Interesting news on Spellbooks

[Hroderich Gottfrei]

Two pairs!

[Dario Tashavan]

Back to the original subject of the thread, I'm crossposting this here so you guys can see if if you don't follow the thread on the Paizo forums.

Just another thought that occurred to me on this. This might be a great use for a system similar to TOR's reverse-engineering. Adventuring party finds ancient spellbook in a dungeon, it has some rare and awesome spell in it.

You can:

a) Use the spellbook as is.

B) Rearrange things to slot the spell into your favorite spellbook.

C) Attempt to scribe the spell into your research log. The spell is destroyed and you have X% chance (determined by your spellcraft skill, and the difficulty should be known ahead of time) to add it to your list of craftable spells. You would then have to gather the materials appropriate to the power and complexity of the spell to craft it again if you wanted to use it.

If you find an awesome spell too high above your crafting ability, you can use it for a while and then try scribing it when you feel more confident.

Edit to add: As another thought, if spellbooks can only be rearranged, this can make them much more difficult to replace than other gear, as well as making the best gear for them dropped rather than crafted, and seems to go against the general trend of things.

[Hroderich Gottfrei]

I particularly like that idea/method. The one downside for me (and something I don't understand from other PnP RPGs) is why, when I copy something, I destroy the original. That seems like an awful, awful way for magic to work. But, once I scribe a spell once, can I scribe it to any book thereafter? I understand that it's intended as a sort of balancing mechanic, but in-world, it blows my mind. Basically, every spell I learn from a spellbook and want to put into my own book I have to destroy the original copy of.

[Dario Tashavan]

In PnP Pathfinder, copying from a spellbook doesn't erase the original, only copying from a scroll. Which makes sense, given that a scroll is a simple, temporary container for the magic, meant to be released once, while a spell book is more complex, and intended to allow the magic to be drawn from it repeatedly.

[Hroderich Gottfrei]

That makes more sense. My DM had as erasing spells out of a spellbook and I took him at his word. Whoops. Well, that mechanic is one I could get staunchly behind.

[Dario Tashavan]

I've seen some GMs introduce that as a house rule to keep groups with more than one (Wizard/Magus) from passing the spellbooks around. I think it's silly, but it's their game.

[kvalandur]

I like the idea that you can deconstruct spell books, separating the spells. Then arrange them into new spall books. That opens the door to so many things including the production and selling of spell books!

I really hope they allow us to add verbiage to crafted or created items. Such as the item automatically saying who made it, but also allowing you to add custom text (likely a limited amount) to items you create.

[Dario Tashavan]

Well, less so the production and selling as selling the service of rearranging. Although you could build up a stockpile of spells to sell off as well. To really build up a custom spellbook industry, you'd need to be able to produce the spells to slot into spellbooks rather than just sorting them.

[Hroderich Gottfrei]

I would much rather be able to level up a spellcrafting skill tree that allows me to produce spells to slot than just rearranging. I'd do that as Grom for sure. I'd sell Grom's Grimoires all OVER the place.

[Dario Tashavan]

Agreed. Doubly so if we get some measure of personalization of crafted items if we want, either naming them or putting some sort of little backstory blurb on them.

Now I'm picturing Grom's Gruesome Grimoire, with spells like Phantasmal Killer and Animate Dead.

[Hroderich Gottfrei]

I love it. Grom's Gruesome Grimoire, Grom's Giddy Grimoire (filled with spells like Laughter), Grom's Grand Grimoire (Wish, Gate, etc), Grom's Grumpy Grimoire (Ironskin, wall spells), Grom's Galavanting Grimoire (speed/time spells), Grom's General Grimoire (utility)...

[Rufus]

I definitely see myself as more of an adventuring wizard so it's good that there will be people doing this stuff and sorting out the spell-books

I do fancy a crafter but more in the heavy-metal genre - a burly blacksmith of some sort.

Ruf

[Dario Tashavan]

Well, now that they've anounced the Twin deal, I suspect my other main is going to be an adventuring character of some sort.

[Hroderich Gottfrei]

Grom and Dario can do the Books, Hrod and <YOURNAMEHERE> can wreck all the things.

[kvalandur]

Jan 3, 2013 10:55:40 GMT -6 Dario Tashavan said:

Well, now that they've anounced the Twin deal, I suspect my other main is going to be an adventuring character of some sort.

Yes, this means I will have to drag Gabrial out of the taverns, sober the idiot up, and get him back on the hunt for treasure and adventure!