Anyone try messing with the spell scribing rules?

[BigAl]

In my campaign, I use these rules for scribing scrolls into spellbooks:

- One page per spell level, 0 level is 1/2 a page

- 100 gp per page

- At the beginning of the day, the caster makes a spellcraft roll. The result is the number of pages that may be scribed with a full days work.

I like to keep my campaign moving, giving the players little free time for crafting and scribing, so this works out well.

- Al

 

[Rel]

I am a DM and I altered the rules for scribing spells into spellbooks. I don't like the rules as written simply because they have a lot of logical holes in them (from my point of view). My rules don't completely fix all these holes, but I patch them up well enough to satisfy myself.

Scribing costs 1/10th of normal (10GP per page).

The scribing costs are the cost for the ink used. This ink is a comodity that can be purchased or found in my game world. Therefore you buy X amount of ink before you leave town. If you scribe X amount of spells and run out of ink, no more scribing until you somehow obtain more ink. This ink is the same ink used for scribing spells onto scrolls. (Note - I have created comodities for all the item creation feats in my game in the form of potion ingredients, magical oils to be applied during the crafting of weapons & armor, etc. These things can be found as treasure.)

The special ink used is created through alchemical processes. Therefore, if you want to buy the raw materials and spend the time creating the ink, you can cut the cost in half again. If you want to forage about for the raw materials and brew up a batch of ink yourself, you can cut the cost to zero in terms of GP. But be prepared to spend a LOT of time looking for the rare herbs involved.

Scribing time is the same as in the PHB.

You don't get free spells when you go up levels.


So there they are. I have presented them on these boards before and was told that these rules were way to lenient for the wizard. That my be, but it hasn't been proven yet since none of the players has wanted to play a wizard so far. That alone makes me think these rules aren't too broken.

As someone mentioned above, the DM controls how much time and money are available to the party. My group has tended to have not very much of either most of the time. But these rules do put me in complete control of what Wizard spells are available in my game. Which is not to say that I wouldn't listen to a player's preferences for spells. But I no longer have to worry about every encounter likely starting with a fireball as soon as the party reaches 5th level.

 

[Mordax]

Crothian:

So, how many people who dislike the current scribing rules are players? It always seems to be the players that complain about the rules more then the DMs.

I never thought about it much as a player. I haven't used a proper Wizard since 3E came out.

I just don't like wizards selling their mightiest secrets for dirt cheap.

Bronn:

But from a overall game perspective, sorcerers so much, much weaker than Wizards... scribing costs and time are the main thing they have going for them. To take them away, well, who'd wanna be a sorcerer?

I would.
The last time we played a low level game, I took a 16 Cha Sorc. Another guy took an 18 Int Transmuter.

His spells were more powerful, and he knew more than me. But he'd cast a Magic Missile and a Burning Hands or two, and that'd be it.

I could go all day.

*shrugs*

Scribing costs wouldn't have put him in a better position.

 

[JRScott]

Well in a campaign I was DMing once there was a player who invented some cool original spells. I've already posted them in another forum but I'll do here again for your benefit:

Aldameer's Amazing Spell Compression
Transmutation

Level: Sor/Wiz 2
Components: V,S,
Casting Time: 1 hour
Range: Touch
Target: One Spellbook
Duration: Special
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: No
Description:
This handy spell enables a wizard to inscribe a spell into his spellbook using less space then would normally be used. The spell is cast when the wizard wishes to place a new spell into his spellbook and causes the next spell placed into his spellbook to occupy only one half the normal space required. When dividing the character retains any fraction and therefore it is possible to have a spell occupy only one quarter a page.
This spell can only be used when a spell is being placed inside a spellbook. It cannot be used on an existing spellbook. This spell must be cast on the day in which the wizard begins to place the spell in his book.
This spell is not cumalative with itself or similar magics.
Cost to inscribe the spell is unchanged ( that is it remains 100gp per page it would have normally taken )

Aldameer's Phenomenal Incantation Consolidation
Transmutation

Level: Sor/Wiz 4
Components: V,S,M
Casting Time: 1 hours
Range: Touch
Target: One Spellbook
Duration: Permanent
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: No
Description:
This spell is very similar to the 2nd level spell Aldameer's Amazing Spell Compression. This spell though can be used to compress the spells in an already existing spellbook. In the case of a spell-book that contains spells that have already been compressed it will not compress the spells a second time. In essence this spell is neither cumulative with itself or with Aldameer's Amazing Spell Compression.
The material component of this spell is a vise which must be placed around the spellbook. This vise must be made of iron and wood and must be of the finest quality, that is it can't be worth less then 1000gp in value.

I was trying to get some comments on them but noone replied about them before, what do you think?

 

[TrizzlWizzl]

Sounding Off

Frankly, I like the rules as they are. They reinforce the 'bookish' feel of the wizard class and balance the benefits of gathering spells. In my game, the part has gotten into a routine where they'll adventure for a couple weeks then chill for a few, giving time to the wizards to scribe and time to everyone else to do whatever it is they want to do (go visit their grandma, make nightly Perform checks, whatever).