Taking only into account core rulebooks (excluding Tasha's Cauldron or Xanathar's Guide), which classes can transcribe spells into a non magical scroll or a non magical book with the spell written on it?
Is it only Wizards, and limited to wizard spells?
Or more generally: how and who can reproduce spells in a normal, non-magical piece of paper, so that later a character (such as a Wizard or a Warlock with the Book of Ancient Secrets) can find and copy them?
Probably anyone with Ritual Casting I'd argue, since transcribing spells is part of that feature. I'd also probably rule that it would still require the same amount of time and gold to transcribe, since without that you get your cake and eat it too (wizard can copy nonmagic spell while someone else can have the original magic scroll etc)
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I know what you're thinking: "In that flurry of blows, did he use all his ki points, or save one?" Well, are ya feeling lucky, punk?
Taking only into account core rulebooks (excluding Tasha's Cauldron or Xanathar's Guide), which classes can transcribe spells into a non magical scroll or a non magical book with the spell written on it?
Unspecified. Spell formulas that are neither on a scroll nor in a spellbook are not discussed in the rules.
"Or more generally: how and who can reproduce spells in a normal, non-magical piece of paper, so that later a character (such as a Wizard or a Warlock with the Book of Ancient Secrets) can find and copy them?"
Both wizards and tome warlocks can copy magical spell scrolls which can be produced by any character that can cast the spell (DMs decision). Doing so usually destroys the spell scroll (though I don't have the rule handy for that and could be wrong).
Only wizards can create non-magical copies of spells from their spellbooks by copying to other spellbooks (which could just be spearate non-magical pieces of paper in a folder). Wizards and tome warlocks can copy spells from spellbooks (even if it is a single page) into their spellbooks (only rituals in the case of a tome warlock). Costs are described in their respective class features.
Tome warlocks do not have a mechanism to create copies of their spells.
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The basic rules in the DMG contain few constraints on the creation of magic items. A spell scroll is a magic item even if the paper used starts off as non-magical.
"If a spell will be produced by the item being created, the creator must expend one spell slot of the spell's level for each day of the creation process. The spell's material components must also be at hand throughout the process. If the spell normally consumes those components, they are consumed by the creation process. If the item will be able to produce the spell only once, as with a spell scroll, the components are consumed only once by the process. Otherwise, the components are consumed once each day of the item's creation."
Any character that can cast the spell can produce a spell scroll. Costs are listed in the DMG but whether the method of producing the scroll and the costs involved apply to your game is entirely the choice of the DM.
"Magic items are the DM's purview, so you decide how they fall into the party's possession. As an option, you can allow player characters to craft magic items."
In game, creation of magic items by PCs is entirely optional and up to the DM.
Xanathar's contains optional rules for creating spell scrolls.
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However, if you are talking about creating non-magical instructions on how a spell could be cast that could be copied into a spellbook then the only class with an explicit ability like this is a wizard. From their copying spells into their spellbook or creating backup copies of their spellbook - a wizard can create non-magical copies of the spell instructions. The only use for these is for the wizard to them as backup copies or for another wizard to copy them to their spellbook. No one can cast these spells - you can't cast spells from a spellbook at all except for rituals - and then only wizards if the spell is in their own spellbook.
"Copying a Spell into the Book. When you find a wizard spell of 1st level or higher, you can add it to your spellbook if it is of a spell level you can prepare and if you can spare the time to decipher and copy it.
Copying that spell into your spellbook involves reproducing the basic form of the spell, then deciphering the unique system of notation used by the wizard who wrote it. You must practice the spell until you understand the sounds or gestures required, then transcribe it into your spellbook using your own notation.
For each level of the spell, the process takes 2 hours and costs 50 gp. The cost represents material components you expend as you experiment with the spell to master it, as well as the fine inks you need to record it. Once you have spent this time and money, you can prepare the spell just like your other spells.
Replacing the Book. You can copy a spell from your own spellbook into another book—for example, if you want to make a backup copy of your spellbook. This is just like copying a new spell into your spellbook, but faster and easier, since you understand your own notation and already know how to cast the spell. You need spend only 1 hour and 10 gp for each level of the copied spell.
