Texts on Magic

Created by Brett Hegr
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Blank Tome

Cost in Gold: 10 per 50 pages
Cost in Rifts® Credits: 100 per 50 pages

These books are suitable for scroll writing, formulae, notes, ritual incantations, etc. A high quality book (suitable for enchantment) usually costs double or triple. A book made from special materials costs the standard amount plus the cost of the components, plus an additional craftsman's fee (5% to 15% of the value of the components). Bringing your own materials will certainly reduce cost, but the craftsman still gets his fee. It only takes a few days to pick up a special order, as long as the craftsman is local.

Lore Manual

Cost in Gold: 2,000 per book
Cost in Rifts® Credits: 10,000 per book

Each book covers one lore skill in relative detail, such as Faerie Lore, Religion, Vampires, Demons and Monsters, Magic, etc. The book's skill rating averages around 80%, but will only cover certain topics (like North American Supernatural Creatures, the Official English Faerie Watcher's Guide, or Beelzebub's Handbook of Dead and Demonic Creatures).

* Translation Manual

Cost in Gold: 100 per book
Cost in Rifts® Credits: 500 per book

This is a book specially geared towards translating magical texts in unfamiliar languages. These differ from other translation books in that the translations are only from one language to another. These books aren't the kind you'd bring to a foreign country (a Speak/Literacy skill in the target language of about 10% plus the speaker's I.Q.)

They are very helpful in scroll conversion because there are common magic phrases fully translated. Impose a -15% penalty on the scroll conversion roll (due to the time constraints imposed by the nature of scrolls), but the character doesn't have to learn a new language. There usually aren't penalties for other uses, since there is usually ample time to get a good translation.

Anyone with the spell Eyes of Thoth has no need for a translation manual.

* Magical Safety Manual: Average

Cost in Gold: 10,000
Cost in Rifts® Credits: 25,000 per book

A single book will usually cover precautions and measures to take when dealing with a single topic in magic, such as rune writing, scroll conversion, circle creation, spell design, etc. Following the listed precautions gives the mage a 50% +2% per level chance of preventing a bad side effect (roll for each) from a failed attempt. Severe side effects may carry with them a penalty to this control roll.

* Magical Safety Manual: Top Quality

Cost in Gold: 20,000 per book
Cost in Rifts® Credits: 50,000 per book

A single book will usually cover precautions and measures to take when dealing with a single topic in magic, such as rune writing, scroll conversion, circle creation, spell design, etc. Following the listed precautions gives the mage a 60% +3% per level chance of preventing a bad side effect (roll for each) from a failed attempt. Severe side effects may carry with them a penalty to this control roll.

* Beginner's Study

Cost in Gold: 15,000 per book
Cost in Rifts® Credits: 40,000 per book

A single book covers the basics of one kind of magic, whether that of a Wizard, a Ley Line Walker^tm, Mystic, runes, circles, etc. Books on uncommon topics (necromancy, for example) run +10% to +25% more. A rare topic (Nazcan line magic) would probably cost +40% to +60% more if it is even avaliable. These books are useful to non-magicians, in that it can enlighten one to a particular magic class' powers and vulnerabilities.

* Moderate Study

Cost in Gold: 25,000 per book
Cost in Rifts® Credits: 75,000 per book

Each book covers a single advanced topic (usually, an O.C.C. ability or type of magic spell). Books on rare topics could cost +20% to +50% more. Such books are useful when learning about a chosen O.C.C. class. Each volume purchased for a specific task add a +1d4% bonus to the final skill roll for magical research and development. No matter what the task is, there probably won't be more than 5 or 6 books that would be useful (that way, players can't achieve a +50% bonus on Spellcrafting).

* Advanced study

Cost in Gold: +50,000 per book
Cost in Rifts® Credits: +100,000 per book

These books are discussions, manuals, references, and handbooks written by great magicians. Reading the appropriate book (like Articulus' Manual for Repairing Conventional Techno- Wizardry^tm) for the task at hand (fixing your busted flaming sword) can give a +1d6+4% bonus to success rolls! It is highly unlikely that there would be more than two books on a given topic that a character is researching.

* Beljhar's Enchantment Guide

Cost in Gold: 100,000
Cost in Rifts® Credits: 200,000

This is a highly valued book because is not only gives a mage a +7% bonus (and Enchanters get a +10%) on creating permanent enchantments, whether original creations or common rituals like Amulet, Talisman, and Charm Weapon. The techniques in the book allow him to cut the amount of P.P.E.^tm needed to enchant an object by 5% (and 10% for Enchanters)!

* Secrets of the World's Greatest Techno-Wizards(TM)

Cost in Gold: None - not generally available
Cost in Rifts® Credits: 150,000

When Techno- Wizards^tm use this as a guide, they cut the time needed to build major devices (things with a value of more than 50,000 credits) by 10%. Using the instructions also cuts the amount of P.P.E.^tm needed to develop a device by 5%! This book is always written in Techno-Can.

* Book of Scrolls

Cost in Gold: +1,000 plus spells
Cost in Rifts® Credits: +2,000 plus spells

These books are made of high quality materials and paper, with pages that have multipl scrolls inscribed on them. These kinds of books are pretty uncommon - only the most well- connected alchemists can acquire them. Anyone can of course make a book of scrolls, but if you can make one then you probably shouldn't waste your money buying one. A Book of Scrolls usually comes in one of two forms if pre-made.

