Libraries & Research

Libraries and their use in Research

The number of libraries that exist in the fantasy setting is often quite limited. This is because the crafting of books is a labor-intensive process that is often very costly. Further, mass production of printed material is an extremely rare concept employed by select races. Religious institutions that focus on education, magic, and knowledge often have libraries within their larger churches. These libraries are often open to the priests of the faith and, sometimes, devoted worshipers. Public libraries in the fantasy realms are an extremely rare occurrence and can only be found in mega-cities where the ruling body wishes to make a major investment in the accumulation of knowledge (Great Library of Alexandria). Access is often regulated.

Personal libraries are by far the most common when compared to those housed in a church or city. Mages, Alchemists, Historians, Royalty, and Scribes are the ones who have the desire and the monetary resources to possess personal libraries. Of course, personal libraries vary greatly in size, scope, and organization. Sometimes, individuals pressed for coins may rent out access to a personal library, but these occurrences are quite rare.

Library focus – libraries, mostly personal, often have a focus. Mages build libraries that aid in magical research, avoiding novels and poetry. A royal library may focus on regional history, military battles, and works/novels produced by notable individuals within the kingdom. Some libraries focus on maps, typography, and the location of geographical landmarks. Obviously, researching a spell in a library focused on poetry would be counterproductive; therefore, Library Focus is a major category of importance with respect to the research conducted. For purposes of game mechanics, Library Focus ranges from a -4 (totally not relevant) to +4 (very relevant) to the topic to be researched. These ratings will be important further in this document to determine the speed, relevance, and ultimate aid of a given library for different types of research.

Library Size – Libraries come in all sizes, a small library can be carried from town to town in a padded chest, and a massive library may encompass several rooms. Size can also be deceptive, as some libraries may contain several volumes of the same text but in different languages. Larger libraries may also have multiple library focuses, subdividing the total library value into varied focuses. As a method of organization, libraries are categorized in tiers 1-7 in the table below. Keep in mind that the table below is only a guideline, and some libraries may differ in size and cost.

Relevancy Factor

Relevancy Factor – is rated in the actual value of the volumes in a given library. Further, the organization of the library also has a bearing on the Relevancy Factor. A library with a selection of expensive volumes becomes harder to use if these volumes take time to locate or become less valuable if the volumes cannot be found. The relevancy factor often applies based on the research conducted and the Library Focus of the books that exist within. For purposes of game mechanics, the relevance factor ranges from a -4 (totally not relevant) to +4 (very relevant) to the topic to be researched. These ratings will be important further in this document to determine the speed, relevance, and ultimate aid of a given library for different types of research.

Note - Sources of Magical Lore – every book written can be added to a library, but not every book adds value to a magical library. Logic must be used by both the GM and the players to focus a library on magical research. Although a finely crafted and detailed volume regarding Dwarven History would be an excellent volume to add to a normal library, it would be of little use to a magical library because dwarves as a race are not overt magic users. A volume focusing on Elven History would be of greater use because it focuses on a race that uses magic readily.

Note – Players skilled in magical lore or those who possess magical enhancements/vocations can write reference volumes focused on magic. Often, accumulated knowledge possessed by such individuals is useful to others such as mages, priests, and even bards. These individuals write such volumes in hopes of exchanging knowledge with others. A player cannot write volumes to increase the value of his personal library with respect to his personal research. The knowledge he already knows is only repeated in written form and cannot be added to his overall knowledge with respect to spell or ritual research.

Writing a Reference Volume – A person can write 1 page of text per point possessed in Dexterity + Language Dice per day. Individuals who possess the practiced penmanship talent gain +3 pages per day. It should be noted that producing a text in a fantasy setting is much more time-consuming than using a word processor in modern times. Errors in writing are quite costly, and a slow and methodical pace helps avoid mistakes. Magical Reference Volumes are typically categorized by magical school and as minor, average, or superior works. Additional volumes can contain alchemical lore, extra planer lore, varied magical/racial lore, and knowledge regarding highly magical creatures such as fairies, dragons, and the like.

Copying Reference Volumes – In fantasy-based games, 95% of the volumes are copied by hand. Only the most technologically advanced cultures (Dwarves and sometimes Tinker Gnomes and Goblins) have developed machines to reproduce written works. Even if such machines do exist, they are difficult to use and require extensive amounts of maintenance. Hand copying texts takes time, and if colored pigments and pictures are to be added, the project is further prolonged. As a standard rule, a learned person (with the literacy talent) can copy Dexterity + Language Dice pages of standard written material per 8-hour day of work. If a translation is required, and the transcriber is literate in both languages, he can transcribe with 80% efficiency. If, however, the transcriber must use reference material to transcribe and translate the material, the efficiency drops to 30% of normal. In all cases, individuals with the Practiced Penmanship talent gain +3 pages per day.

Copying Success (optional rolls): Individuals who have a D6 rating in the language they are transcribing are considered functional in relaying information and, under normal conditions, do not need to roll to transcribe the material. Those less skilled do have to roll (TD:5-7) to determine if all of the copied concepts are relayed properly. When writing magical texts that require advanced concepts, the base is a D8 in a given language; those less skilled should roll (TD:7-10) to determine success.

Spell/Ritual Research

Researching Spell/Rituals: As a general rule, if a character has access to a library sufficient to support the spell/ritual he is researching, A Research + Intelligence roll is required. If Research skill is not possessed, the character’s language skills can be used. In these cases, a +2 difficulty is applied to the research roll. The individual can gain bonuses/penalties for Library Focus, Size, and Relevancy Factor as prescribed by the GM. Unless otherwise stated, Research success is equal to 10 + the Tier rating of the spell/ritual to research. It is assumed that the researcher is fluent in the written material language(s). Failure on the roll simply voids the time spent on research. The research can be repeated, but a second failure indicates that a new library must be used to continue research. Individuals with the Gifted Research enhancement may gain bonuses for such rolls.

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Multiple Individuals Conducting Research: though possible, this is rarely accomplished by mages, whereas churches, with teams of priests, do benefit more often. The individual with the highest dice rating in Research + Intelligence will lead the process. Each additional individual grants a bonus to the overall dice role. Additional individuals with the Research skill (even at D4) grant +2, while those that do not grant a +1. Further, each additional person subtracts 10% from the overall research time. Individuals with the Gifted Research enhancement automatically become the leader for group research projects. Further, at the GM’s whim, they can supervise two different research projects at the same time.

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