Archivists and Incantations

[atemu1234]

Ok, to start off, I'm pitching this idea to you before my group for a reason. In my campaign world (which I homebrewed) there is an order of essentially librarians (most are archivists) who go around collecting magic items, cursed or no, and artifacts. I wanted to make them more than your typical library, so I was thinking about using the variant rules from unearthed arcana for incantations for them. Like there are some of them that cast incantations taking hours rather than simple spells. Of course, the spells are far more powerful that way, and the PCs will no doubt wind up going to them for help, but will this work?

[Gildedragon]

Incantations are available to e'erbody no need to be a spellcaster
The rub is in deciphering the incantation (decipher script + speak language ranks) and having the skills to perform it (I would toss truespeak skill checks there cuz why not)
The non archivist librarians can be experts and factotums to have full access to the variety of skills necessary.

[atemu1234]

Incantations are available to e'erbody no need to be a spellcaster
The rub is in deciphering the incantation (decipher script + speak language ranks) and having the skills to perform it (I would toss truespeak skill checks there cuz why not)
The non archivist librarians can be experts and factotums to have full access to the variety of skills necessary.

Pretty much exactly why I like them.

[tyckspoon]

Just keep in mind that once your party forms a good relationship with them (and they probably will, because that sort of group always needs good field agents and adventuring parties already basically do that work.. they just get another patron/place to sell the stuff they don't have a use for) the library will probably become a very, very flexible resource for them.. the players won't just forget about it, unlike the typical computerized RPG Wizard's College sort of place where you go resolve one plot point and get nothing else out of them ever. Archivists with a good magical library can do dang near anything within the bounds of 3.5 RAW; you'll want to work in some limits to the magic they use so that the solution to everything isn't 'send a Message to the Library, wait an hour for them to figure out how to solve it.'