D&D 5E Market price for a spell book?

[R_J_K75]

Feels like creating an objective price on this creates a slippery slope no matter how you come at it. And probably because this shouldn’t happen in normal course: specifically, it seems to me that wizard guilds do not want spellbooks being sold in unregulated markets (think doctors and prescription drugs). With spell scrolls being a historical exception (and those theoretically being one-time use only).

I agree with the slippery slope. Shouldn't this give wizards the incentive to make sure that their spells are safeguarded from other wizards, even if someone bypasses the wards on their spellbook? In real life terms say I had a notebook filled with notes from calculus, geometry, physics and geology, between my diagrams, comments in the margins, short hand and really naughty word handwriting, equating that to a spellbook Id be hard pressed to say just any wizard could pick it up, read and copy it. This would also deter other wizards even wanting someone elses spellbook. Think 5E simplified the system for wizards reading, learning and copying spells. I suppose ultimately the laws of supply and demand will dictate what the spellbook is worth. Seems to me buying a hot spellbook in a dark back alley would be like buying a .38 Special off a street corner.

 

[jgsugden]

There is no right answer, as there is no specific controlled guidance in the books. As such, use common sense and ask yourself how much a PC might consider paying for it. Would they trade a wand of fireballs for it, for example?

In general, wizards tend to have 'enough' spells and obtaining a bunch of new spells is just 'gravy'. As such, I don't generally put too much value on the books. The ones that tend to buy them tend to be wizards and libraries as they can then charge fees to wizards that want to learn spells from them. The price tends to be a few hundred gold for low level books, a few thousands for spellbooks with mid level spells and perhaps 10K gold for a spellbook with high levl spells.

 

[R_J_K75]

I was just looking for something else and came across this in an old sage advice from Dragon Magazine Nov 1998. Its for 2E but I thought it was relevant to this conversation.

 

[FrogReaver]

My favorite answer: Spell both rare and cheap.

Elaboration: There is no detriment to Wizards sharing spellbooks and thus many Wizards share to further their knowledge. Thus, a spellbook is worth less than the components required to make it because a Wizard can find another Wizard that knows the spell - given time of course. Since a spellbook is more expensive to produce than to sell then the only time you run across them is finding in adventure, dead wizard, stolen etc.

 

[tetrasodium]

Hi guys, long time lurker, first time writer, and so on.

The wizard in the group I'm DMing took the spell book from the body of an enemy wizard,
copied the spells he needed and now would like to sell it.

They are in the world's biggest commercial city so let's assume finding a buyer should not be a problem.

What would be a good formula to compute the market price of a spell book? Is it in the manuals somewhere?

Thanks!

a better question would be to ask your gm how much you would need to spend to buy that spellbook. What spells are inside (it might matter lots). Spellbooks range from priceless & you can't even finda wizard to mutually copy spells from each other's spellbook if you try all the way to "are you a guild/library/etc member with up to date dues & good standing?... if so yea you can copy up to x level spells from someone, tell soandso whatcha looking for & he will try to point you in the right direction". Look through the patrons section of Rising.

 

[lordxaviar]

its in the books... 200 per spell per level... works out alright... my opinion...

 

[tetrasodium]

its in the books... 200 per spell per level... works out alright... my opinion...

I'm gonna call for a specific source like book & page number because I don't think your talking about what you think your talking about.

 

[Charlaquin]

I think the most by-the-book answer would be 25 gp + 10 gp per level per spell written in it.

How I arrived at this number: A blank spell book costs 50 gp according to the adventuring gear table, and players are able to sell adventuring gear at half its market value. Crafting an item usually costs half the item’s market value in crafting supplies according to the PHB downtime rules, and copying a spell into a spell book is said to require 50 gp worth of material components and expensive inks per level of the spell. If we consider this to be equivalent to the cost of the supplies to “craft” a spell book, its market value should be 20 gp per level per spell (plus the base 50 gp for the book itself,) and players should be able to sell it for half of that.

This is kinda neat because if all the spells in the spell book are new to the wizard, they can copy them all and then sell the book to offset the cost of copying them, leaving them with a net gain of 25 gp, same as if they had just found and sold a blank spellbook. If they already know any of the spells in it, (or if no one in the party is a wizard) those spells are still valuable to them as treasure, with higher level spells being worth more.

 

[lordxaviar]

I'm gonna call for a specific source like book & page number because I don't think your talking about what you think your talking about.

you need to read more

Value of spell books
A standard spell book has an Experience Point Value of 1,000 points per spell level contained therein (considering cantrips as first level spells for this purpose), and a Gold Piece Sale Value of 200 gp per spell level (but only 150 gold pieces for each cantrip, if the book is of that sort). A travelling spell book has an Experience Point Value of 500 points per spell level contained therein (again, considering cantrips as first level spells), and a Gold Piece Sale Value of 1,000 gp per spell level (applies to all spells, including cantrips).
As with any other magical items, spell books must either be sold immediately or else the X.P. value taken. This holds true regardless of whether or not any tome is eventually sold. Thus, a spell book cannot be kept while a particular spell or spells are transcribed, and then the work be sold for G.P. Sale Value and
the proceeds taken toward experience points dragon mag, article by gary

 

[R_J_K75]

you need to read more

Value of spell books
A standard spell book has an Experience Point Value of 1,000 points per spell level contained therein (considering cantrips as first level spells for this purpose), and a Gold Piece Sale Value of 200 gp per spell level (but only 150 gold pieces for each cantrip, if the book is of that sort). A travelling spell book has an Experience Point Value of 500 points per spell level contained therein (again, considering cantrips as first level spells), and a Gold Piece Sale Value of 1,000 gp per spell level (applies to all spells, including cantrips).
As with any other magical items, spell books must either be sold immediately or else the X.P. value taken. This holds true regardless of whether or not any tome is eventually sold. Thus, a spell book cannot be kept while a particular spell or spells are transcribed, and then the work be sold for G.P. Sale Value and
the proceeds taken toward experience points

Travelling spellbook indicates this is 2E or earlier id imagine? Think they were done away with by 3E.