Spell Tomes is an official download for Oblivion that adds new spells, as well as the titular books from which spells can be learned simply by reading them.
This pack adds "Spell Tomes" to the world's random treasure. These books grant you wondrous and powerful magic spells, just by reading them! Now Mages will also gain instant benefits by treasure hunting. Friend and foe alike will bow in awe before your power. —Former Official Summary
This pack adds Spell Tomes to the world's treasures. These books grant you powerful magic spells by reading them. —Official Summary
Once the download is installed, spell tomes will have a roughly 1 in 4 chance of randomly appearing in place of a scroll. They can be found in any container where scrolls may be generated (listed at Finding Scrolls). The tomes range in power and include both new and existing spells. Some of the new spells use previously unavailable effects, such as Fortify Skill, Resist Disease, Resist Paralysis, Resist Poison, Stunted Magicka, Resist Frost, and Summon Bear. A few of the more powerful new spells have been balanced with slightly detrimental effects (such as Sun Damage) to lower the magicka cost. Unlike scrolls, spell tomes will spawn at earlier levels: Novice and Apprentice will spawn from level 1, Journeyman from level 6, Expert from level 11, and Master tomes from level 16.
Using a spell tome for a spell that you have already learned will consume the tome and have no other effect.
NPCs that have level-dependent amount of spell tomes:
When finishing Through A Nightmare, Darkly you'll gain 6 scrolls at the end. If you have the Spell Tomes download installed, this is by far the most reliable way to get a specific spell tome, since you'll get on average 1.5 possibly higher leveled spell tomes. Simply save just before speaking to Henantier after returning to Bravil. In general higher leveled spell tomes seem to be more rare.
The cupboard on the southwest wall in the Chironasium containing the completed mage's staff at the end of A Mage's Staff also contains 5 Apprentice-leveled scrolls. With the Spell Tomes download installed, you'll get 1.25 spell tomes on average. Its contents will not respawn.
There is only one guaranteed spell tome; the download features a single non-respawning Conjurer who carries a single tome. This conjurer is initially spawned outside Fort Cedrian on the middle of the bridge, but will seek you out wherever you are in Cyrodiil and attack on sight.
Containers and enemies that contain/carry scrolls that respawn (like dungeons):
Fort Rayles Hall of Winter has two boss chests which also have a high chance of spawning a spell tome (0.75 on average). Be sure to enter from the eastern door to access these chests quickly. Another source is Moss Rock Cavern (0.85 on average).
Ceyatatar has three Conjurer boss chests. The first one is easily accessed from the exterior trap door. If you have once cleared the entire dungeon, save outside, then reload to access the rest of the dungeon. Be sure to also save just before entering the first zone where another easily accessible boss chest is located. This dungeon has 1.125 spell tomes on average. Fyrelight - Deep Canyon is another great source for an average of 0.5 easily-accessible spell tomes from a monster boss chest (save outside door E).
Necromancers have a small chance (<10%) of carrying a leveled spell tome (with exception of Silorn and other associated Mages Guild quest dungeons). These tomes can be of any type. Best sources are Echo Cave (2.425 on average: first zone 1.05, second 0.475, third 0.9), Fort Istirus (2.15 on average) and Fort Linchal (1.95).
This is a list of the new spells introduced with the download and can only be learned from their respective spell tomes. There are also other tomes for spells that already exist without this download.
Spells which combine elemental damage with a weakness to that element will not work as expected. The weakness will only take effect for subsequent damage by that element and will not be affected by the damage inflicted from the initial use of the spell.
Due to how Open spells function, Fenrick's Welcome can open any door up to 50 points. As a result the spell can open certain Hard locks, despite being labeled as an Open Average Lock spell.
The cost for Magicka Vortex has been increased by 23 to account for the lack of base magicka cost for the Stunted Magicka effect, which is actually implemented as a Script Effect for this spell due to Stunted Magicka only being available in the Construction Set as an on-self spell.
The cost for most spells matches the value you would calculate from the Spell Cost equation. In other words, if you were to create the same spell at the Spellmaking Altar it would have the same magicka cost as the built-in spell. However, there are a few notable exceptions, as noted in the tables. Spells that are a bad deal, i.e. more expensive than a custom spell, are in red; spells that are a good deal are in green. The magicka cost if you were to create a custom spell at the Spellmaking Altar is shown in parentheses.
Cost for spells is dependent upon your skill in the school (as modified by Luck, see Magic Overview). The provided baseline values are the magicka cost when your skill level is 33. For other skill levels the magicka cost can be determined from:
Cost * (1.4 - 0.012 * Skill)
Level indicates what skill level you must reach (or surpass) in order to use a spell. Skill Level 0-24 = Novice, 25-49 = Apprentice, 50-74 = Journeyman, 75-99 = Expert, 100 = Master
The base cost in gold that you must pay to purchase a spell is always three times the current magicka cost of the spell, taking into account your character's skill level and Luck. (The actual cost you pay is further increased based on how well you haggle with the merchant). Therefore, if you have any Fortify Skill or Fortify Luck spells/potions handy, you can get significantly better deals when purchasing spells.
This is a list of preexisting spells that can now have a corresponding spell tome with which they can be learned from. Most of these spells can also be purchased from spell vendors, although a few spells were previously unavailable in-game and can only be learned from the tomes included with this download.
Fenrick's Welcome is named after the spell Fenrick's Doorjam from Morrowind.
Ondusi's Escape takes its name from Ondusi's Open Door in Morrowind. The spell can be found in the Construction Set but is incomplete and not available in the game.
The spells Aundae's Aura, Berne's Aura and Quarra's Aura are named after the three vampire clans of Vvardenfell; the Aundae Clan, the Berne Clan and the Quarra Clan.
The spells Pride of Hirstaang and Karstaag's Breath are respectively named after the Hirstaang Forest and the frost giant Karstaag from Bloodmoon.
The Unofficial Oblivion DLC Patches fixes this bug.