"You possess a spellbook."

[Gloombunny]

I agree that the wizard and cleric should start with the relevant books. I just also happen to think that the rest of the characters should get something near the same value. It doesn't make sense that they get 50 extra gold effectively.

A paladin needs plate mail. Scale mail for fighters. So on and so forth.

If it bothers you that much, I think a better solution would be to drastically reduce the price of a ritual book. That way wizards and clerics can stay more or less as they are, but a warlock or paladin (or human 1st-level multiclasser/skill trainer) who wants to have some rituals can actually do so.

 

[Old Gumphrey]

If spellbooks are free, how the heck is a Wizard supposed to spend 100 gold? The big ticket items are military weapons, armor, and... spell books.

(Well, maybe it's an opportunity to stock up on Journeybread, or whatever it's called.)

As a matter of balance, it makes more sense to me that the Wizard needs to purchase the book (and I'll have to check my notes, but I think I've already made one player pay for such).

Let's see: Rituals, ritual components, or maybe a healing potion. How the heck, indeed. If you pay 50g for a spellbook you could barely afford components to cast each of your rituals one time.

The spellbook is free. You start with 3 mastered rituals. You cannot have mastered rituals if they aren't in a book. You also can't have your 2 (or 3) dailies in the book, unless you have the book. So it stands to reason that since you master these rituals before you buy equipment, you will have the book before you buy equipment.

You start with a spellbook for free. If you needed to pay for it, they would tell you that you needed to pay for it. Class features don't cost money. In 3e wizards got a free spellbook; why do they suddenly have to shell out half their starting money for a class feature?

The funniest part of this silliness is that some people want wizards to pay 50g for the book, but they're totally fine with the free 150g worth of rituals that are contained within.

 

[Starfox]

I'd argue that a Wizard gets both a spell book and a ritual book for free at start. Both abilities include a free book = 2 free books. Not that I'd ever track the number of spells/rituals to see if they exceeded the number, or check the encumbrance value of them.

 

[DracoSuave]

They get a free book they can use with two class features. It says 'you possess a book' and gives you the contents of it, and uses for them.

If you didn't, Clerics could never afford one because they'd have nothing left after buying armor and weapon and adventuring kit.

Yes, this means wizards start with more average gold, but they can use that on ritual components, and maybe even moar rituals.

 

[Lucas Blackstone]

If the party is benefiting from the use of rituals, I can't see the logic of the wizard or cleric alone paying for them.

So if the party wizard makes a 2000 gold piece sword for the party fighter, the fighter takes it and the wizard loses 200o gold of his share of the treasure? Riiiiiiiiiight. If your groups play like this there is something very wrong.

In most groups, group fees are paid for by the group. Wizard used comprehend languages 4 times during the adventure in the ancient temple so the party could figure out what was going on? Not a cost for the wizard alone. Cleric casts raise dead on the party fighter who died saving the party, not a cost for the cleric alone.

So counting the cost of components that the rest of the party will most likely be paying for also, seems like a poor reason for the rest of the classes to not start with 50 gold more worth of class related items.

 

[ObsidianCrane]

I made a wizard last night here is the gear list;

Backpack, Bedroll, Flint and steel, Belt Pouch, Trail Rations (10 days), 50' Hemp Rope, 2 Sunrods, 1 Waterskin, 5 Daggers, Orb, 60gp in Arcane Ritual components, Clothes, Spellbook

Clothes and Spellbook are free, remaining gold = 5gp.

Rituals known: Comprehend Languages (10gp per use), Make Whole (???gp per use), Magic Mouth (10gp per use).

If she had to pay for her Ritual Book the rituals themselves would be useless.

I guess that is why its free

 

[Tale]

This thread makes me want an intelligent spellbook. A Wizard who took the wrong meaning for the word "possess." I wonder if there'd be any way to swing it as a PC. What racial qualities would a haunted spellbook have?

 

[lukelightning]

This thread makes me want an intelligent spellbook. A Wizard who took the wrong meaning for the word "possess."

I thought of the same thing...

I had the idea of a spellbook that was a lich's phylactery; the lich's soul was secretly inserted into the text of the spells, so that if you prepare and use spells from the book, you slowly fall under the lich's influence and become possessed.

I thought I was so clever, but then I realized this is basically the plot to Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.

 

[garyh]

Thanks for the lively debate, folks! Personally, I was leaning towards "free" myself. I just wish they'd have bothered to use that word so this debate wasn't necessary.

 

[N0Man]

If they have to buy their spellbook, that means they have to pay gold so that they have a Daily Power, since your 2 Daily Powers are written in the book.

Think about it.