good rules for Boccob's Book?

[Dark Dragon]

I'm searching for an errata or a good house rule for Boccob's Blessed Book. A player in my group would like to have it for his mage and it is just a matter of time when he gets / makes one (when the DMs change at last). I don't want use rule 0 too often (as I did earlier, interpreting some skills and spells in a different way than some players in the group), but I told him, unless there's no better version of the book, he won't be able to get it.
Any ideas?

 

[Alejandro]

What's wrong with the current rules for the Blessed Book, in your opinion?

 

[mikebr99]

Blessed Book
This well-made tome is always of small size, typically no more than 12 inches tall, 8 inches wide, and 1 inch thick. All such
books are durable, waterproof, bound with iron overlaid with silver, and locked.
The pages of a Blessed Book freely accept spells scribed upon them, and any such book can contain up to forty-five spells of
any level. The book is thus highly prized by wizards as a spellbook. This book is never found as randomly generated treasure
with spells already inscribed in it.
Caster Level: 7th; Prerequisites: Craft Wondrous Item, secret page; Market Price: 9,500 gp; Weight: 1 lb.

Sounds like a great item to me... but it's not going to help the casters in combat. What issues do you have problems with?

 

[Dark Dragon]

It is simply too cheap for what it offers. The book has a GP value of 9.500 (the raw materials to create it would cost 4.750 GP). The wizard can write freely 45 levels of different spells into it (copying them from other books,...). I'm not 100 % sure about the costs to write 45 spell levels in normal books, but I know that they are much higher than the raw costs of Boccob's Book.

The second problem is, what means "freely" in the description?
a) Writing a spell without any costs in the book AND / OR
b) Writing a spell without making a check to understand it (before copying), perhaps meaning that the wizard understands the spell he wants to copy automatically.

Ah, thanx mikebr99 for the post!

 

[smetzger]

The second problem is, what means "freely" in the description?
a) Writing a spell without any costs in the book AND / OR
b) Writing a spell without making a check to understand it (before copying), perhaps meaning that the wizard understands the spell he wants to copy automatically.

A.

I also, see no problem with the book. You probably don't like Pearls of Power either.

 

[kreynolds]

The second problem is, what means "freely" in the description?

a) Writing a spell without any costs in the book

Yup.

b) Writing a spell without making a check to understand it (before copying), perhaps meaning that the wizard understands the spell he wants to copy automatically.

No. I don't think this was the original intent of the item.

Also, if I'm not mistaken, scribing a spell into a spellbook is 100gp per page, so a 9th level spell will cost 1800gp to write it into your spellbook.

Also, mike, keep in mind that a standard spellbook only holds 50 spell levels, so it's not like BBB holds too many. It just removes the cost of writing the spells into it.

 

[mikebr99]

I am thinking that this item is small, durable, waterproof, lockable, and has the space to hold 45 (any level) spells.

It still costs you time and money (and skill checks if necessary) to put 45 spells in the book.

 

[mikebr99]

Also, mike, keep in mind that a standard spellbook only holds 50 spell levels, so it's not like BBB holds too many. It just removes the cost of writing the spells into it.

Just to clarify the the blessed book can hold 45 spells of any level... so in theory 45 - 9th level spells = 405 spell levels.

 

[Tiberius]

Yup.



No. I don't think this was the original intent of the item.

Also, if I'm not mistaken, scribing a spell into a spellbook is 100gp per page, so a 9th level spell will cost 1800gp to write it into your spellbook.

Also, mike, keep in mind that a standard spellbook only holds 50 spell levels, so it's not like BBB holds too many. It just removes the cost of writing the spells into it.

I thought it was 200 gp/page. Hmmm... <checks SRD> I can't find it mentioned. According to the SRD, however, a standard spellbook contains 100 pages. <snaps fingers> Of course! It's 200 gp/spell level (or 100/page), with cantrips being 100 gp. I knew 200 gp factored in somewhere. Duh.

Anyway, a standard spellbook holds 100 cantrips, 50 1st level spells, 25 2nd, 16 3rd, 12 4th, 10 5th, 8 6th, 7 7th, 6 8th, 5 9th, or some combination of the above. B^3 holds 45 spells of any level, which is far superior to the standard book, unless you plan to use it to hold 1st level spells or cantrips. In short, this item rules, and any wizard who has the opportunity to get one but doesn't (and doesn't have a compelling reason for so doing) needs to get his/her head examined.

-Tiberius

 

[Dark Dragon]

I am thinking that this item is small, durable, waterproof, lockable, and has the space to hold 45 (any level) spells.

It still costs you time and money (and skill checks if necessary) to put 45 spells in the book.

Sure? "Freely" may indicate that you don't need money (or expensive ink) to write a spell into the book. Otherwise it would be too expensive for a book with just a high durability.

kreynolds, possibility B seems to be unlikely, right, but it is not clear and some players may insist on their own interpretation. I know that DM's word is law in the last instance but ruleslawyers won't be satisfied with that (I prefer to play not strictly following the rules, but others do, so a handy rule would help).