Grimoires

Grimoires are nearly indestructible books that contain spells that are usable over and over again. Their very natures make grimoires valuable objects of great importance to spellcasters of all sorts.

The spells written in grimoires can be cast over and over again without them disappearing. A book’s value is judged by the individual spells that it contains. It is no wonder, then, that many of these volumes are priceless. Each page of a grimoire is usually a sheet of metal, treated parchment, or a metallic stone slab. There is no such thing as a “typical” grimoire. Each is unique in content, weight, size, and usefulness. All, however, are highly lusted after. Grimoires are almost never bought and sold; usually they are stolen, jealously held unto, or traded for something of great power.

Using a Grimoire: Casting Spells

Casting a spell from a grimoire is just like using a scroll except that there is a XP cost, and it requires a full-round action. The XP cost is the grimoire’s caster level divided by 5 x the spell’s level. Caster levels for grimoires are limited to 5th (1 XP per spell level), 10th (2 XP per spell level), 15th (3 XP per spell level), 20th (4 XP per spell level), 25th (5 XP per spell level), etc. 0th-level spells are considered 1st-level spells for determining their XP cost.

No material components are necessary except those that equal or exceed 10 gp in value.

When dividing XP cost between numerous willing people; the XP cost must be the same for all targets, including the caster, and must still cover the XP cost (round up until every target loses the same amount). One’s name must be written or engraved inside the grimoire’s binding to be able to cast spells from it and/or donate XP (this includes the caster). The inscribed must willingly choose whether or not to give up XP for a spell being cast. Names can never be erased without destroying the binding.

Using a Grimoire: Crafting Items

Some grimoires are specially created to serve mages in creating magical items, scribing scrolls, and brewing magical potions. Along with the recordings of the proper spells, there usually includes a simple set of instructions on how to make specific items. With these instructions, a mage can craft items without the prerequisite feats usually required. They must be of the proper level to cast the spells required, however. The crafter still must spend 1/25 of the base price (see DMG) in XP. The crafter must still provide the required gold piece amount in materials. For mages who have the creation feats already, the grimoire gives hints as to how to save time. This means that it requires one day’s work for every 2,000 gp of an item’s base price.

Creating a Grimoire

The grimoire must be bound before spells are scribed into it. Each parchment page costs 2 gp; each metal pagecosts 10 gp; each stone page costs 15 gp. Masterwork binding costs 150 gp. The Scribe Scroll feat is a prerequisite for creating a grimoire. First, the creator must choose the caster level of the grimoire (5th, 10th, 15th, 20th, etc.). The cost for scribing a spell into a grimoire is the spell level x grimoire’s caster level x 50 gp. In addition, the material components regularly needed must be provided as though for a single casting of the spell. It also costs 1/10 of the above gold piece amount in XP. It takes one day per 500 gp to scribe a spell. Spells take up one page per spell level if of parchment, one page per three spell levels if of metal, and one page per five spell levels if of stone. A successful Craft check (DC 20) is required to complete each page (i.e. Craft (acid etching), Craft (calligraphy), Craft (engraving), Craft (stone carving), etc.).

Scribing instructional pages for item creation costs one XP per page and take up the equivalent of one spell level’s worth of space per 1,000 gp of the item or enhancement’s price. The inscriber must have the prerequisites to create the item normally before writing instructions.

Repairing or Expanding a Grimoire

Destroyed pages can be replaced. Lost spell material can be scribed onto a new page, costing the same as it would to normally scribe the spell into a grimoire. (Note: This may be a fraction of a spell’s regular cost because only part of a spell may have been lost.) Pages can be added as well. Added pages must be constructed exactly like those already bound. In addition, it costs 50 XP to add a single blank page.

Statistics

Parchment pages for grimoires weigh a minimum of one pound per fifty pages (Hardness 6, 6 hp, Break DC 15). Metal pages weigh a minimum of one pound per two pages (Hardness 15, 6 hp, Break DC 20). Stone pages weigh a minimum of two pounds per page (Hardness 13, 20 hp, Break DC 25). Binding material to cover a grimoire varies considerably in weight and construction.

Sample Grimoire

Grimoire of Krelix: Caster level 10th; XP Cost 2 per spell level; 72 (4-1/2 blank) parchment pages (hp 6, hardness 6, Break DC 15); Weight 1-1/2 lbs.

0th: detect magic, detect poison, ghost sound, lantern*, mage hand, prestidigitation, read magic, resistance, spell claw*.

1st: comprehend languages, detect secret doors, identify, mage armor, shield.

2nd: (M’s) acid arrow, cat’s grace, detect thoughts, invisibility, see invisibility.

3rd: fireball, fly, greensphere, tongues.

4th: dimension door, lesser globe of invulnerability, scrying, stoneskin.

5th: contact other plane, overland flight, prying eyes, wall of force.

Cost 34,144 gp (150 gp [binding], 144 gp [pages], 33,750 gp [spells], 100 gp [material components]) + 3,375 XP.

Written by David Jones Wednesday, 21 December 2011 11:23