Add new spell to spellbook or learn


Pathfinder Society

Horizon Hunters 1/5 5/5 *

In PFS (2nd edition) how do we add to spell book?

The core book (page 238) states it take 1 hour and you must have
1) a source of the spell book or scroll
2) money for materials
3) success on DC check

A) So if we find a spellbook, how many spells can I copy from it?
B) Is 8 hours [8 attempts] 1 day of downtime?
C) Is this not a possible option for PFS now-a-days

I've search
http://organizedplayfoundation.org/encyclopedia/pfs2guide/
,but was not able to locate an answer.

Thank you

2/5 5/5 *****

Pathfinder Maps, Pathfinder Accessories, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Maps, Starfinder Roleplaying Game, Starfinder Society Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber

Learn a spell is an exploration activity, which means you should be able to learn a spell during the adventure (not requiring downtime). If the adventure has gaps of time where it would fit in without impacting the story, I'd say it just happens then, if you have the supplies and make the check. (e.g. there's a multi hour journey via boat/caravan, or you're sent to wait for something to happen/new day). If there's no obvious time-pressure and the party is willing to wait, should also be fine.

If you're trying to copy a lot of spells, such that you're talking full days, then I'm a less sure how the campaign leadership wants it handled. If its downtime, you wouldn't have access (I believe) to the items from the adventure as you're already turned them in to the society for the gold you get.

Horizon Hunters 1/5 5/5 *

Thank you for that,
now just a little more detail.
I have a player that wants to purchase scrolls between games to scribe in his book.

As long as the scroll purchase is within the guidelines of
level or level + 2 if on sheet.
Everything should be good to go provided that they have the funding to do so?


Pathfinder Battles Case Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber

Yes. Assuming it's a common spell, or one you'd have access to otherwise.

Im all PFS2-games that I've been in, this was always handled in the way that the wizard player talked to the GM before the session and said "I've bought these scrolls between adventures, I'd like to try and scribe them into my spell book". They did the neccessary record keeping and roll under the GMs supervision and either succeeded or stored the scroll to try again after the next level-up. This was at times done many times (1st level scrolls are fairly cheap...), but since there is usually travel involved either between or during the scenarios time was neven seen as an issue.

Also, as far as I can tell, unlike the previous edition scrolls are now no longer used up when you scribe them into your spell book, so you could consider reselling them afterwards to recover some of your costs.

I've even had a session where a non-wizard player deliberately took scrolls from the spells pathfinder school to give them to their wizard friend to scribe.

Grand Lodge 4/5 ** Venture-Agent, Colorado—Denver

albadeon wrote:


I've even had a session where a non-wizard player deliberately took scrolls from the spells pathfinder school to give them to their wizard friend to scribe.

I do not think this is allowed. The scrolls have a resale cost of zero.


Pathfinder Battles Case Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber

Not the scrolls from the schools, those cannot be sold. But regularly bought scrolls should be able to be resold as usual.

*

I saw this mentioned in another thread, but not answered (did I miss a blog ruling?)

I have learned an Uncommon spell from a scroll found in the scenario (it is also on the chronicle). The next week I play, another wizard is present and we learn spells from each other.

I have (legal) access to the spell and he has (legal) access to my spellbook. Can he copy the Uncommon spell into his spellbook (legally)?


Pathfinder Battles Case Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber

(Physical) access to your spellbook is not the same as the (rules-wise) access required for him to learn the spell. So no, he cannot copy the spell from your book nor use it, until he has obtained access to it rules-wise, usually via chronicle or more recently AcP.

Using an uncommon spell or item that you gained during the adventure, before officially gaining (rule-)access to it via the chronicle obtained after said adventure is an edge case according to RAW, but imho is intended to be allowed. So far, all uncommon items or spells players have found to be used were also granted to them on the chronicle later. If that were ever not the case, it's unclear how to handle a wizard scribing an uncommon spell from a scroll they found, even though they do not then get (rules-)access to that spell.

Not an issue so far, fortunately.

Grand Lodge

On the question of what spells one player can offer to another player to copy from their spellbook. Could someone tell me the book and page where I can start reading the rules about this, please?
Thanks

4/5 ****

Your question is largely irrelevant.

See the Organized Play Guide: Spells

2/5 5/5 *****

Pathfinder Maps, Pathfinder Accessories, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Maps, Starfinder Roleplaying Game, Starfinder Society Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber

The FAQ overrides the guide here:

https://paizo.com/pathfindersociety/faq

For the purposes of Pathfinder Society play, modify the Divine or Primal Spellcasting entries of these classes (or the Spellbook entry, for the Wizard) to remove the phrase “in this book” or "from this book." These characters have access to all common spells on their respective spell lists as outlined on the Character Options page. The Resource Ownership rules still apply for these characters as normal.

Characters who previously spent gold to Learn a Spell that they now have access to natively are refunded the gold spent.

