Spells Between The Covers
Details for delving into magical
research
by Bruce Heard
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Spells Between The Covers
Details for delving into magical
research
by Bruce Heard
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The scene: A sleeping town under a cover of new-fallen snow.
The silver glow of the moon casts a dim light down upon the darkness,
but does nothing to disturb the silence. On the lattices of a
frost-coated window, a bright island of golden light dances, shimmering
and flickering as the candle flame inside the room is tossed
about by the wind that forces its way through the cracks around the
window. In the flickering light, an old man traces his finger across
the archaic writing of a tattered grimoire, pausing every few moments
to gaze out the window and lose himself in dreams of forgotten
lore . . . knowledge . . . and power.
. . . Just another old sage, right? Well,
maybe. But if your
AD&D game includes features of the
quest for knowledge and spell
research, that character deep in concentration could be a magic-user
? perhaps a magic-user in your campaign. How many dusty old
tomes does that character have, and what help are they in the arcane
life? Do they really bring the knowledge and power everyone seeks?
To begin finding the answer to that question, we must first roll up
our sleeves and open The Ultimate Book of The Master to page
115,
whereupon begins the section on spell research.
(Editor's note: The
information in this article is presented in terms that are specific
to
magic-user characters. However, the same principles and procedures
can be applied to spell research by a cleric, as long as the proper
changes are made, such as substituting wisdom for intelligence when
determining the chance of successful research.) In summary, here is
what the book has to say:
It is possible for a spell caster to obtain, through study and research,
spells already existing in the Players
Handbook, or others
that may be devised by the character. In both cases, the chance of
successfully researching and ?manufacturing? the new spell depends
on the intelligence and the experience level of the character, the
level
of the spell being researched or created, and the time and money
invested in the attempt.
The amount of gold that must be spent varies with the level of
spell being researched and the time the character is willing to spend.
It is possible to increase the chance of success by spending more
gold, according to these formulae:
Basic cost of research:
200 gp / spell level / week
of work
Additional cost of materials:
100 to 400 gp / spell level
/ week of work
If the character does not possess or have access to a library, then
2,000 gp -- 10 times the basic cost ? will have to be spent, per spell
level per week of research. The basic cost generally represents the
scrolls and books you (the character) must buy during your research.
But the DMG does not say what
the value and the components of
the library are and what specific benefit a library can bring.
Initial preparation of materials and basic research must go on for
a certain time before there is any chance of being successful. This
time is always at least a number of weeks equal to the level of the
spell being researched, plus one. The chance of success can be
checked on a weekly basis after the minimum research period is
over; if the character does not succeed in mastering the new spell,
the success chance can be re-checked every week thereafter as long
as his research has continued, uninterrupted, in the meantime.
Basic chance of success: 10% (unmodified)
Plus researcher's intelligence,
Plus researcher's experience level,
Minus twice the level of the spell.
This formula gives the chance of successful research at the end of
each week of work, once the minimum research time has been spent.
The basic 10% chance of success can be increased up to a maximum
of 50% by spending more gold, at the rate of 2,000 gp per spell level
for each 10% increase in the base chance.
Example: A Sorcerer (9th-level magic-user) tries to research a 5th-level
spell, and is determined to spend enough gold to give him (he
hopes) the best possible chance of success. He has an intelligence
score of 17 and owns a library. He must undergo six weeks of research
before the DM will make the first check to see if he succeeds.
During that time, he will spend a base cost of 1,000 gp per week
(200 x spell level), plus anywhere from 500 to 2,000 gp additional
each week for materials, and he must spend at least another 8,000
gp during the research period to raise the basic success chance from
10% to 50%. Thus, by spending at least 17,000 gp ? perhaps as
much as 26,000 gp, or even more ? he can maximize his chance of
having success on the first check at the end of six weeks. That
chance is computed as follows:
50% (highest base chance possible) + 17 (intelligence)
+ 9 (experience level) - 10 (spell level x 2) = 66%
So much for the official rules. What the DMG
does not say is how
to get an acceptable library, what benefit is realized from all the
gold
spent during research, and the difference between searching for a
spell that already exists (as given in the Players Handbook) and one
a magic-user is trying to create (that does not already exist in the
rules).
