The Wizard's Library

Before a wizard can begin research on any spell, he must have a sizeable library of arcane books and scrolls. The size of the library is expressed in terms of its value. The value of the library necessary for each spell level is summarized in Table 15

Table 15: Library Values Necessary for Spell Research

GP Value	Can Research
of Library	Spells of This
	Level
2,000	1st
4,000	2nd
8,000	3rd
14,000	4th
22,000	5th
32,000	6th
44,000	7th
58,000	8th
74,000	9th

For instance, before a wizard can begin researching a 4th-level spell, he must have access to a library worth at least 14,000 gp. If he has no books at all in his library (perhaps because he has never researched a spell before), he must spend 14,000 gp on books before he can begin. If he has a library of lesser value (for instance, if his library is worth 4,000 gp), he must spend whatever money is necessary to increase the value of his library to the appropriate level. (If he has a 4,000 gp library, he must spend an additional 10,000 gp before he can research a 4th-level spell.)

For the most part, books that are suitable for research are hard to find. If a wizard is assembling his library prior to research, assume that it takes 5-10 (1d6 + 4) weeks of searching to locate 1,000 gp worth of books.

Books can sometimes be purchased in the bookshops of any major city or from NPC book collectors. A fortunate wizard may stumble upon such books during his adventures and keep them as he would any other discovered treasure; these books, of course, don't cost him any money. The quest for a particular book can be the basis for an entire adventure. (The DM determines the value of any discovered books.)

For the purposes of spell research, whether a library is of suitable size depends on its value, not its actual number of books. However, as a point of interest, assume that the cost of a single research book varies between 100-1,000 (1d10 x 100) gp. Therefore, a library suitable for researching 4th-level spells is valued at 14,000 gp and contains 14-140 books.

Once a wizard has assembled a library of sufficient value, he can begin research, but he still must pay the weekly Operational Costs. The Operational Costs correspond to the purchase of additional books and supplies. Half these Operational Costs can be considered to be new tomes. Therefore, over the course of his research, the wizard's library will increase in value. For instance, assume that a wizard with a 14,000 gp library has a weekly Operational Cost of 400 gp to research a 4th-level spell. After he has researched for four weeks, he'll have spent a total of 1,600 gp in Operational Costs and his library will have increased in value 800 gp. (Buying books with Operational Cost funds is assumed to be part of the research process and requires no extra time.)

As his research progresses, a wizard can opt to spend more than the minimum amount of money required for his Operational Costs in order to buy additional books to increase his chances of successfully researching his spell. The effects of these additional expenditures are explained in the Research Time and Chance of Success section below.

When a wizard spends money on library books, whether spent as part of the Basic Investment or as Operational Costs, the books then become part of his permanent library. Therefore, once he has assembled a library valued at 14,000 gp, he will never need to make another Basic Investment in library books when he wants to research 4th-level spells. Once he has assembled a library valued at 74,000 gp, he can research spells of any level without ever making another Basic Investment in books. Clearly, a wizard's library is one of his most precious possessions. The prudent wizard will go to great lengths to keep his library safe and protected.

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