Spellbook (item)

The spellbook is the most important part of casting spells in Britannian Magic, and without it, no magic can be done.

Description
In the spellbook, all spells known to the mage are written down for easy access. Spells can be learned from other mages (of course after paying in gold), and are then recorded in the book for later use. Typically, the more experienced a mage is, the more expansive his or her spellbook becomes. Thankfully, the usage of a spellbook makes the mixing of reagents obsolete, as the book uses the right qualities of reagents once the spell is spoken. It appears in Ultima VI, Ultima VII, Ultima VII Part Two and Ultima IX.

History
Spellbooks came into widespread use at beginning of the Gargoyle invasion. Before this, spellbooks weren't required, and the spells were mixed directly. In prior times, magic scrolls appeared which duplicated the various spell effects, but they were somewhat unpractical, and fell out of use.

In Ultima VI, spells could be readily purchased from other mages and then added manually to the spellbook, and Lord British even had a spellbook ready for the Avatar in his castle. In Ultima VII, purchased spells were automatically recorded into the book. Again, Lord British had a spellbook ready for the Avatar, while two more could be found in the dungeons Destard and Hythloth. In Ultima VII Part Two the Avatar started with a spellbook, but lost it in a teleport storm. Fedabiblio in Moonshade was able to create a replacement for the Avatar, using three fresh Mandrake Roots. On the Serpent Isle it as well was possible to use the spell Transcribe to move a spell from a one-use scroll into the spellbook.

The rules for spellbooks changed significantly in Ultima IX, see Ultima IX Magic. The Avatar here found a spellbook in Stonegate.

Ultima V: Lazarus
Unlike in the original, where spells where mixed directly, in Ultima V: Lazarus every character that can do magic also has their own spellbook. The rules are the same as in Ultima VII, thus making spellcasting a lot easier than in the original game.

Trivia

 * Despite the Avatar's reliance on the spellbook, in Ultima VII, Jaana does not require a book for healing.
 * The Avatar's Britannian spellbook carries spells native to the Serpent Isle upon first arriving in the new world. Testing it however is impossible. At the start, the Avatar has no reagents, and once the spellbook is rediscovered, it is ruined and disintegrates when the Avatar attempts to use it.