Anyone know of a Living Spellbook concept

[DrkMagusX]

I m looking for any txt about having your spellbook be your familiar and it is able to speak and such possible have a face. I think you could give it abilities or such.

If anyone knows of any docs for 3.0 3.5 etc I m looking for a resource.

[Apraham Lincoln]

That's a witch for you

[Haladir]

Yup.

That's the witch base class from the Advanced Player's Guide.

Your familiar is your spellbook.

[DrkMagusX]

I meant such as the book itself for wizards is alive.

[Tiny Coffee Golem]

DrkMagusX wrote:

I meant such as the book itself for wizards is alive.

Custom intelligent magic item.

[Itchy]

How about Inkantations from 4 Winds Fantasy?

It's not exactly what you are describing, but it's a walking talking spellbook. You ARE the spellbook! We are using it in my game and it fits a fun character concept.

-Aaron

[Artanthos]

When I think living spellbook, I think the Octavo.

[SirGeshko]

I think the OP wants an actual spellbook familiar.
Something like this. Creeped me right out as a kid...

[Tiny Coffee Golem]

SirGeshko wrote:

I think the OP wants an actual spellbook familiar.

Something like this. Creeped me right out as a kid...

Custom magic item with a minor image effect at will.

[DrkMagusX]

That image was kinda what i thought of or something more along the lines of the books from pagemaster movie. There is a face on the book somewhere. Just seem interesting to me.

[Blayde MacRonan]

When I think living spellbook, the Grimoires from the video game Neir stand out in my mind, particularly Weiss (who functions as your character's spellbook and companion).

I'm familiar with the Octavio, but I'm kind of meh when it comes to Pratchett (which for most on the forums is akin to heresy). I've liked what I've read by him but I'm just not as taken with him like others are.

[Haladir]

Oh-- an actual book that's alive? You mean like Tomie from the online comic Zebra Girl?

There's no official write-up of anything like that in the rules, at least as far as I know. Talk with your GM about doing something custom.

[Rom001]

Hey DrkMagusX,

Starting on page 532, in the Core Rulebook (CRB), second column: Intelligent Items. This section goes about how to make items "special"! If you're the GM that's great because you can "fudge" a few things.

If not then at least talk to your GM to make it happen :)

OR

You can go the Numerian route and say that the book (actually an "iPad" that has an Artificial Intelligence) is stolen/lost/recovered tech from a bygone era of Golarion....pre-Starfall if you will!

OR

You've found a "construct". (Think the mechanical owl, Bubo, in the 1981 version of Clash o/t Titans) thus it becoming your "familiar" AND "spellbook" using the rules in the CRB and Bestiaries.

Ummmm....yeah that's all I got for the mean time. Hope that helps.

That'll be two copper pieces please,

Rom001

[Ravingdork]

Technically spellbooks are not magical items in their own right, and thus aren't eligible to be made intelligent, but you can craft yourself a blessed book and make it intelligent using the intelligent item rules.

[Rom001]

Ravingdork wrote:

Technically spellbooks are not magical items in their own right, and thus aren't eligible to be made intelligent, but you can craft yourself a blessed book and make it intelligent using the intelligent item rules.

Yup yuppers. Although I was thinking that the book itself is a "magic item" in it's own right.

However I'll call "creative license", MacGuffin and/or GM fiat for the "living spellbook".

Also the second paragraph in the Intelligent Items section has a bit of interesting information!

Rom001

[DrkMagusX]

This has been helpful.

What are some abilities that might be given to the book.
Example would be "sprouts legs to move" something like that.
This will be for a Gnome Wizard that is a Illusionist / Conjurer. He likes to cook and entertain so he travels the world looking for exotic recipes.

Anyhow lets get this rolling :)

[Blayde MacRonan]

A blessed book, which is a magic item, can be made an intelligent item. But the book itself is expensive as would making it intelligent. Not something to give a character just starting out.

[Detect Magic]

Could someone stat out an intelligent blessed book, please? I'd like to use one sometime, just can't get my head around the intelligent item creation rules. A high Int, "know-it-all" sort of personality and lots of knowledge ranks would be awesome!

[Ravingdork]

Give me a gold piece budget and let me know if it being created or purchased.

[DrkMagusX]

Spellbook Familiar would start off weak such as a familiar and gain abilities as the caster levels. There should be ways to customize it to where no Spellbook familiar is alike. Starts off as Spell book could possible turn to spell pages just by telling it the spell and later it would become a creature in the sense that it could sprout leggs and arms and be able to speak languages. If it was a spell that caused this change it be like Awaken SpellBook. It really is something that makes a character unique and fun. "Why is Dagon arguing with his book again...."

