D&D 5E Selling a spellbook

[Farland]

I know that in 5E there are no set ways to determine cost of magic items. My party likes to keep a "debt tally" as to treasure dispersed in order to determine who gets the next item found. They base this on a theoretical resale value for treasure and magic items found. For that reason I need a way to calculate a value for spellbooks. Obviously it needs to be based on the values of the spells inside, maybe as if they were scrolls. How would you value the resale value of a spellbook.

I am not looking for arguments as to why my group shouldn't do things this way, etc, just methods to calculate the value. Thanks.

 

[Dausuul]

That's a really good question, actually. Perhaps the best way to address it is to ask: "Suppose there were a Spell Shop that the party wizard could go to and buy spells for scribing. How much would s/he be willing to pay for a spell of X level?" Then take that number and mark it down, say, 50%, since it's a very small market, not all spells of a given level are equally valuable, and the merchant has to make a profit.

Answering this is a little complicated, since it depends in large part on how much money the wizard has available and is expecting to have. However, this thread contains a nice little analysis of "expected wealth by level" in 5E, so we can go off that.

So, using that as a guideline, here's my off-the-cuff estimate as a wizard player of what the price points should be (after applying the 50% discount, so I would actually be willing to pay twice this amount):

1st-level spell: 75 gp
2nd-level spell: 150 gp
3rd-level spell: 250 gp
4th-level spell: 400 gp
5th-level spell: 750 gp
6th-level spell: 1,500 gp
7th-level spell: 3,000 gp
8th-level spell: 6,000 gp
9th-level spell: 10,000 gp

YMMV, of course.

 

[thalmin]

A blank spellbook cost 50 gp. It costs a wizard 2 hours and 50 gp/spell level to copy a new spell into his spellbook. So that is a starting place.

But, RAW, a wizard must copy a newly learned spell into his own spellbook as part of the learning process. So, again RAW, he has to pay time and money to make use of even a free book. So is your wizard going to pay twice for his spellbook?

 

[Warmaster Horus]

I would only 'debit' the cost of the spells actually acquired by the possessing wizard for purposes of treasure-balancing. If they find a book that has 70% of spells they already have in their spellbook, then I would not charge them for the repeats. Unless they intent to sell the book, in which case the full gp value should be assessed. I would also encourage the issue that treasure provided that improves the party's effectiveness (spells for a wizard, weapons for a fighter, etc) be less encumbered by overall treasure equity means.

 

[Farland]

But, RAW, a wizard must copy a newly learned spell into his own spellbook as part of the learning process. So, again RAW, he has to pay time and money to make use of even a free book. So is your wizard going to pay twice for his spellbook?

An excellent point. This logic would seem to dictate that spellbooks should be acquired debt-free since he has to pay out of his own money to use them. A fighter who gets a +1 sword has no expense before he can start using it.

 

[Nagol]

The cost of creation only comes into what a manufacturer needs to charge to break even. Since the book is essentially a personalised tool and isn't being created to be sold at profit but offers its creator intrinsic value its sale price is only what others may be willing to pay for it.

I'd go with something straightforward like pricing spellbook spells at 10-25% of the equivalent scroll (half price because it can't be cast from directly and half again because only a small niche of people will want a spellbook -- essentially Wizards and a smattering of others --, and potentially another reduction because purchasers must purchase the whole book regardless of their interest in every individual spell). Books with particularly storied creators and/or containing unique information/spells would command a better price of course.

 

[Farland]

Another idea that occurred to me that makes sense is to make the wizard take debt only for spells in the book that he already possesses. Since he can actually sell the spellbook once he copies the spells, but he will pretty much break even with his own costs on spells he did not know, he will only potentially turn a profit on spells that he already knew.

Geez my players made this annoyingly complicated.

 

[SuperZero]

So, using that as a guideline, here's my off-the-cuff estimate as a wizard player of what the price points should be (after applying the 50% discount, so I would actually be willing to pay twice this amount):

1st-level spell: 75 gp
2nd-level spell: 150 gp
3rd-level spell: 250 gp
4th-level spell: 400 gp
5th-level spell: 750 gp
6th-level spell: 1,500 gp
7th-level spell: 3,000 gp
8th-level spell: 6,000 gp
9th-level spell: 10,000 gp

The maximum suggested value for scrolls is lower than that until 4th-level spells, and scrolls are better than enemy spellbooks (they can be used like spellbooks, but can also be used as consumable items, can be used by more characters, and can be purchased individually rather than in bundles where you already have half of them). I'd certainly not pay more for spells in a spellbook than scrolls--of course, the scrolls might be harder to come by in some cases.

I would also encourage the issue that treasure provided that improves the party's effectiveness (spells for a wizard, weapons for a fighter, etc) be less encumbered by overall treasure equity means.

Other than money and other not-directly-useful valuables (which can be divided equally), isn't that theoretically true of all treasure?

 

[jrowland]

As an aside,

I have always (since 1ed) allowed wizards to cast spells from their own spellbook as if they were scrolls. It burns it out of th book, much like a scroll is consumed, so its a dicey maneuver, but its a nice "failsafe" when the chips are down. No one has used it in 5th so far, but like other editions, I'll make it a full round action to do so. In 5ed that equates to "concentrating" on casting the spell until the start of their next turn, so it can be interrupted.

For "other" spellbooks, you have to "learn" each spell (even ones in your own spell, each wizard has their own ciphers and twists), and casting from another's spell book requires you have "learned" the spell (DC 8+2 x spell level, arcana) and an arcana check to pull it off (DC 8 + Spell Level Arcana check).

For this reason, I price spellbooks as a book of scrolls.

Workbook Spellbook (what a wizard takes on an adventure) usually have combat/utility spells
Tomes (what a wizard leaves at home) usually have all spells, including formula for magic item creation, rituals spells, and odd spells not in PHB (such as Brolands Beard Braider - Braids beards instantly!)

 

[Kalshane]

I don't understand why the players think an acquired spellbook has a debt-level at all. They can still sell it after the Wizard has copied whatever spells he needs out of it. The value of the spellbook doesn't decrease simply because the wizard can get some use out of it before they sell it.