Libris maleficarum

By vichn, in Dark Heresy Gamemasters

Hello everyone.

My party recently found a Good quality Khorne Tome of Libris Maleficarum . It's a book from Enemies Within (p.55):

libris.png

The questions are:

1) What could be the possible outcome of studying these Tomes (besides obvious corrution and/or instanity)?

2) What could be the gradual different changes and effects of studying a book of a particular Chaos God more and more?
3) What could be the effects of studying different Tomes or trying to combine the knowledge from different Tomes?

4) Finally, if one obtains all four Tomes, what could that lead to (besides some Greater Daemon summoning knowledge)?

I hope to hear your ideas, because the ways of Chaos are countless.
Thanks in advance.

Edited by vichn

1) Really that'd be the only thing, other than the powers that be (chaotic forces) taking an interest in you. Maybe affect your dreams (Warzones, battlefields, brass and red overtones). possibly affect your overall mood (getting angry at things more easily.)

2) Whatever the corruption brings, further changing of overall mood. Active influence on the reader by warp entities.

3) Whatever you come up with. I can't think of anything other than possibly if you don't have all four then reading one of the misaligned books will hurt you mentally (fatigue) say if you've been studying Khorne's tome and you start into a Tzeetch novel.

4) You find the location of a fifth and final tome? One of Chaos Unaligned describing the existence of a 5th presence in the warp of Malal.

For 1) and 2), I'm unfamiliar with how the Libris Maleficarum is described in Enemies Within but I'd be inclined to agree with ThenDoctor. I remember that there was the Liber Chaotica in Fantasy that often took on new qualities as the reader became more insane and corrupt, ie. a Nurgle book would become riddled with pustules and flies or something like that. Maybe the more you read the book the more that the book and yourself start to take on qualities of the respective Chaos god.

For 3), I imagine that trying to combine the knowledge of different books would be very bad. I'd even be inclined to have one of the gods become annoyed at your actions and send a daemon to either kill or possess you. If you somehow managed to avoid death, insanity, and corruption, I would certainly grant greater power and knowledge as you start unraveling the mysteries of the Warp.

For 4), if you somehow managed to gain all four books and master their contents without the aforementioned bad stuff, I'd reckon that would be solid grounds for becoming a daemon prince.

For 1) and 2), I'm unfamiliar with how the Libris Maleficarum is described in Enemies Within...

I am not trying to be rude, but my starting post has a huge screenshot with it's description from EW.

4) You find the location of a fifth and final tome? One of Chaos Unaligned describing the existence of a 5th presence in the warp of Malal.

Wow... I guess I found a mission plot for future Rogue Trader games. Travel in the Warp to find and subdue/bargain with an Chaos Undivided God? Whew...

You either severely underestimate chaos gods or severely overestimate rogue traders if you think they can subdue.

You either severely underestimate chaos gods or severely overestimate rogue traders if you think they can subdue.

Well, you are probably right.

But I could see a VERY long campaign on finding and fighting/bargaining with a Chaos God. Trading knowledge or power is still trading.

it would be interesting to operate a daemonhost Rogue-Trader-size ship too.

For 1) and 2), I'm unfamiliar with how the Libris Maleficarum is described in Enemies Within...

I am not trying to be rude, but my starting post has a huge screenshot with it's description from EW.

When I first responded the screenshot didn't show up for some reason. My bad.

But I could see a VERY long campaign on finding and fighting/bargaining with a Chaos God. Trading knowledge or power is still trading.

it would be interesting to operate a daemonhost Rogue-Trader-size ship too.

What possible knowledge could a rogue trader have that a chaos god did not possess?

Heck what could a rogue trader get that a chaos god would even want?

Rogue traders don't go galavanting around the warp for fun, they're just as scared of it as anyone else.

But I could see a VERY long campaign on finding and fighting/bargaining with a Chaos God. Trading knowledge or power is still trading.

it would be interesting to operate a daemonhost Rogue-Trader-size ship too.

Heck what could a rogue trader get that a chaos god would even want?

His or her's soul. Possibly their first born. The usual...

His or her's soul. Possibly their first born. The usual...

I mean that's hardly worth anything to a god, I'd relegate that negotiation to a lesser daemon honestly.

5 hours ago, ThenDoctor said:

I mean that's hardly worth anything to a god, I'd relegate that negotiation to a lesser daemon honestly.

I might be wrong, but that fits the scale of DH atmosphere perfectly... No? Bargain for power, sell your soul for it, etc.?

Yes, but a God has plenty of those. I mean you can't even speak to a god personally you die in one way or another. No one's survived any encounter with any of them.

So the bargaining of such things (power ect) is relegated to lesser fragments of the beings. Daemons of all sorts.

Well, of what use could be the knowledge of knowing how to reach Malal? You suggested the fifth Undivided Tome in the first place and I love this idea immensely.

Or if you meant just extistence, how can I wrap this up? Summoning daemons? Meh, typical DH stuff...

Not every game needs some aggrandized wrap up in the vein of "let's go get medals from the newly revived Emperor" or something.

Sometimes you just learn about another thing in the universe.

The forces of Chaos Undivided would likely be interested in knowing.

But that's just it, an idea, there's nothing stopping you from fleshing it out as you see fit.

I personally tend to keep things relatively tame when it comes to this sort of things and as within the universe as it can be in both terms of lore and tone.

Dark Heresy isn't about cavorting with gods nor is Rogue Trader. That's what Black Crusade is for.