My PC's are about to find a spell book with the following spells:
cause fear, enlarge person, expeditious retreat, false life, levitate, mage armor, magic missile, ray of enfeeblement and all wizard cantrips.
We have no PCs that can use this book, so either 1) I give it to them and they sell/trade it to someone or 2) I replace it with an item(s) of equal value that they can use/need.
How do you judge the cost of said wizard book to buy, which would be double the price they could sell it for.
-------------------EDIT: Have it now
Blank book = 15g,
9 lv 0 spells @ 17.5ea
6 lv 1 spells @ 35g ea
2 lv 2 spells @ 160g ea
702g total, sale for aprox 350 if they can find a buyer.
Sounds good.
If you feel generous add 100gp for historical interest, materials and craftsmanship.
I wouldn't swap it just because it isn't useful. Players might find inventive ways of using it, followers, new characters etc.....
Some stuff they find should make them scratch their heads.
Spell books might be found with journals, notes, spell\magic research & other plot enriching stuff too.
Sigurd