This topic was answered several years ago that wizards start with a spell book with all 0 level spells means all 0 level spells. Today I was trying to calculate the value of spell-books dropped by enemy wizards and found that this can no longer be the answer as there are now more than 100 zero level spells out there and therefore can not be in one book.Is there an official number of spells or is this to be house ruled?
I count 35 zero level spells. Spells occupy a number of pages in a spell book equal to their level, with zero level spells only occupying half a page.
So, that means that a wizard's starting spellbook starts with 18 pages (technically 17 and a half) out of 100 pre-filled. All with spells that apparently literally every wizard knows meaning that no one would want to pay anything to have "yet another" copy of those spells.
Where are you getting hundreds of 0 level spells from?
I could be wrong, but I think it is suppose to be just the core book cantrips still and most others are considered rare cantrips that are harder to obtain.
I could be wrong, but I think it is suppose to be just the core book cantrips still and most others are considered rare cantrips that are harder to obtain.
That's how I've always understood it, although I don't know have a source that could back that up.
Some of the 35 spells that Lord Kailas counted specifically note that they're not available by default and must be found, in the place they were introduced. One of those was later replaced by a 2nd level spell (penumbra/protective penumbra). Others look truly obscure like oath of anonymity and sotto voce.
Core rulebook cantrips by default only looks like a reasonable ruling.
Anyone else think 100 pages is way too small for a spellbook? (it's only about as long a short novel, and each spell takes up 1 page per level as mentioned.)
Thank you for all the replies. In my version of Herolab which has most of the data sets there are 137 zero level wizard spells. Removing most data sets down to the core books reduce this to 38.I had not thought to look at individual spells for rarity as there were so many at first glance. So 35 is very close to where I was leaning of 38. Also lord Kailas note page 219 of the core rule book.
Space in the Spellbook: A spell takes up one page of the spellbook per spell level. Even a 0-level spell (cantrip) takes one page. A spellbook has 100 pages.
Again thank you all for the quick reply.
Anyone else think 100 pages is way too small for a spellbook? (it's only about as long a short novel, and each spell takes up 1 page per level as mentioned.)
It is... it always has been too... before you even factor in 0Lv spells or bonus 1st level spells from Int, let alone any extra spells added through spell study... a level 20 wizards spellbook has ~217 pages of spells 1st-9th., assuming they only add spells of their highest level with their 2 free spells per level. Their 9th level spells alone take up ~72 pages. Meaning a high level wizard would have at least 3 spellbooks likely split up either by function or strength. Adding in ~35 0Lv spells means a wizard must start on their second book by the time they get 6th level spells of their Int is anything less than a +4.
Anyone else think 100 pages is way too small for a spellbook? (it's only about as long a short novel, and each spell takes up 1 page per level as mentioned.)It is... it always has been too... before you even factor in 0Lv spells or bonus 1st level spells from Int, let alone any extra spells added through spell study... a level 20 wizards spellbook has ~217 pages of spells 1st-9th., assuming they only add spells of their highest level with their 2 free spells per level. Their 9th level spells alone take up ~72 pages. Meaning a high level wizard would have at least 3 spellbooks likely split up either by function or strength. Adding in ~35 0Lv spells means a wizard must start on their second book by the time they get 6th level spells of their Int is anything less than a +4.
Why do the wizards make them that short then? I would think one big book (500-1000 pages) would less cumbersome than carrying three or more spell books around
Flavor-wise, I think higher-level Wizards are supposed to maintain a small library of spellbooks, and it's a good idea for them to have a travel spellbook of common spells they can reference while travelling. (Backup spellbooks kept in a safe place are also a good idea.) More rare spells not in the travel spellbook would be put on scrolls as a matter of course.
This is a decades-old supposition that probably hasn't evolved as TRPGs have evolved and doesn't fit every character concept.
On the one hand, I think it's a reasonable burden for one of the more powerful classes in the game. On the other hand, the added bookkeeping is actually a player's burden in addition to their character's burden, and I feel that this whole mechanic could be updated.
Why do the wizards make them that short then? I would think one big book (500-1000 pages) would less cumbersome than carrying three or more spell books around
I bet you that someone at TSR in the 70s did some half-assed research on historical book-binding technology that matched the tech level of what they thought Greyhawk or Forgotten Realms were at, and so the 100-page spellbook has stuck around since then.
I'm guessing spellbooks are only 100 pages due to weight and volume. A standard, 100 page spellbook is 3 lbs and is only a generic book with parchment pages. Adding locks, thicker leather or oilskin for waterproofing, fancy metal decorations and so on would make these books even heavier.
Making a 200 page book would make it 6 lbs, and so on. Adding fanciness is more weight. Adding special materials so that it can be considered Masterwork so you can enchant it possibly adds weight. Since Str is sometimes a dump stat for wizards, do we really want to add more weight to these things?
Actually the difference in weight would only be 1~2lbs. per 100 extra pages. 100 sheets of letter sized paper only weighs 1lb, the extra 2lbs in a 100 page spell book comes from the thick binding and inks. Considering that a fully inked page (front and back) adds approximately 75% of the original page weight, that means that a 200 page book weighs ~4.75lbs most likely rounded to 5lbs for simplicity sake.
I think the devs have tried to limit the number of Paizo cantrips to avoid this problem. There are certainly far fewer 0-level than 1st-level spells, for example. IMC I start wizards with 1 cantrip per point of intelligence, plus one per level thereafter. It's still almost all the core ones at 1st level, and the rest you don't want.