Papermaking: A character with this skill knows how to manufacture paper. This can be an
invaluable skill for a wizard, since paper may be fairly rare in many campaign
settings. Rag pulp, bark, linen, hemp, and wood were all used to make paper in
medieval times. The material is pounded or pressed flat and treated with various
chemical compounds to bind and strengthen it. At the DM’s option, the character
may also be familiar with the manufacture of parchment and vellum. Parchment is
finely-scraped animal skin, treated with lime and other chemicals; vellum is
unusually supple and smooth parchment taken from very young animals.
A wizard who makes his own paper can reduce the costs of manufacturing a spell
book by 50%, although this requires one to two weeks of time and a suitable
work area. Normally, a traveling spell book costs 100 gp per page, and a standard
spell book costs 50 gp per page. If the wizard also knows the bookbinding
nonweapon proficiency and binds the volume himself, the cost of the spell book is
reduced by 75% altogether.
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