Optimizing Scholar's Touch?

[Rubik]

The text (found here (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/iw/20041210b&page=2)) is as follows:

Scholar's Touch
Divination
Level: Bard 1, cleric 1, sorcerer/wizard 1
Components: V, S, M, F
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Personal
Target: One book/round
Duration: Concentration up to 1 round/level
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: No

With this spell you can touch a book or scroll and absorb the knowledge contained within as if you had just read it. This is equivalent to a solid reading but not deep study -- the character does not gain perfect recall of the information, just whatever he would have gotten from reading it completely once. If you can't read the language of the source, the spell has no effect. This spell cannot be used to prepare spells or to cast magical scrolls, nor does it have any effect when reading a magical book (such as a tome of understanding).

Material Component: A scrap of parchment and a pinch of tinder

Focus: A thin crystal disc.
Scholar's Touch is a 1st level spell which allows you to read one nonmagical book per round. It gives you a good idea of what's in the book, but unless you have eidetic memory, you don't gain perfect knowledge of what's there, and it would likely answer any questions you had in mind when touching the book, assuming it contained the answers you seek. It's not spelled out, but I imagine it would grant a circumstance bonus on Knowledge checks for related information that isn't directly contained in the book in question.

Assuming you take 10 with a +5 skill bonus (or have a +14 bonus normally), Autohypnosis would allow you to recall anything in the book perfectly, thereby granting you eidetic memory where the books you've absorbed are concerned. This would help you later on, for when you need specific information but it's been awhile since you last read the information. It would also help in cross-referencing, I imagine, since you know every page by heart.

Persistent Spell would allow the spell to last 24 hours, which is excellent for a reading binge.

Spectral Hand may allow you to touch books at up to Medium range. You could read all the books you want without moving around from bookshelf to bookshelf.

It's too bad the spell is restricted to one book per round. Is there some way to bypass that restriction? Are there any other ways you can think of to improve the efficacy of the Scholar's Touch spell?

[Juntao112]

Chain spell?

[Rubik]

Chain spell?The target is yourself, so it's not Chainable, I'm afraid.

I suppose the Spell Flower spell (which allows you to hold a different touch spell in each forelimb) could work, if you Chain Scholar's Touch that way (or cast it multiple times). Extra limbs, through grafts or soulmelds or multiple bodies (see: dvati) could grant extra books per round.

[Juntao112]

The target is yourself, so it's not Chainable, I'm afraid.

"Target: One book/round"

[IAmTehDave]

The target is yourself, so it's not Chainable, I'm afraid.

I suppose the Spell Flower spell (which allows you to hold a different touch spell in each forelimb) could work, if you Chain Scholar's Touch that way (or cast it multiple times). Extra limbs, through grafts or soulmelds or multiple bodies (see: dvati) could grant extra books per round.

Also: @Juntao112

Chain Spell's text states: Any spell that specifies a single target and has a range greater than touch can be chained. [...]

The target is 1 book/round. The RANGE is Personal. Chain Spell wouldn't work because the RANGE is personal. If you could somehow change the range to ray, then you could chain it to read 1+CL books/round. (Since Chain Spell lets you increase the targets.)

Other than that, share spell with your Familiar, and have it cover half the library while you cover the other half. Compare notes over the next few days?

Edit: Alternatively, you could weasel the DM into letting you "share spell" Scholar's Touch and have your familiar's touch attacks against the books feed you.

[Cavir]

Probably not legal but ... :smallbiggrin:

1) Permanent Comprehend Languages
2) Persist/Reach Scholar's Touch
3) Scrying spell that allows above spell to pass through
4) Read nearly every book in the world without ever leaving home! (PROFIT!)

[TuggyNE]

Probably not legal but ... :smallbiggrin:

1) Permanent Comprehend Languages
2) Persist/Reach Scholar's Touch
3) Scrying spell that allows above spell to pass through
4) Read nearly every book in the world without ever leaving home! (PROFIT!)

Yeah, it's not legal, because as far as I know there's no scrying spell that allows scholar's touch through. Kind of like trying to permanency flame blade: it's not on the whitelist, so it doesn't happen.

[ArqArturo]

Yeah, it's not legal, because as far as I know there's no scrying spell that allows scholar's touch through. Kind of like trying to permanency flame blade: it's not on the whitelist, so it doesn't happen.

