CHAPTER 7ARCANECAMPAIGNS186ALTERNATIVE SPELLBOOKSChapter 5 describes several options for designing, protecting,and disguising a wizard’s spellbook. While arcane scriptremains the default medium in which most wizards record thedetails of the spells they prepare, standard spellbooks aren’tthe only means available for storing the workings of magic.Arcane GeometryA small number of wizards study the magic inherent inprecisely scribed designs and perfect angles, abandoningthe standard arcane symbology of words and equations. Thespellbook of a geometer (see page 40), its pages filled withpainstakingly precise diagrams of circles, arcs and angles,looks nothing like the spellbook of another wizard. While astandard spellbook requires a number of pages scribed withphrases and formulae to record a single spell of 2nd level orhigher, a geometer can record any spell of any level on onlya single page of his book.Learning to record and prepare spells through arcanegeometry is almost as difficult as learning to prepare wizardspells in the first place, so to use this new symbology for hisspellbooks, a wizard must take levels in the geometer prestigeclass.StructuresMore impressive than even the most extravagant grimoire,permanent structures (circles of standing stones, pyramids,labyrinths, towers, and the like) can be used to record theworkings of arcane spells. At the simplest level, walls can begraven or painted with spell scripts (essentially serving as anoversized spellbook of plaster and stone), while in other cases,a structure’s very form and arrangement can serve to recordarcane information. A ring of standing stones each carvedwith a single glyph, for instance, could provide an arcanistwith the information necessary to determine how the spellis to be cast from their physical orientation.Aside from the advantage of its permanence and strength,a structure can record spells that can then be prepared orlearned by any number of spellcasters for as long the structurestands. At the same time, that openness means that anyonewho visits the site (friend or foe) might be able to comprehendand ultimately use the spell scribed there.Preparing a spell from a structure works like preparing aspell from a borrowed spellbook (see page 178 of the Player’sHandbook). A spellcaster must first decipher the arcanemarkings with a read magic spell or a Spellcraft check (DC20 + spell level), then succeed on a Spellcraft check (DC 15+ spell level) to prepare the spell. An arcanist can also scribea structure spell into her spellbook (as if transcribing fromanother caster’s spellbook) if she so desires.Wall Spells: Carving or painting an arcane formula on astructure’s walls works much like scribing a spell into aspellbook on a larger scale. It takes 100 square feet of wallspace to serve as one page of a spellbook (so that a 9th-levelspell requires 900 square feet, or an area 30 feet on a side),and with the increased size, an arcanist must use up a greatervolume of special materials to record the spell (a cost of 300gp per spell level).Recording a spell on a wall requires a 24 hours plus anadditional 12 hours per 100 square feet of space used, andthe spellcaster scribing the wall must succeed on a DC 15Craft (painting) check. Carving or chiseling a spell into awooden or stone wall requires a 24 hours plus an additional48 hours per 100 square feet of space used, and requires thespellcaster to succeed on a DC 20 Craft (woodworking) orCraft (stoneworking) check.It’s possible for a wizard to map out the precise symbolsto be painted, cut, or carved without doing the final work.Preparing the surface by sketching or penciling the designin such a way that workers unfamiliar with the spell canthen paint or carve its symbols requires a Spellcraft check(DC 15 + spell level) and takes 24 hours plus an additional 1hour per 100 square feet, after which other workers can makeCraft checks in the wizard’s place and complete the processas described above.Structure Spells: Designing an entire building or edificeto preserve arcane knowledge is a challenging proposition,and a structure so designed must generally have an area of atleast two 10-foot cubes per spell level to be recorded—passagescut to precise measurements, mosaic paths picked outon a flagstone floor, freestanding monoliths, walls, arches,buttresses, or almost any other type of feature whose designand orientation might convey information. Special materialsmust be used in the structure’s preparation, costing at least1,000 gp per 10-foot cube of area over and above the costof construction. For those who wish it, a comprehensivebreakdown of designing and building in a D&D campaigncan be found in Stronghold Builder’s Guidebook.The structure must be designed by a wizard who knowsthe spell to be recorded. The wizard must make a successfulKnowledge (architecture and engineering) check (DC 20 +the level of the spell to be recorded), then personally overseeconstruction for at least 4 hours per day. Construction ishalted temporarily if the