrected. If your soul ever leaves your new body and the other soul chose to remain on the material plane rather than move on to the afterlife, it may reclaim its old body.

If a Resurrection or similar spell is cast calling the other soul, you must make a DC 20 WIS save or be expelled from your new body while the other soul reclaims its old body. This will usually only happen if someone catches on to the caster’s scheme.

Madness cost: You permanently lose 1 WIS. Your original body is destroyed and you cannot be resurrected through normal means.

Conjure Alien

5th level Ancient Conjuration spell.
Casting time: 1 action.
Range: 30ft
Components: V, S.
Duration: Concentration, up to 1 hour.

You summon an Aberration of CR 5 or less under your command. You can summon any creature from the Conjure Minor Alien spell, or a Grell, Spectator, Chuul, Otyugh or Red Slaad, functioning as per Conjure Elemental.

At higher levels. When you cast the spell at a higher level, the challenge rating of the aberration increases by 1 for each slot above level above 5th.

Madness cost: One random form of long-term madness

Conjure Minor Alien

4th level Ancient Conjuration spell.
Casting time: 1 action.
Range: 30ft
Components: V, S.
Duration: Concentration, up to 1 hour.

You summon an Aberration of CR 2 or less under your command. You can summon a Flumph, Slaad Tadpole, Gibbering Mouther, Intellect Devourer, or a Nothic in this way, functioning as per Conjure Elemental.

At higher levels You may summon 2 creatures when you cast this spell with a 6th-level slot, and 3 creatures when you cast this spell with an 8th level slot.

Madness cost: One random form of short-term madness

Dark Prison of Tharizdun

7th level Ancient Conjuration spell.
Casting time: 1 action.
Range: 45ft
Components: V, S.
Duration: 24 hours.

You send one humanoid creature that fails a WIS save to an extra-dimensional prison. The prison is dark and there is nothing to stimulate the creature’s senses. The creature does not need to eat or breathe and cannot sleep. The creature cannot be targeted by divination spells or perceived through scrying sensors created by divination spells. If the spell is recast before its duration expires, its duration resets, but the creature can make a save against your DC.

A creature stuck in the dark prison slowly goes mad, making a WIS save each day to resist it. Each day within the prison, the creature gets a cumulative -1 penalty to their saving throw. Each time they fail a save, they gain a random form of long-term madness. After failing three total saving throws, the creature gains a random form of indefinite madness and permanently loses 2 INT, 2 WIS, and 2 CHA. If the target succeeds on three saving throws, they are released, returning where the spell was cast.

Madness cost: 1d3 INT and 1d3 WIS damage.

Deformation of the Patient One

4th level Ancient Transmutation spell.
Casting time: 1 action.
Range: 30ft
Components: V, S.
Duration: Instantaneous.

One humanoid creature you target must make a CON save or slowly begin changing. Their body undergoes a transformation into a mindless monstrosity over the course of 2d3 days, each day looking more grotesque than the last. Each day, the creature can make another CON save to stop the change and revert to normal, but each failed save increases the saving throw DC by 1.

Once the creature has completed the transformation, the change becomes permanent. Choose from one of the following creatures for the target creature to transform into: a grick, an ankheg, or a carrion crawler.

Madness cost: One random form of short-term madness

Eyestalk of the Beholder

5th level Ancient Transmutation spell.
Casting time: 1 action.
Range: Personal
Components: V, S.
Duration: 3 rounds.

One of your eyes extends into an eyestalk with a random ray attack that you may use each round as a bonus action. Each ray has a range of 120 ft., uses your spell save for the DC, and targets one creature. To decide which eyestalk appears, roll 1d8:

1: Charm Ray: Creature must make a WIS save or become charmed by the caster for 1 hour or until they are harmed by the caster.

2: Paralyzing Ray: Creature must make a CON save or become paralyzed for 1 minute. The creature can repeat its saving throw each round to try to end the effect.

3: Fear Ray: Creature must make a WIS save or become frightened for 1 minute. The creature can repeat its saving throw each round to try to end the effect.

4: Slowing Ray: Creature must make a DEX save or have its speed halved for 1 minute. In addition, the creature can’t take reactions, and it can either take an action or a bonus action on its turn, not both. The creature can repeat its saving throw each round to try to end the effect.

