Non-Standard Spellbooks

[RickAllison]

Hello, all, I am wondering about how other DMs would handle non-standard Spellbooks. It seems to me that certain wizards would prefer alternative styles either due to increased security or traditions.

The primary one I consider is a master Spellbook made of metal or stone. It is rarely transported because it is extremely heavy and/or built into a structure (maybe carved into a wall beneath the wizard's tower), but it provides a stable knowledge receptacle that can't be destroyed by fire. With a book of metal or stone carvings, even being in a massive cave-in would leave the fragments able to be put together. Alternatively (and why I especially like it), a Strength-based wizard can use his excess capacity while having a legitimate argument for using the book itself as a weapon.

Other reasons could include culture- or character-specific considerations. A wood elf carefully growing a tree so it holds the spell formulae, a gnome making a machine, or a tiefling burning them into the flesh of his cultists.

[Ashrym]

Stone tablets, runes carved on walking sticks, tattooed on the body, or stained in blood on a special tapestry.

There could be a lot of interesting alternatives.

[Sigreid]

In addition to what you suggested, or carvings on a wall, I've thought before that a wizard from a primitive culture could have the spell book be the traditional dances of their tribe. Little do the dancers and chanters know that their performance contains the key words and gestures for powerful magics hidden from all but the most knowledgeable eye.

[Cl0001]

I've known tattooing to be really useful as you never lose your spell book... Until your dm scars you. Another bad thing you can run into is lack of room. If you take a spell book page to be just 8x6 you can only fit so many on a body. I just paid to get mine enchanted to be unbreakable and bound to me. It's worked out really well, and it shouldn't be extremely expensive for a mid magic game as those enchantments aren't particularly rare.

[JackPhoenix]

Eberron has Spellshards: dragonshards (magic crystals that form the basis of Eberron's magic item industry) that can store few pages worth of spells. Canon version has the wizard concentrating and looking at the shard, and seeing silvery writing within, my version projects the writing at nearby surface. You add spells into the shard through casting Arcane Mark cantrip (Prestidigitation have a similar use in 5e, but with number of cantrips known being limited in 5e, I think removing required spell would be fine... though all spellcasters I've seen in game had Prestidigitation anyway, it's great cantrip), which use material component equal to the price of writing the spell into normal spellbook in this specific case.

Also, I've used "spellbook" in the form of glyphs carved into stone wall in giant Xen'drik ruin.

Pathfinder have interesting 3rd party rules for spellbooks here (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/gamemastering/other-rules/variant-rules-3rd-party/bastion-press/spellbooks-scrolls-variant-rules)

[Nicodiemus]

On a related note- besides having one, is there any rule about filling one up? In AD&D each spell took up d4+sl pages in the book, but I've seen no corresponding info for 5th. Did I miss something?

[VariSami]

3.5's Complete Arcana had some suggestions for such things. In many cases, I would say that a stationary book would befit the DM better, as something used by an NPC or just a prize for the Wizard.

One thing I had planned to use in a friend's campaign that seems unlikely to come to pass was a shaman who would braid different prayer beads to their hair. Each is etched with a formula that can be returned to mind by meditating and rubbing the bead in question.

[AuraTwilight]

I once played a cat lady whose spellbook was her herd of cats. Each kitten was a different spell and she prepared them by grooming, feeding, petting, playing with the kitties for hours at a time.

[rollingForInit]

I'd allow more or less any sort of creative spellbook that a player could come up with, as long as there's some possibility for me as a DM to have it temporarily removed (e.g. if they are imprisoned). I wouldn't really ever destroy a wizard's spellbook or have it stolen for along stretch time any more than I'd cut off a fighter's arms, and unless the player is really keen on the idea I've never worried stuff like water ruining it. Always just assumed that it's a little magical and waterproof. The rest of my group is the same way when they DM.

No one in our group has ever had a special spellbook, but I don't see it being an issue. Anything that could be taken away is easily solved. You can take away a crystal just as easily as a book.

Tattoos I don't really see as problematic either. In such a case, the main challenge would, in my opinion, be to actually study the spells. The wizard would have to actually manage to look at the symbols, and stripping down naked could be problematic in some cases. If they're bound, it's pretty impossible. They could also be covered up by paint or whatever, and cannot be prepared if the wizard has done a longterm shapechange or something similar.

If someone wanted to have their spells written on a wall floating in a secret region of a world of dreams, I'd say sure. But your character would have to sleep to prepare the spells. So, if you take a long rest but can't sleep (for whatever reason) then you can't prepare new spells. And magic that prevents you from reaching other planes would block access. To write new spells to the spellbook they'd have to buy and ingest some sort of expensive components instead of buying the ink that's needed.

So I'd allow basically anything that could have some sort of limitation applied where I could have the ability to prepare new spells removed at some point, if I wanted. And there'd still be a cost to copying spells from scrolls.

[Sicarius Victis]

I know the Middle Finger of Vecna did a Tattoo Mage (http://www.middlefingerofvecna.com/2015/09/tattoo-mage.html) Wizard subclass. Rather than preparing spells from a spellbook, they had a limited amount of spells tattooed onto their body, that they could then spontaneously cast as if they were always prepared. They could only have so many at a time, and if they wanted more they'd have to cut out some of the tattoos they already had. They also got a few "Rune Scars", which represent another type of magic tattoo that gives permanent boosts rather than allowing spellcasting.

It's actually a rather interesting homebrew.

[Sigreid]

On a related note- besides having one, is there any rule about filling one up? In AD&D each spell took up d4+sl pages in the book, but I've seen no corresponding info for 5th. Did I miss something?

No crunch on it I'm aware of. I think they probably decided that was book keeping that groups could invent or ignore.

My wizards like to keep stashes with copies of their spell books hidden and protected at multiple locations, just in case.