I am running a protracted dungeon crawl that the players have been engaged in for some time...
When running I generally stay away from using enemy wizards for two reasons, 1- they are significantly more book-keeping than an enemy sorcerer, 2- I feel that a high intelligence enemy requires the party to deal with an order of magnitude higher degree of preparation and tactical savvy from their enemies... (i am afraid to TPK the party)
Now, my question comes up with how badly am I shortchanging the PC wizard when the group NEVER encounters an enemy caster who has a spellbook for treasure?
The party is presently 7th level, they last left the nearest 'civilized' area at 4th level. I allowed the PC wizard to come in with an advanced number of spells known, but he is really limited on the new spell levels as he is gaining them.
Do you think I should bite the proverbial bullet and make an upcoming enemy spell caster a wizard to ensure there is an opportunity to find a spellbook (if he is clever enough to locate it)? This would mean the PCs would have to face a spell caster that is higher level than they are, in order to make the book a value
Or do you think the absence of certain resources isn't overly debilitating to the class?
I welcome all advice an input (saving that from players in my game :P )
Make a wizard. PC wizards really appreciate the treasure. It'll stretch you as a GM. And wizards can do some things sorcerers can't... Mostly knowledge-related, but you can justify them having rare and situational spells that most sorcerers would never take.
The wizard will have escape plans. It's good to have a recurring villain. The PCs get very happy when they finally smash him.
Wizards as a remote mastermind also work. They send lots of disposable and buffed minions into combat and are usually seen only in silhouette as they do their thing.
Why not just include spellbooks or spellbook pages in the trasure?
If you don't feel confident running an actual wizard foe (for any of the reasons you describe), why not make a spellbook part of the treasure without having the fight the wizard? Maybe there's a moldering wizard corpse at the bottom of that pit trap, or a wizard prisoner in the orc cave who would happily share his spellbook with the party if they help him recover it, or... etc.
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You can also provide a substantially increased number of scrolls for the wizard if you don't like to use wizards. Sorcerer's can use scrolls as well, and may quite well acquire a stash of them of spells they don't themselves know.
Though as a lover of wizards, finding that enemy spellbook is such a feeling of joy, even if you only get 1 or 2 spells out of it.
The only reason I've felt reluctant to drop mid level scrolls as treasure is I want to avoid the feeling like I am dictating which spells the caster takes.
If the pulls the spell-book out of the cold dead hand of a mage that was trying to kill him, the choice of spells in that book are inherently based on what that NPC caster needed... I didn't want to appear to be rail-roading the spell choices for the player by hand picking the scrolls.
that being said, scrolls is a viable option, thanks
Scrolls are too expensive and because of that a wizard wouldn't destroy it in order to copy the spell in his book, sure in your case (where the players are away from civilization for a long time now and probably will continue to be so for a while) he might bite the bullet and do it but that would a serious expense from the wizard.
I really think that enemy spellbooks are the way to go, and the wizard doesn't even have to copy the spells from the spellbook (because he doesn't have the neccessary special ink with him), he can just prepare the spell from the enemy spellbooks.
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Scrolls are too expensive and because of that a wizard wouldn't destroy it in order to copy the spell in his book, sure in your case (where the players are away from civilization for a long time now and probably will continue to be so for a while) he might bite the bullet and do it but that would a serious expense from the wizard.
I really think that enemy spellbooks are the way to go, and the wizard doesn't even have to copy the spells from the spellbook (because he doesn't have the neccessary special ink with him), he can just prepare the spell from the enemy spellbooks.
I've played quite a few wizards and it's a rare occurrence where I felt a scroll was better than having it in the book (even before Pathfinder's bonded object). It's possible it could be outlook of the player or people I've played under, but if I find a spell not in my book on a scroll, odds are it's going to be scribed into it when I have the chance and materials to do so.