Logically, it should be easier to find clues about spells
already
existing in the Players Handbook than about those a player is
attempting
to create from scratch. This is because the ?standard?
spells are already known by and being used by other spell casters;
thus, it is obviously easier to find information about them than
about spells that do not yet exist. To take account of this difference,
it would be good to increase the basic cost of research to 600 gp
(instead of 200 gp) per spell level, and use three times the spell
level
(instead of two times) as a subtraction to the chance of success when
researching a ?non-standard? spell.
Using these suggestions, the example given above would change
in these ways: The sorcerer?s base cost would be 3,000 gp per week
(600 x spell level), and he would have to spend at least 29,000 gp
in
the six-week minimum research period (instead of ?only? 17,000
gp) to retain the maximum chance for success. If he spends the
necessary amount of gold, his success chance would be computed as:
50% + 17 + 9 - 15 (spell level x 3) = 61%
Creating a library
As the power of the spell being researched increases, the importance
and expense of the library increases accordingly. For a library
of minimum value, 2,000 gp must be invested. This will allow research
on first-level spells; by spending a cumulative 2,000 gp per
spell level above the first, added to the minimum needed for the next
lower level, the library can be built up to allow research of higherlevel
spells. A library suitable for research of 2nd-level spells must
have a value of 4,000 gp; for 3rd-level spells, 8,000 gp (4,000 + 2,000
x 2 levels above 1st); for 4th-level spells, 14,000 gp (8,000 + 2,000
x
3 levels above 1st); and so on up to a library of at least 74,000 gp
value, which is suitable for researching spells of 9th level.
| Level (Standard : Nonstandard) | Cost |
| 0 : - | 500 |
| 1 : 0 | 2000 |
| 2 : 1 | 4000 |
| 3 : 2 | 8000 |
| 4 : 3 | 14,000 |
| 5 : 4 | 22,000 |
| 6 : 5 | 32,000 |
| 7 : 6 | 44,000 |
| 8 : 7 | 58,000 |
| 9 : 8 | 74,000 |
| - : 9 | 92,000 |
Having a library of sufficient size does not allow a character to
undertake spell research without paying the basic cost. However, at
the end of each week of study, the basic cost paid during that time
can be added to the value of the library, since the basic-cost expenses
correspond to the purchase of new books. If a character has a library
of a value higher than the minimum value required for a certain
spell, the base chance of success will increase at a rate of 1% for
each increment of (2,000 gp x spell level) that the library value exceeds
the minimum ? but, as always, the base chance of success can
never be raised higher than 50%. For example, a magic-user has a
library worth 72,000 gp, which is 50,000 gp higher than needed to
conduct research on a 5th-level spell. He will receive a bonus of 1%
per (2,000 gp x 5) over the minimum, or a total bonus of 5% to his
base chance of success. If he wanted to research a 1st-level spell,
his
valuable library would give him a bonus of 1% per (2,000 gp x l),
or 25%.
If a character is attempting to create a new spell, the minimum
value of the library needed should be raised by one level; to research
a 5th-level spell already existing
in the Players Handbook, a library
valued at 22,000 gp is required. If the 5th-level spell being researched
does not already exist, the library must be worth at least
32,000 gp, which is the minimum for a standard 6th-level spell.
Conversely, a 22,000 gp library would only allow the creation of a
new 4th-level spell instead of an existing 5th-level one.
There are other ways to increase the value of one?s library. When a
magic-user character goes through training to get to a higher level
of
experience, that character will be able to keep 1-10% of the training
cost paid to his master and add it to the value of his own library.
This represents the value of the books the student is allowed to keep
after his training is over. This variable amount may be determined
randomly, or it may be assigned by the DM according to the character
?s efforts and behavior, both while adventuring and during training.
An award of 1% (or perhaps even no award at all) would be the
result of poor performance, and 10% would be the amount given to
a character of exemplary conduct and dedication to his profession.
Note: A character's spell books do not count in the value of his
library.
Purchasing Books
When a magic-user goes on a book-buying
spree, the following
tables can be used to determine the number of books purchased,
their prices, and their functions.
| Gold Spent | No. of Books | Value of each book, in its percentage of total spent |
| 1-200 | 1 | Book A, 100% of amount |
| 201-400 | 2 | Book A, 10-40%; B, balance |
| 401-800 | 3 | Book A, 10-40%, B, 10-40%; C, balance |
| 801-1600 | 4 | Book A, 10-40%; B, 1-20%; C, 1-20%; D, balance |
| 1601-3200 | 5 | Book A, 10-40%; B, 1-20%; C, 1-20%; D, 1-12%; E, balance |
| 3200-6400 | 6 | Book A, 10-40%; B, 1-20%; C, 1-12%; D, 1-12%, E, 1-12%; F, balance |
| 6401+ | 7 | Book A, 10-40%; B, 1-12%; C, 1-12%; D, 1-12%; E, 1-12%; F, 1-12%; G, balance |
Gold spent
is the total value of the investment in gold. Read the
entries as ?from 1 to 200, 201 to 400,? etc. An investment can come
from a direct purchase, or be a training cost or research expense.
