The Bibliophile Spells Guide: Mend Wound, Shrivel and Psychometry

How do you learn the spells in The Bibliophile?

All three spells come from the spellbook Dr. Coffey gives you in chapter 3. You do not learn them by finding scrolls. Instead, after a key event you go home to your apartment and type study volume. The book then teaches you one new spell. After the first and the third lesson your cell phone rings, so type answer cell to hear what Coffey needs next.

How does Mend Wound work?

Mend Wound heals the damage you take in fights. The command is cast mend wound, singular. The plural form some older guides print is not what the game wants.

The spell is not a free action. Casting it when you are unhurt still uses up a turn, and an enemy gets to act during that turn. Use it right after you see that something hit you, or as a deliberate precaution before a dangerous doorway. Two good moments are the street outside Aasim Ahlaam’s shop and the doorway to the priest’s chamber, both covered in Chapter 6.

How does Shrivel work?

Shrivel is your attack spell. You aim it with cast shrivel on <target>. These are the targets that work in the main route:

• Silas, the man guarding the shop, who is reduced to dust.
• The man at the well in the chamber below the shop.
• The priest in the next room, where it must be your first action.
• The dimensional shambler in the sewers. Shrivel only drives it off, so expect to cast it again.

Shrivel is the answer to every deadly moment in the second half of the game, and nearly all of them punish hesitation. The survival tips list each timing window.

How does Psychometry work?

Psychometry reads the history of an object. You use it only once in the main route, at the music school in Chapter 7. There you pick up four objects connected to the kidnapped students and type cast psychometry on <object> for each one. Once all four are read, your business at the school is done, and after you sleep Coffey calls you to the Engineer’s Club.

What spell mistakes cost the most time?

• Typing mend wounds with an s, then wondering why nothing happens.
• Casting Mend Wound at full health and losing the turn.
• Forgetting to study volume after a story event, so the next spell never arrives.
• Looking around in a dangerous room instead of casting Shrivel straight away.
• Treating Shrivel as a kill spell against the shambler and moving on before it returns.