How do you scribe a new spell into your spell book?

[Zero dB]

I remember the game doing a tutorial on how to use a scroll to put its spell in your spell book...but now I can't remember how it worked. Was it as simple as right-clicking a scroll and clicking an option to copy the spell into your book? I'm not getting that option anymore, and I don't know if I'm doing something wrong or if my spellcasters have simply hit the limit of spells they can learn.

The game doesn't explicitly state how many spells a magic user can know...and of course there's no manual. Maybe it'll help if I dig out my Pathfinder core rulebook and look at the pen and paper rule regarding how many spells a given character can know. While I'm at it, I'll brush up on Metamagic, since the game apparently supports it but doesn't explain how it works or even what it is.

Anyway....

I'm actually enjoying the game quite a bit. My main character is a Druid, and I've also got a Ranger in my party (hired at Oleg's outpost). The Druid has a leopard companion animal, and the Ranger got his companion animal -- a wolf -- at about the same time the Druid got his first Wild Shape ability. At one point, the party was sneaking around the Stag Lord's grounds with a leopard and two wolves. That was pretty cool.

[Brian Sirith]

Just right click in your inventory. Where it has the 'use', 'drop' options it has 'copy to spellbook'. Some spells are not writable. Maybe you copied all the writable ones? As far as PF rules I think theres no limit on how many yoy can write down. Youd need a new spellbookbut I doubt they've done that. Best guess... as many as you want.

[For_Science!]

Only certain spellcasters can copy spells into their books. Your druid and ranger, for example, cannot.

Wizards, alchemists, and most types of magus have to keep spellbooks. For them, you should be able to right-click a scroll and copy the spell into their book (if it's a spell they are capable of learning.)

Clerics. druids, paladins and rangers have it easier than wizards: their books automatically contain every spell they are capable of casting at their current level. However, they do have to prepare their spells in advance each day just like wizards do.

Sorcerers, bards, and inquistors know only a small selection of spells, which they choose for themselves as they level. They cannot learn new spells from scrolls. But their advantage is that they don't need to prepare spells in advance; they can cast any spell they know at any time.

[Procrastinating Gamer]

It could also be a case that you're trying to scribe a spell that's not on your class' spell list, like a Wizard can't scribe Cure Serious Wounds or Flame Strike because they're not on the Wizard spell list.

EDIT: And, as mentioned, divine prepared casters like Clerics, Druids, Rangers, and Paladins (not Inquisitors since they're spontaneous casters) automatically know their entire spell list, so they can prepare any spell on their class' spell list provided they have spell slots of the appropriate level. They can't learn spells from scrolls because they already know all of their spells. That and they don't have a spellbook to scribe the spell into.

[Morgian]

All divine classes cannot scribe spells, because they already know their whole list, as mentioned above.
Only wizards, alchemists and magi can do that, and only those which are on their class list.

Next, some scrolls are maybe copies of a spell you already know. A scroll with protection from fire is the same as the protection from (energy) spell, just in a specific version.

Metamagic
You can use that mostly past level 10, because using the feats coasts spell levels, so you won't get much use if you have only 1st or 2nd level spells. You pick the feat(s) you want and then go to your spellbook. On the lower right side is a button "Metamagic". This brings you to the spell modification page. Now pick the spell to modify and pull the feat(s) you want to apply from those you have onto it. After saving the spell, it will appear on the new spell level as if it was a new spell. You have to meditate it in, if you are a standard caster, or just use the appropriate spell slots if you are a spontaneous one.
Using empower, reach and heighten spell allows you to fill slots you don't need. Clerics have no grand spells on level 7, but a heal with reach may come in handy. Or just more heals, since you can use all your 7th slots for it.

[Zero dB]

Thanks, everybody. It actually helped me to crack open my Core Rulebook for the pen & paper game -- it reminded me which classes need to learn their spells and how many spells they can have at a given level, which cleared some things up. The mechanics of metamagic in the CRPG became clearer once my cleric got the ability to actually use it. I got Tristian to level 5, which got him the Extend feat, so I made a Protection from Evil, Communal spell that lasts twice as long. Not too useful against the bunch of giant spiders the party encountered immediately after that, though. Stupid irony. :)

[Bob of Mage]

Protection from Alignment, can be tough to use because enemies are not going to be nice and all have the same alignment. In fact lots of enemies are jerks and go with true neutral, and this inculdes far too many of those damn bandits. About the only ones you can be 100% sure of is undead and the rare outsider.

[Christy]

I am a Cleric / Necro, I am new to the game. I have all these spells in my book for level 1 but cannot use any of them. I try to rightclick on them to memorize and nothing happens. On the left side of the Spellbook I have only 2 spells out of the 18 availabe... just Bless and Shield of faith, I can unmemorize them, but how do I acquire more spells? AM I limited to only 2 spells a day or something. There is nothing to read up on this subject matter which is strange.

[Stink Bug]

Originally posted by Christy:

I am a Cleric / Necro, I am new to the game. I have all these spells in my book for level 1 but cannot use any of them. I try to rightclick on them to memorize and nothing happens. On the left side of the Spellbook I have only 2 spells out of the 18 availabe... just Bless and Shield of faith, I can unmemorize them, but how do I acquire more spells? AM I limited to only 2 spells a day or something. There is nothing to read up on this subject matter which is strange.

You might find this to be helpful for understanding your cleric:


Note the +1 slot is restricted to your domain spells. At level one you should get 2 spell slots to use, plus your domain slot, plus any bonus slots you get from having a high ability score in your primary casting stat (which is wisdom for all cleric archetypes). Your wisdom must be low if you’re not getting any bonus slots.[www.d20pfsrd.com]