D&D 5E Why not write spellbooks in Common?

[MechaTarrasque]

Supply and Demand. If every dirt farmer could read spellbooks (assuming they are literate, which might be a big assumption), then they would all be wizards. Then the value of being a wizard goes down, at least for common spells. How many gp's can the drow wizard charge for casting darkness in a drow city? Not much I imagine. Look at Eberron--half the wizards are in sweat shops making cheap magic trinkets.....oh, I am sorry, they are craftsmen working in a communal environment, or something like that--I am pretty sure I heard Nike say that about the places where kids make their shoes.

The wizards union takes a dim view of this prospect and ruthlessly enforces it.....at least until they figure out how to break the Weave, then they will make sure everyone learns how to be a wizard, so that "real wizards" can charge a lot more for fixing places where magic has broken down then they ever could for casting spells. Two words: subscription service.

 

[Shiroiken]

I very rarely play Wizards, but decided to play my first in 5E recently. So I got to thinking, why is it that all Wizard's write their spellbooks in a code that only they can read? How does that square with having a Wizard mentor (being an apprentice)? Wouldn't it make more sense for the Master to teach his apprentice his own code? How would he correct any mistakes the apprentice might make while writing what the Master has taught him? And there is the question regarding those who have any Traits, etc. that cause the character to spread knowledge around.

The problem is you've added a modern mentality (open information) to an archaic world. Wizards (like alchemists of history) are paranoid that someone will steal their formulas and usurp their power... especially if they charge for their services! Think of wizards as being like corporate programmers; they want everyone to see the results, but not the source code. Even if they learn the fundamentals from someone else (a mentor), they still put their own twist on everything to personalize it.

 

[GMMichael]

Dear diary,

Today I learnt how to fold reality itself. I can wish, warp and bend the universe to my will. Should I choose, I could kill every other child within our fair city, and possibly the realm. . . .
What's the worst that can happen?

- Sigmung Sagely, the Enabler.

Once upon a time, D&D had an intelligence requirement for casting spells. Sooo...you can write off 75% of the population there.

Even being able to read the common tongue doesn't mean you can -cast- a spell. How many people do you know who can read poetry? And of those, how many can actually appreciate poetry? Casting spells is like appreciating poetry on steroids.

 

[Staccat0]

As someone who cannot code. I think coding is an amazing example.

 

[GX.Sigma]

IMC:

A spell can be written in any language. It could be Common, it could be Elvish, it could be Morse Code. It could be a song, a painting, or even a subtle pattern in the stitching of a robe.

Any layman who understands that language may attempt to cast the spell (or, just by examining it too closely, accidentally release the spell). This will usually end in disaster.

A wizard, on the other hand, will immediately recognize the immense Truth within the words/notes/brush strokes. No matter the language, a dedicated wizard can decipher the universal language of magic, and use the spell safely (with a successful INT check, of course).

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

"Common" has- over the years- been described as a kind of trade language, a pidgin tongue, a fantasy version of Esperanto. Certain concepts may not be easily expressed in it because of this. That would make Common a poor choice for recording arcane mysteries.

It could also be seen as the current "lingua Franca" (dominant language) of the current day dominant cultures of the fantasy setting. In such a case, "Common" could be completely different over time...and on different continents, if there is sufficient geological isolation. In the RW, languages such as Egyptian, Greek, Latin, France, German, and- further east- Arabic, Chinese, and others. That would mean that a tome could be in "Common", and yet not the same language of the casters of today.

The nature of magic might also be such that- over time- it would corrupt and twist written mundane characters into illegibility.

 

[Ancalagon]

I think an important concept to read up about is hermeticism.

No, I don't mean "sealing something hermetically" - although ironically, that's the root of the word. Hermetic knowledge was *closed knowledge*.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hermeticism

This school of thought was attributed to Hermes Tri-Magister. One of the aspect about this is that many of the writings were in code. For example, when an alchemical text talks about "mercury" - it might mean quicksilver, or it could be code for something entirely different - it could be a mythical metaphor.

This was done for three reasons - one was to protect the general public from knowledge not "safe" for them - only the initiate could understand. The second was a test for students - are they smart enough to figure it out? The third was to protect the writing from the authorities who may have considered it blasphemous.

The discoveries of alchemists were important in helping start modern chemistry. However, this "style" of knowledge did much to inhibit progress.

 

[The Crimson Binome]

Since when does a farmer know how to read?

 

[Gardens & Goblins]

Once upon a time, D&D had an intelligence requirement for casting spells. Sooo...you can write off 75% of the population there.

Even being able to read the common tongue doesn't mean you can -cast- a spell. How many people do you know who can read poetry? And of those, how many can actually appreciate poetry? Casting spells is like appreciating poetry on steroids.

o-O Far too many for me to sleep soundly. And only one needs to get their hands on a Wish spell, or a Fireball, or heck, even Sleep. Unlike world-changing weapons and technology of today, once learnt, most spells are readily available, with the majority recharging daily. And all we need is some folks with a specialist skillset? Terrifying!


..hmm. I think the take away from this is: We must kill the poets. Before it is too late!

 

[Sorcerers Apprentice]

A spell written down in a spellbook is not simply a recipe for how to cast the spell, but a representation of the spell itself. That's why you can't just use any random piece of parchment and ink to write a spell down, but need a proper spellbook and special exotic inks.

Every wizard wields magic in a slightly different way, so their spells are not exactly the same. Because of that a wizard can't prepare spells from another wizard's spellbook, but by studying it he can gain sufficient understanding of the spell to write it down in his own spellbook.