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Just a flavour thing but I'm trying to decide what base language to use for a wizards spellbook. I'm tossing up between Draconic (personal taste), elven (typical race associated with magic) and Osiriani (egyptian?) which is described as having a precise lexicon of magical terminology. I'll probably go with Draconic or Orisiani but I figured I'd get some other opinions as to what magic seems best for a magical spellbook (spells, theory and the like) to be written in?
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Yeah spellbooks aren't written in a language. They're written in arcane symbols, equations and diagrams made up by a particular mage.
That's why you need the Read Magic cantrip to read them.
It's also why copying a spell from someone else's spellbook requires a Spellcraft check, and not a Linguistics check.
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MrCharisma is correct, spells aren't written in a language. They're written in a complex set of "personal hieroglyphics" that describe the magical forces at work as the spellcaster personally understands them, and are completely incomprehensible to everyone except the spellcaster who wrote the spell down. It takes a Spellcraft check (DC20 + SpellLevel) to decipher what that particular spellcaster was describing with his "personal hieroglyphics" in order to copy the spell to your own book, which you would then also write that spell down in your own "personal hieroglyphics" as you personally understand how the magical forces work, and your "personal hieroglyphics" would be completely incomprehensible to everyone else. If someone who wasn't trained in spellcraft got a hold of your spellbook and tried deciphering it without Read Magic, it would be like someone who has only completed Pre-Algebra trying to decipher Advanced Calculus equations-- impossible.
Read Magic = autosuccess in deciphering these personal hieroglyphics though, so this is almost never a problem for spellcasters anyway.
Arcane Magical Writings
To record an arcane spell in written form, a character uses complex notation that describes the magical forces involved in the spell. The writer uses the same system no matter what her native language or culture. However, each character uses the system in his own way. Another person’s magical writing remains incomprehensible to even the most powerful wizard until he takes time to study and decipher it.
To decipher an arcane magical writing (such as a single spell in another’s spellbook or on a scroll), a character must make a Spellcraft check (DC 20 + the spell’s level). If the skill check fails, the character cannot attempt to read that particular spell again until the next day. A read magic spell automatically deciphers magical writing without a skill check. If the person who created the magical writing is on hand to help the reader, success is also automatic.
Once a character deciphers a particular piece of magical writing, he does not need to decipher it again. Deciphering magical writing allows the reader to identify the spell and gives some idea of its effects (as explained in the spell description). If the magical writing is a scroll and the reader can cast arcane spells, he can attempt to use the scroll.
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I always figured that had to have a base though, that is my spellbook wouldn't just be squiggly line (fire), dancing man with huge hand (burns) and sun (hot). It'd be a code developed from a language thus allowing said decoding. So the spellbook would be more . . .
This spell is of little use underwater due to the following factors . . .
or
Haec incantatio non magnopere aqua summersa est ob sequentia. . .
or
هذه التعويذة قليلة الاستخدام تحت الماء بسبب العوامل التالية. . .
coded
❄︎♒︎♓︎⬧︎ ⬧︎◻︎♏︎●︎●︎ ♓︎⬧︎ □︎♐︎ ●︎♓︎⧫︎⧫︎●︎♏︎ ◆︎⬧︎♏︎ ◆︎■︎♎︎♏︎❒︎⬥︎♋︎⧫︎♏︎❒︎ ♎︎◆︎♏︎ ⧫︎□︎ ⧫︎♒︎♏︎ ♐︎□︎●︎●︎□︎⬥︎♓︎■︎♑︎ ♐︎♋︎♍︎⧫︎□︎❒︎⬧︎📬︎ 📬︎ 📬︎
or
☟︎♋︎♏︎♍︎ ♓︎■︎♍︎♋︎■︎⧫︎♋︎⧫︎♓︎□︎ ■︎□︎■︎ ❍︎♋︎♑︎■︎□︎◻︎♏︎❒︎♏︎ ♋︎❑︎◆︎♋︎ ⬧︎◆︎❍︎❍︎♏︎❒︎⬧︎♋︎ ♏︎⬧︎⧫︎ □︎♌︎ ⬧︎♏︎❑︎◆︎♏︎■︎⧫︎♓︎♋︎📬︎ 📬︎ 📬︎
I couldn't find an arabic to windings translator but this illustrates the point same information but it looks like a completely different sentence in code if you start from latin rather than english and you need to translate wingdings - latin - english/common.
To anyone else even without the diagrams its a horrible code to try and figure out but it still starts from a language. It also allows you to reverse the coding and produce the spell back in that base language to share and teach others.
It also adds an extra layer of protection if I've translated Osiriani (arabic) into a code then you not only need to break the code but understand Osiriani to make sense of it. If your trying to decode into common then you'll fail before you even start. Plus of course there's stuff that's not spell specific such as theory or discussion on various dimensions which would still be in the base language so you have a layer of protection still there as well as with Osiriani it being stated to have a lot of precise magical terminology.
Honestly while I personally prefer dragon I think Osiriani would be a better pick both because of the flavour text and the fact if you do assume its similar to Arabic then you really need to know the language because apparently the letters change shape depending on where they're written in the word.
Especially since the rule information seems contradictory . . .
To record an arcane spell in written form, a character uses complex notation that describes the magical forces involved in the spell. The writer uses the same system no matter what her native language or culture.
and
However, each character uses the system in his own way.
So the magic symbol is the same for everyone implying a mathmatical/logcial nature i.e. > should always symbolize greater than yet each person uses it in their own way so? X>Y XY> >YX Y>X????
