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Message: <blockquote data-quote="RangerWickett" data-source="post: 91514" data-attributes="member: 63">Casting spells from spellbooks?  Just such rules (and many more) are presented in this teaser for Mythic Earth, a book being published by Natural 20 Press.<a href="http://www.enworld.org/messageboards/showthread.php?s=&threadid=5727" target="_blank">http://www.enworld.org/messageboards/showthread.php?s=&threadid=5727</a>Here's the exact text of the optional rule, if you don't want to click the link.Use Magic Device (Cha; Trained Only)Except as noted, this skill functions exactly as presented in the Player’s Handbook.  Note that this version of Use Magic Device is not a restricted skill.  Any class may now the skill, and indeed it is useful for wizards who do not have the time or resources to properly scribe a spell into their own spellbooks.Cast Spell from Spellbook:  This use of the skill allows you to cast a spell directly out of a spellbook as if you were casting it from a scroll, and as if the spell were on your spell list.  First, you must decipher the spell, either with read magic, a Spellcraft check (DC 20 + the spell’s level), or a Use Magic Device check (DC 25 + the spell’s level).  To be able to cast the spell, the base DC of this ability is 20, and your effective caster level is your result minus 20 (it’s okay to have a caster level of 0).  If the spell is on your class’s spell list, add your actual caster level to your roll (but your caster level cannot exceed 20).  If your appropriate ability score to cast the spell (typically Intelligence for a wizard’s spellbook), you must also make another roll to emulate ability score, which allows you to act as if your ability score were equal to your check result minus 15.  You cannot cast the spell from the spellbook unless your ability score is equal to 10 + the spell’s level.Make a caster level check, with a DC equal to the spell’s minimum caster level + 1.  If you succeed this check, you cast the spell successfully.  If you fail, make another caster level check against the same DC.  If you fail this second roll, a mishap occurs.  A mishap is an uncontrolled release of magical energy, typically with dangerous results.  The default mishap deals 1d6 points of damage per spell level to you.Casting a spell in this manner takes a number rounds equal to 1 + the spell’s level, plus whatever time is required to decipher the text.For example, an Egyptologist finds The Book of Life, and attempts to cast raise dead on a friend who died recently (note that raise dead is available on the class spell list of some arcane spellcasters).  She must first find a way to decipher it, such as with a Use Magic Device check (DC 30).  Her Intelligence is only 13, so she must succeed another Use Magic Device check (DC 30) to be able to act as if her Intelligence were high enough to cast a 5th level spell.  Next, she must succeed a Use Magic Device check of DC 20 to be able to actually as an Egyptian wizard.  Her check result is 24, good enough, and it gives her an effective caster level of 4.  Since normally she’d need a caster level of 9 to cast the spell safely, finally she must succeed a caster level check (DC 10) to cast the spell.  If she succeeds at this difficult task, which takes 5 rounds of reading from the spellbook, she can revive her departed friend.</blockquote>

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