Requirements (HLC)

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Among mortals, only high-level wizards and priests have sufficient knowledge of magic to cast true dweomers; other spell-casting characters lack the profound understanding of magic that true dweomers require. The character also must select a material to help focus the magic and spend time preparing and casting the spell.
==Knowledge==
Wizards must be at least 20th level and have Intelligence scores of 18 or higher. Priests must be at least 20th level and have Wisdom scores of 18 or higher. Only characters with this level of experience and mental capacity understand the processes involved in creating a true dweomer.
Wizards can cast any true dweomer that uses schools available to the character (Table 28 lists spell types by school). Priests can cast true dweomers that use any school, but the spells they create must produce effects that reflect their deity's portfolio or sphere of control.
Although a true dweomer is not actually memorized the way a standard spell is, the process of preparing and casting one is taxing. No mortal can prepare, cast, or have ready to cast more than four true dweomers in a single day, and most characters cannot manage that many (see Table 44, page 157). When characters reach their limits, their minds are too drained and befuddled to attempt any more true dweomers, though they are free to pursue any other activities they are normally able to undertake.
==Materials==
Every true dweomer requires some object or group of objects to assist in casting the spell. The rarer and more difficult a material component is, the easier it is to complete the enchantment. To be effective, however, a material component must be symbolic of what the spell does. For example, destroying a large diamond is costly but ineffective unless the spell has something to do with protecting or destroying something of value (the caster literally pays the price for the item that is effective), overcoming resistance (gem-quality diamonds don't exactly grow on trees, so finding one and destroying it represents a small triumph of sorts), or command over the element of earth (because a diamond is a rare mineral). There is no easy way to choose a material component for a spell; like choosing materials for a magical item (see page 90), the process requires a great deal of imagination and guesswork. The various spell descriptions in the Player's Handbook provide examples to follow.
Wizards do not need spellbooks to cast true dweomers, although a set of written notes about how to go about creating the spell can be helpful.
Priest true dweomers require holy symbols in addition to other components. Holy symbols are not consumed when a true dweomer is cast, but other material components are. Priests can benefit from written notes in the same manner as wizards.
==Preparation==
Casting a powerful spell without memorizing it first requires the character to spend considerable time thinking, meditating, and arranging materials. The more powerful the magic, the more difficult it is to complete the preparations.
==Approval==
Characters who have the required level and ability score are not necessarily free to gather up materials and begin creating super-magical effects as they see fit. The DM must approve a spell before it is used. The player should explain exactly what the spell does, just as if the character were researching a new spell or inventing a new magical item. There is no cost for creating a true dweomer, however, other than what the character spends on materials.