D&D (2024) The return of Read Magic

[fuindordm]

Hi folks,

I just finished reading the playtest Wizard in detail. I love retro-gaming but I have never felt the slightest pang of sadness over the loss of read magic and write in later editions.

Now, for some reason, they are back and fused into a single spell: Scribe Spell. To summarize:

• Every wizard knows Scribe Spell and has it in their spellbook. It is a ritual.
• Your own spellbook is in an "unreadable cypher" thanks to Scribe Spell. The only way to read it is to cast Scribe Spell (!)
• Therefore, every wizard can read your spellbook, as long as they have their own spellbook with them.
• In a pinch, a wizard could technically prepare Scribe Spell and read another wizard's spellbook without having their own, but it still takes several hours.

So what is the point of managing spells and spellbooks with a spell? What is the point of giving each wizard a unique cypher if it offers no protection?

In AD&D, magic-users might prepare read magic to identify scrolls, but otherwise it was just a spell to explain spellbooks. In this playtest version, it lacks even the first function.

In AD&D, it was never explained how the first wizards learned to use spells without read magic and spellbooks. In this version we have the same oddity.

I don't see any value in this approach--does anyone else?

Also, I agree with @Whizbang Dustyboots point in another thread that the spell modification and creation rules are currently ignoring the power and utility of modified spells, and might be oversimplified for the sake of fitting into a spell description.

I love that spell research is fully integrated into the class description, and Memorize Spell and Modify Spell are excellent tier 1 class abilities to make the wizard feel more wizardly. But the whole framework is a clunky throwback.

Cheers!

 

[mellored]

So what is the point of managing spells and spellbooks with a spell? What is the point of giving each wizard a unique cypher if it offers no protection?

It's a flavorful reason why a fighter can't just pick up your book and follow the rituals inside.

And yes, it is a throwback. Not sure it's that clunky though.

 

[Cruentus]

Read Magic as a way to read other wizard’s spellbooks or to read scrolls (in prep to copy them into your spellbook) always made sense to me as a Wizard. A scribe spell made less sense, unless you wanted to include it as part of the scroll creation process, but it was still odd. The whole point of the Wizard cypher was that I could write my own spells, in my own cypher, and still be able to study them.

In my old school game, wizards always have Read Magic as one of their starting spells (it was the first thing they learned!).

I don ‘t really see the utility of these, as they’re just spell-ifying things wizards did in their downtime anyway. Maybe it’s to seem like you‘re still adding to the Wizard without actually adding anything that is going to be put toward combat or social stuff.

 

[Yaarel]

I prefer using the Arcana Check to read an arcane spell.

Certainly one can read ones own spells without magical assistance − they are "Known" Spells.

The flavor is, the spells in ones own spellbook are highly personalized to ones own unique attunement to magic. Maybe something like the meanings of a dream being more relevant to the dreamer oneself. So, to understand an Unknown spells requires investigation, decipherment and translation to ones own attunement of magic.

But once a spell is Known, it is completely understood and memorable to the one who knows it. There is no need for the Scribe Spell spell to re-discover it.

 

[OldSchoolGamerGirl]

It's a flavorful reason why a fighter can't just pick up your book and follow the rituals inside.

And yes, it is a throwback. Not sure it's that clunky though.

it's a dumb throw back.

if they were class features intsead of spells the fighter could no more do it without multi classing then they can with it being spells

 

[Bolares]

Hi folks,

I just finished reading the playtest Wizard in detail. I love retro-gaming but I have never felt the slightest pang of sadness over the loss of read magic and write in later editions.

Now, for some reason, they are back and fused into a single spell: Scribe Spell. To summarize:

• Every wizard knows Scribe Spell and has it in their spellbook. It is a ritual.
• Your own spellbook is in an "unreadable cypher" thanks to Scribe Spell. The only way to read it is to cast Scribe Spell (!)
• Therefore, every wizard can read your spellbook, as long as they have their own spellbook with them.
• In a pinch, a wizard could technically prepare Scribe Spell and read another wizard's spellbook without having their own, but it still takes several hours.

So what is the point of managing spells and spellbooks with a spell? What is the point of giving each wizard a unique cypher if it offers no protection?

In AD&D, magic-users might prepare read magic to identify scrolls, but otherwise it was just a spell to explain spellbooks. In this playtest version, it lacks even the first function.

In AD&D, it was never explained how the first wizards learned to use spells without read magic and spellbooks. In this version we have the same oddity.

I don't see any value in this approach--does anyone else?

Also, I agree with @Whizbang Dustyboots point in another thread that the spell modification and creation rules are currently ignoring the power and utility of modified spells, and might be oversimplified for the sake of fitting into a spell description.

I love that spell research is fully integrated into the class description, and Memorize Spell and Modify Spell are excellent tier 1 class abilities to make the wizard feel more wizardly. But the whole framework is a clunky throwback.

Cheers!

I really like memorize, modify and create spells. Sure, they need work, and I'm not sure if being spells is the best approach, but I agree Scribe Spell is very weird, and should at least be something you always have prepared, because if you loose your spellbook, you are screwed.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

It's a flavorful reason why a fighter can't just pick up your book and follow the rituals inside.

Couldn't that flavorful reason just be "training?"

Do fighters need a spell to explain why wizards don't just chop everyone's heads off with great axes?

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I prefer using the Arcana Check to read an arcane spell.

This should be enshrined as the way to do it, IMO.

 

[mellored]

Couldn't that flavorful reason just be "training?"

Do fighters need a spell to explain why wizards don't just chop everyone's heads off with great axes?

Wizards can chop off heads with a great axe.

They won't be good at it. But they will deal 1d12+Str damage just like everyone else.

 

[Shardstone]

THere are other spellcasting classes. Sorcerer, Warlock. This prevents those classes from learning a Wizard's secrets. Its all flavor, and I love it.