Number of books is how many a magic-user
can purchase for the
given amount of gold. The DM may choose to adjust the number of
books that can be purchased with a certain amount of gold; if so, use
the corresponding entry to determine ?Value of each book.?
Value of each book is determined by assigning
letter designations
(A, B, C, etc.) to the books and then rolling dice to arrive at a value
for each one. For example, if the purchaser invests 600 gp and finds
3 books, the first one (Book A) will cost 10% to 40% (1d4) of the
600 gp; Book B will also cost 10%-40% of the gold spent; and Book
C will cost whatever is left of the gold spent, in this case anywhere
from 20% to 80% of the original 600 gp.
It takes time to find books that are valuable in spell research. If
a
magic-user is simply shopping around, trying to build up his library
but not being currently involved in actual spell research, it will
take
one week per 1,000 gp being invested to locate and purchase the
desired books. (This assumes that the purchaser is in a big city with
one or more large bookshops, or that the purchaser has made connections
with an NPC who owns a large library and may be willing
to sell certain books for a fair price.)
The magic-user will also improve the value and size of his library
during the spell research process, at the set rate which is dictated
by
the basic cost of research. It is assumed in these cases that the researcher
?s effort to locate new books is part of the research process
itself; spending the basic cost of research by going shopping for new
books does not constitute an interruption in research. Example: If
a
magic-user who already owns a library is researching a ?known?
4th-level spell, his basic cost of research is 800 gp per week. For
this
expenditure, he will find three new books per week, and after determining
their value and their nature, he may add them to his library.
Also, it is quite possible to find some of these books during adventures,
in which case the above table can be disregarded. Some of
these books can be a treasure by themselves.
The extensive table below gives titles and authors of books that
may be found, all concerning "known" spells
(those which are in the
Players Handbook or which have been described in past issues
of <PH, UA, FR0>
DRAGON® Magazine). The only ?known? spells not mentioned
in
the contents of these books are read magic and read illusionist magic
(from issue #66 of DRAGON Magazine), since a spell caster will
always know one or the other of these as a result of his training.
There is a 3% chance per 100 gp of value of a book that it will
contain an important clue to a spell. If this is the case, the researcher
receives a bonus of 1-10% on his basic chance of success in researching
that particular spell. The clue will concern one of the spells listed
for the book in question, chosen at random.
<all 'new' spells are found here>
In the lists that follow, many spells are accompanied by one
or
more superscript numbers (like this one¹). These numbers
identify
spells from past issues of DRAGON Magazine, as follows:
1: Official illusionist spells from issue
#66.
2: Official magic-user spells from issue
#67.
3: Official magic-user spells from issue
#68.
4: Unofficial magic-user spells described
in ?Pages from the
Mages,? issue #62.
5: Unofficial magic-user spells described
in ?More Pages from the
Mages,? issue #69.
6: Existing magic-user spells described
for illusionists in issue #66.
7: Existing illusionist spells described
for magic-users in issue #67.
Many of these authors' names will be familiar to the student of
magic; however, a character who obtains one of these volumes would
be incorrect in assuming that the book was written by the person of
the same name who devised a certain spell or spells. In most cases,
the authors are merely distant relatives of their more famous namesakes,
and in some cases they may not be related at all. With imagination,
a DM could easily devise a list that contained dozens more
books of this type ? and perhaps someday a character who creates
an entirely new spell will himself become the author of a book on
that type of magic.
If a character acquires two books of the same title, the second and
subsequent books will have volume numbers (Vol. II, Vol. III, etc.),
and the basic chance for success when researching any spell mentioned
in more than one volume goes up by 3% per new volume.
Each new volume has the same chance of containing an important
clue (3% per 100 gp value) as the original volume did.
