Protecting spellbooks?

[deuxhero]

I recall seeing rules for enchanting spellbooks for protection, including waterproofing them, but don't remember where it was. May have been from 3E though.

Anyone know where it was from? Any other advice for protecting spellbooks? It's generally a bad move to target spellbooks (just like sundering anything but component pouches/holy symbols), but I was looking for environmental stuff.

[avr]

The secluded spellbook spell is A-grade protection. Book ward may help if that's not available. This is assuming that you aren't wandering around with the book out in a fight, that voids all warranties.

[Kayerloth]

I believe deuxhero that you are correct that those memories are from 3.0/3.5 sources specifically Forgotten Realms source material. But, like you, the specifics have faded to vague memories.

Certainly "crafting" a spellbook such that it becomes a magical item (for example Blessed Books) would definitely make damage/destruction more difficult. As would using non-standard materials in the construction. Mithril plates encased in adamantine covers even when not enchanted are going to be quite durable compared to standard materials. Certainly some precautions such as wrapping the book(s) in waterproof/oiled papers stored inside a masterwork backpack will again make 'normal' environments much less of a threat.

Reading over Secluded Grimoire (the spell I believe avr is speaking of) it has one major drawback that I can see. It only works for a single spell book which might be an issue once high levels are reached with many spells known by a caster.

[OmniMage]

There is a section for spellbooks on p. 139 of Complete Arcane (DND 3.5). Its about 4 pages. It covers making spellbooks out of tougher materials and adding magic to protect them.

[Quixote]

Not sure about specific existing rules, but it's been a mandatory thing in my games as soon as characters become potent enough to get attention from the world at large. Anyone wanting to tangle with a lvl10 wizard is going to hire someone to steal the wizard's spellbook.

I've always erred on the generous side when it comes to the cost for magical spell book protection, though. It's a highly situational investment and it doesn't make your character more powerful, just less likely to become significantly less powerful.

We had an illusionist/chef who had a collection of cookbooks,one of which was enchanted to look like a spellbook and one of which was a spellbook enchanted to look like a cookbook.
One character had a puzzle box spellbook, another one had a book bound in troll hide. A necromancer'necromancer's was 4ft. tall with pages of hammered bronze, so it weighed just too much and was way too big, carried around inside a mammoth skeleton/whale zombie, etc.

[deuxhero]

The section I was thinking of was indeed 3E material: Magic of Faruen and updated Complete Arcane. Thanks.

Still worth noting any explicit methods in PF. Waterproof spell (Element Master's Handbook) waterproofs a creature and all belongings or an object of 10 pounds a level for 24 hours (Sadly and bizarrely not valid for permanency. Boo!).

[OmniMage]

deuxhero wrote:

Still worth noting any explicit methods in PF. Waterproof spell (Element Master's Handbook) waterproofs a creature and all belongings or an object of 10 pounds a level for 24 hours (Sadly and bizarrely not valid for permanency. Boo!).

Why should that be a problem? How about you have your character research a way to make it happen.

Permanent spells require a caster level equal to 8 + spell level and cost 2500 gp * spell level. 0 level spells function as level 1 spells.

[Coidzor]

OmniMage wrote:

deuxhero wrote:

Still worth noting any explicit methods in PF. Waterproof spell (Element Master's Handbook) waterproofs a creature and all belongings or an object of 10 pounds a level for 24 hours (Sadly and bizarrely not valid for permanency. Boo!).

Why should that be a problem? How about you have your character research a way to make it happen.

Permanent spells require a caster level equal to 8 + spell level and cost 2500 gp * spell level. 0 level spells function as level 1 spells.

People can get funny about Permanency and expanding what bounds it can cover. It's also a lot easier to be conservative and just declare it invalid except for the stuff that was explicitly declared as valid with Permanency by RAW.

[blahpers]

If you make your spellbook out of mithril plates, you better believe I'm gonna add something to the time and cost for scribing spells into said spellbook.

Re: permanency, well, I wouldn't want something that can be dispelled so easily.