House Rules - Scribing and Spellbooks

Scribing and Spellbooks

Item	Cost	Weight
Jewelbook, 100 facets	90 shillings	-
Jewelbook, 150 facets	110 shillings	-
Jewelbook, 200 facets	130 shillings	-
Moltvellum, 1 sheet	3 pennies	-
Moltvellum Book, 100 pages	17 shillings	2 lbs.
Ribbonscroll, 100 folds	22 shillings	⅓ lb.
Ribbonscroll, 150 folds	30 shillings	½ lb.
Ribbonscroll, 200 folds	45 shillings	1 lb.

This is a collection of equipment generally used as books or scrolls, or as substitutes for books or scrolls, or in the creation of books and scrolls. Although most of the items listed here may be used for arcane writings and magical scrolls, they can also be used for more mundane purposes.

This list uses several abbreviations to show what sourcebook the entries were drawn from. For guidance as to what sourcebooks these abbreviations reference, see my key to Sourcebook Abbreviations.

All of the material contained on this page and other pages of this blog is presented in accordance with the terms of the Open Game License.

Jewelbook: These "books are common among dwarves, often being used as spellbooks. Using shaping (gemcutting) and Craft Wondrous Item, text is inscribed in the jewel's facts. When the jewel is handled in a particular way, turning the facts just so, a page of text appears, visible only to the wielder. A jewelbook requires a gem worth at least 45 shillings with 100 total facets (inside and out). A jewelbook can have more facets - and therefore more pages - at an additional 1 shilling per 5 facets.

A jewelbook can be read only with a successful DC 25 Decipher Script check or read magic. Inscribing a new page of text in a jewelbook costs 75 shillings for materials and effort. if used as a spellbook, inscribing a spell costs 150 shillings per page.

Creating a jewelbook requires the crafter to have 4+ ranks of Craft: Gemcutting, the Craft Wondrous Item feat, and the ability to cast shaping (gemcutting). It requires raw materials worth half the cost of the finished jewelbook consisting of an appropriate gemstone, and ¹/₂₅ the total shilling cost in experience points. For example, creating a 150 facet jewelbook requires a gem worth 55 shillings and 4 experience points.

Moltvellum: This material is made from molted lizardfolk skin using shaping  (alchemy) and treating it with special substances to create moltvellum. After being treated this way, it is effectively nothing but fine parchment. particularly important documents or records are written on this material. Moltvellum can be used to make scrolls and spellbooks.

Ribbonscroll: Made of silk, linen, or vellum (including moltvellum), a ribbonscroll looks like a decorative sash. it is, in fact, a useful writing surface. The material of a ribbonscroll has intricate folds, each the equivalent to a page, allowing it to store many more "pages" than is apparent. Only by unfolding it in a precise way is the information visible in a coherent fashion. A ribbonscroll weighs one-tenth the amount of a book of an equivalent page count. it is resistant to water and soiling, and rips and other minor damage can be repaired without losing text.

A successful DC 20 Spot check or DC 15 Search check discerns that a ribbonscroll is more than just a decorative sash. Reading individual ribbonscroll folds requires no skill other than knowing the language used. Making sense of the total context requires a successful DC 20 Decipher Script check.

If used as a spellbook, inscribing a new spell in a ribbonscroll costs 150 shillings per page.

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