If an extremely valuable book is located, the chance of it having
an important clue may be 100% or more. (This will be true of any
book with a value of more than 3,333 gp.) In such a case, the character
receives one clue automatically, and has a chance of finding a
second clue in the same book, equal to the amount by which the
?clue chance? exceeds 100%. Optionally, the DM may divide the
?clue chance? in half and assign equal probabilities to finding the
first and second clues; for a book with a 110% chance of containing
clues, it could be ruled that there is a 55% chance of finding the
first
clue and likewise a 55% chance of finding the second clue. In the
long run, this method is much more charitable to the researcher.
Some of these books contain spells usable only by illusionists. If a
magic-user gets a book containing clues on illusionist spells (or vice
versa), he will not find the clue(s) and will believe the book has
no
particular value to him. However, the magic-user or illusionist will
recognize the book as one useful to a member of the other class, and
may be able to sell the book at an agreed-upon price to a bookshop
or a member of the appropriate class. When a spell caster buys a
book, he is not able to discern its true title and contents at first
glance; he will know only that the book has something to do with the
creation or preparation of one or more magic spells. Only after
purchasing it and concentrating on its contents will he be able to
determine a book?s true nature. When it is not part of the actual
research process, studying a book to find out its nature will take
1d10 days per 1,000 gp of the book?s value. Since this activity takes
place outside of the actual research process, there is no penalty if
a
character desires or is forced to interrupt the studying.
If a character obtains a book during the actual research process (as
part of the basic cost of research), he may subsequently discover that
the book contains no specific information on the spell he is trying
to
research. However, the book will still be of some benefit; examining
it will at least give the researcher some idea on how ? or how not
?
to proceed.
Appraising a book's value
When a character makes a direct purchase, especially
from an
NPC, or when 2 PCs want to sell or exchange books,
the following optional appraisal system can be used.
A seller always knows how much he expects to get for a book.
This amount may be its actual value (as determined by the table
given earlier), or it may be somewhat higher than that figure, if the
seller is greedy or ornery or if the buyer has offended him in some
way. The buyer has to appraise a book to get a good idea (or what he
considers a good idea) of its value. It takes at least 10 rounds of
examination before a buyer can come up with a decent appraisal; for
every round less than 10 that he takes to examine the purchase,
there is a 10% penalty to his chance of appraising it accurately.
A buyer's Appraisal Score, figured separately for each book being
examined, is equal to (1d4 x 10) + his INT + his
level, expressed as a %percentage%. Only 1 appraisal attempt can be
made for a single book, and only a member of a spell-using class can
successfully appraise a book's value. (This would include rangers
and paladins, if they are of sufficient level to cast spells.) "Experience
level" refers to the buyer's level as a spell caster. Sages and
professional booksellers can also appraise books, and are considered
to do so at level 5, plus 1 level for each 5 years of age that character
has over 50. (It can be seen from this that there is practically no
way to "put one over" on an experienced elven bookseller.)
When the buyer's Appraisal Score is determined for the book in
question, the DM rolls percentile dice, adding 10 to the result for
every round less than 10 that the buyer spent examining his purchase.
If the result of the roll (including modifications, if any) is
equal to or less than the Appraisal Score, the buyer has exactly
assessed the true value of the book -- and the seller will know that
the buyer knows what he's talking about. If the result is greater
than
the Appraisal Score, the buyer's estimation is in error as a %percentage%
of the book's actual value. If the difference is odd, the
appraisal is low; if the difference is even, the appraisal is high.
If this
difference is greater than 50, or if the result of the dice roll (plus
modifications) is 100 or greater, the buyer's appraisal is a total
failure,
and he will agree to pay the price asked by the seller or else not
purchase the book at all.
Example: A buyer has an Appraisal Score of 55, and the result of
the dice roll is 80. The difference is 25, which means that the
buyer
appraises the value of the book at 25% less than its actual value --
and that is where the dickering will start.
Of course, the use of magic can alter the outcome of a confrontation
between seller and buyer. A charm spell or similar magic could
force the seller to propose an acceptable price or to give out the
title
or the clues he found in this book (if the seller is a spell caster).
Hypnotizing a seller or a buyer could permit the spell-user to cheat
or practically steal from the other character, or at the least get
accurate
information on the book. Using a true sight spell or similar
means will NOT reveal the exact nature of a book, but will allow an
exact appraisal of its value. ESP can greatly help to figure out if
a
buyer or seller is trying to cheat. Lejend lore, if used to try to
identify
the author or the title of a book, can be CAST in 1-4 turns, but the
answer will remain cryptic, and the spell will NOT give any info
at all if the book is not worth more than 100 gp (at least you
know the book is cheap if you get no answer!). Otherwise, a lejend
lore spell will not help in appraising the value of a book. Obviously,
a wish, limited wish, or alter reality spell is powerful
enough to
ID and appraise a book . . . but the consequences could
prove to be more costly than the BENEFIT.
