Learning wizard spells and scribing them into spellbooks

[Chogokin]

So, Wizards start out with a spellbook that has a number of spells in it to begin with. As Wizards level up, they automatically learn 2 new spells per level. Question: does it cost money and time for the Wizard to scribe the spells into a spellbook, as it would to copy a new spell in the book? Or, is it free?

My default assumption is that it is free, which is a good thing, because our party just hit Level 4 via milestone advancement, but so far we've only earned 125 gp each. I also finally found a couple of spells, which will cost me 150 gp to copy. I may have to have my wizard sell his body for the money to buy a pot of magical ink.

[ShadowSandbag]

The two spells you learn from leveling up are totally free to put into your spellbook.

[Vogie]

An owl drops off the pages of the spells you've chosen that fit perfectly into your spell school's spellbook.

It's like a correspondence course. Or Subscription service.

[Chogokin]

Thanks for the clarification! I hadn't even thought about the process until just recently. This is only the second 5e game I've played, the first time I've played a wizard, and the first time I've had the occasion to read up on how to copy spells into my spellbook. It just struck me as odd and rather inconsistent that spells learned by leveling up were free, spells copied from other sources were expensive, and replacing or copying my own spells was cheap. One would think that, as all of these activities involve writing spells into a book, the material cost would be the same no matter the source of the spell. It's almost as though the costs listed were completely arbitrary!

[Temperjoke]

Why sell your body? See if your DM will let you sell copies of your spell book, as long as you have the money to make copies.

[kebusmaximus]

...It just struck me as odd and rather inconsistent that spells learned by leveling up were free, spells copied from other sources were expensive, and replacing or copying my own spells was cheap. One would think that, as all of these activities involve writing spells into a book, the material cost would be the same no matter the source of the spell. It's almost as though the costs listed were completely arbitrary!

The ink isn't actually the expensive part of scribing spells. Figuring out how to write down the spell is. Copying a new spell is expensive because in addition to the ink, you need to experiment with a spell written by a wizard who doesn't think like you. Copying a spell you already have is cheap because it's just the ink. Your level-up spells are free because you're a wizard, researching spells in your free time is what you do.


Why sell your body? See if your DM will let you sell copies of your spell book, as long as you have the money to make copies.

Well, you can always sell spell scrolls, though according to XGtE, it can be risky.