What if we add Spectral Hand in the mix?.

[TuggyNE]

What if we add Spectral Hand in the mix?.

How does that get through scrying? (It doesn't.)

[ArqArturo]

How does that get through scrying? (It doesn't.)

Owww.

*Kicks can*

[ArcturusV]

Use Void Disciple instead. You can project your conscious, and have physical senses (Like touch), works like scrying without any failure, locations or people, long as it's on the same plane. So you could be sitting in your heavily warded tower and just go "Biggest library in the land" and bam, you're there, touching all the books while still being perfectly safe at home.

[Rubik]

Use Void Disciple instead. You can project your conscious, and have physical senses (Like touch), works like scrying without any failure, locations or people, long as it's on the same plane. So you could be sitting in your heavily warded tower and just go "Biggest library in the land" and bam, you're there, touching all the books while still being perfectly safe at home.Librarian: "Now show me on the coloring book where the bad ghost touched you."

[XmonkTad]

Get a Homunculus and put a ring of permanent "Scholar's Touch" on it. Now it can read books for you and relay the important bits via telepathy. Also it doesn't eat or sleep. Too bad it has to stay close.

[Sith_Happens]

The target is 1 book/round. The RANGE is Personal. Chain Spell wouldn't work because the RANGE is personal. If you could somehow change the range to ray, then you could chain it to read 1+CL books/round. (Since Chain Spell lets you increase the targets.)

Ocular Spell. You are now reading with lasers.

[Rubik]

Ocular Spell. You are now reading with lasers.You know, that actually works. I discounted the idea of Ocular Spell because the range is "Personal," but Ocular Spell only cares about the target, which, for Personal spells, is virtually always "you." Happily, that is not the case here. Ocular Spell changes the range to 60', and the target remains "1 book/round." That means you can fire up to two eye-lasers as a full-round action (assuming you have two eyes), and you can Chain it for another book/round per eye you've got available. So for a stock-standard human, you've got 2 books per CL per round.

Split Ray means you've got up to 4 books per CL per round.

Now, what else can we do with this? Any spells or feats that would have odd or useful effects we can build off of?

[edit] Is there any way to, say, embed an eye into the palms of your hands, or something?

[Keld Denar]

Split Ray only adds 1 ray, it doesn't double the number of rays. Twin Spell would double, and Repeat Spell would double it with a 1 round delay.

[Rubik]

Split Ray only adds 1 ray, it doesn't double the number of rays. Twin Spell would double, and Repeat Spell would double it with a 1 round delay.But if you're casting two Ocular Split Chain spells, that means each eye is firing two rays, each of which Chains, so my earlier post remains unchanged.

[Tevesh]

So you're telling me that a Wizard has gone beyond reading the book but merely wishes to stare a it?

That reminds me of a particular part of the Discworld where someone intimidated a book into telling it what it wanted.

We have now made a spell where a Wizard made loom over a tome in interrogation...

[Lightlawbliss]

So you're telling me that a Wizard has gone beyond reading the book but merely wishes to stare a it?
...

no, he but glances at the bookcase and has them all memorized. no staring involved.

[Harrow]

By RAW, with a range of Personal and a Target of 1 book/round, couldn't only books cast this spell?

[XmonkTad]

By RAW, with a range of Personal and a Target of 1 book/round, couldn't only books cast this spell?

Wouldn't said book-wizard only be able to read itself too?

[Chronos]

But what if a book reads all books which don't read themselves?

And keep in mind, Chain doesn't add one extra target. It adds one extra target per caster level. Combine with Ocular, and you could be reading dozens of books per round.

[Sith_Happens]

no, he but glances at the bookcase and has them all memorized. no staring involved.

It's less of a glance and more MACHINE GUN PEW PEW EYE LAZORS.

[Rubik]

It's less of a glance and more MACHINE GUN PEW PEW EYE LAZORS.*FWOOSH!*

"Ook!"

"Sorry. I was just burning them into my memory."

[Chronos]

"Ook!"
It really is amazing how expressive that one word can be, isn't it?

[Kelb_Panthera]

Split Ray only adds 1 ray, it doesn't double the number of rays. Twin Spell would double, and Repeat Spell would double it with a 1 round delay.

