Introduction
Originally, our D&D group got Inspiration for dressing up. Now that I'm a player myself, I thought about doing something for Inspiration myself. My first idea was to create a costume and get dressed. Unfortunately, this went out of style for some reason; nobody bothers anymore. Not that this would deter me, but I ran through some alternatives, inspired by my collection of painted character minis for MAGUS. I came up with the idea of creating a spellbook for my wizard. This has the added benefit of getting rid of the smartphone app for spells: I can keep my gaming strictly "analogue". Which is why we plan pen-and-paper in the first place, right?
After checking with the DM and getting his approval, I got down to business.
A proper spellbook
After some browsing, I picked a suitably good looking container for my spells. This little gem is bound in leather and has handy widgets for locking and/or marking a spot in the book.
A huge bonus is that the pages are not fixed, so I rearrange or replace them at will. Perfect for an ever-growing spellbook! Also, the paper is not white, giving that ancient manuscript feeling.
Markers
After creating most of the contents, I realized that I'm missing the search function of the app/PDF. I decided to index the pages using these markers. I bought some brown cardboard from a hobby shop, which somewhat matched the rest of the book. I cut the pages to size after careful measurements, and used office tools for the holes.
Spells
Now for the most tedious part. I copied the spells from the rulebook with a pen, then added illustrations in pencil.
Some were easier to illustrate than others; I frequently had to get creative (which is kind of the point here).
I am especially proud of the Sumerian runic tablet drawn for "Comprehend Languages".
Luckily, my wife's hobby stash includes several high-quality colored pens, which I borrowed to inject some color into the illustrations. Such as this red fire elemental...
... blue and green "Faerie Fire", and a single red candle in the "Darkness".
Magic items
After I had completed the spells, I realized that I would still need my smartphone (or at least a ton of printed pages) for other stuff, so I decided on adding everything else to the spellbook, too.
Magic items went in, following the same principles.
Spells bound to the items were copied as well.
Creatures
Finally, I added the description of creatures I can summon, or otherwise use. This includes small animals for "Find Familiar"...
... a Tyrannosaurus Rex for "Polymorph"...
... as well as demons...
... and elementals.
Again, some drawings are better than others. I got inspiration from a variety of sources, including the rulebook, monster manual, or straight-up Google Images. I am not quite used to drawing, but I am happy with the overall result.
Future expansion
With my wizard being level 10, the spellbook has spells up to the 5th level, and summonable creatures as appropriate. As I gain more spells and items, I plan on expanding the book with new content. Lots of empty pages await at the back!
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