A Proper Spellbook

A guy named Aaron has made a prop spellbook for his D&D games. It looks fantastic! I really wish I had thought of this. Then again, he is apparently much more artistically inclined than I am, and I doubt mine would look half as good.

Reddit thread where he announced it is HERE.

PICS ARE HERE

Seriously, take a few minutes and check this out.

Elf and Wizard Diaries

I would think elves and magic-users of all stripes would keep daily diaries. They might include some research notes, material components that need picked up from the local alchemist, theories on why magic works the way it does, and that the new girl apprentice is smoking hot.

While one day's entry could be personal stuff like how they'd love to date the princess, the next day's entry might have magical data like the fact that iron filings mixed with silver filings in a summoning circle help bind demons better.

To make diaries interesting mechanics-wise, when a magic-user or elf finds a mage's diary and reads it, he gains 100 XP based on the magical notes in the book. I would not include any full spells in such a book, just tidbits of stuff that might give a PC mage a "eureka" moment.

Tome of Spell-stealing

This large, obviously magical book is sometimes found in treasure troves. Characters looking it over will assume it is some kind of spellbook or even holy book. In fact, it is a clever trap.

If a mage or cleric reads this book, even just flipping through it, they immediately lose one random spell of the highest level they have currently memorized. The effect is as if they had cast the spell, so they cannot immediately just memorize another spell. If they continue reading, they will continue to lose spells at the rate of one spell per round of reading.

The book can be burned or otherwise destroyed, just as a normal book can be. Some spellcasters, after realizing what the book is, will keep it among their other spellcasting materials, to punish any would-be thieves.

Different types of spellbooks

Leatherbound tome.
Tome bound in human/elf/monster skin.
A bunch of scrolls tied together.
Wind chimes that whisper spells into the mind of the mage when exposed to a breeze at midnight.
A talking skull that teaches spells.
Bone discs with spells carved into them made into a necklace.
A staff with spells engraved on it.
A flute that teaches spells to mages who play songs on it.
Rune stones that teach spells to mages who toss them onto a silk cloth.
An animal familiar that never forgets spells and can teach them to a mage.
A tree that reveals spells in the patterns of its leaves.
Metal discs that have spells engraved into them.
A painting with spells hidden within the obvious scene.

Spellbooks

Planet Algol has an interesting post on unique spellbooks HERE. I really, really like this idea. It's a fairly easy way to add flavor to your campaign setting, and even little tidbits of history. And the possibilities for adventure seeds are pretty much included with any given spellbook. A spellbook written and used by an evil lich instantly provides a general theme for the spells within, a monster that must be defeated, stories of heroes who fought the lich and lost, and a cool description such as the book is encased in bone and the words are carved into the smaller bones that serve as the pages of the book.

Unique spellbooks have a fairly long history in fantasy and even D&D. More than a few articles were written about them in Dragon magazine. They also provide the DM with ways to include variant spellbooks. A massive tome wrapped in demonskin is pretty cool. A set of wind chimes that whisper the spells into your mind when exposed to a breeze at midnight is even cooler. And the chimes spellbook is something that the players will remember years later, long after they've forgotten much of the actual campaign.