Library, Luxury
Size: 2 ss
Cost: 15,000 gp
Prerequisites: One librarian
Floor-to-ceiling glass-fronted cabinets with top-hinged doors keep the books here in pristine condition. The ladders slide along on wheels and rails for both safety and convenience. The marble floor has symbols inlaid that denote the section of the library in which you stand. The library includes two private study carrels and a number of smaller tables. A single large table allows a researcher more space to spread out texts or large maps.
A full-time librarian (Exp1, Profession [librarian] +7, Knowledge [any] +5) working near the entrance maintains a card catalog that indexes the entire library. This index cuts any research time here by 50%. In addition to the typical librarian, you can employ one or more sages (Knowledge [any] +7) to provide assistance with Knowledge skill checks.
This library can hold up to six different lots of books on specific subjects. For example, it could contain books on religion, general knowledge, the planes, arcana, nature, and history. Purchase reference books as extras (see the Books sidebar), and if you need a greater capacity, purchase this component multiple times.
Books
The library component isn’t very useful unless books line the shelves. In general, a book lot costs 1,000 gp and provides a +2 circumstance bonus on a specific Knowledge check, such as Knowledge (arcana) or Knowledge (religion). Alternatively, you can purchase a book lot of general topics, which costs 3,000 gp and provides a +1 circumstance bonus on all Knowledge checks. Circumstance bonuses from multiple book lots do not stack.
To make your libraries more interesting, the DM can allow extended or master book lots that take up more than one lot in a library. Comprehensive book lots cost 5,000 gp, occupy 3 book lots, and offer a +4 circumstance bonus on the appropriate Knowledge checks. Master book lots cost 20,000 gp, occupy 6 book lots, and offer a +6 circumstance bonus.
For example, while a luxury library can hold up to six basic book lots on six different subjects, it could instead hold comprehensive book libraries for two subjects, or a master book library for one subject. You can only purchase comprehensive or master book lots for specific Knowledge skill categories (and not for general topics).
