NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Book of Vile Darkness

Book of Vile Darkness is an optional supplemental sourcebook for the 3rd edition Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game. The book was written by Monte Cook and published by Wizards of the Coast in October 2002. Described as a "detailed look at the nature of evil,"^[1] it was the first Dungeons & Dragons book labelled for mature audiences. The second was the "good" companion volume Book of Exalted Deeds. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... This article is about games in which one plays the role of a character. ... A publisher is a person or entity which engages in the act of publishing. ... A hardcover (or hardback or hardbound) book is bound with rigid protective covers (typically of cardboard covered with cloth or heavy paper) and a stitched spine. ... â€œISBNâ€ redirects here. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Over the years, there have been a number of different versions of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, all of which are still played. ... â€œD&Dâ€ redirects here. ... This article is about games in which one plays the role of a character. ... Monte Cook is a professional game designer of some renown. ... Wizards of the Coast (often referred to as WotC or simply Wizards) is a publisher of games, primarily based on fantasy and science fiction themes. ... The Book of Exalted Deeds is an optional sourcebook for the role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons, providing supplementary game material for good campaigns. ...

Before release

As with most new products, Wizards of the Coast announced and previewed Book of Vile Darkness on its website during the months before its release. Unlike other products, previewer Mat Smith revealed virtually no hard details about the book's contents because the book "is being released as a 'Mature Audiences Only' title." Instead, he stressed that this book was something its developers felt had been requested by the community, something that "many, many gamers have been asking for."^[2] Also, as part of the promotion of the book, Paizo Publishing included sealed "mature" sections in both official Dungeons & Dragons magazines. Dragon issue 300 included flesh and skin themed magic,^[3] while an adventure printed in Dungeon issue 95, "The Porphyry House of Horror", called on players to infiltrate a harem in order to disrupt a sacrificial orgy intended to turn the city's residents into fiends.^[4] Paizo Publishing is a publishing company that specializes in magazines aimed at audiences interested in role-playing games and other gaming-related hobbies. ... The cover of the 300th issue Dragon is one of the two official magazines for source material for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game and associated products. ... Dungeon Adventures, commonly called simply Dungeon, is a magazine targeting people who play role playing games, particularly Dungeons & Dragons. ... Coming from the Arab tradition, the harÃ®m ØØ±ÙŠÙ… (compare haram) is the part of the household forbidden to male strangers. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

Author and co-creator of the Dragonlance campaign setting Tracy Hickman distributed an angry response to Dragon 300 in a mailing-list newsletter entitled "D20 Terrorism".^[5] Hickman described both the Dragon content and the then-unreleased Book of Vile Darkness as "excrement" and as "cheap, trashy and demeaning." Following repeated references to the Comic Book Code, he stated, "Every dark fear that mothers and clergy across America have about D&D is now, suddenly, true. In one stroke, I watched everything Laura [Curtis] and I had worked toward for the last 25 years come crashing to the ground." The current edition Dragonlance logo, as seen on all books published in the more recent times. ... A campaign setting is usually a fictional world which serves as a setting for a role-playing game or wargame campaign. ... Tracy Raye Hickman (born November 26, 1955) is a best-selling fantasy author, best known for his work on Dragonlance as a game designer and co-author with Margaret Weis, while he worked for TSR. They also wrote the Dark Sword trilogy, the Death Gate Cycle, and the Sovereign Stone... The seal of the Comics Code Authority, which appears on the covers of approved comic books. ...

Following Hickman's statement and amidst substantial debate in the online community, Paizo president Johnny Wilson issued a statement defending the magazine material.^[6] He drew comparisons between the growing Book of Vile Darkness controversy and that involving the video game Mortal Kombat. He also argued that "publishing a guide to the atrocities and perversions that put the VILE in EVIL" allows role-playing that is "truly heroic" in contrast, while citing real-world examples of horror and heroism, such as the September 11, 2001 attacks, the Vietnam War, and World War II. Nevertheless, he did offer a partial apology, remarking that the introductory content outside the sealed sections was "as offensive (or more so)" than what was within them. Mortal Kombat was the first entry in the famous and highly controversial Mortal Kombat fighting game series by Midway, released in arcades in 1992. ... A sequential look at United Flight 175 crashing into the south tower of the World Trade Center The September 11, 2001 attacks (often referred to as 9/11â€”pronounced nine eleven or nine one one) consisted of a series of coordinated terrorist[1] suicide attacks upon the United States, predominantly... Combatants Republic of Vietnam United States Republic of Korea Thailand Australia New Zealand The Philippines National Front for the Liberation of South Vietnam Democratic Republic of Vietnam Peopleâ€™s Republic of China Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea Strength US 1,000,000 South Korea 300,000 Australia 48,000... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki TÅjÅ Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000...

