[3.5] Read Magic and Scholar's Touch to read a found spellbook?

[FinnDarkblade]

The rules (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/magicOverview/arcaneSpells.htm) for reading spells from someone else's spellbook require you to make a spellcraft check to decipher the spells written therein the but they also say that having Read Magic cast negates that necessity. So, if you have Read Magic (http://dndtools.eu/spells/players-handbook-v35--6/read-magic--2511/) cast could you use Scholar's Touch (http://dndtools.eu/spells/races-of-destiny--81/scholars-touch--3038/) to completely read someone else's spellbook and thus make it so you never have to decipher the writing again?

[Pilo]

Read magic allows you to read only one page per minute but with Scholar touch, if you are caster level 10 or more, you can do so without opening the book.

[FinnDarkblade]

I can't quite figure out what being CL 10 or more has to do with that. And I know Read Magic says you can only read one page per minute but with Scholar's Touch you're not actually reading the book.

[Venger]

since scholar's touch has no effect when reading magical books, no.

[Yael]

You would gain knowledge of it being a book filled with lots and lots of writtings with (or not) meaning. But to use them for a purpose (such as learning or preparing) you must do so as in the PHB.

[Duke of Urrel]

The rules (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/magicOverview/arcaneSpells.htm) for reading spells from someone else's spellbook require you to make a spellcraft check to decipher the spells written therein the but they also say that having Read Magic cast negates that necessity. So, if you have Read Magic (http://dndtools.eu/spells/players-handbook-v35--6/read-magic--2511/) cast could you use Scholar's Touch (http://dndtools.eu/spells/races-of-destiny--81/scholars-touch--3038/) to completely read someone else's spellbook and thus make it so you never have to decipher the writing again?

I agree with you, FinnDarkblade; I believe the two spells combined should work exactly as you say.


since scholar's touch has no effect when reading magical books, no.

It's disputable whether a spellbook counts as a "magical book (such as a tome of understanding)." Ask your dungeon master.

In my opinion, spelltexts are not magical. They are written in a special "Language of Magic" that you can decipher only using Spellcraft or the Read Magic spell, but this is the only really mystical quality that spelltexts have. They aren't created by magic, they don't register as magical when scanned with the Detect Magic spell, and they can't be dispelled. They are most certainly not magic items, like the Tome of Understanding or any magic scroll.

In my understanding, the rate at which the Read Magic spell enables you to read the Language of Magic is the same as the normal rate for reading a text in any mundane language that you know. Therefore, I don't interpret the rate of one page per minute as an absolute maximum. I would allow you to combine the Read Magic spell with the Scholar's Touch spell to read one volume of a spellbook in one round.


You would gain knowledge of it being a book filled with lots and lots of writtings with (or not) meaning. But to use them for a purpose (such as learning or preparing) you must do so as in the PHB.

I agree that deciphering a spelltext is only the first step in using it to cast a spell. But deciphering must give you some information. In my opinion, after you decipher a spelltext, you should know the name of the spell it describes, and you should know what it does.

Of course, merely deciphering the text that names and describes a spell does not enable you to prepare the spell for casting; on this point, I agree with UrashimaJamez. Either preparing a spell using another wizard's spelltext or transcribing the spelltext into your own spellbook requires you to follow the rules in the "Magic" chapter of the Player's Handbook.

[FinnDarkblade]

I agree that deciphering a spelltext is only the first step in using it to cast a spell. But deciphering must give you some information. In my opinion, after you decipher a spelltext, you should know the name of the spell it describes, and you should know what it does.

Of course, merely deciphering the text that names and describes a spell does not enable you to prepare the spell for casting; on this point, I agree with UrashimaJamez. Either preparing a spell using another wizard's spelltext or transcribing the spelltext into your own spellbook requires you to follow the rules in the "Magic" chapter of the Player's Handbook.

This is pretty much what I was thinking. I didn't plan on that being all I'd need to prepare spells from it without difficulty. I just wanted my character to know what was in it and not have to decipher the script in the future. The rules do say that after you've deciphered the script once you don't need to do it again but do still need to make a spellcraft check to prepare a spell from it.

[Deox]

Another person’s magical writing remains incomprehensible to even the most powerful wizard until she takes time to study and decipher it.




Once a character deciphers a particular magical writing, she does not need to decipher it again. Deciphering a magical writing allows the reader to identify the spell and gives some idea of its effects (as explained in the spell description). If the magical writing was a scroll and the reader can cast arcane spells, she can attempt to use the scroll.


Bolded for emphasis. The main question (as has been posed before), is the book magical because of its contents? If the book is magical, no effect. If it's not, enjoy.

[Sir Garanok]

I'd lean towards the concept that a spellbook i a magical book.

Asking the dm is a wise thing to do.