The first pre-made Book of Scrolls is the type that has multiple copies of a single spell. This is ideal for those groups of adventurers that want the ability to cast a Fire Ball, Call Lightning, or Heal Wounds repeatedly without having to deal with an obnoxious know-it-all spellcaster.

The second pre-made type of book is designed with a focus in mind and the spells are ones that would be useful in a particular function or environment. Some basic ideas are collections of illusion spells, wilderness survival spells, protection and healing, sense enhancing, a variety of combat spells, anti- vampire spells, etc.

Of course, one can be made to order with a selection of spells, but this is limited within the abilities of the creator and time constraints. It takes about a day to put four low- level spells into scroll form, and alchemists don't work on weekends. If the alchemist has students or assistants it will take less time but will usually cost extra. Rush jobs just aren't possible when doing magic either - screw up and you've usually got some nasty repercussions to deal with.

For the additional costs of the scrolls, see the notes on scrolls that I've written. Generally speaking, GMs should calculate the costs of each scroll in the book and total them up with the cost of the book itself. Some (but certainly not all) alchemists will discount pre-made books by 5% to 10%. Books that are made to order aren't discounted. Note that if mages think they can learn how to cast spells from the Books of Scrolls, they are correct. If they think alchemists haven't got a few magical tricks to make this difficult, they are incorrect.

** Tome of Wrath

Cost in Gold: +750,000
Cost in Rifts® Credits: +1,000,000

These uncommon books have popped up across the Megaverse®. There are four copies in the fantasy realm of Palladium, two on Rifts® earth, one in contemporary Earth, and one at Center of Phase World^tm (Thraxus has one in pristine condition!) These books are filled with many pages (20+5d4) of scrolls written in a hard to decipher magical script. Attempts to translate the scrolls (though they can be read easily) always suffer a -40% penalty! The books seem halfway intelligent, since words will change to other words in plain view. Each page of a Tome of Wrath has a totally random elemental spell (levels 1-8, all four elements) with a spell strength of 14 and level 8+2d6 strength! A few talented magicians have learned elemental spells through these strange books (they come in all shapes and sizes). No one knows how so many elemental spells were put into scroll form, and so well protected against translation.

** Enlightening Manual

Cost in Gold: +500,000
Cost in Rifts® Credits: +1,000,000

There are only three known books in existence across the entire Megaverse®. There may be more, but since they teleport away once they are read (and evade all attempts at location) no one can be sure! Once a practitioner of magic reads the book (takes about 100 hours of reading, or 60 with Speed Reading), his understanding of the forces of magic is expanded. Add the following:

+1 to spell strength.
Add one additional spell action per melee (usable only to cast a magic spell).
Select three new spells of a level less than or equal to the reader's own level.
+10% to the Principles of Magic skill.
+5% to Lore: Magic, or if it is not possessed the reader gains it at a base skill of 15% +5% per level of experience.

** Trapped Sage

Cost in Gold: +3,000,000
Cost in Rifts® Credits: +5,000,000

Books of this nature are highly desirable, because they are equivalent to rune weapons in the form of a book! They hold the soul of an experienced spellcaster who is (sometimes) willing to instruct in the learning of specific types of spells. The personality is unique, but generally has an I.Q. of 3d6+12, a Lore: Magic skill of 1d4x5 +70%, a Principles of Magic skill of 3d4x2 +70%, an effective experience level of 1d6+9, 3d6x10+120 P.P.E.^tm, a spell strength of 1d4+3, and 6d6+10 known spells. The book itself has an S.D.C.^tm (or M.D.C.^tm) of 1d4x10+30, recovers 5 per day, and if destroyed the intellect within is immediately released. Depending on the personality of the book and the personality of the current owner, the 'trapped sage' will occasionally instruct the owner in the arts of magic. This will probably be about one or two spells upon the owner's gaining of a new level of experience, but the spells are usually common magic (unless the trapped intellect was a specialist in something, such as necromancy or circle magic).

* Books on magic are sold only to true magicians, and alchemists and other magic dealers will usually require a few questions on magic (comparable to the value of the book) be answered first. Anyone without the talent and knowledge trying to buy the books will probably be in a difficult situation (if not chopped up and sold for ritual offerings).

Using Speed Reading to get through the books is not as productive as it is with normal uses. The information content is dense enough to qualify as a technical manual. Also due to the information density (and the occasional special enchantment) Total Recall does not work at full effectiveness with the texts either. Characters attempting to use Total Recall have to pay double the I.S.P.^tm costs and receive only half the benefits they normally got from having the book by them to refer to.

** These books actually are magic, and so are very costly when avaliable for purchase. More often, they are found by adventurers and kept in a private library.

The prices in credits reflect those found in Rifts®, where books and literacy are rare commodities. A contemporary would would probably require cash equal to the cost in credits (the high price instead reflects the rarity of magic). In a place like Phase World^tm, where magic and literacy are both common, cut the Rifts® cost by 20%.

The size of books is usually unimportant, but most books on magic range between 6in by 9in and 10in by 14in. Specifically trying to hit a standard sized book in someone's hands should be considered a -4 penalty to a called strike.

Note: When using books of a similar type, only use the highest bonus among them - using a basic and an advanced magical safety manual would only result in the special bonuses gained from the advanced version. As long as the books are totally different the bonuses may be combined - using Beljhar's Enchantment Guide along with an advanced magical safety manual (the edition on ritual magic, of course) and a moderately complex book on using crystals in magical objects could net a nice bonus when a Techno- Wizard^tm decides to make a suit of mystic power armor.