D&D 5E Repercussions for spellbook that got wet?

[Voort]

What repercussions are there to having a spellbook get soaked all the way through, do you think?

Gremlins.

http://gremlins.wikia.com/wiki/Mogwai

 

[Ristamar]

I always assumed the high quality materials accounted for in the cost of scribing spells into a book afforded a small measure of protection from exposure to the basic elements. A dip into a stream or a brush against an open flame wouldn't cause any functional damage unless there was prolonged or severe exposure.

 

[GSHamster]

Remember that whatever you choose will apply to PC wizard spellbooks as well. You might not want your PC wizard to lose her spellbook just because she fell into the water.

Basically, whatever happens once to an NPC will happen multiple times to a PC. If you don't want to deal with the situation multiple times with the PC, fix it when it happens to the NPC. Or you'll have to come up with a reason why the PC situation is different from the NPC situation.

I'd lean towards having the spellbook be fine (innate magic protecting it from environmental effects for a short period of time, maybe). That way you don't have issues if a PC wizard is drenched somehow.

 

[Ahrimon]

Don't forget all of your PCs spell components getting ruined every time they get wet. And Rations too, you do track rations that spoil and you PCs starve when they're out adventuring don't you? Please tell me you also make sure to have the warriors armor rust if he doesn't spend an hour oiling it every night. And the ranger's bowstring will snap if they ever let it get wet without explicitly saying that they are waxing it.

All of this is of course silly sarcasm.

I wouldn't sweat it. It was designed to be treasure for your player so say that it survives or a quick prestidigitation cleans it. Whatever is fun for your game.

 

[The Grassy Gnoll]

The spells escape into the water empowering various aquatic types with their power. Quest: locate and subdue/kill each of the creatures and each spell thus 'won' is drawn back into the book for future use.
Fireball shark...Misty Step Merman...Mordenkainen's Sahuagin...

 

[ExploderWizard]

Given that it's an enemy spellbook/treasure one of these is probably the best answer. If it ever happens to a player's book, the correct answer is that any spells memorized/cast from it over the next few days are slightly ... damper than normal.

Steaming Hands.
Mist of Sleep.
Marine Missile.

Either this, or all spells prepared from this book in the next week acquire the soggy property.

 

[Psikerlord#]

My party pushed an enemy ship's mage off a schooner into the sea. Unortunately, the mage's spellbook went into the water with him. This poses a problem since I'd planned the spellbook as treasure. What repercussions are there to having a spellbook get soaked all the way through, do you think? Does the ink run? Are spells lost? Does the book fall apart and become unusable in two months? Or does a simple prestidigitation dry it out? Heck, does a cantrip work on a magic item (and is a spellbook a magic item?!)?!

I would suggest it dries out and is still useable (and/or cast mending cantrip to completely fix it).

 

[Roger]

If it's not too much work for you, mutate the spells a bit. Sleep causes the targets to snore as loudly as shriekers; detect magic gives magical items a distinctive odour, etc.



Cheers,
Roger

 

[Sunseeker]

Depends on the level of the mage, and the book.

Perhaps the book still contains a few legible spells, some of which are special, while perhaps the more potent ones are only partially readable, tempting the other magic-users to seek out strange rituals and odd creatures to learn more. Perhaps the most powerful of magics are completely unreadable save but for a single word, sending players on a dangerous quest to find out what sort of unholy rituals the enemy mage was part of.

Or call it magic and therefore it didn't get wet at all.

 

[Jester David]

Depends on the players and the tone of the game. Sometimes it's easier to shrug it off, but some players will enjoy the immersion (heh) of a potentially damage book.

I'd personally rule that the pages were dampened and the book has to make increasingly easy saving throws for each page, starting from the beginning and end of the book and working to the middle. Something like DC 18, - 1 for ever page. Once the book succeeds on three consecutive saves, the damage in that direction stops (i.e. the water didn't get that far).
The longer the immersion in water, the higher the starting DC.

Damaged pages can be repaired at half the cost of scribing a new spell on that page provided the spell was memorized/prepared at the time. The wizard just dries the book and touches up the damage. If the spell was not prepared an Intelligence (Arcana) check would be required, or copying from another spellbook.
Attempting to prepare and cast a damaged spell can cause it to fumble or have a curious side effect.