Boccob's Blessed Book [3.5]

[SilverLeaf167]

Unless I've misunderstood something, the ability of this magic item from the DMG (page 249) contradicts the note on Writing a New Spell into a Spellbook (PHB, page 179). The magic item mentions a 25gp/page fee for adding spells into the book, while the rules in the PHB say it costs 100gp/page to scribe a new spell. Is this just a typo (if so, in which book?) or is the item referring to some other rule?

[myancey]

From what I've read, there is no 25gp thing anywhere. Its normally just 100gp period. This book brings cost down to zero.

[SilverLeaf167]

If you look closely at the book description, it says that you can "fill it with spells without paying the 25 gp per page material cost." I know that it technically ignores that, so it doesn't really matter, but the contradiction made me wonder whether this statement actually refers to the same procedure explained in the PHB, or perhaps something else.

[HalfDragonCube]

It is free to scribe spells into a blessed book. My Wizard/Archvist character is probably going to buy one in the near future.

http://www.d20srd.org/srd/magicItems/wondrousItems.htm#blessedBook

[myancey]

I see. I was looking on hypertext and it doesn't always give the entire description. That's weird though (the 25gp thing), because I've always seen it as 100gp per page.

[Daftendirekt]

Is it just me, or is paying 12,500 gp for a book that you don't need to pay the scribing cost for a little counterproductive?

[The-Mage-King]

Is it just me, or is paying 12,500 gp for a book that you don't need to pay the scribing cost for a little counterproductive?

Actually, a geometer with this pays 12 gp 5 sp for each spell he scribes into it.

A normal wizard pays that for each page of a spell.


And they can scribe 1000 pages.


I think it's worth it.

[Daftendirekt]

K, find me a campaign long enough to use 1,000 different spells effectively in.

[Bakkan]

Is it just me, or is paying 12,500 gp for a book that you don't need to pay the scribing cost for a little counterproductive?

In order for the BBB to pay for iteself vs. normal spellbooks, you have to fill it to 1/8 capacity, i.e. 125 spell levels. By the time the BBB is affordable, this is not very much for a wizard who likes to have a spell for every occasion.

[CigarPete]

K, find me a campaign long enough to use 1,000 different spells effectively in.

Spells take a page per level, so a bit less than 1000 spells. Maybe 2-300 for most wizards. Scribing just 12 spells at each level will fill it more than halfway.

[GoodbyeSoberDay]

It's also convenient to put all your traps and defensive attention on one spellbook instead of many, although having a backup is a good idea. The trick I usually see is in a game starting at high level, the wizard will pretend he only started scribing spells after he bought the book. He eliminates the WBL hit with the BBB, and the downtime with backstory. Of course, if there's a high level game, I'd rather play a sorcerer anyway. Less bookkeeping, and not as mind-numbingly easy to conquer every situation.

Also, to the OP, the SRD says 100 gp, which could be considered an "errata" for the DMG.

[Tyger]

Its long been held that that is a simple typo. The SRD contains all the errata and other fixes that WotC produced, and it shows the costs as 100GP in both areas.

Short answer, the book just makes it so you pay nothing for scribing the spells - other than the cost of the book of course. And for any wizard who is obsessive about gathering spells into their repertoire, its a huge cost saver. Couple that with the fact that it has as many pages as 10 ordinary spell books and is waterproof, and you've got a sweet deal.

[gomipile]

In order for the BBB to pay for iteself vs. normal spellbooks, you have to fill it to 1/8 capacity, i.e. 125 spell levels. By the time the BBB is affordable, this is not very much for a wizard who likes to have a spell for every occasion.

Indeed, it becomes cost effective very quickly. Is there a divine version for Archivists?

[HalfDragonCube]

Right, the book has 1,000 pages and costs 12,500gp.

To get that capacity from normal spellbooks you need 10 of them, which comes to a total of 150gp.

The cost to scribe spells is 100gp per page. If you were to fill the book completely with spells then it would be free. If you were to fill normal spellbooks with that many spells it would cost 1,000 x 100 = 100,000gp.

So:

Cost of 1,000 pages of spells in a normal set of spellbooks: 100,150gp.
Cost of 1,000 pages of spells in Boccob's Blessed Book: 12,500gp.

Net saving: 100,150 - 12,500 = 87,650gp

You could get all sorts of stuff for that, such as a pearl of power for a ninth-level spell.

Edit: If you include the cost of it being waterproof then the saving is even higher. 1,000gp per spellbook x 10 spellbooks = an extra 10,000gp saving!

[SilverLeaf167]

Okay, it's written correctly in the SRD version so I guess it's just a typo in my DMG. Thank you, that's also exactly what I'm going to use it for. :smallcool:

[HalfDragonCube]

Okay, it's written correctly in the SRD version so I guess it's just a typo in my DMG. Thank you, that's also exactly what I'm going to use it for. :smallcool:

If you use it for any other purpose (such as a weapon) your DM may hit you.

Especially if you get it enhanced with qualities such as flaming burst.

[Curmudgeon]

Indeed, it becomes cost effective very quickly. Is there a divine version for Archivists?
You use the same item. Just because a Wizard can use a Boccob's Blessed Bood for their spells, doesn't mean an Archivist (who collects new spells much as a Wizard does) can't.

[HalfDragonCube]

You use the same item. Just because a Wizard can use a Boccob's Blessed Bood for their spells, doesn't mean an Archivist (who collects new spells much as a Wizard does) can't.

It doesn't say that commoners don't get to shoot planet-cracking lazorbeams from their eyes, either.

I can't remember who I quoted that from.

Still, since the description for Archivist states that they learn and scribe spells like a wizard, so it might stretch to Boccob's Blessed Book if you speak nicely to your DM.

[Greenish]

For all added alliterative appeal that Boccob's Blessed Book has, I prefer Aureon's Spellshard. :smallcool: