headband of excellence

[IcyCool]

An item which grants multiple stat bonuses is not similar, because you can benefit from the bonus to Strength while simultaneously benefitting from the bonus to Intelligence.

Would you then agree with my pricing above?

 

[the Jester]

Generally, I've found that the way to determine whether or not two things are similar or separate is, "Can I benefit from both at the same time?"

If the answer is "Yes," then they're separate, and you get no savings.

If the answer is "No," then they're different, and you get savings.

Hmm, that's a good approach.

*Makes notes*

 

[Scion]

So, I think, your pricing would go like so:

+6 Wis (mental improvement, proper slot) = 36,000gp
+6 Str (physical improvement, inappropriate slot (*1.5)) = 54,000gp
+6 Dex (physical improvement, inappropriate slot (*1.5)) = 54,000gp
Multiply highest item cost *2 (54,000gp * 2) = 108,000gp

108,000gp + 54,000gp + 36,000gp

Total item cost= 198,000gp

So you are saying that you would charge more for this item than for 3 items, 2 of which are 'slotless'?

After all, I could make a +6 wis item for 36k
Then make a slotless item for +6 str for 72k
Then make a slotless item for +6 dex for 72k

I'll wind up useing the same amount of slots (1) and pay 18k less in gp price?

I dont agree with your pricing

It comes down to my having no idea why you tossed in the extra 'multiply the highest cost item by 2' thing in there.

 

[IcyCool]

It comes down to my having no idea why you tossed in the extra 'multiply the highest cost item by 2' thing in there.

"Multiple Different Abilities" - Multiply the most expensive item cost by 2.

To tell the truth, I'm not entirely certain that you multiply by 1.5 and 2. I think it should actually be 36,000gp + (0.5 * 36,000gp (add 50% for inappropriate slot)) + 36,000gp (double the cost), which would account for your missing 18K (I was doubling the 50%).

That would then make this:
36,000gp + 90,000gp + 54,000gp = 180,000gp

 

[Scion]

"Multiple Different Abilities" - Multiply the most expensive item cost by 2.

Ahh.. I believe you are working without the benefit of the dmg errata.

I am working out of the SRD, so I cant find what you mean.

Multiple Different Abilities: Abilities such as an attack roll bonus or saving throw bonus and a spell-like function are not similar, and their values are simply added together to determine the cost. For items that do take up a space on a character’s body each additional power not only has no discount but instead has a 50% increase in price.

So we have 3 abilities, each at 36k. The first is left alone, the second two are at 1.5x their normal price.


A single item tends to be more vulnerable than multiple items, hence there is a discount if it takes up a slot

 

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

Would you then agree with my pricing above?

I think you added that while I was responding! Sorry, I didn't mean to ignore it.

+6 Wis (mental improvement, proper slot) = 36,000gp
+6 Str (physical improvement, inappropriate slot (*1.5)) = 54,000gp
+6 Dex (physical improvement, inappropriate slot (*1.5)) = 54,000gp
Multiply highest item cost *2 (54,000gp * 2) = 108,000gp

108,000gp + 54,000gp + 36,000gp

Total item cost= 198,000gp

I think you're operating off of an old set of rules. The rules I see state that you take the highest-priced ability at normal cost, and add all the remaining ones at x1.5.

I've also found that it's easiest, when making items with multiple abilities, to stat them out as if they were separate items, first, and then combine them into a single item (which is largely what you've done above).

So, we start with three items:

• Headband of Wisdom +6
• Headband of Strength +6
• Headband of Dexterity +6

The base cost for an Enhancement bonus to an ability is Bonus^2 * 1,000gp. Therefore, a +6 ability bonus is 36,000gp, as you have above.

Wondrous Items also have item slot affinities. For an item that doesn't match the affinity for a particular slot, you increase the price by 50%. Headbands have an affinity for "Mental improvement, ranged attacks." Thus, Headbands of Strength and Headbands of Dexterity have poor affinity, and will have their costs increased by 50%. The Headband of Wisdom has good affinity, and so its price is unmodified.

This leads us to:

• Headband of Wisdom +6: 6^2 * 1,000 = 36,000gp
• Headband of Strength +6: 6^2 * 1,000 * 1.5 = 54,000gp
• Headband of Dexterity +6: 6^2 * 1,000 * 1.5 = 54,000gp

Now, instead of three items, we want to take all of these bonuses and cram them into one slotted item.

We therefore take the most expensive item - Dex or Str - and price it as-is. The remaining abilities cost 50% more than normal.

This leads us to:

• Headband of Dexterity +6: 6^2 * 1,000 * 1.5 = 54,000gp
• ... and Strength +6: 6^2 * 1,000 * 1.5 * 1.5 = 81,000gp
• ... and Wisdom +6: 6^2 * 1,000 * 1.5 = 54,000gp

This gives us a total item price of 189,000gp.