5: Enervation Ray: The creature must make a CON save or take 8d6 necrotic damage, or half damage on a successful save.

6: Telekinetic Ray: Creature must make a STR save or be moved up to 30 ft. in any direction. It is restrained until the start of your next turn.

7: Sleep Ray: Creature must make a WIS save or fall asleep and remain unconscious for 1 minute. The target awakens if another creature uses its action to wake the creature or if the unconscious creature takes damage. Undead and constructs are immune to this ray.

8: Petrification Ray: Creature must make a DEX save or start to turn to stone and become restrained. At the start of its next round, it must make another save or become petrified until freed with Greater Restoration or similar magic.

When cast at higher levels, instead roll 1d10 and add the following possibilities to the above list:

9: Disintegration Ray: Creature must make a DEX save or take 8d8 force damage. If the creature dies, their body is reduced to dust.

10: Death Ray: Creature must make a DEX save or take 8d10 necrotic damage.

Madness cost: 1d4 CHA drain

Ghaunadaur's Gift

2nd level Ancient Transmutation spell.
Casting time: 1 action.
Range: 30ft
Components: V, S.
Duration: 1d4+2 rounds.

One creature must succeed at a CHA save or gain +5 AC as their body twists and warps. Creatures touched by the target creature take 2d6 acid damage. The creature’s psyche becomes damaged as well, causing the creature to become blinded and confused (as the Confusion spell) for the duration.

Madness cost: 1d3 WIS damage

Grell Consumption

5th level Ancient Transmutation spell.
Casting time: 1 action.
Range: 20ft
Components: V, S.
Duration: 1d4+1 rounds.

Your face twists into a giant beak. Tentacles spring forth from your new mouth to restrain a medium or smaller creature with a ranged spell attack opposed by the creature’s Acrobatics or Athletics check. The creature avoids the tentacles if their check exceeds yours. If they fail, the tentacles restrain the creature and drag it within 5 ft. of you.

In each subsequent round, you devour the creature, dealing 6d10 damage to the creature each round until the spell ends. If the creature dies from this spell, they cannot be resurrected except with a Wish spell.

Madness cost: One random form of short-term madness

Ilsensine's Domination

8th level Ancient Enchantment spell.
Casting time: 1 action.
Range: 60ft
Components: V, S.
Duration: Permanent.

One humanoid creature within range must make a CHA save. If the creature fails its saving throw, you may command, telepathically speak with, and directly control the creature as if it was charmed with a Dominate Monster spell, without using your concentration. The creature can make a new save each time the creature takes damage. On a successful save, the spell ends.

Madness cost: 1d4 CHA drain that will not recover until the thrall is freed.

Journey to the Brink

8th level Ancient Conjuration spell.
Casting time: 1 action.
Range: Touch
Components: V, S.
Duration: 1 minute.

One large or smaller creature you touch must make a WIS save or be hurled through time and space to the brink of infinity, to gaze upon the beginning and end of the universe. Colossal, alien creatures float about aimlessly performing some mysterious function.

The creature must make another WIS save right before the spell ends. On a failed save, the creature never returns. On a successful save, the creature returns after the spell’s duration expires, but they are under the permanent effect of a Confusion spell. Some insane spellcasters may target themselves or their allies with this spell in hopes of finding understanding or of seeing an elder deity. The results of the spell are the same.

Madness cost: 1d6 INT drain.

Moan of Delirium

2nd level Ancient Enchantment spell.
Casting time: 1 action.
Range: Personal
Components: V, S.
Duration: 1d4+1 rounds.

Several mouths with sharp teeth open up all over the caster’s body. They emit a maddening drone that causes all creatures in a 30 ft. radius to make an INT save or gain one random form of short-term madness. Creatures that succeed at their save are simply frightened for 1 round.

Madness cost: 1d3 CHA damage.

Mucus Spray

Ancient Evocation cantrip.
Casting time: 1 action.
Range: 10ft
Components: V, S.
Duration: Instantaneous.

You extend your hand toward a creature you can see within range. And project a puff of acidic mucus from your palm. The creature must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or take 1d10 acid damage.

