Editing Codex of the Infinite Planes (section)

==3e==
Appearing in July 2002's [[Epic Level Handbook]] (thus entering the 3.0 [[OGL]]), Andy Collins and [[Bruce R. Cordell]] lived up to the Codex's legacy. For them, it is a Major Artifact that has been in the Brass City. They note Yagrax but not Tzunk.

Opening it up for the first time will hit you with Destruction (DC 30 for 10d6 damage: if you fail, you turn to dust). If you manage to survive this, you get to study its infinite pages for wonderful knowledge and power... at risk. After a day of study, you can roll a DC 50 Spellcraft check to see if you learned something new: if you don't make the roll, you get +1 to your next one. You can learn quite the list of powers, who once known you can use at will: astral projection, banishment, elemental swarm, gate, greater planar ally, greater planar binding, plane shift, and soul bind. Powers are learned at random. But the risk is always there: every day also requires a DC 30 Will save, or you go insane (as per Insanity).

Actually using a power is risky as well: you need both a Concentration and a Spellcraft check with a DC 40 + double the spell's level (making it 50 at its lowest and 58 at its highest). If you fail, you roll percentile dice to decide your fate: get hit by an Earthquake and Storm of Vengeance spell, summon 1d3+1 Balors, Pit Fiends, or similarly powerful evil Outsiders to mess you up, have your soul put in a gem (as per Trap the Soul) and your body entombed somewhere (as per Imprisonment) both in a random place on the current plane, or utter a Wail of the Banshee and get hit by Destruction every turn for 10 turns.