Damnation Book

Damnation Book CR 4

XP 1,200
LE Small undead
Init +3 Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision; Perception +3

AC 14, touch 14, flat-footed 11 (+3 Dex, +1 size)
hp 33 (5d8+10)
Fort +3, Ref +4, Will +7
Immune undead immunities
Vulnerable fire

Speed flight 60 ft. (perfect)
Melee +6 bite (1d4-1 piercing plus energy drain)
Special Attacks energy Drain (1 level, Fort DC 14)
Spellcasting (CL 5th, Concentration +18 DC 16; the Damnation Book casts spells as a wizard of its total Hit Dice, typically fifth-level.

3rdâray of exhaustion (prepared twice, Fort DC 19)
2ndâdust of twilight, false life, scare (prepared twice, Will DC 18)
1stâcause fear (prepared twice, Will DC 17), ray of enfeeblement (prepared twice, Fort DC 17), summon monster I
Cantripsâbleed, daze, mage hand, touch of fatigue

Str 9, Dex 16, Con â, Int 22, Wis 16, Cha 15
Base Atk +3; CMB +2; CMD 15 (immune to trip)
Feats Combat Casting, Fly-By Attack^B, Hover^B, Weapon Finesse
Skills Fly +19, Knowledge (arcana, history, at least 5 others) +14, Linguistics +14, Stealth +8, Spellcraft +14
Languages Abyssal, Common, Draconic, Infernal, various others

Environment urban or ruins
Organization solitary or in flocks of up to 1d6+1 (often called a collection), or enormous flocks of up to 20-30 (called a library)
Treasure standard (in lair)

Damnation Books are strange, studious undead with genius intellects, constructed by wealthy necromancers, liches and vampire royalty as librarians, tutors, castellans and major domos. Powerful undead with still-living children and families (or mortal students or acolytes) trust Damnation Books to educate them and sharpen their minds. Others trust Damnation Books with their finances, with scheduling and disciplining their mortal servants, and with other affairs that require both a degree of trust and a gift for organization. Damnation Books are only mediocre combatants, despite their necromantic training. As such, they are rarely found on the battlefield.

Damnation Books are huge leather-bound tomes whose covers are bound in the tanned hide of an intelligent being.

The front cover bears a snarling face with unnaturally intelligent eyes, which communicates in a high, nasal voice.

Damnation Books are egotistical, petty and tyrannical, especially to mortals under their direct supervision. Their pages are rich velum, covered in tiny, cramped scripts concealing necromantic secrets and alchemical formulae.