The wield slot is fairly underused among object classes, and there are a number of interesting bonuses we can add to spells if the corresponding spellbook is wielded.

• Decreases failure rate of the wielded spell (utility spells might need to be made higher-level/harder to cast to maintain balance).
• Or decreases Pw cost of the wielded spell.
• Allows you to cast the wielded spell even if completely forgotten.
• Allows you to cast the spell without knowing it already - the Z menu gets an additional “-“ option to cast from the spellbook in hand if you don’t know what that book is.
  • Casting from an unknown spellbook will immediately check for reading success as if you had read the book: if you succeed, it then moves on to other checks like whether you have enough power, etc and you may cast the spell. If you fail, you get a random failure effect appropriate to that spellbook.
• For attack spells, increase the damage dealt by the spell.

Ring spells, level 7 (or even 8) attack spells, which cast a ring of some elemental power emanating from your square that does not hit your square itself. The radius is 1 if Unskilled or Basic and 2 if Skilled or Expert.

Lightning spells:

• The most common suggestion is for a level 5 attack spell that creates a lightning bolt, implemented as a simple ray. Possibly, it causes an electrical explosion on the first target it hits if cast at Skilled and Expert.
• Alternatively, a spell of lightning bolt could be a melee range spell that deals heavy shock damage.
• Chain lightning is a spell that forks off and hits adjacent targets in a breadth-first search (see here for how it might work). Possibly, the lightning bolts can only chain off at 135 or 180 degree angles (maybe 90, too). Chain lightning can still be reflected, but becomes a straight ray.
• Lightning storm, which causes an electrical explosion centered on every monster in your line of sight (possibly with a decreasing chance of doing so as it gets further from you). Or if this is too overpowered, just strike these monsters with an individual lightning bolt that does not cause an explosion.