Magic, Mind Points and the Talisman of Lore

[Bareheaded Warrior]

...I remembered "Zenithfleet" and in the process found this topic.

Once again we appear to be in a very similar train of thought (although I'm about a decade behind)

Comparing and contrasting our approaches

Spells seem to work in a Jack Vance 'Dying Earth' sort of way. Magicians memorise spells, and once they use one, it vanishes from their memory. This fits the 'discard a spell after use' rule.

Agreed the HeroQuest spellcasting mechanism fits the Vancian magic system in so many ways it is clearly not an accident. I would be wary around using the term "memorise" and "vanishes" or "forgets", not that it is wrong as such, but people less familiar with Vance's work tend to get the wrong impression, it is more a case that spells are chosen, an elaborate and lengthy ritual needs to happen between quests for the spell to be loaded or pre-loaded, cast and held in the mind of the spellcaster, ready to be released on command during the action.

Also, in Quests that involve the Heroes being captured and their equipment taken, the Elf and Wizard lose their spells. This suggests that their spellbooks have been stolen and they can't memorise any spell until they find the books again.

Yes but this presents a few challenges. If we assume that without their spell books they wouldn't be able to pre-load spells prior to the quest, then we must also assume the following;

1) Upon regaining their spell books they wouldn't be able to pre-load and therefore use spells until the following quest (but the rules state that they can use spells as soon as their equipment is found)

2) If they exit the quest without recovering their equipment, spell books then presumably they will never be able to cast spells again (at least not the elemental ones)

3) They may have already had spells pre-loaded, prior to capture that could be used during the quest.

Some suggestions to remedy this situation.

A) Allow the Elf and the Wizard to select their spell sets as usual, but make them sacrifice one spell per set to reflect the fact that they may have used spells prior to the point of capture and haven't had the chance to reload

B) Those spells are the ones that they have for use throughout the quest whether they recover their spell books or not

C) EITHER modify the Quest so that they cannot complete it successfully without recovering their equipment, OR allow them to repurchase their lost spell books (maybe they only need to purchase one spell book between them at a cost of 4000 gold coins) but that would still be prohibitive at this stage of the game, so maybe go with the first part of this text.

Suggestion #1: To learn new spell sets (like the ones in Wizards of Morcar), the players need to find spellbooks. One spellbook lets them choose that spell set instead of an elemental set. The spellbooks could be Quest Treasures (e.g. 'Spellbook: Darkness'). If they ever lose that spellbook (e.g. the Wizard gives it to the Elf), they lose the ability to memorise and use spells from it. Owning a spellbook doesn't increase the number of spell sets you can take, though--just the sets you can choose from. (You keep the same number of 'spell slots', in other words.)

Agreed, entirely, although not just find but also purchase, as this would give something else for our Wizard to spend his gold on.

Suggestion #2: A Hero's Mind Points determine how many spell sets they can take. The more Mind Points they have, the more magic they can use. Therefore, if anything in the game increases a Hero's maximum MP value, they can take more spell sets. (They get bonus 'spell slots').

Agreed the number of spells they can pre-load, their spell slots, would be determined by their Mind value, one set of 3 spells for every Mind value over 3.

This would apply to all spellcasters including those who cast Chaos Spells although one advantage of Chaos might be that you can choose freely rather than being constrained by sets (or we could group them into sets) - either way I'm good with that

I don't agree that there is a Barbarian/Dwarf issue as these rules apply to spellcaster and they are not spellcaster, even a Barbarian with a mind value of 8 still isn't a spellcaster so cannot cast spells. Simple

....Now, in the EU questbook, the Mentor parchment text for Melar's Maze says that the Talisman of Lore was designed to increase the holder's understanding of magic. Since the Talisman's game effects are to increase your Mind Points, this suggests that Mind Points are related to magic in some way. (NOTE: In the EU game, the Talisman adds 2 MP.)

Agreed but as has been point out already by Ethica the EU Talisman giving you a +2, so early in the game, presents a problem, as the Wizard and Elf combined once they have the Talisman could preload 6 spell sets and there are only 4 spell sets available at this point. Even if we created/repurposed another two sets a Wizard with 15 spells seems overpowered at this stage of the game and would be difficult for a younger player to play effectively.

