Wizard and spellbooks

[Lurker37]

Wizards forget the spells they previously had in their Spellbook because the developers thought that keeping them would make the wizards overpowered.

It's a spellbook. It only holds so much. Something had to get removed to make room. Same logic as one ring per hand.

 

[Dice4Hire]

This issue was one of the first things I noticed when I read the books (long-time wizard player you see), and I assume that someone ran into this during playtesting. I wonder why no clarification or explanation was issued...?

Maybe because the books are not officially out yet? Maybe?

 

[samursus]

Hows this?

The spell as written in the spellbook, is one ONE component of the spell. The other part is an Arcane Matrix/Formula/Mindset/Trance that is in the mind of the Wizard. The Wizard, although his mind gains greater capacity as he learns, cannot keep ALL of what he has learned in his head, as he is constantly researching/thought-experimenting his magical studies (levelling up represents a breakthough). I know at my age (36) things I learned about Electronic Engineering Tech 8 years ago, and not being practised are gone! So the spell is still there but no longer usable, as the Wizards literally is not in the same "headspace" as he was when he first learned it. This is also assuming that spells are INCREDIBLY complex, like memorizing, word for word, the first 3 chapters of a technical textbook.

This also has the benefit of explaining why spellbooks are of no use to non-Wizards...the spell as written is only PART of whats needed to make it work.

IMHO this is an elegant (and fairly realistic) way to handle it.

Please let me know if you think otherwise, or can point out obvious flaws.


As for Ritual scrolls, their power comes from the components involved, natural magic if you will, thats why anyone can learn to use them.

 

[Jack Colby]

I think some of you actually want to make these rules appear complicated. Regarding spells, there is only one possible reading of the rules that I can see. Don't add in concepts from other editions, just read what's on the page.

 

[zlorf]

Call it housekeeping. No mage likes a cluttered spellbook. Being a spellbook and probably magical, it has a built in system to remove unwanted spells at the casters whim.

Z

I agree with the interpretation, but don't get me started on the whole "remove a spell from your spellbook" thing. I'm STILL trying to figure some way to rationalize that. Honestly, I'm thinking of ignoring it entirely and just letting wizards add one more power to their repertoire every time they can retrain, though I'm not sure of the impact. All I know is that I can't stomach vanishing spells. Anyone who has a rational explanation for this, I'd beg you to share it (I get the game reason, I'm just looking for a rational in-world explanation).

 

[Zogmo]

Who says you have to write it in the spell book? How about this.

Once you learn a spell it magically appears in your specially prepared tome to contain that knowledge.

Since you are only skilled enough to have so many spells at a time, you know a method of releasing spells from the tome to make room for the new ones you require.

When it comes time to swap out spells the old one will just as easily vanish as when it first appeared.

It's magic!

 

[Old Gumphrey]

Or maybe dude can just rip some pages out instead of agonizing over whether or not they disappeared.

 

[ferratus]

My solution, if I needed one, is to just consider the spellbook you carry as a reference work for the spells you need. The real magical tomes (and the spells you don't use anymore) are back in the library you have access too. There just isn't time inside adventures to go retrieve that spell and put it back in your spellbook.

 

[MrGrenadine]

Or how about if wizards get to *keep* all the spells that they add to their spellbooks, and then they can memorize a certain number of At Will, Encounter, and Daily spells when they take a full rest?

We could call it...the Vancian system!

...

...

Yeah, you're right. That would never work.


MrG

 

[Naszir]

Don't think of spells literally disappearing from the wizard's physical spellbook. Instead, think of three categories of spells: Spells a wizard has written down in his spellbook, but hasn't cast in ages and is really rusty at. He could only cast one of these spells after spending a substantial amount of time reading his notes, practicing the spell, etc. (this is simulated by retraining a power when you level). Next are spells the wizard has cast fairly recently, but hasn't concentrated on enough to cast at the drop of a hat (this is simulated by the three spells per slot in the spellbook). Finally, there are spells that the wizard went over in great detail while the rest of the group was eating breakfast this morning which he can cast with a snap of the fingers (these are the wizard's readied spells).

According to the PHB, as written, it doesn't work like this. I know it can be changed to however I want, but I would've thought they might have been able to come up with something a little better. Litterally, the old spell vanishes from the spellbook and the new spell takes its place. This is of some importance gamewise because their is limited space in a spellbook. If the spell doesn't disappear it is taking up space in the spellbook but it is of no use to the Wizard.

The key is to mentally separate the spellbook as game construct from the physical book the wizard is carrying around with his arcane notes in them. The spellbook as game construct just represents the spells the wizard has been practicing enough recently that he can cast them from memory after spending a few minutes going over his notes.

Again according to the rules the spellbook as a game construct and as a physical item aren't seperate.