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being a 1st time GM I was prepping an adventure and ran across something Odd
there was an NPC who had a Spellbook "Containing all prepared spells + 6 others and all cantrips"
while on the Chronicle it only lists 3 scrolls (these were prepared by the NPC)
I assuming the way to handle this is if there is an Arcane book user they can copy spells as per the FAQ ?
Venture-Captain, Texas—Waco
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I assuming the way to handle this is if there is an Arcane book user they can copy spells as per the FAQ ?
Correct, if the party manages to capture a spellbook as part of the loot the wizards, witches, magi, and alchemists can attempt separate spellcraft checks for each spell they want to learn, and if successful can pay the material costs outlined in the CRB as part of copying each spell into their spellbook or formula book. This is the same rule as two arcane casting Pathfinders in the same party - during the long travel times they can spend their days attempting to learn and copy from each others' books (exceptions apply, like a wizard can't learn from an alchemist's formula book or a witch's familiar).
Back in Season 0 the rule in place at the time stated that if a spellbook was found during a scenario, wizards had to buy a scroll of each spell they wanted to copy into their spellbook, plus pay the scribing costs. Of course, level 1 scrolls are "always available," but if you run some of these older scenarios you may find higher level spells on the chronicles as loot for purchase, even though the only place they appear in the scenario is in a spellbook. In these cases the existing, caster-friendly rule overrides the old policy, they don't have to purchase the spell in order to copy it from a spellbook.
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It means basically that while the wizard had a spellbook, the PC's aren't getting a hold of it. Presumably it was left hidden somewhere where the PC's aren't getting access to it.
The only things the PC's get access to is what's on the Chronicle.
Correction: the only things the PCs get access to purchase after the scenario are the things on the chronicle sheet. During the scenario, they can utilize anything they happen to find, right down to tossing a fallen foe's body down the hall to check for traps.
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Though I guess it may be somewhat tangential to the OP, how is it that a scenario could be written like that? I mean, I understand the constraint of space in a scenario, but PFS has said before that they don't limit the word count a whole lot ... There's a general guideline, but they write as much aaa they need to stat out an NPC. So, why is this NPC started with only spells memorized if there's a chance that PCs can transcribe them?
If it's possible for the PCs to get their Honda on a spellbook, shouldn't the standard be to have a full list of spells known?
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forgive me .... yes the "6 other spells" do have names ... I was attempting to be non spoilerish
the Spellbook is on the Arcane Book user
there are only 3 Scrolls on the chronicle sheet .. (but Several in the book)
and TBH the Scrolls themselves do not appear in the Scenario at all
there are a Total of 13 spells available in the book ... only 3 show up as scrolls on the chronicle
guess I didnt expect the microscope to come out that hard ... but hey ..this mistake was made with good intentions
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Venture-Captain, Texas—Waco
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and TBH the Scrolls themselves do not appear in the Scenario at all
there are a Total of 13 spells available in the book ... only 3 show up as scrolls on the chronicle
I'm guessing the three scrolls on the chronicle are the 2nd level spells from the spellbook? The 1st level spells won't be listed because they're "always available," just like looted +1 swords aren't listed on a chronicle, either.
I completely disagree with LazarX, if you legitimately loot the spellbook (which isn't always guaranteed, sometimes the spellbook is in a completely different location in the scenario and not on their person) you have the chance to learn and copy the spells from the spellbook during the return journey without having to pay the artificial extra cost of "buying a scroll of a spell in a spellbook." (Unless you actually want that spell on a scroll, of course.) You still have to pay the ink costs on page 219 of the CRB. Upon return, as usual the party has to turn the spellbook in to the Warehouse 13 vaults in the Grand Lodge, from there to be wasted forever: no post-scenario access to a spellbook once a caster levels up, puts another point into Spellcraft, and wants to try again.
Enemy arcane spellcasters with spellbooks to loot are few and far between in scenarios, there's nothing here that breaks the game.
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and TBH the Scrolls themselves do not appear in the Scenario at all
there are a Total of 13 spells available in the book ... only 3 show up as scrolls on the chronicle
I'm guessing the three scrolls on the chronicle are the 2nd level spells from the spellbook?
yes however the book does contain 1 other 2nd level which was not prepared by the books owner
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Venture-Captain, Michigan—Mt. Pleasant
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Upon return, as usual the party has to turn the spellbook in to the Warehouse 13 vaults in the Grand Lodge, from there to be wasted forever: no post-scenario access to a spellbook once a caster levels up, puts another point into Spellcraft, and wants to try again.
