Point of reference: I am a player in the game in question.
Weirdo wrote:
The only person misreading it is the player who wants this disappointing ability to be better.
If the player is not willing to accept a GM ruling on this one, they're being a bad player.
It isn't being helped by a second group he plays with choosing to interpret the rules that way (no shock, they are a power gaming group) and who keep reinforcing his viewpoint rather than accepting logic. He's choosing to listen to the other DM, rather than simply ignoring this one.