#### **The Book of Monsters**
*Wonderous Item,* *Very Rare*

This thick vellum tome is locked shut with an iron chain and padlock.  It's cover is gilded in places, worn in others, and made from a patchwork of different types of dried animal hides.  A think red ribbon hangs floppily from the base of the book like the tongue of a panting dog.

To unlock the padlock keeping the book closed requires the key used to create it or a DC 15 Dexterity (Sleight of Hand) check and the use of Thieves' tools. Once open, the book becomes a **Monster Book**.

A *detect magic* spell reveals that the book glows with transmutation magic and that the chain glows with abjuration magic. An *identify* spell reveals that the book contains information on many different kinds of monsters.

A *legend lore* spell reveals that the book is an intelligent hematophagic (blood-drinking) construct that learns about creatures by consuming parts of them.  It is most easily persuaded into helping by offerings of food in the form of blood from strange or exotic creatures and in the form of massages along the book's spine.  The book knows each language of a creature it has indexed and commonly has one of the four personality traits as described below.


<div class="personality">
##### Personality
| d4 | Personality | Bond  |
|:--:|:------------|:--------|
| 1  | Outgoing    | The book wishes to learn about every kind of monster and will help anyone who it thinks will aid it in this goal.
| 2  | Shy         | The book wishes to be left alone and will attempt to convince those who open it to shut it again as soon as possible. |
| 3  | Grumpy   | The book  will attempt to avoid answering questions unless well-fed and cared for. |
| 4  | Forgetful    | The book will gladly help recall information about monsters, but is easily distracted.  |
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Regardless of the personality, the book is always hungry.

When the book is willing, it will answer questions about the monsters that it has indexed, and may even allow you to open it and read information about these monsters directly.  The book has entries about most common creatures, as well as detailed information about each creature whose blood it has injested.  An entry takes a minimum of ten minutes to read. For each creature indexed, it has a summary of significant lore, weaknesses,  strengths, and other details such as known habitats, resistances, or special abilities.  The information is accurate, but much of it is strewn about the book in odd footnotes and margins, and may be clouded by a rough script or flowery language depending on the book's personality.

 If the book dies, all information in it disappears forever.
___
> ## Monster Book
>*Tiny construct, unaligned*
> ___
> - **Armor Class** 13 (natural armor)
> - **Hit Points** 24 (6d4 + 6)
> - **Speed** 15 ft.
>___
>|STR|DEX|CON|INT|WIS|CHA|
>|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|
>|14 (+2)|11 (0)|13 (+1)|9 (-1) | 3 (-4)| 8 (-1)|
>___
> - **Damage Immunities** poison
> - **Damage Vulnerabilities** fire
> - **Condition Immunities** blinded, deafened, exhaustion, paralyzed, petrified, poisoned
> - **Senses** passive Perception 6
> - **Languages** Any known by indexed creatures.
> - **Challenge** 1 (200 XP) 
> ___
> ***Antimagic Susceptibility.*** The book is incapacitated while in the area of an antimagic field. If targeted by dispel magic, the book must succeed on a Constitution saving throw against the caster's spell save DC or fall unconscious for 10 minutes.
>
>***False Appearance.*** While the book remains motionless, it is indistinguishable from a normal book.

>***Lock and Key*** While this creature is grappled by a creature, it may attempt to lock the book shut.  This requires an action and  a successful Strength (Athletics) contest against the book.  On a failure, the book can make one bite attack against that creature.  While locked shut, the book reverts to being a simple, albeit magical, book about monsters.

> ***Hematophagic Indexing*** When this creature hits another creature with an attack, or otherwise comes into contact with a creature's blood, it learns to speak a language that the creature speaks and learns any resistances, immunities, vulnerabilities, or racial abilities that the creature has.

> ### Actions
> ***Multiattack.*** The book makes two attacks with either its bite or its tongue whip.
>
> ***Bite.*** *Melee Weapon Attack:* +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. *Hit:* 10 (2d6 + 2) piercing damage.

> ***Tongue Whip.*** *Melee Weapon Attack:* +4 to hit, reach 15 ft., one target. *Hit:* 5 (1d4 + 2) slashing damage.

<div class='descriptive'>
##### Credit where Credit's Due

This item-monster is wick's (thewickling) idea entirely.  I ([NASA](https://www.reddit.com/user/ImFromNASA/)) added some flavor and changed a few things in the stat block to make it fit the item-monster I saw in my head.
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