For that 2nd one, people could study the beads or the book for future years, making it unfair, but I like the idea
Yep.. I thought about that. On one hand, hardcore studying in the off-season would be unbalancing to the point of unfair. On the other, spending some time in advance planning the next dungeon foray (assigning roles based on ability, figuring out marching order, deciding who best to hold the torch, etc) gives an advantage as well. I'm sure a big part of the challenge for the TrueDungeon folks is striving to maintain balance- adventures need to be accessible and enjoyable to the new player and the experienced player, all at a variety of ages and skill levels...
Anyway, perhaps the prayer beads wouldn't come with a spell guide, or even more devious, the spells don't match what they did the previous year, or a the beads are from a different school. Or it could be a single bead, opening up a new spell.
As for the bard book, as was done before, not all of it could be relevant (or accurate), or might expand some of the back story from previous adventures.
Who knows.... Just kicking around some ideas...
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