If you lose your spellbook, you can use the same procedure to transcribe the spells that you have prepared into a new spellbook. Filling out the remainder of your spellbook requires you to find new spells to do so, as normal. For this reason, many wizards keep backup spellbooks in a safe place."
For all other classes, written instructions without the power to be cast are useless since it has nothing to do with how they cast their spells.
Also, the book of ancient secrets feature doesn't require a nonmagical transcription, you can start with a spell scroll; the fact that you would be unable to cast the spell from the scroll does not prevent you copying it.
Ok guys, so if I decide to allow this in my campaigns, I will rule that only the Wizard class has the ability to copy a magical spell scroll into a non magical scroll/book.
Both wizards and tome warlocks can copy magical spell scrolls which can be produced by any character that can cast the spell (DMs decision). Doing so usually destroys the spell scroll (though I don't have the rule handy for that and could be wrong).
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Yes, you're right. I assume you're referring to DMG p. 200, about the item Spell Scroll:
A wizard spell on a spell scroll can be copied just as spells in spellbooks can be copied. When a spell is copied from a spell scroll, the copier must succeed on an Intelligence (Arcana) check with a DC equal to 10 + the spell’s level. If the check succeeds, the spell is successfully copied. Whether the check succeeds or fails, the spell scroll is destroyed.
By RAW, there's no mechanic for copying down the formula of a spell if you're not a Wizard studying a Wizard spell or have Ritual Caster/BoAS and are studying a ritual.
Really getting into the lore, it's more a matter that only Wizard spells and rituals can be transcribed in a complete and useable manner. Sorcerers are explicitly channeling an internal power, Rangers and Bards are a little more ambiguous but have the same connotations of utilizing a personal connection to nature or music respectively as the foundation for their spells, and Clerics, Druids, Paladins, and Warlocks are all sourcing their spells from external beings/forces. Wizards as a whole operate by breaking a spell down to the point where they understand the components to make a reproduceable effect without the need for any of those wishy-washy subjective factors other classes use, which is why they can crib from each others' notes easily, and the same principle seems to apply for Rituals, with the feat representing gaining the background to understand how to break a ritual down into its components. You can't really copy down the full set of components/formulae for the way the other classes cast spells because they're using unquantifiable elements in their casting.
Taking only into account core rulebooks (excluding Tasha's Cauldron or Xanathar's Guide), which classes can transcribe spells into a non magical scroll or a non magical book with the spell written on it?
Is it only Wizards, and limited to wizard spells?
Or more generally: how and who can reproduce spells in a normal, non-magical piece of paper, so that later a character (such as a Wizard or a Warlock with the Book of Ancient Secrets) can find and copy them?
Probably anyone with Ritual Casting I'd argue, since transcribing spells is part of that feature. I'd also probably rule that it would still require the same amount of time and gold to transcribe, since without that you get your cake and eat it too (wizard can copy nonmagic spell while someone else can have the original magic scroll etc)
I know what you're thinking: "In that flurry of blows, did he use all his ki points, or save one?" Well, are ya feeling lucky, punk?
Unspecified. Spell formulas that are neither on a scroll nor in a spellbook are not discussed in the rules.
Shorter answer :) ..
"Or more generally: how and who can reproduce spells in a normal, non-magical piece of paper, so that later a character (such as a Wizard or a Warlock with the Book of Ancient Secrets) can find and copy them?"
Both wizards and tome warlocks can copy magical spell scrolls which can be produced by any character that can cast the spell (DMs decision). Doing so usually destroys the spell scroll (though I don't have the rule handy for that and could be wrong).
Only wizards can create non-magical copies of spells from their spellbooks by copying to other spellbooks (which could just be spearate non-magical pieces of paper in a folder). Wizards and tome warlocks can copy spells from spellbooks (even if it is a single page) into their spellbooks (only rituals in the case of a tome warlock). Costs are described in their respective class features.
Tome warlocks do not have a mechanism to create copies of their spells.
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The basic rules in the DMG contain few constraints on the creation of magic items. A spell scroll is a magic item even if the paper used starts off as non-magical.