Sczarni 5/5 5/55/5 ***

Curaigh wrote:

I have learned an Uncommon spell from a scroll found in the scenario (it is also on the chronicle). The next week I play, another wizard is present and we learn spells from each other.

I have (legal) access to the spell and he has (legal) access to my spellbook. Can he copy the Uncommon spell into his spellbook (legally)?

Yes, assuming your friend's PC succeeds at the Learn a Spell activity:

You can gain access to a new spell of your tradition from someone who knows that spell or from magical writing like a spellbook or scroll.

Learn a Spell specifically gives them Access to your Uncommon spell.

Though they must still own the Resource it was published in, of course.

1/5 5/55/5 *** Venture-Agent, Online—VTT

In a normal PF2 home game, yes. Not in this campaign.

From the Pathfinder Society FAQ:

Quote:

What does unlocking access to spells mean?

Having access to an uncommon or rarer spell means that your character(s) can learn the spell in the same way they learn other spells, provided they meet all prerequisites. A character must have access to the spell to learn it from another character that knows it. Only the PC with the relevant boon attached gains access to this spell.

Sczarni 5/5 5/55/5 ***

That's literally what Learn a Spell does:

"You can gain access to a new spell".

1/5 5/55/5 *** Venture-Agent, Online—VTT

Yes, that is what Learn a Spell normally does. That would be the end of it, if this was a question about general PF2 rules and not a question about Pathfinder Society rules.

The specific campaign rule quoted above does not allow you to use Learn A Spell in this way in this campaign. In a normal home game, if I had Learned an Uncommon Spell, I could teach it to someone. In this campaign, they need to have Access before they can use the Learn A Spell activity, so I cannot show up to a table with my sorcerer that has a boon for some Uncommon spells and provide that Access to other PCs via the Learn A Spell activity.

Sczarni 5/5 5/55/5 ***

I'm not disagreeing with you that you need Access.

I'm saying Learn a Spell (when rolled successfully) gives you Access.

That is what Learn a Spell does.

That jives perfectly well with the rules you're quoting.

Your Quote wrote:
A character must have access to the spell to learn it from another character that knows it.
My Quote wrote:
You can gain access to a new spell

If you already had Access, then you don't need to Learn a Spell.

Scarab Sages 4/5

The sentence after the one Hammerjack bolded creates an issue with that reading.

Quote:
Only the PC with the relevant boon attached gains access to this spell.

As much as I’d like you to be right, I’m pretty sure this was all part of the “access doesn’t mean access” conversation around the original ruling. I don’t think the revised FAQ removes the line that I quoted. If the PC doesn’t have the boon attached, they don’t have access, and Learn a Spell can’t grant it.

1/5

Just to be clear. Since the language in the Guide says characters have access to all common spells via tutors at the Grand Lodge, all one has to do to add them to a spell book or repertoire is, what? Be of high enough level to cast the spell and pay the appropriate cost? Or do the Learn a Spell rolls need to be made in front of a PFS GM?

Scarab Sages 4/5

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So many things have changed about how you track stuff that I’m not sure whether you have to roll in front of a GM or not. You do have to roll, though, as if you fail, you can’t learn that spell until you level. You can also save some gold if you crit succeed. I typically just have my list that I want to learn and quickly make the rolls at the very end of the session.

Sczarni 5/5 5/55/5 ***

Ferious Thune wrote:

The sentence after the one Hammerjack bolded creates an issue with that reading.

Quote:
Only the PC with the relevant boon attached gains access to this spell.
As much as I’d like you to be right, I’m pretty sure this was all part of the “access doesn’t mean access” conversation around the original ruling. I don’t think the revised FAQ removes the line that I quoted. If the PC doesn’t have the boon attached, they don’t have access, and Learn a Spell can’t grant it.

Okay. I can get on board with that.

Dark Archive 4/5 *** Venture-Lieutenant, Finland—Turku

Ferious Thune is correct. Learning a spell -would- give you access, but the campaign specific ruling is that you can not learn a spell without having access to it -first-. It would be highly difficult to track whether someone has a spell legally or not if they could just claim that they copied it from a random person in the previous game, without being able to show where that friend gained access to it.

Likewise, if you fight a wizard and recover their spellbook and it has uncommon spells in it, you can't learn those unless the adventure gives you access to the spells/scrolls/spellbook.

4/5

How many scenarios give a wizard access to uncommon or rare spells per season? I'm wondering as this was an issue with PFS1 and required an Org Play Coord ruling, not that it popped up all that often as Spellbooks were often omitted. Is this a moot point?
PF2 Season 1:
PF2 Season 2:
PF2 Season 3:

Silver Crusade 5/5 5/55/5 **** Venture-Captain, Germany—Bavaria

It is very rare that a chronicle sheet unlocks access to a spell, most of those will be gained via the ACP store.
To be frank, any spell from a book that is not listed in an ACP boon is very unlikely to appear on a Chronicle sheet.

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