I need some help understanding a few spells

[Melcar]

Hellow fellow scribes...

In regards to the post about bout ways of protecting my spellbook I have a few question about some of the spells I hope to get some help with.

1) Sepia Snake Sigil
a) It says this can only be added to text that is 25 words long... But how does it determine that? I it from period to period or per page or is it in the broadest interpretations of the wording?

b) Is there any bypass for the effect short of not reading the symbol?


2) Sign of Sealing
a)It says it seals something so it can only be opened by Breaking or by Knock or Dispel Magic. Then it goes on to say, that any opening, (mundane or magical) will trigger the damage. So what does that mean exactly? Would the Sign still do damage, if it first was suppressed with Knock, and then opened? Or would the suppressing of the sign also suppress the damage?

b) Is it possible to set a condition for which someone else than the caster can bypass the sign?

[lbuttitta]

In answer to your questions, respectively:

1a) It's determined by the total length of the text being enchanted. For example, if you were to cast sepia snake sigil on a book, it would use the entire book's word count and not each page's.
1b) There are some effects, like the illumian's Glyphic Resonance, that allow you to bypass trap-like symbols like these.
2a) The text of this spell I'm reading from Complete Arcane states that it only triggers when the affected item is "forced open", so if it were suppressed or dispelled, it wouldn't trigger if the door were then opened normally.
2b) See 1b.

Edit: The Geometer's Pass Sigil would also work, to expand on 1b.

[Melcar]

2a) The text of this spell I'm reading from Complete Arcane states that it only triggers when the affected item is "forced open", so if it were suppressed or dispelled, it wouldn't trigger if the door were then opened normally.

What confused me, was that the spell (Spell Compendium) says that if the door or object is forced open by any means (magical or physical) the spell triggers the damage. Now, this line comes right after the spell mentions the tree ways of opening: breaking, knock, dispel. And since it mentions that opening the door "magical" will rigger the damage, and that knock is magical, then that sounded like knock would allow you to forgo the breaking, but would still, when opened, deal the damage.

[PrismCat21]

What confused me, was that the spell (Spell Compendium) says that if the door or object is forced open by any means (magical or physical) the spell triggers the damage. Now, this line comes right after the spell mentions the tree ways of opening: breaking, knock, dispel. And since it mentions that opening the door "magical" will rigger the damage, and that knock is magical, then that sounded like knock would allow you to forgo the breaking, but would still, when opened, deal the damage.

Knock is specifically called out as allowing it to be opened. Knock is not 'forcing' it open.

The key word is forced. Simply opening it doesn't do anything.

In Complete Adventurer, the spell goes on to say that Knock can suppress the sign for ten minutes.