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Old 09-20-2020, 09:24 AM   #1
WhiteLily
 
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Default How common are spellbooks?

In all versions of D&D, a Wizard needs to study a spellbook every day in order to re-learn his spells for the next day. Therefore, its a necessity for adventuring wizards to carry the things around.

In DFRPG, there is no such requirement. It seems to me that it should therefore be a far rarer item in the world. So if I am converting a D&D adventure, and you kill a bad guy who is a spellcaster, I'm wondering if I should remove or limit some of the spellbook treasure.

It makes sense in the D&D module why the now dead spellcaster had the book, for he needed it to re-learn his spells for the next day. In this system, why would an arcane caster be carting around a book of spells he already knows?
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Old 09-20-2020, 09:45 AM   #2
Anders
 
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Default Re: How common are spellbooks?

This is a problem. To solve that, I have constructed a perk:

Grimoire Spell

By studying a spell in the spellbook, you get a +2 bonus to cast it for the following 12 hours. It takes 10 minutes to study a spell in a spellbook. You must specialize by spell - one perk per spell.

The reason the perk gives +2 and not +1 is that most spellcasters only put one point per spell, meaning that an additional point would give a permanent +1 bonus.To further limit it, you may want to say that you can't have more perks than the number of points you put in Thaumatology. Wizards only.
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Old 09-20-2020, 09:56 AM   #3
WhiteLily
 
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Default Re: How common are spellbooks?

That's a good idea.

I could also see making the spell book a partial requirement for wizards. Sometime like, "If you haven't refreshed the knowledge of a given spell in the past week, you are at -2 effective spell level." or something like that.
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Old 09-20-2020, 10:38 AM   #4
Anders
 
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Default Re: How common are spellbooks?

Anyway, I Smell A Rat contains two spellbooks, I think, so Kromm doesn't they are all rare.
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Old 09-20-2020, 11:28 AM   #5
InexplicableVic
 
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Default Re: How common are spellbooks?

Quote:
Originally Posted by WhiteLily View Post
In all versions of D&D, a Wizard needs to study a spellbook every day in order to re-learn his spells for the next day. Therefore, its a necessity for adventuring wizards to carry the things around.

In DFRPG, there is no such requirement. It seems to me that it should therefore be a far rarer item in the world. So if I am converting a D&D adventure, and you kill a bad guy who is a spellcaster, I'm wondering if I should remove or limit some of the spellbook treasure.

It makes sense in the D&D module why the now dead spellcaster had the book, for he needed it to re-learn his spells for the next day. In this system, why would an arcane caster be carting around a book of spells he already knows?
Looking at the explanations for spellbooks on p. 76 of Exploits, and extrapolating from that, it seems to me that there is value to the wizard in question even if he or she knows the spell, which is: being able to increase one’s skill in the spell through study and practice. To be sure, in DFRPG, one does not lose skills through lack of use, but I think it’s a fair assumption that there is some re-reading and study taking place on a semi-regular basis. How often does a wizard actually cast Fireball, for example? Maybe several times per delve, but certainly not several times a day or even a week while in town. I agree, though, that a caster is not likely to cart it around; these would more likely be found in lairs or dwellings.
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Old 09-21-2020, 02:48 PM   #6
Black Leviathan
 
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Default Re: How common are spellbooks?

Quote:
Originally Posted by WhiteLily View Post

In DFRPG, there is no such requirement. It seems to me that it should therefore be a far rarer item in the world. So if I am converting a D&D adventure, and you kill a bad guy who is a spellcaster, I'm wondering if I should remove or limit some of the spellbook treasure.

It makes sense in the D&D module why the now dead spellcaster had the book, for he needed it to re-learn his spells for the next day. In this system, why would an arcane caster be carting around a book of spells he already knows?
I don't think necessarily that grimiores are less common. They still serve a purpose to each spellcaster they just function differently. Reviewing notes on older spells likely help you master new ones. If you're a mana nerd you probably keep margin notes in your spell book to help you unlock new levels of mastery in your spell. Grimiores basically serve as magical textbooks and Mages end up studying a lot of magic.
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