At higher levels. The spell's damage increases by 1d10 when you reach 5th level (2d10), 11th level (3d10), and 17th level (4d10).

Portal to the Far Realms

9th level Ancient Conjuration spell.
Casting time: 1 day.
Range: Personal
Components: V, S, M (the caster).
Duration: Instantaneous.

A portal to the Far Realms that has a radius of 25 ft. bursts forth from your chest. The portal can be facing any direction at any angle. Non-aberration Creatures even coming within 50 ft. of the portal must make a WIS save to avoid becoming affected by a Confusion spell. Your body is vaporized in the pyrotechnics of the spell and swirling chaotic energy. All manner of crazy things can happen from this event, at the discretion of the DM:

  • An invasion force of 10d10 mind flayers come through the portal in nautilus-shaped airships.
  • 5d10 aboleths and an endless stream of water begin pouring through the portal.
  • 3d10 beholders enter the material plane and begin vying for their own territory, apart from one another.
  • A variety of 10d10 slaads hop through the portal and begin causing chaos.
  • An elder deity (or part of one) enters the material plane through the portal.

Madness cost: Your body is destroyed and cannot be resurrected through normal means. Some say that the caster’s body is actually not destroyed, but teleported to the Far Realms to receive some sort of foul reward.

Psychic Drain

1st level Ancient Evocation spell.
Casting time: 1 action.
Range: Range
Components: V.
Duration: Instantaneous.

One creature that you touch takes 1d12 psychic damage unless they succeed at a WIS save. You heal HP equal to half the damage dealt.

At higher levels. When cast with a spell slot higher than 1st, the damage increases by 1d12 for each spell slot above 1st.

Psychic Scream

3rd level Ancient Evocation spell.
Casting time: 1 action.
Range: Personal
Components: V, S.
Duration: Instantaneous.

Psychic energy wells up around you in a brain-like pattern, then erupt into a burst of psychic energy. All creatures in a 20 ft. radius centred on you must make a WIS save or take 6d8 psychic damage, or half damage on a successful save.

Madness cost: 1d3 INT damage.

Tendrils of the Old One

Ancient Evocation cantrip.
Casting time: 1 action.
Range: 20ft
Components: V, S.
Duration: Instantaneous.

You raise your hand and a long, purple tentacle extends forward to strike a target within range. The target takes 1d10 force damage.

At 5th level, your other arm also extends, allowing you to target a second creature. At 10th level, you can target one additional creature and at 17th a fourth creature.

You can direct the tentacles at the same target or at different ones. Each tendril makes its own separate attack roll.

Tongues of Mak Thuum N'gatha

6th level Ancient Conjuration spell.
Casting time: 1 action.
Range: 120ft.
Components: V, S.
Duration: 1 minute.

You summon 9 purple groping tentacles that emerge from the ground. Each turn, you can target up to 9 creatures in a 60 ft. cube centred within the spell’s range. You may target the same creature multiple times. Each creature must make a DEX save (if the same creature is chosen multiple times, it must make a number of saves equal to the number of times it was chosen as a target).

Each time a creature fails a DEX save for this spell, that creature takes 2d6 necrotic damage and becomes poisoned for 1 round.

Madness cost: 1d6 INT damage.

Weird Insight

3rd level Ancient Divination spell.
Casting time: 1 action.
Range: 45ft.
Components: S.
Duration: Instantaneous.

You gaze at an intelligent creature within the spells’ range and probe their deepest thoughts. If the creature fails at a WIS save, you learn a fact about that creature that the creature knows. You have a 25% chance to learn about a subject of your choice. Otherwise, you learn a random piece of information.

The creature also will become stunned for 1d3 rounds afterward.

Madness cost: 1d4 WIS damage.

Wound Rejection

3rd level Ancient Transmutation spell.
Casting time: 1 action.
Range: Touch.
Components: V, S.
Duration: 1 minute.

One creature that you touch will rapidly seal its own wounds and repair itself, causing strange deformities as it does so. The creature regains 10 hit points at the start of each round for the spell’s duration, but also gain disadvantage on Charisma-based skill checks that aren't to intimidate, and on Charisma saving throws until they finish a long rest.

Madness cost: 1d3 CHA damage.