Enc.: 20 (book, large metal-bound)	IS:	Class : C	XP: 8k	GP: 40k
Miscellaneous Magic	-	<8Magic Items8>	-	DMG

Book of Exalted Deeds: This holy book is sacred to clerics of good align
ment. Reading of the work will require 1 week, but upon completion the
good cleric will gain 1 point of wisdom and experience points sufficient to
place him or her exactly half way into the next level of experience. Clerics
neither good nor evil will lose 20,000 - 80,000 experience points from
perusal of the work (a negative x.p. total is possible, requiring restoration
but not lowering level below 1st). Evil clerics will lose 1 full experience
level, dropping to the lowest possible number of experience points
possible to hold the level; they will furthermore have to atone by magical
means or by offering up 50% of everything they gain for 2-5 adventures,
losing the appropriate number of experience points as well, or gain no
further experience. Fighters who handle or read the book will not be
affected, although a paladin will feel it to be good. Magic-users who read
it will suffer the loss of 1 point of intelligence unless they save versus
magic; and if they do save they will lose from 2,000 - 20,000 experience
points. A thief who handles or reads the work will sustain 5-30 hit points of
damage and must save versus magic or lose 1 point of dexterity and have
a 10%-60% chance of giving up his or her profession to become a good
cleric if wisdom is 15 or higher. Assassins handling or reading the book of
exolted deeds will take 5-40 hit points of damage and must save versus
magic or commit suicide. Monks are not harmed by the work, nor can they
understond it. Bards are treated as neutral clerics, experience point loss
being from bord experience only. Note that except as indicated above, this
writing cannot be distinguished by cover or scansion from any other magic
book, libram, tome, etc. It must be perused. (This applies also to other
magical writings detailed hereafter.) Once perused, the book vanishes,
never to be seen again, nor can the same ployer character ever benefit
from perusing the like o second time.