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  1. #1

    (2e) Questions: Blank spellbook cost? Time to record spells? Cost to record spells?

    I can't seem to find the answers to these questions anywhere in the Reference Manuals.

    I see there is a Spellbook item in the ruleset for 120 gp and 5 lbs., but I can't find the supporting infor in the Player's Handbook to back it up, not even in my physical copies of the books. Where do these stats come from

    Meanwhile, the DMG has a contradictory bit of information stating under 'Spell Book Cost' "For the materials and preparation, the wizard must pay 50 gp per page. Traveling spellbooks, which are even more compact, cost 100 gp per page."

    Is this the cost of recording spells into the spellbook, or is it the cost of the blank pages themselves?

    Furthermore, if that price is just to record spells into the spellbook, does the wizard have to pay the cost when recording spells gained as a part of leveling?

    For spellbook capacity, is the spellbook with which a wizard begins play a standard or a traveling spellbook?

  2. #2
    Per the 2e DMG, whenever a player attains a new spell level, allow the player one new spell immediately. You can choose this spell or let the player choose. No roll is needed. It does not mention cost, so best to just let the player record it in the spell book.

    Your right, the equipment table in the PHB does not have a spell book but the player does get one when he starts (check the magic section in the PHB), thats probably why its included in FG.

    I think the costs you are looking at are what it cost the wizard to make copies of his current spell books (including spells). I could be wrong about this.

    The rules dont really say that I can find about the starting spell book being a standard or traveling one, so I would say go with whatever you want.
    Last edited by daggertx; November 25th, 2020 at 02:20.

  3. #3
    More than likely I did not have a reference from the PHB for the Spellbook so I looked to the Core Rules CD where it has listed the cost and weight. I'm not where I can check to verify that but I'm 99% sure that's where it came from if it's not in the PHB/DMG somewhere.

    I'll double check that after holidays.
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  4. #4
    Well part of the cost issue is that there must be some sort of cost associated with scribing spells from scrolls or found spellbooks after the wizard achieves understanding of the spell through a successful check.

    Part of me is thinking the 50 gp/page for standard spellbooks or 100 gp/page for traveling spellbooks might actually be the cost of purchasing an empty tome prepared to hold the spells in the first place, and then the cost to scribe the spells is basically negligible, which is the exact opposite from 3.5e where empty spellbooks cost 15 gp and scribing costs 100 gp/spell level. If this is the case, then a new empty spellbook (regardless of type, because traveling spellbooks have half as many pages but double the cost per page) would cost 5,000 gp!

    Makes me think that perhaps a wizard's mentor gives their apprentice their first spellbook more as payment for their services than as a true gift. Whether the tome is a standard spellbook or traveling spellbook, is still unclear, which is kinda needed to know since spellbooks do have limited space and each spell takes up 1d6-1+spell level pages.

    That part of me thinks this pricing might be the case because of the bookbinding and papermaking non-weapon proficiencies from Player's Option: Spells & Magic:

    "Bookbinding is especially helpful for a wizard assembling a spell book. Normally, a wizard must pay a bookbinder 50 gp per page for a standard spell book, or 100 gp per page for a traveling spell book--see Chapter 7 of the DMG. A wizard who does this work himself reduces these costs by 50%, although the process takes at least two weeks, plus one day per five pages."

    The papermaking proficiency offers a similar benefit, and if a wizard has both, the cost is reduced by 75%.

    But I don't want to make any assumptions if possible.

  5. #5
    I am using the rules out of the Wizards Spell Compendiums for my current campaign



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