We dive into mechanics so much we forget about the fun imagination aspect of the game. What are some ideas on how we can make it simple and fun without being OMG broke the game OP item of power.

[Detect Magic]

@ Ravingdork: Not sure how the pricing goes with such items. More of an artifact, so not meant to be created nor bought.

[Ravingdork]

If it's an artifact, than the rules don't much matter.

[Detect Magic]

Maybe 'NPC' is a better term XD

[SaddestPanda]

You could always just have the spellbook be a mundane spellbook and have the player just think that it talks to him.

[Geistlinger]

Mongoose's Renegade Wizard's Spellbook has the Awaken Spellbook spell.

[Mojorat]

I believe there is a witch archetype that does what the op wants or coukd be easily refluffed t do so. Bonded item witch in the ARG i cannot remember what race it is for just glanced at it last night.

[Timothy Hanson]

If I were the GM I would probably ask you to take the Improved Familiar Feat and then we could work something out from there. Maybe alter a Fairy Dragon or something. It seems like it would be pretty easy to re-skin. If you were really adamant then treat it like any other familiar and have it give a +2 to either diplomacy or perform skill checks. Wizards get a familiar, what it looks like is pretty much a fluff based thing, so unless the GM has plans to constantly be sabotaging the wizard by stealing his book it really does not change much of anything to just re-skin it.

[Zealot]

No the GM isnt going to sabotage him like that. I think its mostly a fluff thing so Im not stressing too much about it in game terms. I do like the idea of it giving him a +2 to diplomacy, i think I can use that.

[Rom001]

DrkMagusX wrote:

We dive into mechanics so much we forget about the fun imagination aspect of the game. What are some ideas on how we can make it simple and fun without being OMG broke the game OP item of power.

There's an animated show WAAAAY back: Xyber 9

Yes there's a "Numerian" feel to the show, but this is an exercise in creative thinking...yes?

If you've seen the new Thundercats (2012) the "Book of Omens" is a special kind of book. No spoilers will be said at this time.

For now let the creative juices flow and be inspired by these shows!

Rom001

[Vixeryz]

I'm in the same camp as the OP I am wanting the same thing. Like the magic book from the game NIER. It floats around and talks and has an interesting personality. Very snarky and humorous.

[Vixeryz]

So unless there is something published that does this- My thought is- Take Improved Familiar feat, purchase or craft a homunculus in the shape of a binder/bookcover thing...insert blank pages and voila! Stats-wise it would speak common and one language of the caster's choosing, and give you +2 to Knowledge Arcana (or Spellcraft at DM discretion)

[Rynjin]

Artanthos wrote:

When I think living spellbook, I think the Octavo.

I doubt the OP wants a spellbook that leaves him incapable of learning any other spells.

[Erik Day]

The book "Anger of Angels" by Sean K reynolds published by Malhavoc press had a demon in it called an Agrippa...it's a living demonic book, maybe you could adapt that to your purposes.

[Vixeryz]

Erik Day wrote:

The book "Anger of Angels" by Sean K reynolds published by Malhavoc press had a demon in it called an Agrippa...it's a living demonic book, maybe you could adapt that to your purposes.

this Agrippa- is it in the bestiary? is it a demon? or an object (intelligent item)?

[Wrath]

What you want is the Monstrous Book of Monsters, Harry Potter style.

More helpfully, just take the Witch Familar concept and make it into a book instead. The Witch famliliar mechanics are already balanced for the game, and you can progress them as you level to the point where it eventually talks to you.

Consider it like a mini version of a Mimic, though with less teeth and far lower tendency to rip your head off when you try to read it.

For something really creepy, it could fly like a bird familiar, or maybe run and climb like a giant spider or some such thing. Just choose the famliar type from the book that most matches the style you're after (I'd suggest Raven so it already talks common when you start at level 1, and the book can fly along behind you if necessary).

Cheers.

[Vixeryz]

Wrath wrote:

What you want is the Monstrous Book of Monsters, Harry Potter style.

More helpfully, just take the Witch Familar concept and make it into a book instead. The Witch famliliar mechanics are already balanced for the game, and you can progress them as you level to the point where it eventually talks to you.

Consider it like a mini version of a Mimic, though with less teeth and far lower tendency to rip your head off when you try to read it.