"If a spell will be produced by the item being created, the creator must expend one spell slot of the spell's level for each day of the creation process. The spell's material components must also be at hand throughout the process. If the spell normally consumes those components, they are consumed by the creation process. If the item will be able to produce the spell only once, as with a spell scroll, the components are consumed only once by the process. Otherwise, the components are consumed once each day of the item's creation."
Any character that can cast the spell can produce a spell scroll. Costs are listed in the DMG but whether the method of producing the scroll and the costs involved apply to your game is entirely the choice of the DM.
"Magic items are the DM's purview, so you decide how they fall into the party's possession. As an option, you can allow player characters to craft magic items."
In game, creation of magic items by PCs is entirely optional and up to the DM.
Xanathar's contains optional rules for creating spell scrolls.
--------------------
However, if you are talking about creating non-magical instructions on how a spell could be cast that could be copied into a spellbook then the only class with an explicit ability like this is a wizard. From their copying spells into their spellbook or creating backup copies of their spellbook - a wizard can create non-magical copies of the spell instructions. The only use for these is for the wizard to them as backup copies or for another wizard to copy them to their spellbook. No one can cast these spells - you can't cast spells from a spellbook at all except for rituals - and then only wizards if the spell is in their own spellbook.
"Copying a Spell into the Book. When you find a wizard spell of 1st level or higher, you can add it to your spellbook if it is of a spell level you can prepare and if you can spare the time to decipher and copy it.
Copying that spell into your spellbook involves reproducing the basic form of the spell, then deciphering the unique system of notation used by the wizard who wrote it. You must practice the spell until you understand the sounds or gestures required, then transcribe it into your spellbook using your own notation.
For each level of the spell, the process takes 2 hours and costs 50 gp. The cost represents material components you expend as you experiment with the spell to master it, as well as the fine inks you need to record it. Once you have spent this time and money, you can prepare the spell just like your other spells.
Replacing the Book. You can copy a spell from your own spellbook into another book—for example, if you want to make a backup copy of your spellbook. This is just like copying a new spell into your spellbook, but faster and easier, since you understand your own notation and already know how to cast the spell. You need spend only 1 hour and 10 gp for each level of the copied spell.
If you lose your spellbook, you can use the same procedure to transcribe the spells that you have prepared into a new spellbook. Filling out the remainder of your spellbook requires you to find new spells to do so, as normal. For this reason, many wizards keep backup spellbooks in a safe place."
For all other classes, written instructions without the power to be cast are useless since it has nothing to do with how they cast their spells.
Also, the book of ancient secrets feature doesn't require a nonmagical transcription, you can start with a spell scroll; the fact that you would be unable to cast the spell from the scroll does not prevent you copying it.
Ok guys, so if I decide to allow this in my campaigns, I will rule that only the Wizard class has the ability to copy a magical spell scroll into a non magical scroll/book.
Thanks for your answers!
Yes, you're right. I assume you're referring to DMG p. 200, about the item Spell Scroll:
BTW, this is an interesting related post: Scribing Spell Scroll To Spellbook
IIRC only Wizard and Ritual Caster need to copy known spells on nonmagical spellbook or ritual book.
Magical spell scroll is a different thing.
By RAW, there's no mechanic for copying down the formula of a spell if you're not a Wizard studying a Wizard spell or have Ritual Caster/BoAS and are studying a ritual.
Really getting into the lore, it's more a matter that only Wizard spells and rituals can be transcribed in a complete and useable manner. Sorcerers are explicitly channeling an internal power, Rangers and Bards are a little more ambiguous but have the same connotations of utilizing a personal connection to nature or music respectively as the foundation for their spells, and Clerics, Druids, Paladins, and Warlocks are all sourcing their spells from external beings/forces. Wizards as a whole operate by breaking a spell down to the point where they understand the components to make a reproduceable effect without the need for any of those wishy-washy subjective factors other classes use, which is why they can crib from each others' notes easily, and the same principle seems to apply for Rituals, with the feat representing gaining the background to understand how to break a ritual down into its components. You can't really copy down the full set of components/formulae for the way the other classes cast spells because they're using unquantifiable elements in their casting.
When you say Ritual Caster, are your refering to the feat?
Yes