I would suggest the following

i) The Talisman of Lore is reduced to +1 Mind value as per North American edition
ii) More controversially change the Wizard's starting profile to 5 Body points and 5 Mind Points

This has a number of advantages whilst still keeping him thematically the strongest mind and the weakest body, (such as 1BP +4 restored from a healing spell or potion = 5) but for the purposes of this discussion, it would mean that for the first few quests our Elf would take one set and our Wizard two sets, six spells should be easy enough to get used to.

Once the Talisman of Lore has been found and assuming the Wizard gets it, he could then take 3 spell sets into subsequent Quests.

Later additional items could be located that increase the selection of spells available to the spellcasters but not the number they can pre-load, these could either be made available as Quest Treasures or as Equipment for purchase (and could be linked with killing an enemy spellcaster - Ethica again) AND later still additional items could become available (see below) that boost Mind further, particularly for the later quests AtOH, WoM and beyond as these quest tend to be longer and therefore more spells are needed.

Finally yet another point made by Ethica inspired another train of thought

I don't like the idea that the wizard might be carrying 3 spell books around with him, that would mean that each book only has 3 spells that could each be spoken during 1 turn which would make them very short and quite memorable, unless by their very nature they are unmemorable? Either way it would be more like a spell pamflet. I like that spell books could exist to provide access to new spell sets though.

Despite using Second Edition as my base, I have adopted a number of ideas from North American edition but have never liked or adopted the concept of spell scrolls. I agree that there is a need for more spells in later longer quests, .(and this topic fixes that) but the concept of a piece of paper that can hold a spell pre-loaded in it without any presence of the mind of a spellcaster, they can even be cast by the Barbarian, to me always seems to break the principles of Vancian and therefore HeroQuest spell casting. The mention of pamphlets did suggest a way to bridge this gap however...

Scroll of Protection
Spellcaster only
This scroll allows the holder to choose the Spells of Protection set as one of their sets to load for a Quest.
Cost 1000 gold coins

Scroll of Detection
Spellcaster only
This scroll allows the holder to choose the Spells of Detection set as one of their sets to load for a Quest.
Cost 1000 gold coins

Scroll of Darkness
Spellcaster only
This scroll allows the holder to choose the Spells of Darkness set as one of their sets to load for a Quest.
Cost 1000 gold coins

Crown of Sorcery
Spellcaster only
This headgear gives the wearer an extra starting Mind Point.
Cost 1000 gold coins

This last one could be introduced prior to AtOH, possibly worn by the Witch Lord at the end of ROTWL?

[Kurgan]

The way I interpret spells in the game now, admittedly based on an early game mechanic is this... (and this is just an aide to Suspension of Disbelief, I freely admit it is made-up based fanon/headcanon for a fantasy game aimed at children, with arbitrary rules):

"Spells" are basically devices... physical objects, which when "read" (aloud?) they "activate" and trigger certain effects in the world. Once "used" in this way, their power vanishes.

So the power is not in the words spoken by the Wizard, Elf, etc. that is merely the means of activation.

Spell Scrolls are of an inferior quality such that they "crumble to dust" once used (perhaps after only one use, while some can be used more than once). I compare them to those amateur rocketry kits. Some of them are meant to be re-usable, while others burn out and are basically destroyed after a single use.

Normal spells go dormant but then after a period of time have automatically "recharged" and are usable again. Some other objects can recharge the spells faster, but are rare and expensive.

To me this explains why the Wizard and Elf can swap out spells and not just re-use them over and over again in the same quest.

The only thing it doesn't account for, is why the Wizard can't just carry every Spell ever. Even if you say (as I would) that they are written in a special language that requires training and education to learn properly, that would imply that the Wizard could just learn all the spells and then bring them ALL into battle. The Game System answers this by default by limiting them (again as if they were physical objects, here the cards). The ones that the Wizard takes with him are not taken by the Elf and vice versa.

This also doesn't answer why if the Elf dies, the Wizard can't run over and pick up his spells and use them (assuming they are the elemental spells). The Elf Spells are only learned by the Wizard so only he could use them. But Wizards of Morcar breaks this, because in theory the Wizard should be able to carry more. You can say the Elf's expertise is limited to a few.

Now you could add a theory that the use of Spells has some kind of physical strain on the user and the Wizard can handle more of that in the period of a quest than an Elf. This isn't 100% though because you have ways of recharging spells, meaning an Elf might be able to use as many as a Wizard at a certain point (I would have to go through all the quests again and count up all the possible instances of being able to buy recharging potions or other items). So it starts to break down a little bit there.

