How long does it take to copy a spell?

[RangerWickett]

If I'm reading the rules right, it's ridiculously long. You first have to decipher it, then understand it (neither of which seems to take any specific amount of time), and then you have to write it, which takes, quote: "24 hours."

My DM insists on reading that literally, unlike every other 'one day' creation rule that set dozens of precedents of only needing to spend 8 hours working. So apparently the party wizard is going to spend about 3 days copying one page of text, since we're going to be riding 8 hours a day, and he's going to need to sleep.

Magical formulae sure are complicated. I know if I make another character in this game, it'll be a sorcerer.

 

[Thanee]

It could be worse, it could be 24h/spell level.

The whole scribing rules for wizard spellbooks are whacky. The cost is completely unreasonable, as well.

Bye
Thanee

 

[irdeggman]

Check this thread for more discussion.

http://www.enworld.org/showthread.php?t=161550&highlight=copying+spell

 

[frankthedm]

The whole scribing rules for wizard spellbooks are whacky. The cost is completely unreasonable, as well.

I disagree. The DC prepare from a borrowed [captured] spellbook is low enough where a competent character can take 10 without chance to fail.

The costs also balance out the fact the wizards do not need +5 to +10 weapons.

 

[Thanee]

The costs also balance out the fact the wizards do not need +5 to +10 weapons.

That's not the point. The cost is not necessary as a balancing factor, IMHO, it's the point of the wizard class to have many spells available; but most importantly, the cost makes no sense. What is this cost for? Ink? Hello? There is nothing, that could feasibly cost that much needed in the process.

Bye
Thanee

 

[Question]

The worse part i think is the retardness about how a spell takes up 1 page per level, and then you have a finite pages in a spellbook. Little wonder most DMs handwave that part of scribing spells away.

 

[shilsen]

The worse part i think is the retardness about how a spell takes up 1 page per level, and then you have a finite pages in a spellbook. Little wonder most DMs handwave that part of scribing spells away.

Or introduce Boccob's Blessed Book.

I personally went the route of using a Necklace of the Phantom Library (from Explorer's Handbook, pg. 152). 500 pages worth of spells, scribing has no cost and takes 8 hrs per spell, and you can remove unwanted spells with a thought.

 

[reanjr]

This was well explained in 2e in the Wizard's Handbook.

 

[Haffrung Helleyes]

I'm pretty sure that you can't prepare spells from a borrowed book unless you already know them, or unless you master the spellbooks notation (which is difficult, and very time consuming).

I disagree. The DC prepare from a borrowed [captured] spellbook is low enough where a competent character can take 10 without chance to fail.

The costs also balance out the fact the wizards do not need +5 to +10 weapons.