Milil's Hymnal of Song

Milil's Hymnal of Song is a unique magical book designed to spread Milil's faith. It has the most value to those of Milil's faith, or those willing to convert.

The Hymnal is bound with the hide of an ancient song dragon who died in service to Milil. Milil's symbol of the silver harp is mounted on the front cover. The pages are made from bark carefully trimmed from the trees of living dryads and hamadryads, with strands of their hair to bind and strengthen the paper. The pages are then sewn into the hide cover using korred hair.

Powers

In addition to the lyrics and music of dozens of holy hyms for Milil's church, the book imparts transforming knowledge. While the hyms can be read and learned as desired, the section of transforming knowledge will appear to be gibberish unless read from the beginning. Once the first page of transforming knowledge is read, the reader will be compelled to read every page in the book. Once read, the book will vanish and the reader will have one day to choose how the knowledge will impact his life. Once he chooses, a radiant nimbus will surround him, and images of golden hollyphants will fly around his head as he begins singing the hyms he read from the hymnal.

Once the book is read, the reader will be motivated towards good. He can resist the change with a successful save versus magic, but will automatically suffer 5d4 hit points of damage, be stunned for the same number of rounds, lose 10,000 to 60,000 experience points and no further benefits can be gained from reading the book. Otherwise, the reader will shift one step of alignment from evil towards good. Evil readers will become neutral and neutral will become good. Thereafter, should the reader shift back towards their old evil alignment, benefits from the tome will be hindered or lost until the character completes a quest for good as atonement. Until he has atoned, any levels gained from the hymnal will be immediately lost and no new levels can be gained in classes obtained through the hymnal. Benefits of specialy priest classes can no longer be used.

Any spell casting wizard or bard who is already proficient in an appropriate musical instrument can learn the secret of spellsinging. Somatic spell components are provided by playing the instrument, while verbal components come from singing. Material components must be stored in a special bag and need not be handled by the spell caster during casting. Musical instruments must allow the player to sing and must also allow for complicated hand movements. Stringed instruments are most common.

Any fighter, paladin, crusader or bard reading the text may convert to Milil's faith and automatically join Milil's Harmonious Order. Those choosing to join the order will automatically gain enough experience to advance one level in the eligible classes of the order, placing them at one point above the minimum needed for the new level. More than one class can be affected.

Further, depending on the readers current class, the book permits one eligible change of class, choosing one of the options as follows:

If the reader is a priest, he may convert to Milil's priesthood with no loss of level. If he is already a cleric of Milil, he may become a Tuneservant specialty priest of the same level with all associated powers. Current Tuneservants will immediately gain enough experience to put him at the midpoint of the next level, disregarding any racial level limit.
If the reader does not already have a priest class, he may immediately multiclass or dual class to a 1st level Tuneservant specialty priest.
If the reader does not already have a bard class, he may immediately multiclass or dual class to a 1st level bard. If he doesn't already have a kit, one can be chosen at the time of transformation, so long as the kit would normally be open to his race, culture and background and he meets the requirements. Even thought spell casting isn't gained until 2nd level, knowledge of spellsinging is retained.
if the reader already has a fighter (but not ranger or paladin) class with between 5 and 8 levels and a rogue class (thief or bard) with between 5 and 9 levels, he may immediately dual or multiclass to a 1st level Druidic Bard specialty priesthood. The skills and abilities of his previous classes, including combat, can continue to be used without impacting level advancement in the new class.

Racial class restrictions do not hinder the transformation, but racial level limits do apply to advancement in any new class with an upper limit of 7th level if the class was not open to the reader. The character does not need to meet the minimum stat requirements of the new class, or the stat requirements of the prime requisites when dual classing into the new class. If the reader elects to change class, two points are gained in the prime requisite stats of the new class, being first applied to stats furthest away from class or dual requirements, then as the player chooses. No stats may be improved beyond 19.

As with other magical texts of this sort, however, the knowledge cannot be recorded or repeated to others. Any additional reading of the Hymnal is of no further benefit to the character.

History

This item passes from character to character and is generally not owned by any individual for any length of time.