I think though this general "belief" helps me suspend disbelief when it comes to the Spells. The other heroes seem to be able to carry unlimited items. Why don't they just buy up the entire Armory and carry it with them on an adventure (I like to also imagine there are basically unseen porters carrying any extra supplies perhaps hanging back from the Heroes and Mercs who get the spotlight)? Because they have limited gold. All the other gold they could have spent on food, lodging, taxes, tributes, tolls, etc. all gets spent beforehand "off camera" and what is left over is the "quest budget" for the Armory and Alchemist Shops. The heroes for all we know have side jobs or even get a salary from the Emperor (or money from the lands they are entitled to as "Imperial Knights" later on), but that accounts for anything else, including upkeep, laundry, tailoring, horses, ferries, guides, etc. HeroQuest keeps it simple by removing all that other stuff from the equation and letting you focus on exploring dungeons, killing monsters and looting the treasures.

[Bareheaded Warrior]

I've documented the following changes to my version.

Implemented Changes:

# [0.0.20] - 2023-07-05 - Fixed Problem #31

###Added

- Rulebook (Book of Spellcasting):
Some characters can cast spells and are known as spellcasters, such as the Wizard and the Elf. Special rules that apply to them are covered in this book.
Spells must be chosen and prepared in advance of a quest and stored in the mind of the caster so that they can cast, or activate the stored spell and release its effects, though words and gestures at an appropriate moment of their choice in the dungeon.
Once a spell has been cast it is discarded and cannot be used again until it is prepared again between quests.
Spellcasters have a finite capacity of prepared spells that they can hold in their minds, this is determine as one spell set (of three spells) for every Mind point over three. For example, so a spellcaster with a Mind value of 5, can only prepare a maximum of 2 sets of 3 spells.
Selection and preparation of spells from those known to him, generally kept in the form of a spell book, is time consuming, complex, elaborate and intensive, so can only take place between quests, and results in the spellcaster having a number of spells prepared in his mind ready to be "cast", activated or released, in the quest as required.
Additional spell sets in the form of scrolls may be found in Quests, these increase the number of spells available to be prepared between quests but have no impact on the actual maximum limit of spells that can be prepared and taken into a Quest.
Some magical items can increase the Mind value of the holder and therefore increase the maximum number of spell sets that a spellcaster can prepare such as the Talisman of Lore
Both of our spellcasting heroes the Wizard and the Elf start the game with access to the following spell sets:
• Spells of Air: Genie, Tempest, Swift Wind
• Spells of Earth: Heal Body, Pass Through Rock, Rock Skin
• Spells of Fire: Ball of Flame, Courage, Fire of Wrath
• Spells of Water: Sleep, Veil of Mist, Water of Healing
Spell Selection
The process for selecting spells is that the spellcaster with the highest Mind value chooses their first set, followed by the spellcaster with the next highest mind value and so on until all spellcasters have selected their first set. The process then repeats for the second set until each spellcaster has reached their limit. If more than one spellcaster has the same Mind value then they must roll a die each, highest goes first.

- Scrolls (Equipment Card: Wizard's Staff):
Wizard’s Staff
Weapon, Diagonal, Basic, Both Hands, Artefact, Wizard Only, 2AD
The Wizard’s Staff allows you to roll two combat dice in attack. The Wizard’s Staff may be used to attack diagonally.
Cost 250 gold coins.
May only be used by Wizard.

- Scrolls (Equipment Card: Wand of Fire):
Wand of Fire
Artefact, Weapon, Wizard Only, 2AD, Fire Attack, Missile
This wand allows the wielder to use their action to attack any monster that they have a clear line of sight to, rolling two combat dice, no defend.

- Scrolls (Equipment Card: Crown of Sorcery):
Crown of Sorcery
Spellcaster only
This headgear gives the wearer an extra starting Mind Point.
Cost 1000 gold coins

- Scrolls (Equipment Card: Ring of Escape):
Ring of Escape
Spellcaster only
When invoked, this magical ring will return all characters that the ring wearer can "see" to the starting point of the Quest. The card is then discarded.
Cost ? gold coins.