Just FYI they changed the retry rules a printing or two ago:
Spells Copied from Another’s Spellbook or a Scroll:
A wizard can also add a spell to his book whenever
he encounters one on a magic scroll or in another
wizard’s spellbook. No matter what the spell’s source,
the wizard
must first decipher the magical writing (see
Arcane Magical Writings). Next, he must spend 1 hour
studying the spell. At the end of the hour, he must make
a Spellcraft check (DC 15 + spell’s level). A wizard who
has specialized in a school of spells gains a +2 bonus on
the Spellcraft check if the new spell is from his specialty
school. If the check succeeds, the wizard understands
the spell and can copy it into his spellbook (see Writing
a New Spell into a Spellbook). The process leaves a
spellbook that was copied from unharmed, but a spell
successfully copied from a magic scroll disappears from
the parchment.
If the check fails, the wizard cannot understand or
copy the spell. He cannot attempt to learn or copy that
spell again until one week has passed. If the spell was
from a scroll, a failed Spellcraft check does not cause the
spell to vanish.
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Also note that wizards shouldn't be failing spellcraft checks to copy spells if they're keeping any decent number of ranks in that skill. The quiet downtime in which you would copy a spell is the very definition of the circumstances in which a PC can and should be Taking 10. If you fail a spellcraft check to copy a spell while taking 10, when you're an INT-based caster with spellcraft as a class skill, something's gone horribly wrong.
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Venture-Captain, Texas—Waco
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just a note the Tier 1-2 version of the Same NPC does not list a spellbook in her gear .... the tier 4-5 however does
I remember this scenario. Of course any NPC of her class has to have a spellbook, its omission from her statblock was a minor oversight, especially since she has one in 4-5. Common sense has to apply here.
When I ran it I ruled that she did have a spellbook but it only contained the same 1st level spells she had prepared + all cantrips, which while potentially useful didn't really amount to much.
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just a note the Tier 1-2 version of the Same NPC does not list a spellbook in her gear .... the tier 4-5 however doesI remember this scenario. Of course any NPC of her class has to have a spellbook, its omission from her statblock was a minor oversight, especially since she has one in 4-5. Common sense has to apply here.
When I ran it I ruled that she did have a spellbook but it only contained the same 1st level spells she had prepared + all cantrips, which while potentially useful didn't really amount to much.
ok thanks ... and by the way you just justified my cryptic referance to things in a scenario :-)
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If it's possible for the PCs to get their Honda on a spellbook, shouldn't the standard be to have a full list of spells known?Gotta love auto-correct!
Speaking of retries and Taking 10, can I get a second shot at that post? Damn! More than an hour and no editing! LOL!
Damn You Autocorrect.
[Edit: really? My iPad just corrected "retries" to "estrus"!! WTF?]
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but on the Spellbooks note -
[Awesome stuff]
Anyone else doing something like this?
Nosig ... I have to say that I don't have a wizard in PFS, but, I have often played one in other OP and home games, and I think that it's absolutely awesome that you do this. I actually heard a little off-forum IRL chatter about it amongst Pathfinder players that are friends of mine. We were comparing notes on the forums, et al, and it came up. Keep it up, man. It's awesome.
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Last weekend I saw somebody take 10 on their 8th level who was playing First Steps via Play! Play! Play!
;-)
that's not the way to do it! the Summon Nosig works like this.
"Well, you can't Take 10 on a Heal check for First Aid - the guy would bleed to death in the 10 rounds it takes to work"
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Really wondering about these question:
Can a wizard who buys a Blessed Book and copies the spells from his old spellbook into it, then sell the old spellbook (for half price)?
(and if so, what would be the price he get's)?
There isn't a hard rule for it, but this is what I would follow:
1) Copying the spells costs you X
2) You get X gold per spell in a spell book you sell.
In my not so humble opinion, I would call it a wash. Buy the Blessed Book, "pay" to copy the spells, and then get "paid" for selling your old spell book. Just call it a wash and move on.
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Due to PFS requirement that to learn new spells *outside the free ones per level* you need to buy scroll instead of the normal way of paying spellcasters for the spells, you significantly lose out in selling spellbooks.
You can scribe spells found in a spell book in a scenario before the end of the scenario. Most GM's aren't lame and will let you scribe them "on your way back to absalom" if time doesn't allow it within the scenario.
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You can scribe spells found in a spell book in a scenario before the end of the scenario. Most GM's aren't lame and will let you scribe them "on your way back to absalom" if time doesn't allow it within the scenario.
Yes but if you want to add a Spell into your book that is outside the free per level or a spell found during a scenario, you need to buy a Magic Item (Scroll) to do so, instead of using the Cost of getting new spells on page 219 of the PFRPG Core.
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Yes but if you want to add a Spell into your book that is outside the free per level or a spell found during a scenario, you need to buy a Magic Item (Scroll) to do so, instead of using the Cost of getting new spells on page 219 of the PFRPG Core.
If you find a spell book on a corpse in a scenario OR are adventuring with another wizard, if time allows you can copy spells out of those spell books w/o purchasing a scroll to do so.