Because there are so many variables involved that cannot be set
down in the form of roolz, every book-selling situation is bound to
be different. But here is an example of how things might go in one
instance:
Nine-fingers the thief
recently stole an old book that he thinks
could be worth a lot to the local sage. It is in fact worth 800
gp, but
the thief is has no way of knowing this and has decided on a price
of
1,000 gp, figuring that will represent a tidy return on his "investment"
if he is able to get the sage to pay it. The sage is 65 years old
and has an INT of 17. The DM rolls a 3 on 1d4 and figures
his Appraisal Score as follows:
30 + 17 + 8 = 55%
The DM rolls a 78 on %percentile% dice, meaning that the sage
makes an inaccurate appraisal with an error of 23% on the low side;
he estimates the book to be worth 800 gp minus 25% of 800, or 616
gp. Now the arguing begins. Since 1 of the sage's personality
traits is greed, and the thief is in a hurry to get rid of the "hot"
book
(a fact which the sage suspects to be true), the sage makes an initial
offer of 500 gp and the thief ends up letting it go for 550 gp -- NOT
without many whines and pleas on both sides. Several days later,
after studying the book at more length, the sage comes to a realization
of its actual value and decides he didn?t make such a bad deal.
And since the thief had no way to appraise the true value of the book
in the first place, he goes away thinking that he just made some easy
money.
Appearance of the library
Players who enjoy detail could find it valuable to determine the
appearance of each book. The term "book" is perhaps inaccurate,
since a ?book? could actually be a pile of scrolls enclosed in a small
chest or in a tube, or parchments held between 2 flat slabs. The
chest, tube, or slabs could be made of various types of wood, mineral;
or metal, according to the price of the ?book.? The book itself
or the containers of the scrolls could have decorations (knot-work,
lattices, runes, symbols of alchemy, stars, moons, gargoyles, demons
or other grinning faces, etc.) or be simply smooth or lacquered with
a single color. The binding of a grimoire could range from regular
leather to silk, velvet, or animal skins. Metal fittings or other decorations
are also common (iron, bronze, silver, nacre, ivory, or gold
could be used). The metal could be part of the protection or the
decoration of the book.
Special books
Some of the books described below have special properties and are
thus considered as magic items. It is possible to buy them, but the
buyer will not know the special nature of the book at the time of the
sale. However, it is very uncommon for these books to be for sale.
In
most cases, these special books will only be discovered as part of
a
treasure hoard. If a random-determination method is desired, assign
a 1% chance for any book found to be one of these special types. Of
course, other types of special books can be fabricated by the DM;
these should only be considered as examples.
| d12 roll | Book |
| 1 | Books of the White Mages |
| 2-3 | Elfin book (written in elven language)* |
| 4-5 | Contains a scroll of 1 spell (level 1-4)* |
| 6-7 | Cursed tome |
| 8-9 | Contains a map to a treasure or dungeon* |
| 10-11 | Contains a spell (level 1-7) written in code* |
| 12 | Books of the Dark Powers |
Books of
the White Mages: Six of these books are known to exist.
In addition to information on spells that they
may contain, the
Books of the White Mages are cursed to bring
harm to characters of
evil alignment who study them. A list of the
books is given below,
along with their xp/gp values. The first xp figure
applies to a character
who can be adversely affected by the book (evil
characters for a
good book, good characters for an evil book;
see also Books of the
Dark Powers).
The basic gp value of each book varies according to
random determination or the DM's judgment, which
is why no basic
gp values are given here. The second set of xp/gp
figures is used for
characters who are not harmed by the book; the
amount of gold
pieces after the plus sign is added to the original
value of the book
after the beneficiary has studied it completely
and is aware of its
special power. A character who can be harmed
by the book will be
aware of its special nature as soon as the harmful
effect begins or is
noticed, but that character will not benefit
from an increase in the
book?s gp value. Characters of neutral alignment
(with respect to
good and evil) will not be harmed by either type
of special book
described herein.
| 1 | Book of Hopeless Deeds | 500 xp / . . . | 700 xp / +500 gp |
| 2 | Book of the Bright Ages | 750 xp / . . . | 1000 xp / +600 gp |
| 3 | Tome of Saintly Sanity | 750 xp / . . . | 1000 xp / +600 gp |
| 4 | Book of the Blind | 400 xp / . . . | 600 xp / +400 gp |
| 5 | Runes of Possession | 900 xp / . . . | 1500 xp / +800 gp |
| 6 | History of Evil Mages and Apprentices | 1000 xp / . . . | 2000 xp / +1000 gp |
Book of Hopeless
Deeds: After one week of study, an evil character
suffers a -3 penalty on all his saving throws.
