Arcane Evolution

[Ocularus]

So with the Sorcerer class every time I level up I can swap out a single spell of my repertoire with a new one, of the same level. Free no cost. If I want to swap out additional spells I will need to retrain, (per the CRB p. 193).

Once I have Arcane Exploration would the spells I swap to when I level automatically enter my spell book, and the one that I removed still stay in the spellbook, or if I wanted them each in there I would need to pay the GP?

In order to learn a new spell if I buy the scroll and make the skill check can I enter it into my spell book?

If I do not have the spell scroll how else can you learn a spell. Would I need to spend time with someone who can teach me that spell, spend GP and meet the skill check. If that does not require downtime, beyond the hours I need to spend with the trainer it is an activity that I should do in front of a GM after an adventure?

[Cordell Kintner]

CRB p.199 said wrote:

You add all the spells in your spell repertoire to this book for free, and you can add additional arcane spells to the book by paying the appropriate cost and using your Arcana skill, similarly to how a wizard can Learn Spells to add those spells to his spellbook.

If you don't Learn the Spell by paying for it as normal, you wouldn't keep it. Learn a Spell is a standard downtime activity.

Also this is a general rules question, not one specific to Society play.

[Pirate Rob]

Cordell Kintner wrote:

Learn a Spell is a standard downtime activity.

A common misconception but learn a spell is not a downtime activity.

[Tomppa]

Relevant texts:
Sorcerer spell repertoire:

Spoiler:

Each time you get a spell slot (see Table 3–17), you add a spell of the same level to your spell repertoire. When you gain access to a new level of spells, your first new spell is always your bloodline spell, but you can choose the other spells you gain. At 2nd level, you select another 1st-level spell; at 3rd level, you gain a new bloodline spell and two other 2nd-level spells, and so on. When you add spells, you might choose a higher-level version of a spell you already have so that you can cast a heightened version of that spell.

And swapping spells

Spoiler:

As you gain new spells in your spell repertoire, you might want to replace some of the spells you previously learned. Each time you gain a level and learn new spells, you can swap out one of your old spells for a different spell of the same level. This spell can be a cantrip, but you can’t swap out bloodline spells. You can also swap out spells by retraining during downtime (page 481).

Arcane evolution

Spoiler:

Additionally, you keep a book of arcane spells similar to a wizard’s spellbook. You add all the spells in your spell repertoire to this book for free, and you can add additional arcane spells to the book by paying the appropriate cost and using your Arcana skill, similarly to how a wizard can Learn Spells to add those spells to his spellbook.

During your daily preparations, choose any one spell from your book of arcane spells. If it isn’t in your spell repertoire, add it to your spell repertoire until the next time you prepare. If it’s already in your spell repertoire, add it as an additional signature spell for that day.

Question one: When you add a new spell to your repertoire (due to level up) do you also add it to your spell book?
I think this is clearly yes - "you add all the spells in your spell repertoire to this book for free" and it's consistent with how wizards add new spells to their books when they gain a level.

Question two: When you swap out spells during level up (or during retraining), do you get to add them to the book as well?
I think this isn't quite as clear. You don't technically Add the new spell to your repertoire, you "swap" an old spell out of it. There's no text indicating that you should remove these "free spells" from your book if you remove them from your repertoire, so the old spell definitely stays. Because the text says that you add "all the spells in your repertoire to the book", I think the new spell should also be added.

Yes, this basically means that if you swap out a spell during level up, you sort of get a free new spell added to your spellbook for no cost. However, scribing 1 new spell per level isn't a lot, and spending your downtime to retrain a spell isn't that cheap either, not to mention that using this to add some "less versatile spells" to your book means you're stuck with the new spell in your repertoire for at least 1 adventure (if you retrain) or 1 level (if you don't), so there's an opportunity cost involved too. It's still beneficial to scribe new spells to your spellbook even if you have this method of adding them for free, because it's slower and less agile.

tl:dr: Yes, I think you add all the spells in your repertoire to the book, always, whenever your repertoire changes.

As to scribing spells: You can buy a scroll, you might find scrolls in an adventure, you might meet NPC spellcasters who might be able to teach you new spells or who's spellbooks you might be able to copy. You can also learn new spells from other PC's. It doesn't require downtime, but it's best to do it at the end of the session (for example, when the GM is writing the chronicle sheets) to avoid taking up game time.

[Cordell Kintner]

Robert Hetherington wrote:

Cordell Kintner wrote:

Learn a Spell is a standard downtime activity.

A common misconception but learn a spell is not a downtime activity.

Right, my bad. I meant Exploration activity. It only takes 1 hour per spell level.

Magical Shorthand lets you learn spells as a downtime activity.

[Ferious Thune]

Magical Shorthand should work for Witches as well, right? I'm having a hard time figuring out how a Witch can easily add spells to their familiar without adventuring with another Witch.

[Cordell Kintner]

Yea it should work fine for witches. But also just feed the free school scrolls to the familiar, lol.

[Ferious Thune]

Ah, ok. For some reason I missed that was included as an option. Scroll snacks it is, then. Although I need to rethink my school now. I had her in Scrolls (which doesn't get scrolls), because she's a librarian.

[Tomppa]

Also, check the rules under the witch's familiar - the witch can use the regular learn a spell activity (talk with a friendly caster, for example) to prepare a special written version of a spell to feed to the familiar. Works just like learn a spell.
So, witches can learn spells in all the same ways as wizard do, and in addition they have the extra option of just feeding scrolls to the familiar.

[Ferious Thune]

Thanks. That makes me feel better about it. This might be a situation where I actually split my school points. 2 in Scrolls for library lore and 1 in Spells to have access to the scrolls. Spells has academia lore, but it’s not quite the same thing for the concept.