Honestly I prefer to just houserule it away and remove read magic entirely especially since it becomes a pointless restriction if you do cast read magic. Either there is a universal magical language that everyone uses or there isn't and for me I prefer there isn't. Spells and spellbooks are written in your own language but describe universal forces in the same way gravity is. However if you do get ahold of another mages spell/book it is much harder to translate as you need to crack the code and know what language your translating into (thus giving the party rogue or other person with linguistics a role in the process the spellcraft check being replaced with a linguistics one).
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You could probably find what you're looking for in Google Translate. Pick whatever language you want that has cool characters, like Hindi, Russian, Korean, Chinese, Japanese, Greek:
तेज धूर्त लोमड़ी आलसी भूरे कुत्ते के ऊपर से कूद गई
Быстрая хитрая лиса перепрыгнула через ленивого коричневого пса
교활한 여우는 게으른 갈색 개를 뛰어 넘었습니다
狡猾的狐狸跳過了懶惰的棕色狗
速いずるいキツネは怠惰な茶色の犬を飛び越えました
Η γρήγορη πονηρή αλεπού πήδηξε πάνω από το τεμπέλικο καφέ σκυλί
Or choose a different language, w/e language you want. Once you find one you like, then copy/paste into a Word Doc and play with the Fonts.
Or maybe make your own handwritten book using Draconic Letters.
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You could probably find what you're looking for in Google Translate. Pick whatever language you want that has cool characters, like Hindi, Russian, Korean, Chinese, Japanese, Greek:
तेज धूर्त लोमड़ी आलसी भूरे कुत्ते के ऊपर से कूद गई
Быстрая хитрая лиса перепрыгнула через ленивого коричневого пса
교활한 여우는 게으른 갈색 개를 뛰어 넘었습니다
狡猾的狐狸跳過了懶惰的棕色狗
速いずるいキツネは怠惰な茶色の犬を飛び越えました
Η γρήγορη πονηρή αλεπού πήδηξε πάνω από το τεμπέλικο καφέ σκυλίOr choose a different language, w/e language you want. Once you find one you like, then copy/paste into a Word Doc and play with the Fonts.
Or maybe make your own handwritten book using Draconic Letters.
I actually have a draconic/lokharic font as that was my original preference for magical writings in DnD. I'm leaning towards Osiriani as a replacement though given its inworld reputation and Osiriani is sort of egyptian and modern egypt uses arabic. Sadly arabic doesn't really lend itself to the translation programs I have. I mean I'm certain Arabic speaking spys have their own codes to conceal information and don't translate code - english - arabic but I've not had any luck finding examples even obsolete ones.
This is why I was asking in advice for second opinions on what would be a good choice not rules as this isn't rule compliant. My old standby was draconic and I do like Japanese kanji but like I said I may go with arabic but I'd like to have a way to code that somehow. Annoyingly my google searches so far have only given discussions of computer coding.
I have a couple of nice "mage scripts" as well for fonts but again they all work from english not arabic.
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One of my favorite ideas is using alphabet A to write words in language B and construct them with grammar from language C. And for real complexity use more than 1 language at one or more steps.
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The Key of Solomon has drawings of each symbol that is required, as well as notes for procedures required to carry out the spell. The notes of the original spellbook were written in Latin, and contained which foci might be required, as well as which order they were to be used. The notes also contained basic instructions on what to say, but ultimately the exact wording of each spell is left up to the caster...
Like a prayer, more than a contract.
My personal grimoire notes are written in a mix of Theban and druidic Ogham, with a bunch symbols related to astrology and alchemy. Lately I have dabbled in geomancy divination, and I am sure once I get a better understanding of those symbols [and their relations to the planets, elements, time, direction, etc] I will undoubtedly incorporate the use of those glyphs into my grimoire.
It [witchcraft, in general] sounds like a bunch of dolphin and dragon BS, but it's a fun rabbit hole to get lost in if you find yourself bored one day. Plenty of interesting things to learn and use as inspiration in a game like DnD...
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One of my favorite ideas is using alphabet A to write words in language B and construct them with grammar from language C. And for real complexity use more than 1 language at one or more steps.
I was considering that with the words being a mixture of various languages encoded into some other form but again you need a shared alphabet for most codes.
The Key of Solomon has drawings of each symbol that is required, as well as notes for procedures required to carry out the spell. The notes of the original spellbook were written in Latin, and contained which foci might be required, as well as which order they were to be used. The notes also contained basic instructions on what to say, but ultimately the exact wording of each spell is left up to the caster...
Like a prayer, more than a contract.
My personal grimoire notes are written in a mix of Theban and druidic Ogham, with a bunch symbols related to astrology and alchemy. Lately I have dabbled in geomancy divination, and I am sure once I get a better understanding of those symbols [and their relations to the planets, elements, time, direction, etc] I will undoubtedly incorporate the use of those glyphs into my grimoire.
It [witchcraft, in general] sounds like a bunch of dolphin and dragon BS, but it's a fun rabbit hole to get lost in if you find yourself bored one day. Plenty of interesting things to learn and use as inspiration in a game like DnD...
I like this, still supports my individual culture/background as the key of solomon would have little application to a Japanese caster. Still definately nice ideas I can use. Lets see now . . . shared language e.g. latin, english and maybe another one that uses the english alphabet but different words. Combine and mix then substitute symbols for astrology, alchemy and geomancy. Finally shift the alphabet ones into a new code or two. I'll need to try this when I've a little more time.