A recent article I stumbled onto on Wizards.com had an interesting format for listing statistics for a specific location or building, in this case a school. The article outlines a few details and flavor information about a new character class for Forgotten Realms that from what I can tell is not defined in the article, but in an accessory called Tome of Magic. What caught my eye was the way the location called the "House of the Unnamed" was described. After a paragraph of text description…
One of the only academies in the Realms devoted to truename magic is found in Velprintalar in Aglarond. Little more than a cluster of four study groups, the House of the Unnamed is a small haven for truenamers from the eastern Realms. Located in a small grounds building adjacent to the House of the Four Moons (a temple of Selûne), the House of the Unnamed contains the largest library dedicated to truename magic in the Realms. Other libraries such as Candlekeep or the one found in the Leaves of Learning may contain more volumes of interest to truenamers but none are as well-catalogued or concentrated as in this school. The school is run by Elthenhelm Hamastyl, brother of High Steward Nerrol Hamastyl, the Simbul's representative to the Royal Council and the leader of Selûne's faith in Velprintalar.
…The article had a little table with some good details specifically for the DM.
House of the Unnamed (Minor Arcane): AL NG, LG, CG; 13,000 gp resource limit; Membership 19; Mixed (14 humans, 2 half-elves, 3 gnomes); Dues All members must spend 3 hours, 4 times a week, scribing and enhancing the library (at least 26 weeks of the year, though not consecutively).
Authority Figures: Elthenhelm Hamastyl (NG male Damaran truenamer 14).
Important Characters: Study group leaders: Sarlisha Kjenth (CG female Rashemi sorcerer 2/truenamer 7), Maaruel Vench (LG female Rashemi truenamer 8), Nelinarian Tansmith (CG male half-elf fighter 3/truenamer 6), Maerwûn Venedel (NG female Chondathan truenamer 9).
Associated Classes: Truenamer, spellcasters who dabble in truename magic.
Associated Skills: Knowledge (any), Speak Language, Truespeak.
Requirements: At least 5 or more ranks in Truespeak; at least 5 or more ranks in any 2 knowledge skills; ability to speak at least 3 languages.
Favored in Guild Benefits: None.
I have not played in Forgotten Realms. Whereas the details about "truenamers" didn't really interest me, the special way that the notes for this location were laid out was something completely new to me and caught my eye. It's a new kind of statistic block that I'd find useful for my own notes or adventures. I'm not sure if this is something Wizards has used in other places in an official capacity or if it was just the creation of the author of this article, but I think it would be handy to standardize and reuse.
See the full article on Wizards.com.
More About Dungeons & Dragons Tome of Magic
Are you interested in learning more? Well it turns out that there was a book called the "Tome of Magic" for both 2nd edition and 3rd edition. I recalled the second edition one from years ago as I think I borrowed a copy of it at some point. They are both still available at Amazon.
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