Pathfinder 1E Need help pricing a magic item

blargney the second

blargney the minute's son

• Feb 12, 2019

• #1

The rogue in my game swiped a weapon from a Leng ghoul in Carcosa, and it will soon become important to have an appropriate price for it. Here are the stats:

Exotic light ranged weapon: 4d6 fire damage, 20/x2, range increment 10'. Targets touch AC, has 5 uses/day.

I'm having a heck of a time pricing it out!
-blarg

 

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Celebrim

Legend

• Feb 12, 2019

• #2

It's a 'Scorching Ray' cast at 7th level of ability, 5 times per day, with a say 20% reduction in cost due to the severe range increment constraint and another 20% reduction in cost for requiring an exotic weapon proficiency.

I'd price that at like ~8,400 gp. Compare with a 'Wand of Scorching Ray', 50 charges, with no range increment for 10500 g.p., but requiring having scorching ray on your spell list or else utilize 'use magic device'.

If you are more worried about put spell like effects in the hands of non-casters, you could up the price to like ~15,000. However, to be frank, 4d6 fire damage with weapon like constraints even with the touch attack is not going to be game breaking, and in a situation where magic items are fungible there are a lot of things you'd probably rather have for the price. Alternately, you could reduce the cost a few 1000 g.p. to make it less worthwhile to try to get rid of the item, since it is colorful and interesting and you don't want it viewed as simply something to turn into a pile of gold.

 

blargney the second

blargney the minute's son

• Feb 12, 2019

• #3

Thanks for the reply, Celebrim, it's really helpful!

Does the fact that the damage is an (Ex) ability and ignores SR change anything? The magic part of this revolver is that it creates 5 mundane bullets each day. Also yep, I'm deliberately not using core PF gun rules for this item.

 

Celebrim

Legend

• Feb 12, 2019

• #4

blargney the second said:

Does the fact that the damage is an (Ex) ability and ignores SR change anything? The magic part of this revolver is that it creates 5 mundane bullets each day. Also yep, I'm deliberately not using core PF gun rules for this item.

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You could argue that bypassing SR and anti-magic fields was important and with some items I'd accept that argument (especially a save or suck item), but to me considering we are talking 4d6 fire damage it's just not a big deal. Anti-magic fields are a rare thing in most campaigns, and fire resistance is not. Mostly, this just isn't a god tier weapon that has all the features a PC would want, so if it is pretty good in some circumstances that a wand wouldn't be... I'm mostly OK with that. If anything, wearing my DM hat, the risk on this item is that its clunky enough to use that the PC's will just go, "Meh." At least in my mindset, if I've got this weapon created by Ghouls on Carcosa, when the players get their hands on it, I want it to become part of the character of the party.

 

billd91

Not your screen monkey (he/him)

• Feb 12, 2019

• #5

blargney the second said:

Thanks for the reply, Celebrim, it's really helpful!

Does the fact that the damage is an (Ex) ability and ignores SR change anything? The magic part of this revolver is that it creates 5 mundane bullets each day. Also yep, I'm deliberately not using core PF gun rules for this item.

Click to expand...

Ignoring SR and being Ex are probably not that big on the whole deal thing - maybe enough to compensate for the shorter range or needing a proficiency to fire without a penalty.

Basically, using the Estimating Magic Item Gold Piece Values table, it's a use-activated or continuous spell effect item with 5 charges/day. That gives us spell level x caster level x 2000 gp. Spell level 2, 3rd level caster = 12,000 gp and the 5/day offers no reduction. If you took off about 20% for the proficiency, you're still looking at 9,600 gp. That seems a reasonable amount to me.

 

blargney the second

blargney the minute's son

• Feb 12, 2019

• #6

Celebrim, I think your principal of pricing it low to encourage keeping it is a good one. The player is unlikely to abuse this with Vital Strike shenanigans, and it's got a nifty story that I want to stick around. I'll go with 6000gp and see what happens.

 

blargney the second

blargney the minute's son

• Feb 13, 2019

• #7

I went with 6k, and she said she'll keep it. Result!

 

blargney the second

blargney the minute's son

• Feb 16, 2019

• #8

I've also decided that it's called a Colt 46.