Book of the Dead

+
Name	Book of the Dead
Appearance	papyrus spellbook
Base price	10000 zm
Weight	20

The Book of the Dead is a unique item you retrieve from the Wizard of Yendor in his tower. It is one of the items needed for the invocation. It is a papyrus spellbook when unidentified.

Reading the Book

The Book's effects depend on whether you are standing on the vibrating square (i.e. you are trying to perform the ritual).

On the vibrating square

If you have correctly prepared all the invocation items, you perform the invocation ritual. Otherwise, you get one of the following failure effects:

• If the Book is cursed, nothing happens.
  • "The runes appear scrambled. You can't read them!"

• If you lack either the Bell of Opening or the Candelabrum of Invocation, nothing happens ("A chill runs down your spine."), and you get a clue:
  • "You hear a faint chime..." (without Bell)
  • "Vlad's doppelganger is amused." (without Candelabrum)

• If either the Bell or Candelabrum is cursed, nothing happens.
  • "The invocation fails!"/"At least one of your artifacts is cursed..."

• If the Bell has not been rung recently, or the Candelabrum is not fully lit, you raise the dead.
  • "You have a feeling that something is amiss..."/"You raised the dead!"

Not on the vibrating square

• If the Book is blessed, coaligned undead will be tamed; all other undead become peaceful, and flee.

• If the Book is uncursed, there is no effect, and you get a random message:
  • "Your ancestors are annoyed with you!"
  • "The headstones in the cemetery begin to move!"
  • "Oh my! Your name appears in the book!"

• If the Book is cursed, you raise the dead.
  • "You raised the dead!"

Raising the dead

If you fail to prepare the invocation items, or read a cursed Book of the Dead when not on the vibrating square, you will raise the dead. This has the following effects:

• There is a 1/3 chance of summoning a hostile master lich. (If master liches cannot be created, a nalfeshnee will be summoned instead.)
• A number of undead creatures will be created around you.
• When carried by you, corpses will be revived and eggs will be rejuvenated.
• The level becomes a graveyard level, meaning that undead are less likely to leave corpses.