How Many Spells Does Your Wizard Have In His Spellbook?

[Olaf the Stout]

I am playing a Wizard PC for the first time in 3E as I take a short break from DM'ing. I am starting at 8th level. My Wizard started with 19 "free" spells not including Cantrips (2 per level + 5 at 1st level).

I added about another 30 or so to my spellbook (at 100gp/page) for a grand total of 50 spells from 1st-4th level (plus the Cantrips). The guy who is DM'ing in my stead thought that this was very high but after some discussion decided to let me keep them since the extra spells meant that I had less money to spend on other equipment.

So, do you think that 50 spells is too many for an 8th level Wizard? How many spells does your Wizard normally know at each level?

Olaf the Stout

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

My guys tend to have just over the minimum.

The reason is that I rarely play the main spellcaster- I'm usually the second or third most powerful spellcaster in the group.

The main reason is the guy in our group who usually (90+% of the time) plays a Wizard always plays the jealous type. It doesn't matter if it would be to the party's advantage if his mage and others in the party copied each others' spellbooks (each mage maximizes flexibility, the identical spellbooks are a good insurance policy against loss)- he refuses to do it.

And, since he's playing a straight wizard, he gets first pick of the spellbooks, scrolls, etc.

 

[EvilGM]

8th (close to 9th) level abjurer in a gestalt campaign has 77 spells in his blessed book (not counting cantrips).

We get a lot of cash in this campaign, and the character has the Collegiate Wizard feat.

The more spells the merrier!

ps - Alacritous Cogitation is a good feat.

 

[shilsen]

Not my PC, since I'm the DM, but I've given the wizard PC in my Eberron campaign automatic access to every PHB spell of a level that he can cast, for free. Hasn't caused any problems at all. After all, he still has the same limited number of spell slots.

 

[Vegepygmy]

So, do you think that 50 spells is too many for an 8th level Wizard? How many spells does your Wizard normally know at each level?

Currently, I'm playing a 6th-level conjurer. He has twelve 1st-level, six 2nd-level, and seven 3rd-level spells in his spellbook, but he also has a captured spellbook that adds ten 1st-level, nine 2nd-level, eight 3rd-level, and five 4th-level spells to his repertoire. (So that's what, 57 spells not counting cantrips?)

 

[Olaf the Stout]

Currently, I'm playing a 6th-level conjurer. He has twelve 1st-level, six 2nd-level, and seven 3rd-level spells in his spellbook, but he also has a captured spellbook that adds ten 1st-level, nine 2nd-level, eight 3rd-level, and five 4th-level spells to his repertoire. (So that's what, 57 spells not counting cantrips?)

Are any of the spells in the captured spellbook duplicates of what you already have in your spellbook?

Olaf the Stout

 

[Olaf the Stout]

Anyone else care to offer their experience?

Olaf the Stout

 

[frankthedm]

In a gestalt game that just when on Hiatus at 8th level, I had 99 pages in my Transmuter fighter's first book. A fat chunk of change, but the DM specificly said Boccobs blessed book won't be available so it was not like i could get around that cost.

In a Romanesque game where the party is running from a green dragon due to killing his half dragon son, I have added in no extra spells into my conjurers spellbook. I most likly won't add any extra until I get the BBB.

 

[jmucchiello]

Not my PC, since I'm the DM, but I've given the wizard PC in my Eberron campaign automatic access to every PHB spell of a level that he can cast, for free. Hasn't caused any problems at all. After all, he still has the same limited number of spell slots.

Same here. We also threw out the transcription costs. Wizards already get whacked with the fewest number of spells per day. Why do they have to jump through hopes to find spells when none of the other spellcaster do? Frankly, the wizard's spellbook as an in game concept appears and disappears in similar fashion to Vaarsuvius' raven in OOTS.

 

[Vegepygmy]

Are any of the spells in the captured spellbook duplicates of what you already have in your spellbook?

It has some spells that are duplicates, but I didn't count those in the numbers I tallied.