Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 akr71 Feb 05, 2015 7:47:48	Are Cantrips written down in a wizards spellbook?  The info in the PHB leads me to say no and I'm fine with that - it would just cause havoc with the number of known cantrips/level.   The wizard in my group has discovered a spellbook and I was unsure what to do with the cantrips that the previous owner of the spellbook would have know.  Currently, the cost of copying those spells into her own spellbook has been prohibitive, so she has just copied a few at a time as time and finances permit.
#2 Kennethray Feb 05, 2015 9:18:20	Since Cantrips are not prepared there is no reason for them to be in the book. You are also unable to learn them from other sources such as from scrolls or books. So my feeling would be no, they would not be in a spell book. Why take up space with something that does not need to be in there? This is just my reading of things and not exatcly a written rule as far as I know.   K-Ray
#3 AaronOfBarbaria Feb 05, 2015 9:35:37	Cantrips are a separate feature from Spellbook, and if you look in the PHB it is very clear about that through the use of separate but equal-sized headings for each.   And since the Spellbook feature says "At 1st level, you have a spellbook containing  six 1st-level wizard spells of your choice." it is very clear that cantrips aren't contained within the book.
#4 akr71 Feb 05, 2015 9:51:23	This is my take too.  Once they are learned a cantrip is very much like an innate magical ability, so writing it down is redundant.  Discovering a spellbook with 4 more cantrips in it would potentially give the wizard many more cantrips at their disposal than allowed at that level.   Just needed some other input on the matter... thx
#5 slumgum Feb 07, 2015 2:06:23	A cantrip is a cantrip because you have practiced the spell soooo many times it becomes reflexive to use it and therefor does not spend up any of your magical ability.  If cantrips were found by your wizard though it would make the most sense for them to require first level spell slots to use. They don't become "free" to cast until the wizard is very experienced with them.  This requires a large passage of time, symbolized and tracked in game by the wizard's level.  Thus a wizard is only given more cantrips twice while leveling.  It would certainly make sense to give your player more and more cantrips if a significant time is played at level 20 though.
#6 El_Condoro Feb 07, 2015 2:38:07	It would be unlikely that a found spellbook would contain cantrips at all for the reasons stated above; the pages cost money as do the other materials needed, and it takes time so why would a wizard bother to copy them into his or her spellbook when they are effectively innate for him or her? It's not impossible and the wizard might have a reason to do so, but it seems unlikely to me.
#7 MarcCCTx Feb 07, 2015 19:42:35	I basically let them replace one cantrip when they level up. (even Wizards can do this, but if a Sorcerer does it, it is in place of his normal replacement of spells)
#8 Johris Feb 09, 2015 6:39:15	Looking at treasure tables in the DMG I found puzzling that Cantrip Scrolls are listed.  Tyring to wrap my head around why a wizard or cleric would write a scroll for a cantrip?  Only thing I can come up with is "Mending"...   Learning a new Cantrip could be another possiblity that I thought of from this thread.
(Reply to #8) AaronOfBarbaria	Johris wrote:
#10 Jamwes Feb 09, 2015 9:56:20	Johris wrote:
(Reply to #8) Pandaemonius	Johris wrote:
(Reply to #11) AaronOfBarbaria	Pandaemonius wrote:
#13 Vahnyu Feb 11, 2015 2:04:25	slumgum wrote: