Quick question, why don't they have the spellbook that wizards start with? Also, as a followup, why do you not just want to give them a spellbook?
Also no. A spellbook (excluding magic items that happen to also be spellbooks) aren't inherently magical. By the description, they're just a mundane collection of vellum pages. The content is presumably magic (ie. the spells written on them), but the book itself isn't magic. Theoretically, you could just make your own spellbook by just buying blank pages of paper. Spellbooks aren't some magical item that enable casting, they're a collection of knowledge like any book. It just so happens that these books have knowledge about casting magic.
Ah, that makes more sense. An alternative way to go about it would be with spell scrolls instead of handing them an entire spellbook, as a note. Scrolls are also magic items, and would detect as magic.
But no, casting detect magic won't indicate these pages are anything but non-magic pieces of paper. You could just have a page with an incomplete magic diagram. Badly damaged enough that it can't be used to copy a spell, but just intact enough to indicate it was once a spell. As a bonus, they could make an Arcana check to identify what spell it would have been (with a successful check indicating it being part of a spell they would have interest in).
Also be careful about making learning new spells too difficult. It is a part of the wizard class to be able to learn new spells outside of leveling up (and also one of their defining features that gives them their power as a spellcaster). If it becomes too difficult or rare to learn new spells outside of that, then why wouldn't they just play a sorcerer that doesn't have to worry about it? The player could also feel targeted if other players aren't having to struggle a bunch to fully utilize their class features.
Hey all,
Im running CoS and one of my characters is a wizard and is of course desperate for a spellbook to find some spells.
But, I just don't want to give him a spellbook. I had an idea where they find a wagon that had been turned over and scraps of paper blowing around.
These are intended to be paper from a spellbook from a wizard that has been taken away by something bad.
If the wizard uses detect magic on the pages has anybody ever had it show up as magic?. These would be blank pages without any spells on them
Or with a word or two that hasn't been destroyed by whatever destroyed the book
Quick question, why don't they have the spellbook that wizards start with? Also, as a followup, why do you not just want to give them a spellbook?
Also no. A spellbook (excluding magic items that happen to also be spellbooks) aren't inherently magical. By the description, they're just a mundane collection of vellum pages. The content is presumably magic (ie. the spells written on them), but the book itself isn't magic. Theoretically, you could just make your own spellbook by just buying blank pages of paper. Spellbooks aren't some magical item that enable casting, they're a collection of knowledge like any book. It just so happens that these books have knowledge about casting magic.
He has one
This is just for him to get extra spells as wizards are wont to do.
I don't want to just give him the spellbook as if he wants extra spells in CoS then he has to put some extra work to get it.
There might be some dark power laying a trap to catch a lowly wizard
Ah, that makes more sense. An alternative way to go about it would be with spell scrolls instead of handing them an entire spellbook, as a note. Scrolls are also magic items, and would detect as magic.
But no, casting detect magic won't indicate these pages are anything but non-magic pieces of paper. You could just have a page with an incomplete magic diagram. Badly damaged enough that it can't be used to copy a spell, but just intact enough to indicate it was once a spell. As a bonus, they could make an Arcana check to identify what spell it would have been (with a successful check indicating it being part of a spell they would have interest in).
Also be careful about making learning new spells too difficult. It is a part of the wizard class to be able to learn new spells outside of leveling up (and also one of their defining features that gives them their power as a spellcaster). If it becomes too difficult or rare to learn new spells outside of that, then why wouldn't they just play a sorcerer that doesn't have to worry about it? The player could also feel targeted if other players aren't having to struggle a bunch to fully utilize their class features.
Ohhh, scrolls good idea
Yeah its a fine balancing act. Its all good they got a full party and the spells are gonna be loot at the end of short dungeon.
Nothing too hard