The problem I see with Create Spell is largely worldbuilding. I mean, why wouldn't some rich-ass archmage have made better versions of every spell out there and sold them around?
Because they don’t want to share.
Because if they’re already rich, why go to the bother of selling things. They’re trying to slide into mystra’s dms, not run a small business
Because changing fireball into lightning ball is small potatoes, any wizard of sufficient level can do that on their own. That’s a tweak, not a new spell. The arch wizard is trying to make something completely new, not just something derivative. Or maybe they’re spending all their time trying to be a lich.
So nobody in the Entire History of Forever and Ever has decided to share something they made with Create Spell? That just... doesn't make sense.
It's a Wizard spell, not an Arcane spell, so on the mechanical side of things no one else can scribe it. Lore-wise, you can explain it that Create Spell involves tweaking an existing spell to work with the wizard's own magical quirks and variations, so no one else can get the same results from the process.
I prefer lore wise being two fold, one it was already written encrypted into the book to begin with and 2 fold because of those magical quicks and variations the other wizard looks at it and goes "Oh you put THAT glyph with it to do this, ya that shouldn't work, and if it IS working I do not want to deal with the ramifications of what will happen when it DOES backfire, ya I am not touching that with a five foot pole you do you man, but I don't trust it."
Yes, this is a money sink, but the game needs money sinks. Yes, a Wizard is penalized more than the rest, but the POWER unleashed by these features, and other existing expensive Wizard features (Simulacrum, Clone, etc.), is crazy.
Then there is the copying / learning spells, crafting backup spellbooks, etc. All existing money sinks, and they are not enough if you follow the DMG recommendations for Treasure. This new money sink is a good thing, not a bad thing.
The fact is, having it cost a lot provides a great way for the DM to manage their power level in game. After all, they decide how usable / abusable they are by how much coin they give out. If you remove that aspect, you neuter the DM. It is very well thought out mechanic.
Wizards are pricey to play, but they can essentially PRINT MONEY with Fabricate (and even more so with the new playtest rules since they can now turn Fabricate into a RITUAL so they can do it SIXTY TIMES A DAY!!!).
Yes, Wizards are the only class "burdened" like this. They are also, by far, the most powerful class that can generate wealth the easiest, and easily and eventually overcome these burdens, as long as the DM doesn't ban the spells.
I think it's well designed and well balanced. If you removed these costs and made the level-driven abilities only, the class would be completely broken. The DM would just end up banning the spells or the abilities.
This way, if they give out too much coin...that's on them.
It would be a huge mistake for the designers to drop the heavy cost of this stuff.
If anything, they should keep it, and neuter the DMG treasure tables for CR11+ by about 50%.
I prefer lore wise being two fold, one it was already written encrypted into the book to begin with and 2 fold because of those magical quicks and variations the other wizard looks at it and goes "Oh you put THAT glyph with it to do this, ya that shouldn't work, and if it IS working I do not want to deal with the ramifications of what will happen when it DOES backfire, ya I am not touching that with a five foot pole you do you man, but I don't trust it."
I haven't heard comment on this, but the cost to copy spells into a backup spellbook appears to be 50/level, not the old 10.
Am I missing something?
In the new UA? That appears to be correct, although it does say the cost is halved if you have the spell prepared.
Hard disagree.
The Treasure Tables in the DMG are way too fat.
Yes, this is a money sink, but the game needs money sinks. Yes, a Wizard is penalized more than the rest, but the POWER unleashed by these features, and other existing expensive Wizard features (Simulacrum, Clone, etc.), is crazy.
Then there is the copying / learning spells, crafting backup spellbooks, etc. All existing money sinks, and they are not enough if you follow the DMG recommendations for Treasure. This new money sink is a good thing, not a bad thing.
The fact is, having it cost a lot provides a great way for the DM to manage their power level in game. After all, they decide how usable / abusable they are by how much coin they give out. If you remove that aspect, you neuter the DM. It is very well thought out mechanic.
Wizards are pricey to play, but they can essentially PRINT MONEY with Fabricate (and even more so with the new playtest rules since they can now turn Fabricate into a RITUAL so they can do it SIXTY TIMES A DAY!!!).
Yes, Wizards are the only class "burdened" like this. They are also, by far, the most powerful class that can generate wealth the easiest, and easily and eventually overcome these burdens, as long as the DM doesn't ban the spells.
I think it's well designed and well balanced. If you removed these costs and made the level-driven abilities only, the class would be completely broken. The DM would just end up banning the spells or the abilities.
This way, if they give out too much coin...that's on them.
It would be a huge mistake for the designers to drop the heavy cost of this stuff.
If anything, they should keep it, and neuter the DMG treasure tables for CR11+ by about 50%.