Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Thanlok 02-11-06, 10:43 AM	I recently bought a spell book on an AR. It was from one of the bad guys we beat. Someone at the table told me there is a way to spend TU's and learn the whole book. I just was wondering...... What are my options of learning spells from the book? Can I learn the whole thing? How does learning spells work? Thanks for the help, Thanlok of Ket
redgamer 02-11-06, 01:08 PM	The rules are in the LGCS. I believe it cost 1 TU and you have to make the spellcraft DC and can only try once per mod.
Mortepierre 02-11-06, 01:34 PM	Q: Can my character use the “mastering spellbooks” rule from Complete Arcane to use a foreign spellbook like his/her own? A: Yes. As presented in Chapter Five of that book, you may make a Spellcraft check (DC 25 + the highest-level spell in the spellbook) during an adventure to forever after use the acquired spellbook as though it was your own. The DM should witness the skill check, and note the result in the Play Notes section of the Adventure Record for that adventure. Only one skill check of this kind may be attempted per adventure played. Mastering a foreign spellbook costs 2 time units (TU) per spellbook mastered, regardless of size. You may only master a foreign spellbook at the conclusion of an adventure. The DM should deduct the TU cost on the adventure record in the “Added TU Costs” box, and the reason for the deduction (“Mastering Spellbook”) should appear in the Play Notes section of the adventure record. Given the DC, I hope you're really good at Spellcraft...
Maesto 02-11-06, 10:51 PM	Note that you're allowed to take 10 on the check. It isn't actually all that hard to do. For instance, to get any book, no matter how hard, you need +24 to spellcraft. Sure, it doesn't come quickly, but by 10th level or so you should be able to get there: 13 ranks +2 synergy bonus from knowledge arcana Int 22 (using headband+4 & stat boosts at 4 and 8) gives a +6 bonus total of +21 Sure, that only gets you to 6th level spells, but it's also fairly conservative. Skill focus will get you an extra 3, magical aptitude(?) I think gives you another +2, meta-orgs can get you up to another +4, and it's also quite feasible to have a higher intelligence. To master fairly typical spellbooks, only ~+18 is required, which is certainly doable. Jolyon Who plays Maesto Silverstreak, Wizard with +36 to spellcraft. "Strange and unique magical effects, I tell you! Tell me all about them!"
Mortepierre 02-12-06, 04:11 AM	.. but by 10th level or so you should be able to get there .. which is more than halfway through the life expectancy of your character. It bothers me a bit that only high-level wizards can pull this off. A 5th level wizard should be able to master a spellbook filled with nothing but 1st level spells. Instead, he has to succeed a DC 26 check. Not impossible (he should have +13 to +15 by the time he hits 5th lvl) but still only a 50/50 chance. The rule should have used a DC 20 + lvl of the highest spell instead. Still tough for beginners but easier once you begin to get stronger.
TallGuy 02-13-06, 09:30 AM	.. which is more than halfway through the life expectancy of your character. It bothers me a bit that only high-level wizards can pull this off. A 5th level wizard should be able to master a spellbook filled with nothing but 1st level spells. Instead, he has to succeed a DC 26 check. Not impossible (he should have +13 to +15 by the time he hits 5th lvl) but still only a 50/50 chance. The rule should have used a DC 20 + lvl of the highest spell instead. Still tough for beginners but easier once you begin to get stronger. The DC is straight from Complete Arcane or Complete Adventurer. Don't blame Living Greyhawk for a rule that's from the D&D designers. The Circle just gives you the possibility to use that rule.
Mortepierre 02-14-06, 07:07 AM	Did I say I was blaming them? I was speaking of the rule itself. Since that rule comes straight from CAr, I thought it was obvious I blamed the author of that book, not LG or the circle.
Maesto 02-14-06, 08:15 AM	On the other hand, you don't _have_ to automatically make the check. You _do_ get to roll a dice, and in LG, unlike in CA, we're allowed to try after every module (although this could get TU expensive). Most wizards will make the check on a good roll, regardless of level. Jolyon
Lomiat 02-14-06, 10:26 AM	.. which is more than halfway through the life expectancy of your character. It bothers me a bit that only high-level wizards can pull this off. A 5th level wizard should be able to master a spellbook filled with nothing but 1st level spells. Instead, he has to succeed a DC 26 check. Not impossible (he should have +13 to +15 by the time he hits 5th lvl) but still only a 50/50 chance. The rule should have used a DC 20 + lvl of the highest spell instead. Still tough for beginners but easier once you begin to get stronger. Humbug! Low-level wizards are hardly masters of their craft. Certainly, you might think that a 5th-wizard ought to understand everything there is to know about lowly 1st-level spells, but by only 5th-level it's highly unlikely a young wizard has trained his mind to wrap around all the various stylistic permutations other mages use to conceal their craft or to try to short-cut their spellcasting by half a second. These variations can cause the indiscriminate young wizard some serious difficulty when he or she tries to cast spells for the first time. Nonetheless, a 5th-level wizard with a +6 INT (Grey Elf min-maxed, plus Headband +2) and max ranks in Spellcraft, plus the synergy bonus, can master a book of 1st-level spells simply by taking 10, no feats involved.
boolean 02-15-06, 08:13 AM	On the other hand, you don't _have_ to automatically make the check. You _do_ get to roll a dice, and in LG, unlike in CA, we're allowed to try after every module (although this could get TU expensive). Most wizards will make the check on a good roll, regardless of level. Are you sure about that? The LGCS only says that you are limited to one attempt per mod i.e. if you own three captured spellbooks, you can only try to master one after a mod. It doesn't seem to me that it modifies the restriction regarding failure.