Reasonable Number of Spells?

[batsofchaos]

One of my players is planning on statting out a wizard for a campaign I'm about to run where everyone's starting out at 5th level. By RAW, the minimum number of spells in the character's spellbook should be all cantrips (-any barred school cantrips if specializing), 3 1st level spells, 8 additional spells from gaining levels, and any applicable bonus spells from intelligence per level. This would not include any spells copied from captured spellbooks/scrolls/etc. that might have come from previous adventuring that is not being touched on in the campaign. How should I handle this? Should he get any additional spells besides the minimum? Should I let him 'purchase' additional spells for his book at the cost of a spell scroll from his starting gp? Is there a specific set of rules somewhere on adjudicating this?

[Mr. Friendly]

You already have your answer - let him purchase additional spells. Don't forget to charge him the price of the inks to scribe said spells into his spellbook - those aren't free.

EDIT: If he doesn't like that and you allow it, suggest that he take the Collegiate Wizard feat at first level. It gives him ?? spells extra at first and one or two more per level. Like the freebie level gain spells, he doesn't have to pay for the inking of those.

[Wolf53226]

Since the price of spells and the ink is supposed to be included, I would concur with the Mr. Friendly, although I might cut the cost in half, if I was feeling giving, which I often do when I am DMing. But the character should have to pay something for it, and if you give them a discount, you should discount certain things for the other players as well.

[kc0bbq]

Yeah, it's what starting wealth is for. If you buy all trinkets, you don't have as many spells. If a fighter invests all in trinkets, no armor or weapons.

[mostlyharmful]

If he has access to fellow students of wizardry, say other apprentices or students at a college, I'd let him buy them for the cost of the scribing on the basis that he's using a buddy system with the other noobs. Spells should only really face heavy restrictions if your worlds wizards are VERY insular or rare since there's an obvious, compelling reason to work together and swap spells. Maybe not for high level magics or overtly dangerous ones but for basic summon X or Dispel or whatever sure.

[Iku Rex]

As a starting 5th level character he has 9000 gp for spells, magic items or whatnot. In addition to the scribing costs, he has to pay 50 gp per spell level to copy the spells from somebody else's spellbook.

http://www.d20srd.org/srd/magicOverv...zardsSpellbook

He may want to hold off buying lots of new spells until he can first afford an Aureon's Spellshard [ECS] or Blessed Book.

[Sstoopidtallkid]

Or getting a level of Geometer.

[batsofchaos]

I think I've got it figured out. The character's backstory is that he started out as part of a Wizard's Guild (in the campaign world, wizard's guilds are kind of like the teamsters. They're a unionized group of wizards, usually like-minded specialists, that hire out their magical services), and has since left due to creative differences (decent terms, not explosive; no stalking assassins). The guild specialized in abjuration services, so I'll make it that he was allowed to copy spells from spellbooks for anything abjuration-based or that would have directly applied to the guild's function of magical protection and warding, but would have had to purchase scrolls for different flavors of magic.

[Kurald Galain]

I think I'd place the limit at 150% of that amount (of 3+int bonus 1st-level spells, 8 from gaining levels). He can gain more spells as the campaign progresses.