Proposal: Special Magic Item

perrinmiller · Jul 7, 2012

One of the rewards I had originally planned for the fight in Father Kedric's office has a special magic item reward.

Essentially I want to have an Elixir similar to Silversheen that puts a magical property (worth +1 Enchantment as per table 15-9 on pg 469 of CRB) on a weapon or ammunition. Such properties include Bane, Frost, Ghost Touch, etc... I expect the cost would be different, I was thinking somewhere between 300-750gp.

Core Rulebook said:
Silversheen
Aura faint transmutation; CL 5th
Slot —; Price 250 gp; Weight —
Description
This shimmering paste-like substance can be applied to a weapon as a standard action. It gives the weapon the properties of alchemical silver for 1 hour, replacing the properties of any other special material it might have. One vial coats a single melee weapon or 20 units of ammunition.
Construction
Requirements Craft Wondrous Item; Cost 125 gp

Maybe there is already a mechanic published for it, but I did not find it.

mfloyd3 · Jul 7, 2012

I note your careful use of the word "originally." Given the way that fight is headed now, a reward is the least of our problems.

"Hey, Father Kedric, neat elixir! May I take some?"

"Maybe you should have asked him back when his head was attached to his body."

Qik · Jul 7, 2012

Uh oh...looks like I'll have to check in on that thread.

As to the item itself, I was hoping to see others' comments before I weighed in. My initial thought is that it might be better to have its cost scale with the ability it gives - adding a +1 enhancement for one hour doesn't seem like as much of a deal as adding "keen" or "shocking" to a +2 scimitar, for example. But that's very much an off-the-cuff thought.

Satin Knights · Jul 8, 2012

I am going to vote a mild no.
a) Oils are designed to be straight "Spell in a Can" of exact spells. Many of the weapon properties are "altered essence" of the spells used to craft.

b) You already have some available as standard magic items.
i) Oil of Magic Weapon ~ 50 gp, 1 minute
ii) Oil of Greater Magic Weapon ~ 750 gp, +2 enhancement, 5 hours
iii) Oil of Keen Edge ~ 750 gp, 50 minutes
iv) Oil of Flame Arrow ~ 750 gp, 50 minutes, 50 pieces of ammo
So, you are getting highly variable results from what is already available, making pricing difficult.

c) I personally hate "one shot items" as treasure. You are looking at "burn the cost of an entire CLW wand for one fight, maybe two." People will sell it off and take the wand. Then we have a specialty item sitting in the Pearl that requires explanation after the original game is quite done.

d) If you were doing a specific enhancement, maybe. But, you are asking for a variable enchantment, which meant more than one spell had to be put into that "Spell in a Can".

e) Adding weapon enchantments get more expensive depending on what the original weapon already had. Cold Iron also costs significantly more to add enchantments to. This idea is an exploitable loophole.

Get it back to a specific single "Spell in a Can", and maybe you can sway it back to a yes.

perrinmiller · Jul 8, 2012

I suppose I did not need to be so general to eliminate spoilers. Originally, this encounter was to be a precursor to a quest where the specific magic item would be worth keeping to succeed.

It was Oil of Bane to Outsiders, and I had the cost at 750gp in my own 3.5ed game where resale was not 100%.

"Originally" was not a reference to the encounter turning into a TPK.

mfloyd3 · Jul 10, 2012

The closest spell that is an analog to what you are describing is probably the Paladin spell Bless Weapon. It's not quite what you want, but perhaps can serve as a reference to design the item, allaying some of SK's fears.

perrinmiller · Jul 10, 2012

If the Oil of Keen Edge (worth a +1 Enchantment on table 15-9) then Oil of Bane: Outsiders (also worth +1 Enchantment on table 15-9) would be the same cost and duration I think.

Considering that most people are not planning to fight outsiders, maybe no one would buy them and the three players that received them might rather have the cash instead.

Personally, I don't care either way, it is a reward for a one-shot and those evil winged women are not in my future DMing plans anymore. If they were, then people would be wishing they had those Oils.

Since we are in the last round, if no Judges are voting in favor during the next 48-72 hours, the proposal will probably be OBE.

IronWolf · Jul 11, 2012

I think I am with SK on this one and go with a mild no. I could be swayed, but think this might open the door to other oddities. Mild no though, so I would entertain arguments as to why that may not be the case, though it sounds like this may be a non-issue now.

GlassEye · Jul 11, 2012

I also lean towards No. I think DMs should have some leeway when it comes to including special items in their adventure but I don't necessarily want to see those items make it into general circulation.

perrinmiller · Jul 12, 2012

Thanks, I will drop the proposal since the point of the Bane of Outsiders Oil is moot without a continuing adventure. If I were running that, I feel confident to mirror the Oil of Keen Edge and leave at that in the adventure only, planning the PCs would use it. Otherwise, it will be sold off and never appear in the Mystic Pearl.