Cost for writing new spells [Archive] - Wizards Community

Cost for writing new spells [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Centauri
10-23-05, 03:43 PM Writing a New Spell into a Spellbook

Once a wizard understands a new spell, she can record it into her spellbook.

Time: The process takes 24 hours, regardless of the spell’s level.

Space in the Spellbook: A spell takes up one page of the spellbook per spell level. Even a 0-level spell (cantrip) takes one page. A spellbook has one hundred pages.

Materials and Costs: Materials for writing the spell cost 100 gp per page.

Note that a wizard does not have to pay these costs in time or gold for the spells she gains for free at each new level. Blessed Book: This well-made tome is always of small size, typically no more than 12 inches tall, 8 inches wide, and 1 inch thick. All such books are durable, waterproof, bound with iron overlaid with silver, and locked.

A wizard can fill the 1,000 pages of a blessed book with spells without paying the 25 gp per page material cost. This book is never found as randomly generated treasure with spells already inscribed in it.

Moderate transmutation; CL 7th; Craft Wondrous Item, secret page; Price 12,500 gp;Weight 1 lb. Emphasis mine. The information on spellbooks says it costs 100 gp per page to inscribe a spell into a spellbook. The description for the Blessed Book implies that it only costs 25 gp per page, and the price of the book is such that the cost for filling the book with spells is half of what it should be.

Where, exactly, is there error? If it really does cost 100 gp per page to scribe a spell into a spellbook, wouldn't it make sense for the Blessed Book to cost 50,000. It would still be a lot of savings in the long run.

As a side question, do you count a Wizard's spellbook as part of his wealth? The 45+ spells he gets for free as he levels up wouldn't cost him anything (unless he copied them over to another book), but any spells he copied from scrolls should be worth at least what it cost to copy them, and maybe also the cost of the scroll, since the mage now has permanent access to it. If this sounds like a fair way of handling it, would it wind up restricting the number of spells to which a Wizard could have access? Or is the cost small enough not to matter?

Edit: I just noticed that the cost per page for copying a spell from one book to another is only 50 gp. Since a character won't be starting with a Blessed Book and will probably be copying spells over into one later, maybe the cost should be more like 25,000 gp, though later the Wizard will be saving 100 gp per page for spells he scribes from scrolls.

Another Edit: what happens if Dispell Magic is cast on a Blessed Book?
Seeker95
10-23-05, 03:57 PM (This gets asked about every six days.)

So, where do you think the error might be? In the entry for the description of how to scribe spells into a spellbook? Or in the text of a single magic item, the effect of which is to remove the price in the first place? (The errata indicates the entry in the blessed book is in error.)

As for what happens when you dispel magic on a blessed book... nothing much. Dispel magic just suppresses the magic on items. So as long as you don't try to scribe a spell into the book in the next 1d4 rounds, you're fine.
Centauri
10-23-05, 04:17 PM (This gets asked about every six days.)

So, where do you think the error might be? In the entry for the description of how to scribe spells into a spellbook? Or in the text of a single magic item, the effect of which is to remove the price in the first place? (The errata indicates the entry in the blessed book is in error.) Excuse the heck out of me. Having only been on this board for a year, I must not have been around long enough to see this topic come up so often. I'll go download the FAQ now, like a good little boy.

