Hereafter follow descriptions of some
of the major magical tomes of the
Realms. They are defined in terms of
appearance, history, and contents. In
cases wherein the tome contains new
or unique spells, those are also listed in
standard PH format.
The Spells of the Forgotten Realms
On these pages is a table showing all the unique spells
described both in this volume and in the FORGOTTEN
REALMS™ DM’s Sourcebook. It serves as a complete reference
for spells unique to the Forgotten Realms as described
up to the publication date of The Magister. More spells will
probably be described in later books.
These spells are those known by Elminster
to be in the
books described. Some of them may very well pop up in other
books carried by other mages who have not made their
spell collection known to Elminster. As described in the histories
of each of these books, many of them have had many
holders, with ample opportunity for others to copy the spells
into their own orizons.
Availability of Spells in the
Forgotten Realms
There are three categories of access to AD&D®
game spells in
the Forgotten Realms: common, rare, and unique.
Common spells are spells that any wizard can gain access
to as long as his Intelligence permits him to assimilate the
spell. They are spells and cantrips common in the Realms for
centuries, and almost everyone, not just magic-users, knows
about them and their effects. The names of their creators
have long since been lost. They have generic names like magic
missile or charm person.
Rare spells are not so rare as their name implies. These are
the “named” spells such as the various Bigby’s hands, Tenser’s
Disk, Leomund’s assorted shelter spells, etc. Their creators
(or at least popularizers) are still known. Apprentices are not
commonly taught these spells as a matter of course, and a
wizard may not have one in his repertoire because he has
never been taught it or researched it, rather than just not
being able to assimilate it.
Still, these spells are well known at least by name to most of
the magical fraternity. The knowledge of these names is actually
something of a puzzle to those who consider such things.
The wizards for whom the spells are named in the AD&D
rulebooks are all Greyhawk wizards, and most of their histories
will be somewhat described in upcoming Greyhawk
sourcebooks. Why do these Forgotten Realms spells carry
their names?
There are several answers. One simple answer is that they
don’t carry those names—they were invented by other wizards
entirely, but it is a lot simpler for the AD&D game player
and DM’s to assimilate if they carry over the Greyhawk
names for the sake of play. Another answer is that the wizards
did some gate traveling and brought their spells to the
Forgotten Realms, perhaps starting the entire study of magic
in the Realms. Another is “parallel development.” Wizards
with exactly the same names created exactly the same spells
in the Forgotten Realms as their namesakes did in Greyhawk.
The DM can make his own choice as to which to promulgate
as the true word.
Unique spells are those that are only found in obscure
spellbooks, such as those described herein.
| Level | Spell Name | School | Book |
| can. | Catfeet | (Alteration) | SS |
| can. | Cut | (Alteration) | TA |
| can. | Gallop | (Alteration) | TA |
| can. | Horn | (Evocation) | GW |
| can. | Listen | (Alteration) | GW |
| can. | Scorch | (Alteration) | GW |
| can. | Snatch | (Evocation) | SS |
| can. | Spark | (Evocation) | SS |
| can. | Sting | (Alteration) | TA |
| 1 | Catapult | (Alteration) | DL |
| 1 | Detho's Delirium | (Necromantic) | DL |
| 1 | Spidereyes | (Alteration) | LOL |
Pages from the Mages
A quartet of long-lost magical manuals
by Ed Greenwood
It is surprising how few spell books are
found in tombs and ruins, given the great
profusion of magic users running about,
isn’t it? But perhaps not: the fascination
and value of such works is enough to
excite even the richest and mightiest
passersby, and as a result, few of these
books remain long undisturbed.
The sage Elminster has records of a
good many, however, whose whereabouts
are unknown to him, and which he believes
presently lost to human use. (Interested
DMs may find these appropriate
for use as dungeon treasures or as components
of a mage’s Iibrary.) A selection
of four sample texts from Elminster’s records
follow.
| Mhzentul's Runes | The Book of the Silver Talon | The Chambeeleon | - | - |
More Pages from the Mages
The Latest Words of Wisdom from Elminster
the Sage
by Ed Greenwood
On his most recent visit, my good
friend Elminster came through the
gate
from the Realms into a gentle snowfall.
On his walk through the darkening ravine
to my garden gate, he passed a
neighbor’s house, and through its floor-to-
ceiling windows he saw a swimming
pool and in or around it a bevy of young
bikini-clad women. He came in my back
door muttering and shaking his head.
“How they keep from catching their
deaths of the chill is beyond my knowledge,”
he said to me over a mug of hot
cocoa, “. . . and such a waste of good
talent, too!”
I raised my eyebrows. “Talent?”
Elminster snorted at my inference. “At
least four I saw had the Power; fairly
bursting with the hunger for the Art that
all good apprentices have — and yet no
tutors, no scrolls! Such a pity . . .”
