Can you use Awakened Spellbook to replace a 1st-level spell's damage type with force damage via Mage Armor, RAW?

Question

According to the Player's Handbook Ch. 9, "force" is a damage type, and "damage types have no rules of their own."

The Awakened Spellbook feature of the Order of Scribes Wizard states that under certain circumstances when casting a spell, "you can temporarily replace its damage type with a type that appears in another spell in your spellbook".

The Mage Armor spell states, "You touch a willing creature who isn't wearing armor, and a protective magical force surrounds it until the spell ends. [...]" (emphasis mine).

It is well established that if the only spells in your spellbook were Burning Hands and Magic Missile, you could cause Burning Hands to deal force damage. But if the only spells in your Wizard's spellbook are Burning Hands and Mage Armor, could you still cause Burning Hands to deal force damage because "force" "appears in" Mage Armor?

I'm asking from a purely R.A.W. (Rules As Written) perspective—I'm fully aware that many DMs would rule against it, but I'd like to know whether doing so would be considered a house rule or an interpretation of the rules as written.

Answer 1

This does not work as not all force is force damage

Force is a damage type, but mage armor does not deal force damage. The rules for damage types (PHB, p. 196) say:

Different attacks, damaging spells, and other harmful effects deal different types of damage

Mage armor is not a damaging spell or harmful effect, so it deals no type of damage. That the word force appears in the spell does not mean it is force damage. For example, the word poison appears many times in the rules, in drow sleep poison, heroes feast grants immunity to poison, etc., but none of those mentions are poison damage.

As you only can "replace its damage type with a type that appears in another spell", and force here is not a damage type, you cannot replace it.

Answer 2

This does not work. Mage armor does not have a damage type.

Awakened Spellbook states:

When you cast a wizard spell with a spell slot, you can temporarily replace its damage type with a type that appears in another spell in your spellbook, which magically alters the spell’s formula for this casting only.

Mage armor does not have any damage type, so it fails to meet the requirement of Awakened Spellbook that you select a damage type that appears in another spell in your spellbook. Mentioning magical force is not the same thing as mentioning force damage.