This article is NOT about new magic rules, or about new spells. It is a collection of reasonable and common sense suggestions which can make life a misery for players.

The article takes into account that most occultists would have to be highly secretive. In Call of Cthulhu, most of the great Mythos tomes were written a long time ago, when religious persecution would be rife. Therefore, it makes sense that anyone writing a mythos tome would take their own safety into account. Here follows a list of precautions and traps which will affect players. 

1) Disguise the book as something else.
In "The Case of Charles Dexter-Ward", the main villain did this, disguising the Necronomicon as a religious book. In this way, people searching for evidence against the owner will be unlikely to search every single book in hopes of finding something damning. In addition, it means that rivals will find it more difficult to steal said tomes. In modern day scenarios, with modern sorcerers, they may merely make a swap of book covers, causing investigators to steal a mundane book. Imagine the horror of the investigators who risked so much to capture the Necronomicon, only to find out the spells include instructions on making cookies...

2) Write the book in code.
This is similar to the above tactics. This is not merely the ambiguous phrases that Lovecraft uses, but is more effective when complete lies are used. For example, on a ritual requiring that a certain whistle be blown at midnight, disguised as a child's story: "And Rumpelstilksin blew the magic whistle three times during the magic hour, making the princess's dreams come true." Just don't mention that Rumpelstilskin has three eyes and big claws...

3) Only include one spell in each book.
And make the book you include it in otherwise mundane. For example, in modern times, writing a spell on a scrap of paper, and shoving it in a copy of Fishing Monthly...

4) Change all the spell titles so that they sound religious.
This provides the spell keeper with a small desperate defense: "But it's only a family prayer...." This can be humorous in campaigns with priest characters...

5) Swap all the spell titles around.
This is used if the sorcerer expects the book to be stolen. Since most sorcerers would only know a few select spells [ignoring the likes of Masks of Nyarlothotep], they could easily memorize the true natures of spells. Popular ones might be swapping "Call/Dissmiss Azathoth" with "Bless Blade." I know I'd find it hilarious on the other side of the after-life...

6) Include spells as normal, but neglect to include Binding spells.
This again counts if the sorcerer expects the tome to be stolen by another. This works well since you are not obligated to tell players if a binding spell is included... ("No! Baaad Byakhee!!!"); for comic effect, combine this with number 5.

7) Write the book in an ancient language.
Many sorcerers seem to pick up a few ancient dialects, so writing in something that other people cannot identify will be a good idea...

8) Write the book in as many languages as you know.
This works much as as the above, except about ten expert linguists will be needed to make a translation. And since the party often does not have that many linguists, will they trust outsiders?

9) Mix all the spells into a larger one.
This is designed for sorcerers who WANT to lose their books. In the style of Cthulhu magic, the caster will almost certainly go insane, or be eaten by something with more tentacles than brain cells.

10) Write on loose scraps of paper, and leave them in random places.
Keep a much better organised tome in a secret cache. While the players search for all the parts for the spell they need, the sorcerer can either escape or organize an ambush.

11) Include as many sanity-destroying pictures as possible.
This will safely remove any currently sane opponent who is unwise enough to steal the book...

12) Include some fake snippets of a diary, belonging to someone who "read the book, and than became dangerously depressive, and made a final entry claiming that they would commit suicide." Include said snippets on the last few pages...


As you can see, spells don't just drain a few sanitiy points; they should also make the average player paranoid after some time. Now practice the Keeper evil laughter... It helps.


Andy
Andyc2 AT netcomuk.co.uk