- Scrolls (Equipment Card: Scroll of Protection):
Scroll of Protection
Spellcaster only
This scroll allows the holder to choose the Spells of Protection set as one of their sets to prepare for a Quest.
Cost 1000 gold coins

- Scrolls (Equipment Card: Scroll of Darkness):
Scroll of Darkness
Spellcaster only
This scroll allows the holder to choose the Spells of Darkness set as one of their sets to prepare for a Quest.
Cost 1000 gold coins

- Scrolls (Equipment Card: Scroll of Detection):
Scroll of Detection
Spellcaster only
This scroll allows the holder to choose the Spells of Detection set as one of their sets to prepare for a Quest.
Cost 1000 gold coins

- Scrolls (Equipment Card: Potion of Magical Aptitude):
Potion of Magical Aptitude
Potion, Spellcaster Only
You discover a vial of silvery liquid under a loose flagstone. You may drink it at the beginning of your turn and it allows you to roll two extra combat dice when you use a Mind Combat spell. Discard after use.
Cost 400 gold coins

- Scrolls (Quest Treasure Card: Ring of Recall):
Ring of Recall
Artefact, Spellcaster Only
This ring enables the wearer to roll a combat die having cast a spell and if a black shield is scored then the wearer may keep the spell card for another use rather than discarding it
#Q14 Return to Barak Tor, worn by the Witch Lord instead of NA edition Spell Ring

###Changed

- Rulebook (Book of Heroes):
Sort the 12 spell cards into their four sets. There are three cards in each set. Each set corresponds to a different aspect of magical energy: Spells of Air, Spells of Earth, Spells of Fire and Spells of Water.
At the start of your first game the Wizard must take the Spells of Earth and the Spells of Fire and the Elf, the Spells of Water. The Spells of Air will not be used in the first Quest.
Spellcasters may change their spells between Quests, see Book of Spellcasting for details

- Scrolls (Character Card: Wizard):
Increased Body Points from 4 to 5
Decreased Mind Dice from 6 to 5

- Scrolls (Equipment Card: Bracers): Renamed to Bracers of Defence
- Scrolls (Quest Treasure Card: Wand of Recall): Renamed to Wand of Concurrence
- Scrolls (Quest Treasure Card: Talisman of Lore): Reduce from +2 Mind to +1 Mind

- Scrolls (Spell Cards: All): Regrouped into spell sets as below
#From Game System (Elemental Spells)
• Spells of Air: Genie, Tempest, Swift Wind
• Spells of Earth: Heal Body, Pass Through Rock, Rock Skin
• Spells of Fire: Ball of Flame, Courage, Fire of Wrath
• Spells of Water: Sleep, Veil of Mist, Water of Healing
#From Wizards of Morcar
• Spells of Darkness: Arrows of the Night, Chains of Darkness, Cloak of Shadows
• Spells of Detection: Clairvoyance, Future Sight, Treasure Horde
• Spells of Protection: Dispell, Invisibility, Wall of Stone
#From Against the Ogre Horde
• Spells of Mind: Mind Lock, Dominate, Mind Blast
#From Wizards of Morcar (not sure if these are one double set of 6 or need to be split into two single sets of 3 but I don’t think it matters, perhaps splitting them would be more flexible)
• Spells of the High Mage: Dispell, Escape, Madness, Rust, Strands of Binding, Wall of Flame
• Spells of the Storm Master: Blinding Sleet, Earthquake, Hurricane, Lightning Bolt, Thieving Wind, Wall of Ice
• Spells of the Necromancer: Call Skeleton, Death Bolt, Fear, Raise the Dead, Skulls of Doom, Summon Mummy
• Spells of the Orc Shaman: Orc Berserker, Sharpen Blades, Shield of Protection, Spirit of Vengeance, Summon Goblins, Summon Orcs

Things that are outstanding to consider

The double sets (the last four) should really be split into two sets of three for consistency

The location of some of these new Quest Treasures / Equipment Cards

Consider the Elixir of Life, if that returns a dead spellcaster then he may still have spells prepared, but will his grimoire have to be bought – if so then 1000 gold coins per spell set / scroll

Modify Legacy of the Orc Warlord and the Witch Lord quest where they are captured!
• Legacy - select spells as normal but then discard one spell from each set before starting the quest.
• Witch Lord - only have the spells left over from the previous quest.

