There are tomes still, but they are a permanent stat increase of +2 and are one time use only. Or, more accurately, useable once every 100 years, if I remember correctly.

I looked up the item I was thinking of and it's the Amulet of Health (sets Constitution to 19). If the con is dumped, it's likely 8, so equipping the item brings con from 8 to 19 and this gives the character +5 HP for every level they've achieved.

In other words, a level 5 character with a con of 8 would see their HP increase by 25 when equipping the amulet. A level 10 characters max health would increase by 50. It's pretty significant, especially on squishy mage types.