how many spells should a 9th level wizard have in spellbook?

[bret]

The cost of the actual book is minor (15 gp as I recall).

The real cost is in the scribing.

I don't think it is fair to charge them the cost of used up scrolls out of starting equipment. If you are doing that, better charge other characters for any potions they may have drunk in the past or other single use items they may have used up.

Charging for scribing costs to put it in the book quickly makes it worthwhile to have a Boccom's Blessed Book. Just make sure you buy one of these for extra spells, then ask the GM how many spells you came across which you could scribe.

 

[Xeriar]

Well, my DM never used scribe costs (at least, they aren't so atronomical), but kept scribe time fairly lengthy. My character had aquired about three enemy spellbooks by then, all with a pretty beefy list of spells.

Of course, there was some crossover. He's got a few extra level 1 spells, but it's the 2nd and 3rd level spells where his repertoire shines - he's got a hideous amount of level two and three spells available to him (reason: they're cheap, honestly, in terms of scroll price) - I think the majority of his extra level 4 spells he got later, and certainly all but one of his extra level five spells.

Level 1 spells: 4 + int bonus, roll randomly for a few extra (say 4),
Level 2 spells: 4, pick 4 more and roll randomly for 8 more
Level 3 spells: 4, pick 4 more and roll for 4 more
Level 4 spells: 4, roll for 4 more
Level 5 spells: 2

 

[Pax]

As a GM, here is how I handle such questions:

At 1st level, you get 3+INTMOD spells. At each level after that, you get 2 free spells of a level you can then cast. So, go through each level, picking the spells at those levels.

Then, if you want more spells in your spellbooks, pay the price of a scroll of that spell; if you so choose, it is scribed in your spellbook for free, INSTEAD of you having the physical scroll still (if you still want a scroll of that spell, buy it again).

While this requires the Wizard to spend gold to obtain the scroll (unlike the idea of "found" spells), it makes the transcription into the wizard's spellbook free (unlike ALL spells beyond the 2-per-level).

I also presuppose every wizard with a permanent home, has (for "free") a backup spellbook. Any wizard without, who gets a permanent home, spends a bit of time scribing ("free" of gold cost) selfsame backup. However, by "free", I mean, the transcription into the main book, covers simultaneous transcription into the backup ... no EXTRA gold o time needed. The raw book itself, however, still has to be paid for (which could get quite pricey, considering I use the Magic of faerun rules for enhanced spellbooks).

 

[Destil]

There's a T&B Enhancement at WOTC webpage where you can find examples of the spellbooks of wizards of 1st to 20th level. It might be useful for you.

This is a good starting point, but not really the best way to do things, IMHO. The enhancement is a list for NPC spellbooks, not PC spellbooks. Compairing the charts in the DMG, NPCs typicaly have around 1/3rd (1200GP vs 32000 GP at 9th, for instance) of the wealth of a PC. So if you want to use these I'd say at least tripple the number of spells.

I don't think it is fair to charge them the cost of used up scrolls out of starting equipment. If you are doing that, better charge other characters for any potions they may have drunk in the past or other single use items they may have used up.

This is a fairly good point, since the PC's wealth charts are for accumulated wealth. The real tricky part is if you fail to make your spellcraft roll, you'll still have the scroll, most likely, so you can try again later or cast from it in a tight spot. So either pay 200GP/spell level (scribed spells) or 37.5 (scrolls you failed a spellcraft roll on).

This reduces your scribing costs by about 15%

 

[Pax]

The cost of the actual book is minor (15 gp as I recall).

The real cost is in the scribing.

And potentially in obtaining the spell tos cribe, in the first place.

I don't think it is fair to charge them the cost of used up scrolls out of starting equipment. If you are doing that, better charge other characters for any potions they may have drunk in the past or other single use items they may have used up.

Well it's cheaper than the alternative -- charge them the full cost to research the spell, with the assumption thay always roll a 20 on their Spellcraft check. That would be 1000gp times the level of the spell ... !!

Also remember, the price paid for spells in the Wizards' spellbook aren't just for scrolls he's used "once" ... it's for spells he's learned forever. It represents the retained wealth of finding scrolls or spellbooks during prior adventuring.

Charging for scribing costs to put it in the book quickly makes it worthwhile to have a Boccom's Blessed Book. Just make sure you buy one of these for extra spells, then ask the GM how many spells you came across which you could scribe.

To which, as a GM, I'd answer "however many youw ant bo buy scrolls of, to scribe for free (Boccob's or not), with automatic Spellcraft success; all scribing is presumed to be completed before the first session's play begins, if you prefer."

I wouldn't let a fighter have a sword, or a quiver full of arrows, without buying them. Iw on't let a Wizard have something SHE doesn't get directly from level advancement, without also paying for it. The price of a single scroll of that spell (or the cost to research it, Playeer's choice ... which could be cheaper WRT spells with expensive XP or Component costs ...), is a useful baseline measurement of the relative value of a spell of that level.