For something really creepy, it could fly like a bird familiar, or maybe run and climb like a giant spider or some such thing. Just choose the famliar type from the book that most matches the style you're after (I'd suggest Raven so it already talks common when you start at level 1, and the book can fly along behind you if necessary).

Cheers.

I was just thinking more like- it levitates, no higher than 10ft and can teleport to its master once per day at higher levels. (like the magus's black blade) And maybe...it can hold an indefinite number of spells since it would be a magical item- it might have an extra-dimensional space to hold unlimited pages. I'd still have to pay the normal amount of gold to scribe them of course... and perhaps that could be part of the items personality? It hungers for knowledge so you have to feed it a new spell once a week or something? or anytime it discovers that you found a spell- it harasses you until you learn it.

I'd pay 2k for something like this and the improved familiar feat.

[Kthulhu]

Just make sure not to put the spell "Summon Candarian Demon" into the book.

[LazarX]

Ravingdork wrote:

Technically spellbooks are not magical items in their own right, and thus aren't eligible to be made intelligent, but you can craft yourself a blessed book and make it intelligent using the intelligent item rules.

As a wizard the very last thing I want from my spellbook is an argument.

[Vixeryz]

Or I can make a homebrew magic item using the "handy haversack" and "homunculus" as guidelines, adding "secret page" and "levitate" to the list of spells required.

Whichever ends up being cheaper...

[Set]

If the 'spellbook' is a skull, you can name it Bob and say that the spells stored in the 'spellbook' are the spells that Bob had prepared when he lost his head...

Slap whatever base effect goes onto Ioun Stones, and the head can even float above your shoulder. Maybe, after awhile, you can bump off a few more arcanists and have your own floating entourage of necromantic 'spellbooks.'

[Mirelena]

A bit late to reply, but figured something out :)

I was thinking of thesame for my upcoming wizard in the Wrath of the righteous campaign and one possible way is to get a blessed book and cast the "Impart mind" spell on it. Then ask your DM "Can i pretty pretty please make this permanent?" ;)

[JiCi]

As mentioned earlier, an Intelligent Blessed Book would be the closest thing to a spellbook familiar. However, it wouldn't be subject to the regular familiar rules, but as a cohort.

Then again, an Intelligent Blessed Book wouldn't need to a familiar anyway, since it could level up as a spellcaster itself AND learn and prepare the spells from itself.

Just make sure it can fly so it can follow you around, even though it can outfly you since it can run indefinitively as it doesn't have a Constitution score that can slow it down or exhaust it.

[Arcane Addict]

Thread necromancy! (Its ok though, I can control plenty of these at my CL)

So, has anything official been published in the couple of years since the last post?

If not, can anyone think of a good reason why I cannot just reflavor any extant familiar (Improved or otherwise) as my spellbook? I'd like to take a 'Raven', so it can fly and talk. I also like the idea of its intelligence increasing as more spells are put into it (as represented by its level progression). Later on I'd like to Improve it, turning the same spellbook into a Faerie Dragon.
I cannot think of a reason this wouldn't be ok.

Later on I'd like to enchant it. I can see a possible problem with that. I was thinking Inscribe Magical Tattoo might be ok as it is used to enchant living beings (which a regular familiar would be). If thats a problem, what would you suggest to this effect?

[Marc Radle]

Deep Magic from Kobold Press has a very cool section on living/intelligent spellbooks! It give rules and guidelines for their creation AND a number of examples.

In fact, I liked that section so much, I used to add an intelligent/living spellbokk, the Shadow Grimoire, to my Shadows of the Dusk Queen adventure!

If you want to add living/intelligent spellbooks to your game, I HIGHLY suggest you check out Deep Magic!

[Arcane Addict]

Marc Radle wrote:

Deep Magic from Kobold Press has a very cool section on living/intelligent spellbooks! It give rules and guidelines for their creation AND a number of examples.

In fact, I liked that section so much, I used to add an intelligent/living spellbokk, the Shadow Grimoire, to my Shadows of the Dusk Queen adventure!

If you want to add living/intelligent spellbooks to your game, I HIGHLY suggest you check out Deep Magic!

Alright, I'll check it out! Just because it sounds cool though. I'm not really looking for an Intelligent Item version of spellbooks. I want it to be my familiar.

One of the main reasons, really, is that an Intelligent Item just isn't something a first level character can get. If I could then I'd really like to have a regular familiar too. I just don't understand why one would even want a cake if one couldn't eat it too ^^