How do you/ your DM deal with wizard spells known?

[Breaw]

If you are starting a high level Wizard in a campaign or one shot, how do you/your DM calculate the cost of the spells that the Wizard knows?

The DMG suggests a charge of 50 g per spell level per spell for what a wizard would charge to copy a spell out of his book. The listed price on selling found spellbooks is identical.

My DM is currently suggesting that I pay the price of the scrolls of the spells I want to learn and then copy them to my book from that. This is of course not including the 2 spells per wizard level that I get for free leveling up.

As a 15th level Wizard pricing out items for the 200 k g I start with, the scroll approach to learning spells is getting a bit oppressive. I'm pairing down my spell choice as best as I can, but it would be very easy for me to buy 1/2 my standard wealth on scrolls purely for the purpose of creating a spellbook.

Anyone else had this issue? Is there another convention I can suggest to him? A raw description of creating a high level caster? Any thoughts and comments are appreciated.

-B

[Lert, A.]

PHB p.179 has your answers.

If it's too much of a problem, your DM may be convinced to let you copy spells from other wizards' spellbooks in exchange for a service or as a reward.

[turkishproverb]

As a dm? depends on the game. I have one game that you don't even automatically get your 2 new spells. Not that it stops the wizard from finding a way to get his spells.

[The Glyphstone]

At that level, you should definitely have a Boccob's Blessed Book - 15K for 1000 pages of free spells. Worth every penny in time and hassle, even if you don't manage to fill it.

[Greg]

At that level, you should definitely have a Boccob's Blessed Book - 15K for 1000 pages of free spells. Worth every penny in time and hassle, even if you don't manage to fill it.

Not the issue - it's the cost of acquiring the spell, rather than scribing it that is the issue here.

[Breaw]

Maybe he's doing it to try and curb the power of wizards. I don't know for sure, what with having little experience with the game, but that seems like a good a guess as any.

Well... this character is for the Return to the Tomb of Horrors... So there isn't a spell in the book that is going to make me 'overpowered' in that setting. :P

-B

[turkishproverb]

Well... this character is for the Return to the Tomb of Horrors... So there isn't a spell in the book that is going to make me 'overpowered' in that setting. :P

-B

Disintegrate.

[Sstoopidtallkid]

Grab the Collegiate Wizard feat from CArc. It doubles your number of spells known. I generally find the 50GP per spell level is fairest, but if he only allows scrolls, you're likely to really want more known than you can afford.

[Yakk]

Are you the only full list caster? Then, really, you can become sufficiently powerful compared to the rest of the party using that budget.

[Satyr]

I think it is not very good idea to maje the access to spells too easy - getting new and impressive spells should be a form of accomplisment. Making the spells - or any new and cool items for a character something they had to earn will greatly improve the gratefulness of the players and make the achieved new toys more valuable - presents and easy giveaways rarely have the impact and importance of those items which had to earned through hard work and high danger. Too easy accessto spells and magical items is a great way to cheapen those and make them less significant.

Therefore, I mostly give access to new spells when I feel that the wizard palyer has earned it. New cool stuff should always be felt as a reward, not as a matter of course.

[Kurald Galain]

The DMG suggests a charge of 50 g per spell level per spell for what a wizard would charge to copy a spell out of his book.

That's what I'd do. Plus two spells per level for free. However, I would also veto certain known gamebreaker spells.

But scroll costs are not unreasonable. From an IC point of view, you're a wizard - whyever would you not spend a major part of your "starting cash" on spells? From a game balance point of view, you're talking about the most powerful class feature of the most powerful class; making it more expensive is hardly a bad thing.

{table]Level|DMG|scroll|diff
1|50|25|x0.5
2|100|150|x1.5
3|150|375|x2.5
4|200|700|x3.5
5|250|1125|x4.5
[/table]

[Saph]

At lower levels, I let players get spells for the 50 gp/level copying fee (assuming they're in a location with plenty of wizards).

At higher levels, I usually say that the more powerful spells aren't freely available in the shops, so you have to make skill checks or do some roleplaying to buy them. 7th-, 8th-, and 9th-level spells are powerful enough that you shouldn't be able to just buy them off the shelf - that's like ordering a nuclear weapon at a convenience store. :P

- Saph

[valadil]

I've always paid for scrolls then scribing. It adds up, but it's worth it.

[Jack_of_Spades]

Don't forget you add two spells to your book each level. I've sen a lot of people forget about that and end up with Hobo Jackson the Wizard.