Book of Harms boon and spell slot adjustment


Rules Questions


So I am in a game where I am playing a wizard who has the book of harms, a spell book with a useful ability:

Quote:
Harmful Surge (Su) You can maximize a spell, but doing so damages you. Spend this boon effect as a free action when you cast a wizard evocation spell. When you do, you can treat that spell as if it were cast with the Maximize Spell metamagic feat, but you take 1d4 points of damage × the level of the spell that you are maximizing. The damage you take cannot be reduced in any way.

I have been using it such that once a day I get a Maximize Spell effect on an evocation spell and take some damage WITHOUT adjusting what spell slot that spell takes up.

My DM has contacted me and says that is not how he thinks it works, that is should take up a higher spell slot.

So my question: How does it work?


you'r right you'r DM is wrong
this item work like metamagic rods


Awesome, I found out more about why my DM thought the way he did:

He thinks it allows wizards to apply Metamagic to spells like a sorcerer, but instead of increasing the cast time it causes damage.


Seems my search of the forums didn't work so well.

Here is a rules thread that came to a different conclusion

So which one is right?


Shadowkire wrote:

Seems my search of the forums didn't work so well.

Here is a rules thread that came to a different conclusion

Quote:
http://paizo.com/threads/rzs2plbj?Harmful-Surge#1

You can't spend the boon to treat the spell as Maximized until you cast it. Therefore what your DM and the 1 response in that thread suggest is not only wrong but impossible.


I wouldn't trust that other thread. It only got once response and that was it.

To me this item sounds like it effectively works like a metamagic rod of maximize spell with exceptions:
It only works once per day
It works with any level of spell
It causes damage that cannot be reduced in anyway

It costs a lot less than a metamagic rod, but also has the drawback of causing damage and only working once per day.


I agree, but my DM pointed out that metamagic rods explicitly state that they(the rods) do not change the spell slot of the spell they are used to enhance.

He is using that to show that any similar effect that doesn't have that language must then change the spell slot.


Ask him to explain how a wizard can use it given they have to prepare spells in specific slots. I suspect the logic will become clear to him once he thinks about that.


Well thanks everyone who responded. My DM saw the light and now accepts that my way is the correct way.

Unfortunately he deems it too "OP"(900gp for the effect of a 120Kgp rod) and says I can only use it like a sorcerer using a metamagic feat, despite how stupid and impossible that is given the rules.

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