Twin spell doesn't help here. The copy of the spell has to have the same target as the original. Twinning the ocular, chained, split-rayed, scholar's touch would get to the information from (3*cl+3)*cl books. You'd just have effectively read and memorized them all twice.

[ArqArturo]

That reminds me of a particular part of the Discworld where someone intimidated a book into telling it what it wanted.

Well, some books just don't have a spine.

[Norin]

Well, some books just don't have a spine.

Haha! Well played good sir! :smallbiggrin:

[Urpriest]

By RAW, with a range of Personal and a Target of 1 book/round, couldn't only books cast this spell?

You should post that to the Dysfunctional rules thread!

[Cirrylius]

"Ook!"


Win. Win all goddamn day.

[Vortenger]

For practical use I used the following.

Enter New Town.
Find Biggest-Damn-Library (tm) in town.
Cast Servant Horde to carry books back and forth while I sit on my duffer.
Cast Scholar's Touch. Metamagic to taste.
????
Profit.

Sprinkle in liberal use of metamagicked Amanuensis (using the very tricks aforementioned in the thread) while at it to HAVE every book you scan while you're at it. If you're prolific, it won't take long for you to have one of the most extensive libraries in all the planes.

[georgie_leech]

The dysfunction could be resolved if Range: Personal spells can be cast on equipment or objects you're holding.

[Bruenin]

You know, that actually works. I discounted the idea of Ocular Spell because the range is "Personal," but Ocular Spell only cares about the target, which, for Personal spells, is virtually always "you." Happily, that is not the case here. Ocular Spell changes the range to 60', and the target remains "1 book/round." That means you can fire up to two eye-lasers as a full-round action (assuming you have two eyes), and you can Chain it for another book/round per eye you've got available. So for a stock-standard human, you've got 2 books per CL per round.

Split Ray means you've got up to 4 books per CL per round.

Now, what else can we do with this? Any spells or feats that would have odd or useful effects we can build off of?

[edit] Is there any way to, say, embed an eye into the palms of your hands, or something?

You could also use the reach spell metamagic. Turns it into a 'effective' ray with 30' reach which isn't as good, but still an option.

Edit: I'm wrong : D reach spell only works on touch spells

[Lyndworm]

I'm afraid that wouldn't work, actually. Reach Spell only works on spells with a range of "touch;" scholar's touch has a range of "personal."

[Bruenin]

I'm afraid that wouldn't work, actually. Reach Spell only works on spells with a range of "touch;" scholar's touch has a range of "personal."

well I feel silly, thanks though : P, I even went and looked up the fear but somehow I just glossed over that.

[Rubik]

I don't think we can really get any better than a Persistent/Ocular/Split Ray/Chain Spelled Scholar's Touch, metamagic-wise. Is there anything that anyone can think of that you can do using the spell itself? Combining with Autohypnosis allows you to permanently memorize a minimum of one book per round; is there anything else that can be done?

You could always use Mindrape to learn all the books someone else knows through Autohypnosis, I guess. It might even bypass the need for Autohypnosis to retrieve them.

Fabricate or even a Psionic/Minor Creation could probably create a book you know in its entirety for others to read. Amanuensis probably can't be paired with Scholar's Touch directly, though you could combine it with Psionic/Minor Creation to create something permanent from something temporary from something permanent.

[Wings of Peace]

Are there any spells that can be used to transfer memories quickly? If so, you could just use the Clone Army (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=246489) trick but tailor the archmage SLAs to allow the clones to use Scholar's Touch and then another spell to transfer the information they learn to you.

[XmonkTad]

How about a Living Spell of scholar's touch with Awaken Ooze, telepathically linked to you? Other than that, maybe mind switch into the ooze and have it run around the library (very quietly) touching all the books. Bonus points: have some other sentient creature mind switch with the awakened ooze, then turn into a mind flayer and eat its brain.

[Norin]

How about a Living Spell of scholar's touch with Awaken Ooze, telepathically linked to you? Other than that, maybe mind switch into the ooze and have it run around the library (very quietly) touching all the books. Bonus points: have some other sentient creature mind switch with the awakened ooze, then turn into a mind flayer and eat its brain.

Eeewww, nasty. Id rather just read a few books then.
:smallsmile: