Spellbook Loophole

[Ogrork the Mighty]

I have considered using this loophole to buy a first level magic item and just taking the wizard at first level for the extra gold and then going into the class I really want to take.

Don't you play with a DM?

 

[Sadrik]

10 gp/page is more than enough. We are using this cost since the early 3E days and never had a problem with it.

So that 4,500gp spell book would be 450gp? That seems a lot more appropriate.

Going by the current rules it makes the DM have to worry about having the party face off against too many low level wizards because they would wind up giving the party too much money!

I mean really a 100 page spell book that is full is worth 10,000gp?!? I should do the math and determine how quickly a wizard could fill up a 100 page spell book with their free 2 spells per level.

1,000gp is a lot more in the realm of reality. 10gp per page is how I will house rule this in my future campaigns.

Edit: fixed my math.

Sadrik

 

[Thanee]

I think you snuck an extra zero in there with the 100 pages.

And I would set the worth of the starting spellbook to 500 gp, actually (the five 1st-level spells times 100 gp per page; 0 gp for the 0-level spells), so you could sell it for 250 gp.

The value of the book does not lie in the scribing cost (that simply shouldn't be the value), but rather in the knowledge contained within (therefore starting at 1st level, since 0-level spells are effectively worthless).

Bye
Thanee

 

[taliesin15]

In my games, wizards' spellbooks don't arbitrary grow larger every time WotC publishes something. They start with all the 0-level PHB spells, plus what I allow, which is generally nothing, although they are free to seek those spells out.

so glad someone mentioned this, because I like to create new spells for characters to find all the time...

I have to say I never considered that Cantrips would be considered spells *per se* and thus have a page each...seems much more sensible because they aren't even considered spells that it would make more sense that you can fit more on a single page. In fact, I'm just gonna make it a house rule IMC to put 20 on a page. Bam!

 

[Notmousse]

I've always been of the opinion that Cantrips should be a caster special ability. Keep the normal limit per day, but allow a(n extremely bored magic user) to break down their hgiher level spells into half level chunks to add to their Cantrips per day. Set up guidelines for what a Cantrip can do (which can be mostly covered with the Prestidigitation description and a a note pointing out it can also do 1d3 elemental damage) and give it one page in the spellbook. Instead of spellbooks that are nearing half filled at first level you could just write Cantrip to every page in a spellbook and rip out pages for your apprentices as they walk out the door. A cruel Wizard could even title the page 'Baby's first spell', or something to that effect.

 

[Delta]

Has anyone utilized this loophole before?

Actually, yes, I ran into this problem in a 1E AD&D game I DM'd (after Unearthed Arcana added cantrips, and sale prices to spellbooks). Had a fairly high body count, and the biggest source of income to the party was turnover from incoming 1st-level magic-users.

I didn't really find a solution to this in RAW, then, either.

 

[Sadrik]

And I would set the worth of the starting spellbook to 500 gp, actually (the five 1st-level spells times 100 gp per page; 0 gp for the 0-level spells), so you could sell it for 250 gp.

The value of the book does not lie in the scribing cost (that simply shouldn't be the value), but rather in the knowledge contained within (therefore starting at 1st level, since 0-level spells are effectively worthless).

500gp seems petty rational but remember a wizard gets 5+int so you can figure a 16 so that is 8 spells or 800gp by your measure... And I dont agree that cantrips should be valueless. They should have some value. Anything that costs 100gp to add it to a spellbook should have some value (ignoring for the moment I intend to change that cost).

What it says in the PHB is that its value is 100gp per page. I am going change that personally.

How about this? 1+the spell level --> so 0 is 1 page and level 9 is 10 pages.
Then scribing costs are 10gp per page and Value is 10 per page.
In this way, the spell book will fill up faster but they will be worth less. And their will be some differentiation between 0 and 1st level spells.

Sadrik

 

[Sadrik]

so glad someone mentioned this, because I like to create new spells for characters to find all the time...

I have to say I never considered that Cantrips would be considered spells *per se* and thus have a page each...seems much more sensible because they aren't even considered spells that it would make more sense that you can fit more on a single page. In fact, I'm just gonna make it a house rule IMC to put 20 on a page. Bam!

I have also been thinking about changing the rule that all wizards have all cantrips. What about 10 + int?

Does that still give wizards enough of them to be interesting? And it wont get crazy out of hand as WoTC publish more books?

Sadrik

 

[Thanee]

500gp seems petty rational but remember a wizard gets 5+int so you can figure a 16 so that is 8 spells or 800gp by your measure...

3+Int actually.

Bye
Thanee

 

[Sadrik]

3+Int actually.

Ouch your right that is painful...

Strange I always thought it was 5 + int.

Sadrik

Edit: I guess your seeing another house rule for me --> 5 + int. I dont think they should be that gimped. Where exactly is the advantage? Mr. Versatility is not that versatle.