Reading Spellbooks

[Glim]

I was wondering, is there another way to know what spell a spellbook teaches without actually using the write command? Perhaps through examine or the like? If there isnt, I would think it would be useful for when trading spellbooks, so you can actually know what spell it is without writing it in your spellbook and thus not having any use for the book.

This would be useful for scrolls too I beleive.

[Tazmin]

Perhaps I should have put this in spells, but it does not apply to FK directly so..

Upon seeing Crets post on reading spellbooks it brought to mind the normal tabletop spell Read Magic. Every wizard in existance has this spell. I suppose the question would be why?

Every wizard is taught to read spells as part of his or her training, I would guess and spells are written in the language of magic so why would there be a special spell to "decode" this language when the wizard should allready know it?

You would need it to read another mages spellbook at all, this also does not make sense. Why couldn't mage A read the spells he knows in mage B's spellbook? The spells Mage A does not know may need Read Magic, though see the above paragraph.

Not exactly a topic of earthshaking importance, but I am curious as to others thoughts on this.

[Glim]

Well, heres a quote from the big book o players, aka Players Handbook 3rd edition.

Arcane Magical Writings
To record an arcane spell in written form, a character uses complex notation that describes the magical forces involves in the spell. The notation constitutes a universal arcane language that wizards have discovered, not invented. The writer uses the same system no matter what her native language or culture. However, each character uses the system in her own way. Another persons magical writing remains incomprehensible to even the most powerful wizard until she takes the time to study and decipher it.

I look at it as the way different people take notes, except more complex, some people takes notes in a very strange format and it can take time to read and decipher their notes. Its also either a spellcraft check to try and decipher it yourself or the read magic spell does it for you.

Err, where is Cret's post you mentioned earlier, I had a post bout that and that might be what your referring to. For shame, mixing the two gnomes up...unless of course im just not looking hard enough and you didnt mix em up.

[Terro]

Hmmm...last night I cast identify upon a scroll who's item was actually a book. It told me all of the regular particulars, but said nothing of what magic it contained. I eventually had to write it to discover what it had...
I'm not questioning that identify works, only suggesting that there may be a few bugs in some scrolls out there. Should I report this, or is it a common problem?

Thanks, and have a great day...