Wizards out there

[soulchicken]

According to the rules...
you only get 2 'free' spells every level that you get to put in your book.

other spells take 1 day total to scribe, and cost 100g per page. Each spell takes up 1 page per level of the spell with level 0 spells taking up 1 page. Spell books only have 100 pages.

Legally acquiring spells and keeping up with the many spell books it takes to fuel all of those spells seems like a massive hassel.


So, if the wizard's benefit is to be able to cast any spell they want, how does a normal, leveling wizard have the selection of spells that he needs to make him more of a benefit than a scorc that doesn't have to go through all of this hooplah?

Do you buy scrolls to get the spells you want? Find other wizards? Research your own? Does your GM allow you time to scribe that stuff, and then does he modify the time it takes to scribe this stuff?

I have always played scorc's due to how much easier it seems, but I'd like an honest go at a wizard. You all are the most knowledgable people about DnD, so here I am looking for your advice. Thanks in advance =)

[oxybe]

either through other wizards or scrolls bought/found.

the scarcity of these wizards or scrolls is entirely up to the GM. our current PF GM makes the low level scrolls easy to come by in our largeish city so it's no problem getting my hands on level 1-3 scrolls.

we've yet to fight another spellcaster that i could hijack a spellbook from.

there is magic spellbook in MiC that has a much larger capacity for the same weight (1000 pages i think) but until you get that, you'll have to make due with the 15GP 100 page book.

[Desril]

I think it's in the Complete Arcane, but there are rules for making spellbooks out of non-standard materials and with extra pages.

I think a typical spellbook adds 15gp per 100 pages, but I'm not sure of the exact price off the top of my head.

[soulchicken]

Thanks for the replies.

My next question is...how in the hell do you narrow down what you want to put in your book?

I made a list of spells going up to only lvl 6, and I'm not even close to looking at all the material. I have over 500 pages worth of spells that 'would be nice to have.'

[aje8]

Meh... if this helps, I usually pick my prepared spells, make sure I have everything I want to fill all my slots. Then, I figure what Utility spells I want to be able to wake up one morning and prepare. Since I need to wait a day to use these, I don't usually put too many combat spells here, although a situationally excellent one against a common for I might add.

For the record, the way you avoid all that spell hassle is two-fold:
1. Collegiate Wizard Feat: Saves a ton of money, means you learn spells easily and freely and you're a Wizard so you're not feat starved or anything. Even better if your DM restricts scroll purchasing. It might be slightly worth than another feat if your DM allows easy scroll access, but even then I'd take the slight dip in power for the ease of use and because you're a Wizard, power is something you have in spades.

2. Boccob's Blessed Book. After Headband of Intellect and a couple of Meta-Magic Rods, this is ones of the first items you should get. Many more pages and you get them all at a discount. My mid level Wizards are never without this.

[aivanther]

2 levels of geometer help wonders to...of course then you have to go geometer...

[Skeletor]

Lore gems are nice smaller than books and most people don't know what they have when they got it.

[Vangor]

My next question is...how in the hell do you narrow down what you want to put in your book?

Don't. Buy another book.

[herrhauptmann]

Don't. Buy another book.

Exactly, it's at start, just a nonmagical book. Not expensive or heavy. 500 pages of spells, that's 5 PHB standard spellbooks. I'm willing to bet that your spiral notebooks for highschool or college weigh more.

[soulchicken]

Thank you all for your help.

I'll look into the Collegiate Wizard Feat, and I'll def. purchase the BBB with my starting gold.

With the collegiate feat, i'd start out with 6 first levels, all 0 levels + 36 other free spells from leveling up to lvl 10.

So the first 42 + 0 level spells are free.

The rest i'd prolly have to purchase the scrolls or snag from another wizard.

Edit: I did forget to mention that I was starting at lvl 10. I figured I'd clarify my math.