Content and support

Book of Vile Darkness introduced several new mechanics relating to evil in Dungeons & Dragons, including rules for drug use, demonic possession, torture, and ritual sacrifice. It introduced 18 new prestige classes (see List of prestige classes). Like most supplemental source books, it included new spells, feats, and magic items. Some, including corrupt spells and vile feats, introduced new mechanics supporting evil characters. Also included were several of the archdevils and demon lords, such as Asmodeus and Orcus, updated for 3rd edition. Appearing in primitive form in the second edition rules of the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game and developed extensively in the third edition rules, prestige classes (PrC) are character classes that offer specialized, exclusive abilities once certain restrictive requirements are met. ... This is a list of prestige classes (PrC) in the 3rd edition of the Dungeons and Dragons role-playing game. ... The Lords of the Nine Hells are fictional characters in the core Dungeons & Dragons setting. ... In the fantasy role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons, demon lords (also known as Abyssal lords in 2E AD&D) are demons who have gained great power and established a position of preeminence among demonkind. ... In many campaign settings for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, Asmodeus is an Arch-Devil of Hell (Baator in later editions of the game), and the Overlord of the Dukes of Hell. ... Orcus is the fictional demon prince, and lord of the undead in many campaign settings for the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game. ...

Wizards of the Coast provided additional support for the book through its website, including rules clarifications,^[7] details on additional archfiends,^[8] adaptations of Book of Vile Darkness content to epic levels,^[9] and even a screensaver.^[10] However, no update to Book of Vile Darkness content was provided after the release of the 3.5 revision.

Reviews and reactions

Reviews of the book presented mixed opinions about its quality. RPGnet reviewer Alex deMorris found fault with the book's presentation of evil. "The evil here is more cartoon than anything else," he wrote. "What about the world's evil: like pedophiles, rapists and other degenerates? Why are they missing in a mature title about the nature of evil?"^[11] Darren MacLennan, also of RPGnet, gave the book a more positive rating and a recommendation, despite his determination that "one of the book's major problems is its inability to come to terms with evil" due to a lack of "moral complexity and shading" and "points where the evilness takes on ... a juvenile quality,"^[12] while Ken Gustafson of Silven Publishing authored a more positive outlook. "Overall," Gustafson wrote in August 2003, "Book of Vile Darkness is quite possibly the best supplement that Wizards of the Coast has put out in recent memory."^[13] RPGnet is one of the oldest and largest tabletop role-playing game web sites on the Internet. ...

Much of the content and concepts of Book of Vile Darkness have since been reprinted or adapted in source books without the "Mature Audiences Only" label. Rules for drug use had in fact already been printed,^[14] while later material included corrupt spells,^[15] vile feats,^[15] possession,^[16] and detailed discussions of demon lords.^[16]

Within the game

Within the fictional world of the game, the book of vile darkness (sometimes incorrectly capitalized as Book of Vile Darkness^[17]) is a magical book that serves as a reference guide to evil and granting experience points and a bonus to the wisdom attribute of evil spellcasters, while harming or corrupting those of other alignments. Although listed as a magical item in 2nd edition, the history of this tome and its copies is first detailed in the supplemental source book that shares its name. Most recently, the book of vile darkness has been included in the Dungeon Master's Guide for the 3.5 revision, where it is now considered a minor artifact.^[18] FicTioNaL is a Gaming Legend. ... Dungeon Masters Guide for D&D version 3. ... This article is about artifacts in fantasy and roleplaying. ...

Notes

Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 330th day of the year (331st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 331st day of the year (332nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Also see: 2002 (number). ... is the 256th day of the year (257th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 330th day of the year (331st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 330th day of the year (331st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 331st day of the year (332nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 331st day of the year (332nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 331st day of the year (332nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 331st day of the year (332nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 331st day of the year (332nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 331st day of the year (332nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 331st day of the year (332nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

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