What about the rest of my questions? Is it fair to count the cost of copied scrolls against a Wizard's wealth per level? Does it even matter? That is, does it cause a Wizard to have any of the same financial pressures as a Fighter?
Merestil Haye
10-23-05, 05:01 PM As a side question, do you count a Wizard's spellbook as part of his wealth? The 45+ spells he gets for free as he levels up wouldn't cost him anything (unless he copied them over to another book), but any spells he copied from scrolls should be worth at least what it cost to copy them, and maybe also the cost of the scroll, since the mage now has permanent access to it. If this sounds like a fair way of handling it, would it wind up restricting the number of spells to which a Wizard could have access? Or is the cost small enough not to matter?The cost a wizard incurs for scribing a spell into his book (over and above the spells he gains as a class feature) should count against his treasure value. This includes both acquiring the spell in the first place and scribing it into his book.
Seeker95
10-23-05, 07:32 PM Excuse the heck out of me. Having only been on this board for a year, I must not have been around long enough to see this topic come up so often. I'll go download the FAQ now, like a good little boy.I figure if you've been here longer than six days you've been here long enough to see it. Didn't stop me from providing the answer to that part of your question, even though you've been here for significantly longer than six days.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Centauri 10-23-05, 03:43 PM	Writing a New Spell into a Spellbook Once a wizard understands a new spell, she can record it into her spellbook. Time: The process takes 24 hours, regardless of the spell’s level. Space in the Spellbook: A spell takes up one page of the spellbook per spell level. Even a 0-level spell (cantrip) takes one page. A spellbook has one hundred pages. Materials and Costs: Materials for writing the spell cost 100 gp per page. Note that a wizard does not have to pay these costs in time or gold for the spells she gains for free at each new level. Blessed Book: This well-made tome is always of small size, typically no more than 12 inches tall, 8 inches wide, and 1 inch thick. All such books are durable, waterproof, bound with iron overlaid with silver, and locked. A wizard can fill the 1,000 pages of a blessed book with spells without paying the 25 gp per page material cost. This book is never found as randomly generated treasure with spells already inscribed in it. Moderate transmutation; CL 7th; Craft Wondrous Item, secret page; Price 12,500 gp;Weight 1 lb. Emphasis mine. The information on spellbooks says it costs 100 gp per page to inscribe a spell into a spellbook. The description for the Blessed Book implies that it only costs 25 gp per page, and the price of the book is such that the cost for filling the book with spells is half of what it should be. Where, exactly, is there error? If it really does cost 100 gp per page to scribe a spell into a spellbook, wouldn't it make sense for the Blessed Book to cost 50,000. It would still be a lot of savings in the long run. As a side question, do you count a Wizard's spellbook as part of his wealth? The 45+ spells he gets for free as he levels up wouldn't cost him anything (unless he copied them over to another book), but any spells he copied from scrolls should be worth at least what it cost to copy them, and maybe also the cost of the scroll, since the mage now has permanent access to it. If this sounds like a fair way of handling it, would it wind up restricting the number of spells to which a Wizard could have access? Or is the cost small enough not to matter? Edit: I just noticed that the cost per page for copying a spell from one book to another is only 50 gp. Since a character won't be starting with a Blessed Book and will probably be copying spells over into one later, maybe the cost should be more like 25,000 gp, though later the Wizard will be saving 100 gp per page for spells he scribes from scrolls. Another Edit: what happens if Dispell Magic is cast on a Blessed Book?
Seeker95 10-23-05, 03:57 PM	(This gets asked about every six days.) So, where do you think the error might be? In the entry for the description of how to scribe spells into a spellbook? Or in the text of a single magic item, the effect of which is to remove the price in the first place? (The errata indicates the entry in the blessed book is in error.) As for what happens when you dispel magic on a blessed book... nothing much. Dispel magic just suppresses the magic on items. So as long as you don't try to scribe a spell into the book in the next 1d4 rounds, you're fine.
Centauri 10-23-05, 04:17 PM	(This gets asked about every six days.) So, where do you think the error might be? In the entry for the description of how to scribe spells into a spellbook? Or in the text of a single magic item, the effect of which is to remove the price in the first place? (The errata indicates the entry in the blessed book is in error.) Excuse the heck out of me. Having only been on this board for a year, I must not have been around long enough to see this topic come up so often. I'll go download the FAQ now, like a good little boy. What about the rest of my questions? Is it fair to count the cost of copied scrolls against a Wizard's wealth per level? Does it even matter? That is, does it cause a Wizard to have any of the same financial pressures as a Fighter?
Merestil Haye 10-23-05, 05:01 PM	As a side question, do you count a Wizard's spellbook as part of his wealth? The 45+ spells he gets for free as he levels up wouldn't cost him anything (unless he copied them over to another book), but any spells he copied from scrolls should be worth at least what it cost to copy them, and maybe also the cost of the scroll, since the mage now has permanent access to it. If this sounds like a fair way of handling it, would it wind up restricting the number of spells to which a Wizard could have access? Or is the cost small enough not to matter?The cost a wizard incurs for scribing a spell into his book (over and above the spells he gains as a class feature) should count against his treasure value. This includes both acquiring the spell in the first place and scribing it into his book.
Seeker95 10-23-05, 07:32 PM	Excuse the heck out of me. Having only been on this board for a year, I must not have been around long enough to see this topic come up so often. I'll go download the FAQ now, like a good little boy.I figure if you've been here longer than six days you've been here long enough to see it. Didn't stop me from providing the answer to that part of your question, even though you've been here for significantly longer than six days.