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Are there any official rules or setting material in Pathfinder that talks about the spellbooks of true aquatic spellcasters?
A sahuagin wizard isn't likely to have your standard paper-bound spellbook. I'd assume an aquatic spellcaster's spellbook will at the least be waterproof. On the other hand, I'd assume it'd be (for game balance purposes) roughly as cumbersome as a land-dweller's spellbook.
If there truly is nothing official, rules-wise or setting-wise, then I guess this post might get itself moved to general discussion or advice, but I'm mostly interested if anyone has seen any official rules, or any mentions in the official setting.
Thanks!
Pressing seaweed should create usable, waterproof paper shouldn't it? Or you could use scraped sharkskin, as a form of vellum. Writing is likely a bigger problem than creating paper.
Kiirin stones were spellbook equivelants in 3.5. I imagine aquatic wizards use something similar. Or as the above posters said something that's waterproof. I imagine a magic item that accomplishes this is popular for aquatic races.
Have them carry rods of bone with their spells inscribed on the outside.
Make the rod about the size of a paper-towel roll.
Assuming small writing, one could write a lot on one.
You could then half multiple of them attached with a chain, for large spell books.
Then it's also a neat little bit of fluff.
With material such as archtypes for squid riding rangers and dolphin riding paladins?
Book Ward makes the book waterproof.
Great spell if you're not a first level caster. We had my undine water elementalist use engraved metal plates on one of the chain belts in the race guide.
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I've been thinking about the same problem, the solution I came up with was a book with thin silver/gold plates with braille writing. Heavy, somewhat expensive, but water-proof.
I've been doing some research on metal pages. Cost may not be too bad if you consider the special materials to be part of the scribing cost, but weight seems to be a definite problem.
I don't want to get into any religious arguments as I don't really care one way or the other, but one arduously researched example I found is the Book of Mormom, which was described as being written on gold plates. A solid gold block of the same size would weigh 200 lbs, BUT there are estimates that a book (since it would have a fair about of dead space between pages and the inscriptions) would actually weigh about 100 lbs. One modern researcher thinks the book might have been made of a type of metal that is known to look like gold, but is lighter, and their estimate would put the book at about 50-70 lbs. The Mormons at the time said the book weighed 60 lbs. I don't have my materials with me at the moment, so I forget how big the book was, but the point is that a metal book will weight alot (60 lbs versus 3 lbs for a PF-Spellbook). We're going to need some STR 18 Wizards (or a bag of holding)!
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Book Ward makes the book waterproof.
I saw that spell. Sounds great, though I'm not sure what they were thinking. Bards, Clerics, Oracles and Sorcerors get the spell, but they don't have spellbooks (but might have other books they want to protect). Wizards get the spell. But anyone else with a spellbook, like a Magus, is out of luck. Also, it's a 2nd level spell, so out of reach of beginning aquatic casters. Also, it would be nice if Book Ward could be made permanent with the Permanency Spell. Finally, you better have a level 3+ apprentice stay home and cast this on your books regularly while you're gone as it only lasts 1 day/level, or about 1-3 weeks at a time. Finishing up and getting home quickly takes a whole new meaning if your spellbooks are going to go mushy on you. Book Ward is really only good for land-lubbers who need a temporary solution... not so good for someone who actually lives underwater.
Maybe Paizo can introduce a lesser version of Book Ward, maybe one that is a level 1 spell that lasts 1 day per level, but only confers the waterproof aspect (no energy protection). But now that I think about it, it would suck to be a level 1 aquatic wizard with 1 spell per day, and that spell is the new Waterproof Book spell that lasts 1 day!
Thinking along those lines, I'd be happy with a level 1 spell that conferred permanent waterproof on a spellbook, but maybe has a 50 gp material component requirement (in addition to a suitable spellbook). That way a first level aquatic wixard or magus could spend a big chunk of their starting money PLUS one of their known 1st level spells to start with a waterproof book. Of course, those GMs who like to destroy books with water might not like this as it'd be an easy way for all wizards (even non-aquatic ones) to waterproof their books. But on the other hand, with a spell like this, you'd almost have to blame a Wizard for NOT waterproofing his book!
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I've been thinking about the same problem, the solution I came up with was a book with thin silver/gold plates with braille writing. Heavy, somewhat expensive, but water-proof.I've been doing some research on metal pages. Cost may not be too bad if you consider the special materials to be part of the scribing cost, but weight seems to be a definite problem.
I don't want to get into any religious arguments as I don't really care one way or the other, but one arduously researched example I found is the Book of Mormom, which was described as being written on gold plates. A solid gold block of the same size would weigh 200 lbs, BUT there are estimates that a book (since it would have a fair about of dead space between pages and the inscriptions) would actually weigh about 100 lbs. One modern researcher thinks the book might have been made of a type of metal that is known to look like gold, but is lighter, and their estimate would put the book at about 50-70 lbs. The Mormons at the time said the book weighed 60 lbs. I don't have my materials with me at the moment, so I forget how big the book was, but the point is that a metal book will weight alot (60 lbs versus 3 lbs for a PF-Spellbook). We're going to need some STR 18 Wizards (or a bag of holding)!
Yes, the weight is a definite disadvantage. I don't really mind there being some disadvantages to aquatic spellbooks; the paper book is a fairly optimal thing after all.
Note that silver would weigh a lot less than gold, while still being a noble metal that can tolerate water pretty well. Gold is just ridiculously heavy.
Also, if limiting weight is at a higher premium than space, you could attach air-filled balloons (made of some fish's stomach perhaps) to it, to reduce the overall weight and at least make it easier to move. That's basically the underwater answer to The Wheel.
Book Ward makes the book waterproof.
You'll need to find an undersea cave with an air supply to write your book, but otherwise this works for a caster 3+
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I know in one of the Forgotten Realms books (I forget which... Something by Mel Odom maybe?) one of the aquatic races used strings of beads where the knots and placement represented the words and motions for the spells.... Which I thought was cool, since the idea works for wizards in societies with low/ non-standard/nonexistent literary conditions.
I can see Paladins riding dolphins, but how do you ride a squid?
Mon-Star has this handled pretty well
There's an article in an issue of Dragon magazine that covers alternate spellbooks. They use braids and tattoos.