Benefits & Usage of Boccob's Blessed Book [Archive] - Wizards Community

Benefits & Usage of Boccob's Blessed Book [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Dirty Dan the Laundry Man
06-16-04, 09:22 AM Having never played a Wizard before, I am now embarking on doing so in our next campaign. I hear lots of pros and cons regarding Boccob's Blessed Book. So I have some questions for you experts.

1. From a "gold piece" mathematical standpoint, how much do you really benefit from the BBB's free scribing cost?

2. At what point do your savings in scribed spells (actaul numbers scribed) actually end up paying for the cost of the BBB? I assume this usually happens at higher levels?

2. We are starting our campaign at 9th level (starting GP = 36K) ... is it wise top pick one up at 12.5K at this level or wait later?

3. Are there any drawbacks I should be aware of with the BBB?

..
Thanks for your help!
Krelios
06-16-04, 09:26 AM BBB is great for the reduction in cost (always a benefit) but also in the reduced weight of only having to carry a single spellbook instead of several. For every spell in the PHB it only take 2 BBBs as opposed to more than 6 regular spellbooks.
Kyuketsukiouji
06-16-04, 09:36 AM Drawback: The book is a magical item, and can be dispelled or disjoined.
Beamup
06-16-04, 09:46 AM The Book costs 12,500 gold. Each spell level you scribe into it saves 100 gold. Thus, the break-even point is at 125 spell levels in the book (1/8 of the capacity). Below that, normal spellbooks are cheaper. Above that, you saved money off the Book, to a maximum of 87,500 for an entirely filled BBB. Note that spells gained from levelling up do not count in this calculation because those have no scribing cost.

At level 9, you probably won't have enough spells to make a BBB worthwhile at the moment. However, the earlier you invest in it, the greater the long-term payoff. So if you anticipate the campaign being lengthy and getting up to, say, level 15, go ahead and buy the Book now. If it's going to be short, don't.
Dirty Dan the Laundry Man
06-16-04, 10:06 AM Thanks for all the responses.

I find Kyokets and Beamup's potential drawback issues to be the most glaring.

That being that the book can be disjoined/dispelled .. and the fact that the book is really best optimized by a high-level Wizard.

These are issues I have not seen espoused in the past. Especially since I see a lot of people saying, "Buy it! Buy it!" for any level of play...
tarkin
06-16-04, 10:39 AM Advantage: The book is a magic item that can be dispelled or disjoined.

I.E. If you have traps on your spell book, thieves can't simply take it into an Anti-Magic Field and read it. They have to try and Target Dispell the traps, which risk setting them off.

I do agree that you are pre-paying for your spell scribing ability.

As such do not do it unless you 1) Have a lot of extra cash available right now and don't know what you want to do with it.

2) Are planning to do a LOT of spell scribing

3) Are fairly up there in level.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Dirty Dan the Laundry Man 06-16-04, 09:22 AM	Having never played a Wizard before, I am now embarking on doing so in our next campaign. I hear lots of pros and cons regarding Boccob's Blessed Book. So I have some questions for you experts. 1. From a "gold piece" mathematical standpoint, how much do you really benefit from the BBB's free scribing cost? 2. At what point do your savings in scribed spells (actaul numbers scribed) actually end up paying for the cost of the BBB? I assume this usually happens at higher levels? 2. We are starting our campaign at 9th level (starting GP = 36K) ... is it wise top pick one up at 12.5K at this level or wait later? 3. Are there any drawbacks I should be aware of with the BBB? .. Thanks for your help!
Krelios 06-16-04, 09:26 AM	BBB is great for the reduction in cost (always a benefit) but also in the reduced weight of only having to carry a single spellbook instead of several. For every spell in the PHB it only take 2 BBBs as opposed to more than 6 regular spellbooks.
Kyuketsukiouji 06-16-04, 09:36 AM	Drawback: The book is a magical item, and can be dispelled or disjoined.
Beamup 06-16-04, 09:46 AM	The Book costs 12,500 gold. Each spell level you scribe into it saves 100 gold. Thus, the break-even point is at 125 spell levels in the book (1/8 of the capacity). Below that, normal spellbooks are cheaper. Above that, you saved money off the Book, to a maximum of 87,500 for an entirely filled BBB. Note that spells gained from levelling up do not count in this calculation because those have no scribing cost. At level 9, you probably won't have enough spells to make a BBB worthwhile at the moment. However, the earlier you invest in it, the greater the long-term payoff. So if you anticipate the campaign being lengthy and getting up to, say, level 15, go ahead and buy the Book now. If it's going to be short, don't.
Dirty Dan the Laundry Man 06-16-04, 10:06 AM	Thanks for all the responses. I find Kyokets and Beamup's potential drawback issues to be the most glaring. That being that the book can be disjoined/dispelled .. and the fact that the book is really best optimized by a high-level Wizard. These are issues I have not seen espoused in the past. Especially since I see a lot of people saying, "Buy it! Buy it!" for any level of play...
tarkin 06-16-04, 10:39 AM	Advantage: The book is a magic item that can be dispelled or disjoined. I.E. If you have traps on your spell book, thieves can't simply take it into an Anti-Magic Field and read it. They have to try and Target Dispell the traps, which risk setting them off. I do agree that you are pre-paying for your spell scribing ability. As such do not do it unless you 1) Have a lot of extra cash available right now and don't know what you want to do with it. 2) Are planning to do a LOT of spell scribing 3) Are fairly up there in level.