d12 Spell Book Defences

Have a magic fruit and veg table coming

Also i considered my first idea for a 5th-ed thing I might do when i run another setting - alignment-based feats to sorta do some campaign stuff and make it clear whose side you're on. Id rather solve problems with spells or feats than subclasses. Will do more Ethyria mega dungeon work too.   

Fancy Spellbooks
Books should be scary and cool treasure. Some of the more common ones will have limited uses vs the more high powered ones. Books should be scary, maybe I need a d100 dank magic books?

Student Book (Lv 0-4) issued by the school with 1 common defence
Master's Book (Lv 5-8) teachers' book with d2-1 common and 1 magic defence
Mage (or Magus or Magi) Book (Lv 9-12) with d3-1 common and d2 magic defence
High mage (Lv 13-16) with d3 common and d3 magic defence and one legendary
Archmage Book (Lv 17-20) with d4 common and d4 magic defence, and d2 legendary

d12 Smell my spellbook

1 Vinigar

2 Urine

3 Sour wine and beer

4 Drug abuse (ashtray or hash pipe)

5 Inscence

6 Spicy food

7 Horny bachelor sheets

8 Old socks

9 Mouldy food

10 Desperate old men

11 Stinky cheese

12 Septic meat

d12 Look at my spellbook cover

1 Shiny brass plates

2 Wooden case holding folios or tablets

3 Leather of some hideous beast

4 Leather of a tattooed human

5 Leather of a humanoid's face

6 Wooden cover painted with something awesome (like a wizard's sk8oard)

7 Luminous wizard rune

8 Luminous school rune (1in6 with library stamp)

9 Silver plates with ornate occult diagrams

10 Gold plates with semiprecious stones

11 Iron plate with the  symbol of a house, cult, school or religion

12 Looks and feels alive alive 1in10 can open eyes and bite d3 or has tentacles

d12 Check This Out

1 Several small critters live in the book, usually bugs or mice

2 Worms eaten with maggots, eaten out some sections

3 Blood splattered 1in4 an occult symbol

4 Crazed footnotes and occult diagrams

5 Some kind of code secreted into the book
6 Secret map d4 1=dungeon 2=portal 3=hidden tomb 4=another plane

7 Has a corner chewed off

8 Name and contact details of owner or school

9 Terrible wizard poetry

10 Pages are missing as "man was not meant to know"

11 Several wizard scrolls used as bookmarks d4 levels worth of spells 

12 Horrific Art d4 1=dimensional porn 2=torture 3=vivisection 4=monsters

d12 Common Defences
1 Poison Ink - studying without due care causes cumulative poisoning. Each day of study, save or reduce max HP by one. Target does not notice this, but if they get under half, others will express concern for health and rapid ageing. Each week without touching the book restores one to maximum until you reach your normal amount

2 Venemous pet - holds a poison snake, scorpion, snail or spider is kept in a compartment inside the spine. 1in6 the pet has died and is flat 

3 Lock - book has a metal lock. 1in4 has a poison needle trap

4 Spores - cultivated spores blast from the book when opened first time each day, save if within 1m or choke for 3d4 rounds, losing 1HP per round and contracting a respiratory disease. A dust mask helps; sunlight makes spores safe while opened after the first blast. Otherwise, save at least daily while handling without a mask 

5 Lotus Dust - either a trap or relic of a drug-abusing wizard, each day of study without due care, save or exposed enough, you can't sleep or rest properly to recover spells for a d4 days. Nightmares might be prophetic or reveal lost memories or past lives

6 Trap - the book is stiff to open due to the metal-jawed trap that is set by opening. If touched, make a save or d8 damage and latches onto the thief's hands. Has a deactivation mechanism 1in4 dont work

7 Gas - a d4+1 rounds after opening gas is released in the face of the reader d4 1=2d4 acid save halves 2=poison various grades 3=vile miasma save or spend a d4 rounds helpless and vomiting and lose 1HP per round 4=hallucinatory 

8 Disease - maybe the wizard was sick or unhygienic, maybe it's a deliberate trap.

9 Vermin Ridden - swarm of bugs, worms or flies live in the book and protect it unless you sing a relaxing song well

10 Wrapped in chains with a lock

11 Waterproofed - some wax or varnish protects the book from water damage, damp and mould

12 Durable - book has +2 on saving throws

d12 Magic Defences

Many can be detected as a one-use spell-like effect recharged by the creator. Identify may tell password and Dispel Magic are the best solutions
1 Magic Mouth - activates if opened without password d4 1=screams 2=threatens wizards wrath 3=insulting threat 4=cries out thief theif!

2 Puzzle Lock - a complex mental combination logic puzzle requires solving 

3 Wizard Lock - requires a knock spell, password or higher-level wizard to open

4 Fire Trap - password or explosion d4+1 per level,

5 Ward - password or 2 damage per user level, or some other spell effect released

6 Flare Trap - flashes when opened, any in 3m looking save or blinded for a d4 days, if saved -2 to sight rolls until rested

7 Book is a weapon d4 damage and +1 to hit and damage

8 Curse vs non-owner usage

9 Maddening - crazed, demented scrawling and diagrams drive the reader mad, save each day of study or gain a new phobia (d4 1=worms 2=bugs 3=tentacles 4=slime)

10 Fireball - 5d6 fireball ignites from the book without a password (may destroy the book)

11 Salamander Skin - fire resistant and +2 save vs fire 

12 Magical - only harmed by magic weapons or spells

d12 Legendary defences

1 Spectral Guardian - mysterious figure or creature appears to defend if opened without password, AC+4 HD d8/Wiz level Att d8 weapon Morale 12 Mov 12 (must remain near the book) or may make one 1HD figure per level but they only do a d6

2 Familiar lives in extradimensional space inside the book and may outlive the creator

3 Shift Alignment saves each day studied or alignment changes, will change one part at a time to agree with the book's owner. Remove the Curse to restore to normal 

4 Shrink to pocket size or back on command

5 Curse once per day, cumulative on the same user on any unauthorised reader

6 A god keeps tabs on any wielders of the book to see if they use it correctly

7 Prison keeps a monster inside to guard if opened without a password, it steps out of the book's art and vanishes when killed d4 1=dragon 2=giant 3=golem 4=demon

8 Transpacial Realm - can open a portal or draw the user inside if they fail a save. d4 1=dungeon 2=palace 3=vault 4=house

9 Nightmare - if studied a day without a password will meet a frightening being in dreams, save -4 or die of fear

10 Binding Book - holds a powerful supernatural being that guards the book and serves the caster. If master dead and released, may be hostile or offer a task as a reward: d4 1=undead 2=elemental 3=planar being (angel, devil, demon, sucubus 4=faerie

11 Spirit Book - houses a ghost of a past owner who possesses any suitable users, the body owner soul is trapped in the book and can possess a new body once acclimatised after a d4 months 

12 Golem Book - turns to pages as commanded, has a dour face on the cover that can speak the book's contents. Most are quite dull but efficient 1in6 are brilliant and quixotic, weirdo golems possibly mad