This effect is permanent
until a restoration or limited wish spell is
used to counteract it.
Book of the
Bright Ages: After one week of study, an evil character
will begin to grow older at twice the normal
rate. This effect lasts
until a limited wish spell is used to counteract
it.
Tome of Saintly
Sanity: An evil character who studies
this book
has a 5% chance per day, cumulative, of contracting
some form of
insanity(see
DMG, p. 83). <see Dragon #138>
Book of the Blind:
An evil character who studies this book will
lose the use of his eyes at the end of one week
of study. A cure blindness
spell will get rid of the affliction for 1-4
days; a remove curse
spell will bring back the character's sight permanently.
Runes of Possession:
This type of book has a magical intelligence.
An evil character who studies it for as much
as one week must save
vs. spell at -2 each day thereafter or be possessed
by the book. The
effect of possession is similar to a quest spell,
forcing the owner to
attempt to make amends for all the evil acts
he has performed. Each
time a major act of evil is undone (DM's discretion
as to what "major" is),
the owner is entitled to a saving throw vs. spell
to see if he is
freed from the possession. If the possession
is neutralized by some
magical means, the owner will be freed but will
lose 10,000 xp or
one level of experience, whichever is greater.
History
of Evil Mages and Apprentices: After one week of studying
this book, an evil owner must save vs. spell
at -2 every week
thereafter or be imprisoned in the book in a
manner similar to a
magic jar spell. A brief recounting of the owner?s
life and times will
then appear on one or more of the book?s blank
pages. (Other previous
owners are described on other pages; their life
essences are also
held within the book.) A single owner can be
released from this
captivity by a limited wish or alter reality
spell. If the book is
burned, damaged, or destroyed by non-magical
means, the trapped
characters are still imprisoned within the remains,
and now cannot
be released singly by anything short of a wish
spell. If the book or its
remains is burned, damaged, or destroyed by magical
means, the
captives will be released all at once, but each
must roll less than his
intelligence on d20 or be afflicted with some
form of insanity.
Elfin book: These books are particularly
valuable to elves and
half-elves. When studied by a member of one of those races, the
chance of finding an important clue to a spell is twice the normal
amount.
Cursed tomes: These books can affect
characters of any alignment.
Generally, the owner of a cursed book can only be freed from
the curse by getting rid of the book itself, and this can only be accomplished
by a remove curse spell or something stronger (limited
wish, etc.). Such a spell will either destroy the book outright, or
negate its effect upon the owner (or the owner?s library) and permit
the book to be sold or traded like any other book, if the owner is
successful in making a deal acceptable to a purchaser. The DM can
use typical curses as described in the rules
(such as those on p. 121
of the DMG), or can invent special curses,
a few examples of which
are offered here:
Poison pages: The owner must save vs. poison after each day of
studying, or die. Some of these books do not require immediate
saving throws, but their poison is addictive; if the owner stops studying
the book, he must save vs. poison every week thereafter or lose
1 point of constitution upon
each failed save. XP value 300.
Vampire book: The unlucky owner of this volume will lose one
book at random per week, as the contents of his library
are slowly
drained by the vampire book. The books affected are left with blank
pages, at the same time that these pages reappear in the vampire
book. When another book is drained, the pages of the previously
drained book disappear to make room for the new ones. However,
the title and markings on the cover of the vampire book will not
change, making it difficult and probably time-consuming for the
owner to discover which book is doing the draining. After the owner
of a vampire book notices that the contents of some of his books are
disappearing, he may choose to conduct a search of his library to
find the cause (assuming that he figures out what the cause is). He
must examine books individually to see if their contents match their
covers, or to see if a book now contains writing drained from another
book. This process takes one turn (10 minutes) per book examined,
and the chance of locating the vampire book on any given turn
is expressed as ?one in x,? where ?x? is the number of books in the
library that have not yet been searched. This can be a long and
tedious endeavor for a character who owns a large library, and for
the DM who must determine if and when the search is successful.