Now, here's an interesting point. You'll notice that the center term is multiplied by 2.25 (1.5 * 1.5). That's because it's an additional power in a poor-affinity slot.

Basically, this means that it's more expensive to add this power than it is to make a slotless item with the same power (like, say, a Pearl of Strength), which only carries a x2 multiplier and which has no affinity problems.

In other words, sometimes pilling all your bonuses into one item is not the most efficient way to do things, especially when the magic is resisting it.

To truly optimize this result, you should drop one of the physical abilities and make it into a Pearl (or similar item) or, more efficiently, put the Strength and Dexterity bonuses into a belt and leave the Wisdom bonus on the headband. That would only cost a total of 126,000gp (and two slots).

EDIT:

Gloves don't have Str affinity, and gauntlets don't have Dex affinity. Ergo, I changed "gloves" to "belt" (affinity: physical improvement).

 

[laughingbuhda]

thank you all for the lesson on making magic items. Couple questions though, and pardon the ignorance please, been in 2nd edition for to long.

1) where did you find the list of affinities. (head is mental and ranged)

2) if I want to add +6 to an already created +6 item, how does that work. (say dex to a str belt or int headband)

3) Is there a way to protect items from being sundered. (Say wearing a normal helm over my headband - would the headband still give it's effects? or normal gauntlets over my gloves?)

 

[dedicated]

Abilities don't count as similar if they can be used at the same time

 

[IcyCool]

thank you all for the lesson on making magic items. Couple questions though, and pardon the ignorance please, been in 2nd edition for to long.

1) where did you find the list of affinities. (head is mental and ranged)

I found it in the DMG.

2) if I want to add +6 to an already created +6 item, how does that work. (say dex to a str belt or int headband)

Price out what the +6/+6 item would cost, and subtract the cost of the already created +6 item from it. The result is what it costs to upgrade the item.

 

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

thank you all for the lesson on making magic items. Couple questions though, and pardon the ignorance please, been in 2nd edition for to long.

No problem! We're pretty much always glad to help, and admitting ignorance is the first step on the path to wisdom (which is why I'm not particularly wise!).

1) where did you find the list of affinities. (head is mental and ranged)

You can find the affinities in the section of the DMG that discusses magic items. You can also find them in the SRD, at the very end of this section:

http://www.wizards.com/d20/files/v35/MagicItemsI.rtf

The SRD (System Reference Document) is a stripped-down version of the 3.5 D&D rules.

2) if I want to add +6 to an already created +6 item, how does that work. (say dex to a str belt or int headband)

Do as I did above, and then add a step.

First, figure out the price of each item separately.

Second, smash them together and figure out the cost of the combined item.

Finally, subtract the cost of the item you started with from the new item. You are responsible for that much magical work.

Here's an example:

Let's say I've got a pair of Gauntlets of Strength +6, and I want to make them into Gauntlets of Strength and Dexterity +6.

First, figure out the price of Gauntlets of Strength +6 and Gauntlets of Dexterity +6. Gauntlets have an affinity for "Destructive power," which really doesn't fit Dexterity improvement. (You'll notice that the base Dex-improving items are Gloves, not Gauntlets, which have an affinity for "Quickness.") Therefore, the Dex ability will have its price increased by 50%.

So, we've got:

• Gauntlets of Strength +6 = 6^2 * 1,000gp = 36,000gp
• Gauntlets of Dexterity +6 = 6^2 * 1,000gp * 1.5 = 54,000gp

OK. Now, we want to take those two separate items and smash them together into one item. The most expensive ability is the Dex improvement, so its cost stays the same. All other abilities have their cost increased by 50%.

• Gauntlets of Dexterity +6 = 6^2 * 1,000gp * 1.5 = 54,000gp
• ... and Strength +6 = 6^2 * 1,000gp * 1.5 = 54,000gp

This gives us a total cost of 108,000gp to create Gauntlets of Strength and Dexterity +6.

Since we're upgrading an already existing item, we get "credit" for it. The Gauntlets of Strength +6 are worth 36,000gp on their own.

The difference between what we want and what we're starting with, then, is 108,000gp - 36,000gp = 72,000gp.

That means we need to come up with 1 / 2 of that amount in raw materials, spend 1 / 25th of that amount in XP, and spend 1 day for each 1,000gp upgrading our Gauntlets.

So, we spend 36,000gp, 2,880 XP, and 72 days of work, and at the end of it our Gauntlets of Strength +6 have become Gauntlets of Strength and Dexterity +6.

3) Is there a way to protect items from being sundered. (Say wearing a normal helm over my headband - would the headband still give it's effects? or normal gauntlets over my gloves?)

Putting a normal helm over your headband should protect it (since you can't sunder armor). The ability to do this, and similar things, will be largely up to your DM, however.