D&D 3E/3.5 [3.5] Help needed with magical items pricing

[bigbaddragon]

Hi,

I haven't played 3.5 in quite a while and got a little rusty with rules interpretation. The problem I'm having is this:

How would you price a magic item that gives +2 natural armor bonus, +2 wisdom bonus and +2 resistance bonus to saves?

As far as I remember the rules you add the first enchantment at normal price and then every following enchantment that is added to the same item costs 150% of it's original price. So it would turn out to be something like:

+2 natural armor 8k
+2 saves 4k x 1.5=6k
+2 wisdom 4k x 1.5=6k
----------------------------
20k

But then there are rules in Magic Item Compendium on page 234 about adding and improving common item effects that confuse me a bit, mostly because it sounds too cheap.

So, what do you make out of all of this?

 

[Greenfield]

The MIC rules are quite different from the ones in the DMG. And they're frequently inconsistent with their own examples.

For example, the rules for making a Runestaff say up to five spells, with a minimum spell level of three.

Except that there are specific Runestaff examples with more than five spells in them and/or with first level spells in them.

Trying to reconcile the two rule sets really isn't possible. If you're the DM, pick a set and stick with it.

If you're the player, talk to the DM and work something out.

 

[Sekhmet]

Honestly, I'd probably use the "1.5x" formula all the way down. 1.5(8k+4k+4k) = 24k. I think that having two necklace affinity items and a cloak affinity item tied into one necklace slot is worth a small bump in price, but not so critical that it merits being dramatically different.

 

[bigbaddragon]

Thank you for your replies. The thing is that there is a guy in a game I'm in that has an item with bonuses I mentioned above and the item costs 16k (or in other word just a sum of those enchantment costs, no penalties whatsoever for stacking them to the same item). If the DM rolls with it I'm fine, that just means I would have the chance to rework my own items and get an additional plus here and there. The problem is that it seems a bit overpowered, stacking all kids of bonuses on a single item without any penalty to the price of the item.

And speaking of MIC inconsistencies, I totally agree on that point, there surely are a god number of them there.

 

[Sekhmet]

Considering the bonuses don't stack, it really doesn't matter -too- much. It just opens up some flavorful/situational items so you don't have to switch them out. All those Wondrous items that have interesting effects could be used without worrying that you'll need that +2 to a Saving Throw in the next turn or two.

 

[MrFaust]

I asked Monte Cook a question that is very much like your own. I had asked about the pricing of magical items such as a wand of infinite magic missles. Now you would think; wow, a wand that can cast a long range spell that always hits (even if it is level 1 with a d4+1) forever. That must cost a great deal while in truth it is quite cheep. I also explained about how we tried using the formula to recreate a number of items found in the DMG and couldnt.

His answer was Ad-Hoc. An I have been doing so ever since. If an item seems to cheap then throw a couple more grand into the cost. The formula's are a guideline to aid you in making items, not the law. You are the law as a DM. If you think that wand of infinite magic missles is too cheap at 800gp then add a couple more hundred gp. Simple as that.