D&D 3E/3.5 D&D 3.5 - Crafting question (magic items)

[Mae'var]

I have a question regarding crafting unlimited use and constant effect items in 3.5. I'm in a campaign with some players commissioning the crafting of custom items, and some of these items raise questions of balance. I wanted to use these 2 particular examples to see if it was being done correctly because I don't have enough knowledge of crafting in 3.5:

1) * of Snake's Swiftness: The proposed item casts Snake's Swiftness (SpC 193) unlimited times per day (unlimited charges) for an extra attack every round. I haven't asked the player for the calculation yet, but the precedent he's been using has been Spell Level (2) x Caster Level (3) x 2,000gp = only 12,000gp for an extra attack every round, all day. Can this be right?

2) Boots of Haste (constant effect) using the same cost calculation of Spell Level (3) x Caster Level (5) x 2,000gp for a total cost of 30,000gp. Does this seem consistent and/or balanced compared with official items like Boots of Speed? We're using the character wealth per level chart, and the marginal cost between the items seems minimal given the marginal benefit.

Please let me know if I'm wrongly concerned.

 

[Jackinthegreen]

The guidelines given in the DMG are just that: Guidelines. Spells are not balanced around the possibility of being a permanent effect on an item, thus spell level really shouldn't be a factor.

For example, a wondrous item of continuous True Strike would be about 8,000g by those calculations, which is obviously WAY too low for a continuous +20 to attacks and the ability to ignore concealment.

Note that your item of Snake's Swiftness would be Sell Level (1 for druids) x caster level (again, 1) x 2,000, x 4 for having a duration of rounds, effectively. It's x 4 because that's what the guidelines say to multiply the cost by if you want the spell effect to be at-will or continuous. That's 8,000g, which is an absolute steal compared to the Speed enhancement on a weapon which costs at least 30,000 (the difference between a +1 and a +4 weapon, since it's a +3 enchantment.)

Don't use those guidelines if the effect clearly shouldn't be worth that much.

 

[Mae'var]

Thanks very much! That's exactly what I remembered from rules in previous campaigns. I'll pass that on.

 

[James the Newbie]

Well it sounds a bit like the speed enchantment, but if it works for anything there are a couple of ways to look at it, if you like what is put above.

a) The character could just buy a weapon crystal to do the job

b) Think about how useful it is, and price it as if they had put the speed enchantment on all their weapons.

I dont know of many PC's that use more than a bow and a sword, ocasionally a 3rd and or their fists, so might want to multiply the speed enchantment by 3 or 4.

 

[delericho]

As Jack said, the magic item creation guidelines are just that.

There are quite a lot of areas of the 3e rules that pretend to a level of mathematical rigour that they really don't possess - magic item creation being one, as are the CR/EL calculations, multiclassing, high-level play, monsters as PCs...

The net effect is that you have to be careful in using the tools that you don't use them 'blind' - always look at the results, compare them with comparable effects, and adjust accordingly.

 

[Valicore]

As far as the snakes Swiftness is concerned its not a valid spell for a continual effect. It allows one extra attack when you cast it with a duration of instantaneous. Its like Magic Missile.

And Haste the formula should be caster lvl x 5 spell lvl 3 x 2000 x 4 cause its a duration of rounds. So a continual Haste item should be 120,000gp. Me and some friends made a Superhero Death Match fight making 20th lvl characters. One guy wanted to make a monk based on the Flash so we had this item. Used a body slot for his "costume" with this effect. Your player wanting it for 30,000gp is not reading all the rules about item creation, or like one player I had ignoring them hoping it won't get checked.

 

[Lyrad8791]

Can someone tell me where I can find this x4 rule? I made a chart in an excel doc so all I have to do is insert the information and I get what it costs in time xp and gold with my modifiers, but I have not come across this rule and would like to add it in its entirety to my chart. I play an artificer in a campaign I play so that information would truly help.

As for the OPs question, I would have to say that the x4 rule applied to the item creation rules make that sound about right. At the same time, I also think that as a possible homebrew rule for that should be that the item enchanted is the only one that would be affected in a sense. I mean, haste on your boots would give you the extra speed but shouldn't increase your attacks and so on, its just a bit too powerful that way.

On a side note, in the 3.5 DMG the rules for continuous or use-activated is the recipe above.

 

[Valicore]

The Rules for Magic item creation in the Dungeon Master Guide, page 286. Under the chart under #2 .

 

[Lyrad8791]

Ah I see it in the fine print for the Continuous section of the chart. Thanks for that information, since I never noticed that bit before.