“No tutoring here, mind you,” I warned
him. “The Power, loosed here, would
soon —”
He waved an impatient hand. “Yes,
yes, I’m fully aware of that. Who put the
Decree of Magical Limitations before the
Council of Far Travellers in the first
place, anyway?”
“And yet,” I reminded him, “you’ve told
me more than once that magic does exist
here, and even used to be as dominant
here as in the Realms. You let me publish
details of some magical books, too.” (Editor’s
note: See “Pages from the Mages”
in DRAGON™ issue #62.)
“That’s to tell those who are most interested
that the Art is available to them,”
the sage answered. “But not here; they
must seek it in the Realms. I think I’ll
have to give you some more information
about lost and missing books of magic,
to whet the appetites of those maids I
saw, if naught else.”
“Oh,” I sighed, reaching for a pencil
and failing to entirely hide my eagerness,
“all right . . .”
Accordingly, here are another four selections
from Elminster’s notes, describing
books of magical importance whose
present whereabouts are unknown. If
you feel a stirring within as you read on,
seek you a way to the Realms. But you
will find no clues to your route here, for
that is part of the test. . . .
| The Magister | Seven Fingers (The Life of Thorstag) | The Nathlum | The Workbook | - |
Pages from the Mages III
Four more magic books, courtesy of Elminster
by Ed Greenwood
It's possible to wheedle things out of
Elminster -- I'm learning ways and means
of doing so rapidly. The old sage called me a
"smooth-tongued snake" when he was in
his cups during his last visit, so perhaps he?s
becoming reluctant to reveal more about the
magic of the Realms -- but I did manage to
coax out of him details of another four
mystic tomes, and here they are.
| Aubayreer's Workbook | Orjalun's Arbatel | - | The Scalamagdrion | The Tome of the Covenant |
Pages from the Mages IV
More long-lost magical lore from Elminster
by Ed Greenwood
Elminster sat at ease in my garden,
watching bats fly out to hunt
in the gathering
dusk. His pipe reeked of something
worse than usual; a green smoke winking
with sparks hung around him. Crickets
sang, back in the trees, and both cats
prowled, appearing now and then to listen
to Elminster. The sage talked for a while (as
is his wont) of kings and wars and laws in
the Realms, but before long his discourse
drifted around (as I knew it would) to magic
? magic lost and forgotten, magic newcreated
or rediscovered, magic dangerous
and beautiful. I steered a mug of cocoa into
his hand and asked, ?But how are all these
lost spells known of??
Elminster snorted. ?An? by clumsy words
like that ye seek to steer me into spewing
out the secrets o? more spellbooks? For
shame, lad!?
?Shame? Me?? I replied in mock astonishment.
?Aye ? I?ll grant that ye and shame are
strangers,? Elminster grunted. ?So I suppose
I?ll have to be talking. . . . Another
four lost but no doubt still extant tomes,
then?? The cat that is almost entirely black
(Stardust?s the name; I didn?t name her)
leapt into his lap and started to purr. ?Aye,
indeed,? the sage said affectionately, stroking
her. (After a few minutes of talk she fell
asleep, but I hadn?t the heart to tell him.)
Culled from the verbal meanderings of the
next couple of hours are these four new
descriptions of spell books, and their unusual
contents, lost but not forgotten:
| Bowgentle's Book | The Spellbook of Daimos | - | Book of Num "the Mad" | Briel's Book of Shadows |
Pages from the Mages V
From Elminster, to Ed, to you — more lore
by Ed Greenwood
Strangely, there is nothing Elminster likes
better than sitting in a canoe, his blazing
pipe between his teeth, and looking up at
what must to him be completely unfamiliar
stars as I paddle slowly, softly down the
river on warm summer nights. He likes to
watch the fireflies wink and glow (his pipesmoke
keeps the mosquitoes -- and, indeed,
everything else -- away) in the darkness
under the trees, and talk of legends and
scary tales of the Realms, and of magic. He
hasn?t yet figured out that the lifejacket I
make him wear has one of those tiny tape
recorders in it, and he knows I can?t take
notes while paddling, so he doesn?t mind
telling me all about more lost spell books
(figuring I'll have forgotten everything after
a long night of chatting, and several
drinks). I'd feel more guilty about my small
deception if I hadn't seen him swipe a bottle
of Bailey's Irish Cream from my mantelpiece
just before he trotted off to the gate to
the Realms last time. I wonder if he?ll have
worked out how to make the stuff in the
Realms before his next visit. . . .
I have accumulated details of another
four spellbooks by the above method, and
here they are.
| Sabirine's Specular | Glanvyl's Workbook | - | The Red Book of War | The Alcaister |
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