Can anyone buy a spellbook full of spells?

[Rycaut]

I have a dragon disciple in PFS. He has bard levels so doesn't usually use a spellbook.

However I am thinking about buying a Mnemonic Vestment for him which would allow him once per day to use a spell slot to cast an arcane spell from a written source.

Instead of buying a bunch of scrolls I was wondering if I could buy him a spellbook with a bunch of arcane spells in it?

[Tony Lindman]

"Spellbook with spells in it" is not an item that appears in any list of items you can purchase, so the answer to your specific question is no.

However, you can buy an empty spellbook, then buy spells "a la carte" by paying the cost listed in the core rulebook to access an NPC's spellbook, then paying the cost to scribe the spell and making the appropriate skill checks. It's a bit more hassle, and needs to be witnessed by a GM (I'd suggest writing it all up and having your GM sign off on it ahead of your next game), but gets you what you want: a spellbook full of spells you can use.

[Mergy]

Can someone without wizard levels even scribe in a spellbook?

[pathar]

Adam Mogyorodi wrote:

Can someone without wizard levels even scribe in a spellbook?

If he has Read Magic and ranks in Spellcraft, I don't see why not.

[Aeric Blackberry]

I cannot find that page explaining the cost of accesing a spell. Cold you Point me to the exact page of the core rulebook?

[LazarX]

pathar wrote:

Adam Mogyorodi wrote:

Can someone without wizard levels even scribe in a spellbook?

If he has Read Magic and ranks in Spellcraft, I don't see why not.

You can't scribe a spell unless you learn it. And if you're not a wizard or some other form of book arcane caster, that's not going to happen. You pretty much have to hire a wizard to scribe spells for you, and that ain't gonna be cheap.

Also remember that each spell scribed into that book is one use only.

[Todd Lower]

OK,
Because nothing is easy:

Some of what you need is on p219 Core rule book. The rest (including the cost) is in the Society FAQ. Go to Society FAQ

[Jiggy]

Todd Lower wrote:

OK,

Because nothing is easy:

Some of what you need is on p219 Core rule book. The rest (including the cost)

The cost is in the CRB as well, also on p219. Right-hand column, third paragraph:

CRB wrote:

In most cases, wizards charge a fee for the privilege of copying spells from their spellbooks. This fee is usually equal to half the cost to write the spell into a spellbook (see Writing a New Spell into a Spellbook).

[Rycaut]

So to summarize:

1. There is no simple to purchase "pre-written" spellbooks in the generally available (or for that matter on any Chronicle sheet I've seen) legal for PFS play (in a home campaign the pre-built spellbooks from various Paizo books might be available or usable as a model).

2. So if an arcane spell caster who wants to build a spell wants to do so in PFS they have to do he following steps:

a) buy a blank spell book (default is 100 pages)
b) pay a fee to copy the spells they want from an NPC caster (at 1/2 the costs listed to write a spell - so 2gp 5 sp for 0 level spells, 5gp for 1st level, 20gp for 2nd level etc.
c) make a spellcraft check (DC = 15+ spell level) and spend 1 hour studying
d) write the spell down (1 hour for spells > 0, 30 mins for 0 level spells) and pay the cost to write a spell down (5gp for 0, 10gp for 1st, 40gp for 2nd, etc). 0 and 1st level spells take 1 page, other spells take 1 page per spell level

So assuming I can make the spellcraft checks (which is a big assumption) the cost for a spellbook with 50 1st level spells would be cost of the book itself + 750gp.

3. One unclear item in the core rulebook it states

"Duplicating an existing spellbook uses the same procedure as replacing it, but the task is much easier. The time requirement and cost per page are halved" - how would this be ruled in PFS play?

(i.e. could two PC's each allow the other to copy their spells books? The duplicative 0 level spells could be an issue - or they could say they have their cantrips in their apprentice spellbook and their higher level spells in a traveling spellbook?)

The rules for copying and learning refer to wizards - but I assume they apply equally to Alchemists (with the caveat that while alchemists can learn spells from wizards or magus the reverse is not true) and Magi.

But the question remains if all of these rules apply to other arcane casters who wish to build up a spellbook even without being technically able to prepare spells from it (to use as I was thinking with a Mnemonic Vestment for example) or to non-casters who for some reason want to build up a spellbook (assuming they have the requisite ranks in Spellcraft)

[Robert A Matthews]

1. Correct

2. All of that is correct, if you have at least one Wizard level. There are no rules for spontaneous casters being able to copy a spell into a spellbook that I am aware of.

3. You would have to pay half what it would cost you to scribe the spells you already have in your spellbook.

It doesn't look like the rules support any way for a spontaneous caster to maintain a spellbook. I would almost say it's better to use scrolls anyway. Since Mnemonic Vestment doesn't consume the written version, you have a bunch of scrolls that you can expend if you need another use of a spell. With a spellbook you would have to wait a day.

25 GP for a level 1 spell scroll vs
15GP to copy a level 1 spell into a spellbook

Sure you pay more, but you get more.

[Sean H]

Robert A Matthews wrote:

1. Correct

2. All of that is correct, if you have at least one Wizard level. There are no rules for spontaneous casters being able to copy a spell into a spellbook that I am aware of.

3. You would have to pay half what it would cost you to scribe the spells you already have in your spellbook.

It doesn't look like the rules support any way for a spontaneous caster to maintain a spellbook. I would almost say it's better to use scrolls anyway. Since Mnemonic Vestment doesn't consume the written version, you have a bunch of scrolls that you can expend if you need another use of a spell. With a spellbook you would have to wait a day.

25 GP for a level 1 spell scroll vs
15GP to copy a level 1 spell into a spellbook

Sure you pay more, but you get more.

At earlier levels yes, but later on the prices shift dramatically.

To scribe a 4th level scroll such as D. Door, it costs 240gp.
To buy a scroll of D. Door, it costs 700 gp.

You can scribe 3 4th-level spells for the price of 1 4th-level scroll.