Book Of Dreams
This magic item allows the user to choose the type of fantasy they would like to dream about while sleeping. The book is made of dark blue leather with silver caps on the corners, and a small raised silver frame in the center of the front cover. Within the frame is a picturesque scene of an open pasture with clouds wafting across a light blue sky. The edges of the pages are gilded in silver and sparkle if the book is moved. The book size varies, but is usually that of a normal library book.
Unless some kind of detect magic is used, the book will not reveal its true nature. If it is found to be magical, an aura of alteration magic will be seen. Usually in the hands of a mage or a sage, this book allows an individual the opportunity to pay a fee and in turn experience a fantasy dream of his choice. The book’s table of content lists the titles along with a short description of each dream sequence, explaining any special details. This allows the character to fully understand what he will be getting himself into. The titles here are written in normal ink and are not magical in nature. When a specific scenario is chosen, the individual turns to that chapter and reads only the title, which is in golden magical script. At this time, the magic instills itself within the character’s mind until such time that he decides to sleep. Shortly after falling asleep, the character will begin to experience the specific scenario he has chosen, in full-color detail that includes any risk, peril, romance or adventure.
Use of this item can also be very risky depending upon the chosen dream. If a character decides to enter into one that has many battles or puts him in much peril, he assumes the full risk of the outcome as well. Thus, a character who wants to take on a powerful warlord just may die in the dream, which subsequently results in the character’s death in the real world. However, if the character is being closely monitored during his sleep and seems to be thrashing about or in some kind of trouble, he may be awakened from his sleep by normal means with a successful constitution roll, ending the dream at that point.
Furthermore, if a character happens upon one of these books, opens it and reads any title without reading the table of contents first, he will later dream the specific dream read. Only one dream per day can be read by a single individual. If a character tries to read another in the same day, he or she will instantly feel an urge to put down the book and not finish the title. There is no limit to the number of characters that can read the same scenario. Each dream lasts for a duration of 24 hours and will repeat itself as many times as the character happens to fall asleep or be unconscious during that time.
The Book of Dreams has a reverse effect as well. Anyone who possesses one and does not read a scenario, but places it next to his head as he sleeps, will allow whatever he happens to be dreaming about to magically be added to the book. Thus, a new title and description could be inked within the table of contents by the character and later magically inked on a separate page in magical gold ink by a mage or sage. This could also result in a false scenario being inked in by the character and could prove extremely satisfying or deadly, since there is no way of detecting if the description matches the true dream. Only a means of detecting a lie directly on the dream’s creator or the use of a true seeing spell on the book itself will reveal the truth. Therefore, the Book of Dreams is a magical item not to be abused.
Jake Brunette, 1998