wizard can’t oversee the job forany reason, and though there’s no limit to how long it mighttake to complete construction, hired workers generally needto be paid their full daily wage while awaiting the wizard’sreturn.Structures designed to record arcane spells are usuallymuch less obvious than walls painted with arcane symbols,and special instruction is generally required for wizardswho seek to prepare them. A wizard without this specialinstruction takes a –5 penalty on Spellcraft checks made todecipher, prepare, or copy structure spells.TattoosBy the use of tattoos, some wizards turn their own bodiesinto spellbooks, and high-level tattooed mages can oftenbe covered with arcane designs and symbols from head totoe. Some spell tattoos can be placed so that the caster canread them simply by looking down, while others need the
aid of mirrors or even a familiar to studytheir tattoos.Tattooing offers a means of creating aspellbook that’s virtually impossible to lose.It does have the disadvantage of the limitedamount of usable spell-recording space onthe average humanoid-shaped body, as well asthe possibility of having to partially or completelyundress to reference every spell in one’srepertoire. Tattooing also usually provides unmistakableevidence of a character’s arcane nature,denying the opportunity for anonymity thatmany arcanists crave.For creatures with humanoid forms, differentareas of the body can hold varyingpage-equivalents of spellbook information,depending on their size.BodySpellbookAreaEquivalentHand1 page eachForearm3 pages eachUpper arm 3 pages eachChest6 pagesAbdomen6 pagesUpper leg5 pages eachLower leg5 pages eachFoot1 page eachFace*2 pagesScalp*4 pagesBack, upper* 10 pagesBack, lower* 4 pagesLeg, posterior* 4 pages eachArm, posterior* 2 pages each* A wizard cannot read spells in these locations without theuse of a mirror, scrying magic, or a familiar’s assistance.Because tattoos must save on space to fit in a comparativelysmall area, they must be scribed with great care and thefinest reagents and inks, requiring 200 gp per page-equivalent,a time of 24 hours plus an additional 8 hours per spelllevel, and a Craft (tattooing) check (DC 20 + spell level ifthe caster scribes the tattoo himself; DC 10 + spell level ifsomeone else does the work). To have the work done byanother tattoo artist, the wizard must make a Spellcraftcheck (DC 15 + spell level) to prepare a carefully executedsketch or diagram of the tattoo to be scribed. Tattoos thatcan’t be read by a wizard without assistance (those placedon areas of his body he can’t always see) must be scribedby someone else.Wizards who employ other forms of tattoo magic (suchas those found in the FORGOTTEN REALMS campaign setting)can employ spellbook tattoos as well, but they must keepcareful track of how much body space is allocated to eachtattoo type.TokensA number of wizards scribe spells as engravings on stones,bones, wooden rods, ivory or teeth, or statuettes. Instead ofpreparing and packing workbooks while adventuring, thewizard simply amasses a collection of these items, often carriedin a nondescript belt pouch.A token of this sort can store a surprising amount ofinformation in a relatively small space.The choice of material, its dimensionsand shape, and themarkings on it all conveyinformation on several levelsat once.Scribing spells onto tokensrequires the same expensein materials as for a standardspellbook. Anobject holds anywherefrom 1 to 9page-equivalentsof spellbook information,dependingon its size.A single complexspell can berecorded on a setof similar objects,so a necromancermight recordenervation (4thlevel) onto fourrune-scribed fingerbones with a capacity of 1 spellbook page each(although if one of the finger bones goes missing, the othersare unusable).SpellbookA wizard studies histattooed spellbookObject SizeEquivalentSlingstone, finger bone*, hand crossbow bolt 1 pageCobblestone, arm bone*, rod4 pagesSkull*, club, leg bone*6 pagesStaff9 pages* From a Medium creature. For each size category largerthan Medium, increase the bone’s spellbook equivalentpages by 50%, so that the skull of a Large creature couldbe used to scribe nine pages of spells. For each sizecategory smaller than Medium, decrease the bone’s spellequivalent pages by 50%.Scribing a spell on a spell token takes 24 hours plus anadditional 8 hours per spell level, and the spellcaster mustsucceed on an appropriate Craft check (woodworking,gemcutting, or a similar skill) with a DC of 10 + spell levelto record the spell successfully.Tokens can be designed for “reading” by touch alone,enabling spells to be prepared even in darkness or whileblinded, but a wizard preparing such spells must spend anadditional 5 minutes per spell over and above the time thespells would normally take to prepare, and succeed on aSearch check (DC 15 + spell level). Retries are permitted, soa wizard can take 20 on the check if desired, but doing sofurther lengthens the preparation time.Illus. by D. CrabappleCHAPTER 7ARCANECAMPAIGNS187