[Firestormalpha]

There is no rule preventing you from learning spells that you have previously failed; however, as far as I can recall, Xan's inteligence score isn't all that hot for a mage character. The only mage I know about with an 18 int is edwin and he is evil. Then there is Dynaheir who has 17 int and with a tome she can be the best good aligned mage in the game (except that she is an invoker which prevents her from learning summon/conjuration and charm/enchantment spells). But she seriously kicks butt with spells like chromatic orb, magic missles, and aganazaar's scorcher. Anyways back to the matter at hand. Xan's lack of learning potential may be derived from his lack of inteligence, making him only worth-while as an intermediary mage (for use only untill you find someone better). So here's the run of it: You either have really crappy luck as a person(not in the game), or it's the inteligence factor.