(to be read in the movie announcer voice)..
Seriously, since spellbooks would be a dead giveaway, what are some suggestions that wouldn't be obvious where someone could keep their spells hidden or written down. Tattoos would be obvious in this setting, so they wouldn't work, either. Suggestions?
Don't get your point. Remember spellcasting, psychic casting, whatever still produces those light shows.
The real issue is how do the mundanes stifle the magicals? The standard trope for wicked spellcasters is to do their thing far far away from prying eyes. This becomes absurdly easy when the enforcers are limited to mundane means.
And your concentration on spellbooks seems to ignore the spontaneous casters who don't use them at all.
I'm asking for a player who doesn't frequent the boards. He plans to play a Diviner Wizard in the upcoming campaign. They are ruled by a very oppressive and despotic race of psionic Humans who have suppressed and forbidden the practice of magic by most of the non-ruling class.
He knows the casting produces effects, but he's just looking for an alternate method of hiding his spells. Spontaneous casters and wizards are often hunted down by Inquisitors and Slayers of the ruling elite, and psychic magic is only now beginning to be discovered as a means to combat the ruling class.
Well, you could be a bard. Or use spells that aren't quite so obvious. Knock might be cast in a quiet alley, but scorching ray will draw attention if they live.
Right, but it's not my character. It belongs to one of my players. All he's asking for is some ideas for alternate ways to store spells rather than the standard spellbook.
Hmm...I'll take a look at that, thanks. I remembered something from a long, long ago 2e game that a tribe of Flinds used, so I may suggest it.
Didn't know about this spell. I think the feat and spell combo you suggested will work fine for him!
I'm asking for a player who doesn't frequent the boards. He plans to play a Diviner Wizard in the upcoming campaign. They are ruled by a very oppressive and despotic race of psionic Humans who have suppressed and forbidden the practice of magic by most of the non-ruling class.
Ah, so it's the inverse of the Halfblood Chronicles (where a race of despotic Elf Sorcerers have suppressed and forbidden the practice of the Human slaves' innate Psionic powers). Neat.
This seems like a logical paradox, honestly. Where did they learn to use wizardry in the first place? The decades of study required to do it seems a complete non-starter in a world where casters are hunted so rigorously that spellbooks are no longer safe (presumably the contents of every book in someone's possession are checked over when entering a city?).
You could have him write his books in code, perhaps. Something that seems like a storybook or travelogue but contains the incantations and sigils within the words. A Linguistics check to transcribe, and the higher the check the better it's hidden?
Alrighty folks, thanks to Balancer and Particle Man I think I have a great way for my friend to hide his spellbook.
Many thanks, guys!
EDIT: I wrote this before reading Sundakan's idea. I think combining all three of these methods is a brilliant method of his achieving what he wants.
Ah, so it's the inverse of the Halfblood Chronicles (where a race of despotic Elf Sorcerers have suppressed and forbidden the practice of the Human slaves' innate Psionic powers). Neat.
This idea goes back to the very beginning of the game world I created in 1991. The eras the players have always played in have been after the psionic race's (the Ransoori in my game world) empire fell. The new campaign is set to begin in a few months and they want to be members of the resistance at the beginning of the war for liberation, so it's set 800 years before the time frames they've always played in.
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I may be slightly late to the thread (and you seem to have accepted a solution already) But Familiar Adept lets a wizard use your familiar as a spellbook, similar to a witch familiar.
Not a bad choice! My friend did go with the Spell Master feat and Secluded Grimoire spell. I think he also chose the route to disguise the magical writing inside a travel journal.
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Nothing to offer here but to say - this was an interesting read all around.
And after all this discussion, he's changed his mind about the Diviner Wizard and wants to use Path of War to create Batman or Daredevil. Yes, my group contains middle aged children who can't make up their minds... lol
Given the setting why wouldn't he just masquerade as a psionic character?
You might look up the Midnight campaign setting. Arcane magic is punishable by death in most of the setting, so there's a lot of rules and interesting fluff related to how casters hide, and what the Witch Hunters do to track them down.
Given the setting why wouldn't he just masquerade as a psionic character?
Most of the psionic race look slightly different than the "regular" humans. They have all black eyes. It'd be possible to masquerade as a mixed race psionic character, though, who happened to inherit the abilities of one of his parents. But, he just finished watching Daredevil season 2 and is all jumped up to do something like that. He is now talking about mixing a Path of War class (probably the Stalker) with an Alchemist for the mutagens. He's always been pretty level headed as a player. I think he's gone off his tree this time... lol
You might look up the Midnight campaign setting. Arcane magic is punishable by death in most of the setting, so there's a lot of rules and interesting fluff related to how casters hide, and what the Witch Hunters do to track them down.
I will. Thanks!
I came up with this thread a while back. Might help with some ideas.
Edit: just noticed you posted on that thread too...
I hope I didn't come across as an idiot there.
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We're all idiots here. You're in good company.
Umm...thanks? LOL