Spellbook

A spellbook was a type of book that wizards and other arcane spellcasters used to record their known spells.

""Of course, they aren't useful to anyone except a trained magic-user. You can go mad trying to read a spell that is beyond your abilities. More than likely, it just won't make any sense."

- Halloran of the Golden Legion

Description
The complex notation of a spell took up several full pages of a spellbook: the more powerful the spell, the more pages it took up. A spellbook could have any number of pages.

Typical spellbooks in the 1370s DR and after the Second Sundering had one hundred pages. A typical spellbook circa 1479 DR had one hundred and twenty eight pages.

Copying a spell into a spellbook was a lengthy process that took up several hours and consisted of two basic steps. The first part involved mastering the basic elements of the spell in order to reproduce its basic form. The second part involved experimentation with the spell as the writing wizard deciphered the notation of the source from which the spell was being copied, such as a scroll or another spellbook. Since each wizard typically used a unique notation, this deciphering process was always necessary. The exception was when writing a copy of one's own spellbook, in which case no experimentation was necessary since the wizard had already mastered the spell and understood their own notation.

In addition to time, the experimentation process involved in copying a spell also required the use of costly materials, such as material components spent in attempts to master the spell's basic form, as well as inscribing materials such as high-quality inks. Magical writing on ink was not always a requirement for a spell to be recorded into a spellbook, however. The wizard Dostrealt was known to record his spells using a script that consisted of raised dots and dashes that could be read by running one's fingers over the pages.

Types of Spellbooks

 * Arcanabulae (orizons)
 * Grimoires

Notable Spellbooks

 * Tar'Ael Veluuthra, a spellbook made for the Eldreth Veluuthra, which contained spells to aid spying and movement
 * The Demonomicon of Iggwilv contained several spells of her own creation, all related with controlling and binding demons.