(Depending on circumstances, a detect magic spell or other magical
or psionic means may speed the search.) The vampire power will not
function if the book is kept in a metal container by itself, or if
it is
stored at least 10 feet away from any other books. Its power is triggered
1-12 weeks after it is obtained. XP value 600.
Lore of demonkind: At the end of each week that this book is
studied, there is a 10% chance, cumulative, that a demon
will gate
in and attempt to destroy the owner. The book will gate in a Type I
demon if it is valued at 500 gp or less, a Type II demon if valued
at
501 to 1,000 gp, a Type III demon if valued at 1,001 to 1,500 gp,
and so on. XP value 300 for each 500 gp value of the book.
Spell written in code: If the
owner of the book breaks the code and
is able to use the spell he decodes, it can be added to his spell repertoire
immediately. Breaking the code requires a minimum of ld4
weeks of study, after which the owner must roll his experience level
or less on d20. Failure to make this roll means that the code was not
solved, and no further attempt will have a chance of succeeding until
the owner attains the next highest experience level.
Books of
the Dark Powers: These books will adversely affect good-aligned
owners. They are basically the same as the
Books of the
White Mages,
with appropriate name changes (History of Good
Mages and Apprentices, Book of the Dark Ages,
etc.).
Evil, good, or cursed books do not lose their original contents.
Even if their adverse effects are triggered, they still contain information
on spells and may be used in research just like other books, so
long as the owner feels that the benefits they contain are good
enough to offset their liabilities.
END OF ARTICLE
If a magic-user is simply shopping around, trying to build up his library but not being currently involved in actual spell research, it will take one week per 1,000 gp being invested to locate and purchase the desired books.
The only "known" spells not mentioned in the contents of these books are [read magic] and [read illusionist magic], since a spell caster always know one or the other of these as a result of his training.
Important Clue: There is a 3% chance per 100
gp of value of a book that it will contain an important clue to the spell.
If this is the case, the researcher receives a bonus of 1-10% on his
basic chance of success in researching that particular spell.
ENCAMP / MAGIC / RESEARCH
ENCAMP / MAGIC / RESEARCH / STANDARD SPELLS
Basic cost of research:
200 gp* / level / week of work
*2000 gp if a character does not have access
to a library of sufficient value.
Additional cost of materials:
100 to 400 gp / spell level / week of work
Basic chance of success: (10% + *A + *B + *C)
Plus researcher's intelligence;
Plus researcher's experience level;
Minus twice the level of the spell.
*A = The basic 10% chance of success
can be increased up to a maximum of 50% by spending more gold, at the rate
of 2,000 gp per spell level for each 10% increase in the base chance.
*B = The base 10% chance can a increased
if the gp value of a library exceeds the minimum needed
for that spell level, but remember that the base chance can never go above
50%.
*C = 1-10% (important
clue)
ENCAMP / MAGIC / RESEARCH / NON-STANDARD SPELLS
Basic cost of research:
600 gp* / level / week of work
*6000 gp if a character does not have access
to a library of sufficient value.
Additional cost of materials:
100 to 400 gp / spell level / week of work
Basic chance of success: (10% + *A + *B)
Plus researcher's intelligence;
Plus researcher's experience level;
Minus thrice the level of the spell.
**The basic 10% chance of success
can be increased up to a maximum of 50% by spending more gold, at the rate
of 2,000 gp per spell level for each 10% increase in the base chance.
*** The base 10% chance can a increased
if the gp value of a library exceeds the minimum needed
for that spell level, but remember that the base chance can never go above
50%.
If a character has a library of a value higher than the minimum value required for a certain spell, the base chance of success will increase at a rate of 1% for each increment of (2,000 gp x spell level) that the library value exceeds the minimum -- but, as always, the base chance of success can never be raised higher than 50%.
When a magic-user character goes through training to get to a higher level of experience, the character will be able to keep 1-10% of the training cost paid to his master and add it to the value of his own library.
An award of 1% (or perhaps even no reward at all) would be the result of poor performance, and 10% would be the amount given to a character of exemplary conduct and dedication to his profession.
BUILD \ LIBRARY \ PURCHASING BOOKS
EQUIPMENT \ BOOKS
Reduce - Reuse - Recycle