Adding Spells to Spellbooks?

Player character options and their spells

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Post by capheind » Sun Feb 08, 2015 9:58 pm

Adding Spells to Spellbooks?

Couple of questions:
1) What must an MU or Cleric do to transfer a found/bought spell into their spellbook?
2) The rules only seem to specify costs for spellbook by spell level? If my MU knows 1st 2nd and 3rd level spells does he have to carry three spell books?

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Post by waysoftheearth » Sun Feb 08, 2015 11:37 pm

Re: Adding Spells to Spellbooks?

For the first part:
The DD rules say that scrolls can be "copied" thereby implying that they must be copied from a spellbook, or perhaps from an existing scroll. Nothing is said explicitly about the reverse process: copying a scroll spell into a spellbook. The ref could possibly assume the same time and costs are incurred as for creating a scroll; the main inconvenience being the amount "downtime" that the character must be spent out of game.

(Note that magic-user, but not a cleric, must use a Read Magic spell to "unlock" a spell scroll before he can use it. This is apparent in any case because there is no clerical Read Magic spell).


And for the second part:
The most probable spellsbooks in game will contain spells of exactly one spell-level. This is partly because the treasure tables yield spellbooks by spell level (such as: "A book of 3rd level spells") and partly because the rules allow the player to construct new spellbooks by spell level.

A spellbook containing spells of mixed spells-levels would be possible only if the referee permits the player to write spells here and there, although--as mentioned above--this isn't explicitly allowed (or disallowed). On the otherhand, the rules do explicitly permit the player to construct brand new spells, but do not imply where these new spells should be written. One approach is to assume that a new 2nd level spell is written into an existing book of 2nd level spells, but ultimatley this is up to the referee.

We might also notice that when high level magic-users are encountered they are alwasy accompanied by a number of apprentices. The rules state: "Bereft of his spell books he cannot memorize any spells!" so presumably these apprenctices are necessary in order to carry all of the Wizard's spellbooks about !

So, yes, I beleive it is reasonable to assume that a magic-user or cleric would possess one spellbook for each spell level he has access to but this doesn't mean that he must always carry them. He might choose to leave them at home or to have other people carry them for him ;)
[f=32]Golgildir the Elf Medium (MV 12", AC 9, HD 1, hp 1/1, AL N) great cloak, lantern; spells: color spray; scrolls: sleep, sleep, charm person
Hirelings: Georges; torch[/f]

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Post by capheind » Mon Feb 09, 2015 1:54 am

Re: Adding Spells to Spellbooks?

One thought is that a book can contain lesser spells. So when your cleric gets access to 3rd level spells he needs to buy a 3rd level spell book, wether he copies his 1st and second level spells to it, or keeps them separate is up to him.

Also id say that copying a spell into their books is the same cost as a scroll So long as its in their spell list, and double if it isn't. So if your MU finds a 3rd level clerical spell scroll it'll cost 600gp to get it into a form they can memorize.

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Post by waysoftheearth » Mon Feb 09, 2015 9:04 pm

Re: Adding Spells to Spellbooks?

Sounds like some workable rulings Capheind :)
[f=32]Golgildir the Elf Medium (MV 12", AC 9, HD 1, hp 1/1, AL N) great cloak, lantern; spells: color spray; scrolls: sleep, sleep, charm person
Hirelings: Georges; torch[/f]

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