spell books

[marycatelli]

Was pondering a point made in Castle Hangnail.  Discussing spell books, which, the narrator observes, are like cook books.

A good one lays out the ingredients and walks you through the steps, and if it's for beginners, explains the details of how to get the ingredients if necessary.

A more typical one is the series of notes the wizard took to jog his memory, vague to the point of being useless to others.

Historically, cookbooks, although intended for others, were intended for other professional cooks who already knew all the basics and just needed to be told to apply them to a new recipe.  Not to mention the vague measurements.  Fannie Farmer's cookbook was the first one to include such rules as "a cup of flour is measured level."  Then, it was the first book intended for people who hadn't boiled water before.

One wonders where there would be a similar progression in spell books.  With the added factor that the early ones might be encoded, as alchemic texts were, for safety and to keep secrets.

Comments

[mythusmage.livejournal.com]

I expect so. On Aerth for example it is assumed that new students need the basics before they get to any thing like theory. If you can't pronounce the Greek "ph" any dweomer you learn off an Athenian's books is likely to misfire on you, if not dissolve your skeleton.

[marycatelli]

Which would naturally limit the number of wizards out there

[houseboatonstyx.livejournal.com]

And as you gain Experience Points and advance in Levels....

[marycatelli]

You gain hit points that let you survive your errors!