I believe you're looking for these rules... here.
Essentially objects held by the PCs are assumed to survive attacks and not take damage, unless the PC rolls a natural 1 on their saving throw. Then there rules indicate which item takes damage first.
Thematically it makes sense; however, mechanically I find it a little harsh as most classes rely very heavily on items such as their spellbooks, component pouches... etc.
The short of it is, that anything that is an attended object (anything on someone's person) is never damage unless they roll a natural 1 on a saving throw against an effect.
There is then a specific order of items to go through to see what is specifically damaged. You only damage one for each such effect, and things like spell books and component pouches are on the very bottom of the list to be destoryed. You will kill a player long before you manage to destroy these objects with incidental effects like this.
Items Surviving after a Saving Throw: Unless the descriptive text for the spell specifies otherwise, all items carried or worn by a creature are assumed to survive a magical attack. If a creature rolls a natural 1 on its saving throw against the effect, however, an exposed item is harmed (if the attack can harm objects). Refer to Table: Items Affected by Magical Attacks: Items Affected by Magical Attacks. Determine which four objects carried or worn by the creature are most likely to be affected and roll randomly among them. The randomly determined item must make a saving throw against the attack form and take whatever damage the attack dealt.
If the selected item is not carried or worn and is not magical, it does not get a saving throw. It simply is dealt the appropriate damage.
Table: Items Affected by Magical Attacks
Order* Item
1st Shield
2nd Armor
3rd Magic helmet, hat, or headband
4th Item in hand (including weapon, wand, or the like)
5th Magic cloak
6th Stowed or sheathed weapon
7th Magic bracers
8th Magic clothing
9th Magic jewelry (including rings)
10th Anything else
* In order of most likely to least likely to be affected.
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The short of it is, that anything that is an attended object (anything on someone's person) is never damage unless they roll a natural 1 on a saving throw against an effect.
There is then a specific order of items to go through to see what is specifically damaged. You only damage one for each such effect, and things like spell books and component pouches are on the very bottom of the list to be destoryed. You will kill a player long before you manage to destroy these objects with incidental effects like this.
Items Surviving after a Saving Throw: Unless the descriptive text for the spell specifies otherwise, all items carried or worn by a creature are assumed to survive a magical attack. If a creature rolls a natural 1 on its saving throw against the effect, however, an exposed item is harmed (if the attack can harm objects). Refer to Table: Items Affected by Magical Attacks: Items Affected by Magical Attacks. Determine which four objects carried or worn by the creature are most likely to be affected and roll randomly among them. The randomly determined item must make a saving throw against the attack form and take whatever damage the attack dealt.
If the selected item is not carried or worn and is not magical, it does not get a saving throw. It simply is dealt the appropriate damage.
Table: Items Affected by Magical Attacks
Order* Item
1st Shield
2nd Armor
3rd Magic helmet, hat, or headband
4th Item in hand (including weapon, wand, or the like)
5th Magic cloak
6th Stowed or sheathed weapon
7th Magic bracers
8th Magic clothing
9th Magic jewelry (including rings)
10th Anything else
* In order of most likely to least likely to be affected.
wow, didn't know these rules were so elaborate. Thanks guys!