More help for the NOOB

[jmsteadman]

Ok, My son (14) wants to be the elf magic using fighter option. I think I got the understanding of it.. he gets all the pros of each class but can only level up once he hits 4500 EXP.

I am a bit confused on spells. Once you level up do you automatically get to pick another spell (based on the chart) but then have to pay the gold to get it put into your spellbook?

Also, what does a spellbook weigh?

[Hywaywolf]

haha, don't listen to anyone else, a spell book is magical and weighs nothing. heck, it doesn't even get damaged, or dirty or wet or anything else. its a special tool, read and forget don't you know.

and for my money, let the player choose his own spell, don't make him roll for it or pick it for him. You can make him pay for it or not as you see fit. I am in quite a few games at the moment and everyone plays that differently. Very few DMs actually require the MU to pay 500 gold per spell, but some do. Its a personal choice.

[Dimirag]

He can also learn spells between levels as long as he has the money, time and required level. Giving a free spell at each level increase is a common rule.

[Hywaywolf]

yeah, he can have as many spells in his spell book as he can learn, but he can only cast what he has prepared and he can only prepare the number he is allowed for his level. If your party has multiple MUs then it would be expected that they would teach each other their spells.

[Dimirag]

For spellbooks I use two kinds: True and Travel.

A True Spellbook contains the spell in its full form, it takes several pages to write down each spell.
A Travel Spellbook is lighter and smaller, it contains a compacted spell form ready for preparation.

The Travel Spellbook is carried while adventuring while the True Spellbook is guarded on a safe place.

This has the advantage that if the Travel Spellbook is lost or destroyed then a new one can be created but has the disadvantage that the MU can copy spells in while adventuring.

[Jered Taikith]

If I may add my own two cents worth. Bear in mind that at low level a mage is fairly weak but at high level quickly dominates the party and if care is not taken can take over your entire campaign. With this in mind some GM's feel, I among them, that coddling a Magic Using character early on by letting them pick their spells, not having to pay for their spells, and what not is setting yourself up for troubles later on. Keeping control of what spells a magic user may have in his book leaves control of how powerful that character becomes squarely with you, the GM which is as it should be in order to keep balance within the party and also in the campaign as a whole. Also, some of the most classic campaign hook are those involving a Magic User hiring the rest of the party to help him find a certain spell or having the party help some other Magic User find a spell in return for which, as their own Magic User's reward, getting to copy that spell down for himself. Just giving the Magic User the spell is giving away a major story element.

[Dimirag]

He is not saying to give the MU every spell for free, just one per level, that's a very common rule, otherwise the MU is forced to dependent on the spell he can find while adventuring or using spell research.

[Jered Taikith]

He is not saying to give the MU every spell for free, just one per level, that's a very common rule, otherwise the MU is forced to dependent on the spell he can find while adventuring or using spell research.

I understand it's a very common house rule. Just pointing out that there are alternative view points on the matter as well as alternative ways of viewing the Magic User and his personal quest for acquiring magic. I am not at all saying that the other viewpoints are in any way wrong just that there are other view points.

[Hywaywolf]

If your concern is that a high level spellcaster will have too many spells if you don't make him pay the 500 gp per spell level, then you must not be putting much gold in your dungeons. A MU needs 450,000 xp to get to 10th level. He should have collected a lot of gold by then. I have no idea how much, but just say 225,000 gold in those 10 levels. He'll only need to spend 18,500 to get the minimum amount of spells. he could buy 7 more 5th level spells for less than that. and fill up on first and 2nd spells for chump change. The only time the gold for spells hurts a MU is in teh first few level where gold is not as plentiful.

[-1warrior]

Depends. Some people house rule that. Plus, I don't even make the MUs pay at all. Of course, I only let them reach 10th level in some of my campaigns. Not really a common house rule, but it fits my games.