D&D 5E Your favorite Creative Spellbooks

[aco175]

I had a dwarf who had a book made from copper plates. He would etch his spells on each page. A halfling once used swamp reeds to draw his spell upon. They were kept in a waterproof (and fireproof) jar. My favorite was an elf mage who received a spell ring that would store his book inside a pocket dimension inside the ring. The DM was going to have a animal spirit inside who would talk to the mage and store his spells inside him, but changed it at some point.

 

[Charlaquin]

It’d be cool to have a wizard who just kept all of their spells in a “mind palace.”

 

[aco175]

It’d be cool to have a wizard who just kept all of their spells in a “mind palace.”

Much better than a prison pocket.

 

[BookTenTiger]

My partner has a wild soul barbarian who’s the escaped slave of just such a wizard. The wild magic surges are fluffed as accidentally activating the magic of the tattoos.

I love that!

 

[Bayushi_seikuro]

There was a Dragon article about the Ashen Concord, I think it was called. They were drow, duergar and aboleths I think and they went around assassinating mind flayers. I think the spellcasters were sightless - since it would be not a disadvantage in the Underdark - and their 'spellbooks' were like having a staff that had the spells encoded on them in Braille, essentially.

 

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

I really like the suggestion in Xanathar's for one being a set of metal plates that has its spells engraved in it using acid. I've also had dwarven wizards in my campaign where their spellbook is a staff (used as their spellcasting focus) that they carve their spell runes into it. In Eberron, I like having an elven wizard that uses a crystal as both their spellcasting focus and spellbook.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

It’d be cool to have a wizard who just kept all of their spells in a “mind palace.”

I was just thinking that!

Or, the wizards familiar as spellbook. The Wizard sits and talks over what they will need for the next day, going over formulas and theorems, and working out a spread of power and utility.

Another cool one I saw was that the Wizard had to engage in slow meditative Forms, like doing Tai Chi, and the spells were like accelerated versions, making the Wizard look like a martial artist when casting.

 

[Tonguez]

I’ve used knotted cords, with the spell being cast by untying the knot in a single pull (hence they have to be reknotted each morning)

I’ve also done a Painted Cave for a Prehistoric game (the PC would sleep in the cave and absorb its magic)

I also have the Wind Dancers cult imc, inspired by Whirling Dervishes they are Air Elementalist who use intricate dance steps to cast their spells

Similarly inspired by the Dance of the Seven Veils, the Wizard wears layers of silk, each of which is a spell that gets tossed and dissolves as it is cast.

In a modern game I used a Smartphone as a spellbook, with the gestures being specific screen swipes

 

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

It’d be cool to have a wizard who just kept all of their spells in a “mind palace.”

Did you steal that from Sherlock?

 

[tetrasodium]

Did you steal that from Sherlock?

irt's a very old memory strategy, sherlock just happens to mention it sometimes