**Should we allow a spell caster to hear the parchment txt for an adventure before they make their spell selection?

#From Game System: The Fire Mage (Balur) - uses Fire Spells (what about his escape, is this a ring of return / escape?)
• Spells of Fire: Ball of Flame, Courage, Fire of Wrath

#From Return of The Witch Lord: The Last Gate (Kessandria) - replace Swift Wind wiht a Potion of Speed or give her Air Spells or a Ring of Escape / Ring of Return?

Scrolls of Protection, Detection and Darkness – need to be included prior to WoM, but when and how – QT or purchase

Crown of Sorcery - This last one could be introduced prior to AtOH, possibly worn by the Witch Lord at the end of ROTWL? (or I could include it in my bridging quest pack - The Fall of Sir Ragnar (after AtOH, before WoM)

[Nlinindoll]

The way I interpret spells in the game now, admittedly based on an early game mechanic is this... (and this is just an aide to Suspension of Disbelief, I freely admit it is made-up based fanon/headcanon for a fantasy game aimed at children, with arbitrary rules):

"Spells" are basically devices... physical objects, which when "read" (aloud?) they "activate" and trigger certain effects in the world. Once "used" in this way, their power vanishes.

So the power is not in the words spoken by the Wizard, Elf, etc. that is merely the means of activation.

Spell Scrolls are of an inferior quality such that they "crumble to dust" once used (perhaps after only one use, while some can be used more than once). I compare them to those amateur rocketry kits. Some of them are meant to be re-usable, while others burn out and are basically destroyed after a single use.

Normal spells go dormant but then after a period of time have automatically "recharged" and are usable again. Some other objects can recharge the spells faster, but are rare and expensive.

To me this explains why the Wizard and Elf can swap out spells and not just re-use them over and over again in the same quest.

The only thing it doesn't account for, is why the Wizard can't just carry every Spell ever. Even if you say (as I would) that they are written in a special language that requires training and education to learn properly, that would imply that the Wizard could just learn all the spells and then bring them ALL into battle. The Game System answers this by default by limiting them (again as if they were physical objects, here the cards). The ones that the Wizard takes with him are not taken by the Elf and vice versa.

This also doesn't answer why if the Elf dies, the Wizard can't run over and pick up his spells and use them (assuming they are the elemental spells). The Elf Spells are only learned by the Wizard so only he could use them. But Wizards of Morcar breaks this, because in theory the Wizard should be able to carry more. You can say the Elf's expertise is limited to a few.

Now you could add a theory that the use of Spells has some kind of physical strain on the user and the Wizard can handle more of that in the period of a quest than an Elf. This isn't 100% though because you have ways of recharging spells, meaning an Elf might be able to use as many as a Wizard at a certain point (I would have to go through all the quests again and count up all the possible instances of being able to buy recharging potions or other items). So it starts to break down a little bit there.

I think though this general "belief" helps me suspend disbelief when it comes to the Spells. The other heroes seem to be able to carry unlimited items. Why don't they just buy up the entire Armory and carry it with them on an adventure (I like to also imagine there are basically unseen porters carrying any extra supplies perhaps hanging back from the Heroes and Mercs who get the spotlight)? Because they have limited gold. All the other gold they could have spent on food, lodging, taxes, tributes, tolls, etc. all gets spent beforehand "off camera" and what is left over is the "quest budget" for the Armory and Alchemist Shops. The heroes for all we know have side jobs or even get a salary from the Emperor (or money from the lands they are entitled to as "Imperial Knights" later on), but that accounts for anything else, including upkeep, laundry, tailoring, horses, ferries, guides, etc. HeroQuest keeps it simple by removing all that other stuff from the equation and letting you focus on exploring dungeons, killing monsters and looting the treasures.

The only thing I think is missing from your explanation is the idea that spell casting is a long, complex ritual that requires components, movements, arcane words and actions, etc., and the long part of the ritual is done long prior to the quest. When a spell caster "casts" a spell in the middle of a battle or dungeon, that's just the trigger word or movement that finalizes the spell after much of the casting was done earlier. The wizard and elf carry the energy of the spells that are 99% cast before they ever leave on their quest. The wizard and elf only have limited time, resources and "bandwidth" to queue up so many spells ahead of time. They made a judgment call and decided which spells to queue up before they left on the quest.

This is based on basic ideas of Vancian Magic (http://arcana.wikidot.com/vancian-magic), the Heroquest novels, and Warhammer lore as well.

I think taking that into consideration, the other things you mentioned like why the wizard can't carry every spell ever or why the elf can't run and pick up a dead wizard's spells. Spells aren't literally objects, though are made up of the magical energy manipulated by a previously performed ritual.

[Bareheaded Warrior]

I think that we are all* broadly agreed on the Vancian principles and that and how they apply to HeroQuest, but for me it leaves some important outstanding questions

*Apart from Kurgan who has created his own mythos, with self-declared gaps, no need, a suitable mythos that is the original one already exists!

The Game System answers this by default by limiting them (again as if they were physical objects, here the cards).

This limit answers how but not why, and the idea that cards represent physical objects that characters can carry therefore, as spell are represented by cards, they are physical objects, is deeply flawed, consider for a moment the "Nothing" Treasure Card, that is clearly a card and clearly and emphatically represents the complete absence of any item, or if you were to impose carrying limits, how many of the "Goblin" item or the "Gargoyle" item could a Wizard carry?

But back to Vancian spells in Heroquest...

1. Legacy of the Orc Warlord

At some point after the end of Melar's Maze our valiant heroes are captured by Grak in an ambush and the Quest starts with them being held prisoner in his dungeon, stripped of their equipment, presumably including the spellcasters' spell books, and the Quest has the success criteria of "You must find your equipment and escape"

Whilst it isn't stated at precisely what point they are captured, logically there are 2 options, with significant differences.

a) Shortly after the end of Melar's Maze and prior to any spell caster getting the chance to "prepare" replacement spells
b) Later, after they have had the chance to "prepare" replacement spells for the next Quest

If (b) was the assumption then it wouldn't make any sense that our spellcasters start the quest without any spells prepared, so I am working on the assumption that (a) is the intention.

"Neither the Wizard or the Elf may cast spells until they have found the room where all the equipment has been stored" - this doesn't make sense for several reasons

i) If they had spells prepared that hadn't be used in the previous quest then they could still use those

I've just started on a project to crate all the original quests using hQuestBuilder - Browser-based Quest Creation (and will share them) in their original form before applying some modifications, one modification that I would apply would be to Melar's Maze would be for the EWP to note any spells that our spellcasters have remaining if any at the end of that quest and therefore logically they should still have those available for use during Legacy

ii) Having recovered their equipment including spell books, they still wouldn't be able to prepare any more spells for use as that can only be done between quests

Finally the dungeon is laid out in such a way that it would be possible for the group to escape from the dungeon without recovering their equipment. How would you as an EWP handle this situation?

Would you rule that the quest objective had not been met or at least fully met "You must find your equipment and escape" so the quest would have to be replayed, presumably the heroes would have to wander around in Grak's territory in the hope of being re-ambushed and imprisoned, so they can escape again and retrieve their equipment this time...

Would you rule that the objective was sufficiently met, that the group can move onto The Stone Hunter and beyond without any of their equipment including the spellcasters spell books so neither the Wizard or the Elf would ever be able to prepare and cast spells again, or perhaps you would need them to purchase their missing books at around ~4000 gold coins each?

Whilst there are ways around this, none of them appear simple or easy, so I will be planning on my modifications to the "Legacy" quest to put the room in which the equipment is stored onto the critical path so heroes will not be able to escape without recovering their equipment.

2. Halls of the Dead

A situation with some similar aspects also occurs in Return of the Witch Lord between capture at the end of The Gate of Bellthor, which ends with capture of the heroes, and Halls of the Dead which starts with them in a captured state

"The Wizard has his spells as usual"

This seems to imply that he has had time to prepare a full sets of spells without his equipment, spell book, whilst in captivity before the Quest starts which seems inconsistent compared to our last situation.

Perhaps a matching pair of notes for the before and after quests, as per the earlier notes, EWP notes any spells remaining at the end of the "before" quest, spellcaster have access to only those spells for the "after" quest

3. Elixir of Life

Consider the Elixir of Life, if that if used to bring a dead spellcaster back to life then he may or may not still have spells prepared, but what if his equipment including his spell book has been lost in the meantime, what are the ramifications and how would you handle that?

Although there is another topic Elixir of Life: Vague, but useful that would be a better place to receive answers to that question!

4. Parchment Text

And my final question, should we allow a spell caster to hear the parchment text for an adventure before they make their spell selection?