Magic Item of Constant Protection from Evil

[Jeremy]

Ok. So I'm DM'ing and an item of constant protection from evil came up at the DMG price of 4,000 gp.

Now I don't know about your PC's, but most of mine tend to fight evil creatures. Now this is a high level game, where extended protection from evils or circles of evil are very easy to access. But what I'm worried about is what would be a fair price for this?

Consider, the person wearing it is gains a +2 deflection bonus to AC and a +2 resistance bonus to saves*. There's a heck of a bonus right there.

This person is also now virtually immune to compulsions, etc. There are items that do this, but they are MUCH more expensive. And this is all they do.

This person would also be immune to the physical attacks of any and all summoned monsters and summoned creatures**. That's another very heft chunk of another school of magic.

Now summoned creatures and compulsions just happen to be a staple of the forces of the opposition right now. That has nothing to do with why he wanted it, he's got a cool reason for wanting it. But I'd be a liar if I said it wasn't affecting my reticence to allow it. Especially since it's such a throw away spell with all their casters if they just wanted to have it up.

But if there's one thing I'm trying to work on from Monte and PirateCat's DM'ing advice, it's finding ways to say 'Yes' more often. We're all there to have fun. And the game is more fun when the good guys are winning. At least for us...

So what do you think would be an appropriate price for an item like this?

*vs. evil creatures, which is near on everything that would be attacking my PC's.

**physical attacks constituting the largest amount of summoned allies contribution, and excluding good summoned creatures summoned that are again, very unlikely to be seen. Though not as unlikely as getting attacked by good opponents to begin with.

 

[dcollins]

Just don't allow it. You're not required to. http://superdan.net.home.comcast.net/dndfaq3.html

 

[Abisashi]

While it is good to say 'yes' more often, you shouldn't say yes to this item at that price. It's way too good. The item creation rules don't function without a DM to watch over them.

There's also a question of believeability: if you allow this, then ask yourself why they characters haven't found a lot more of them; they certainly seem like something other people would have made at that price.

 

[Orichin]

That is rather cheap, but it still takes up an item slot, which may be a bigger cost than a higher level character may be willing to accept (the cost for a slot-free item shoots through the roof)

 

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

Also ...

Resistance and deflection bonuses?

Those are the two most common (excepting enhancement to armor) "defensive" bonuses that a player can get his or her hands on.

Nearly any spell they cast will overwrite their protections, making them only marginally useful.

Are you saying that your players do not currently have any rings of protection, or cloaks of resistance?

For the record, you priced out an item that grants a +2 Resistance bonus against the spells of Evil creatures and a +2 deflection bonus to AC against Evil opponents at 4,000gp.

A cloak of resistance +2 - which grants its bonus against *all* incoming spells - is 4,000gp, and a ring of protection +2 - again, effective against all opponents - is 8,000gp.

All told, that item, made into a single slot item, would be 14,000gp (8k + (1.5*4k)).

Is the limitation on who it will affect worth a ~75% discount? Probably not.

It should be worth some form of a discount, however, especially given the additional vulnerabilities of a "single-source solution" (like targeted dispelling).

After all, if your player's opponents are at all intelligent, they'll just start summoning slaadi.

 

[Ogrork the Mighty]

You could give them durations rather than continuous effect. Or just don't allow it. Next it will be a Magic Circle Against Evil and then the entire party will huddle around the wearer; say goodbye to any sort of compulsion magics in your campaign...

 

[dcollins]

But if there's one thing I'm trying to work on from Monte and PirateCat's DM'ing advice, it's finding ways to say 'Yes' more often. We're all there to have fun. And the game is more fun when the good guys are winning. At least for us...

I'll also say this. Monte's advice in that regard is specifically in the context of player abilities, presumably hard-earned abilities from level increases that have been anticipated over time. In the past, his take on new magic items out of thin air was markedly different. To wit:

Do not -- I repeat -- do not allow players to look at that table and see what they can make for X amount of gold. (http://www.montecook.com/arch_dmonly3.html#marketvalue)

 

[Darren]

Also, remember that the warding against summoned creatures ends if the creatures are attacked or if the summoned creatures have spell resistance that can overcome the PfE. Otherwise what Patryn said.

 

[The Gryphon]

1) The deflection and resistance bonuses are fairly minor, as the items that would replace or override these bonuses cost a total of 12,000gp (and work against everything, not just evil).

2) Block possession of warded creature. This only stops charm and compulsion effects that grant the caster ongoing mental control over the subject. This IMO would not effect such spells as binding, calm emotions, command, confusion, etc. as they don't allow the caster ongoing mental control over the target like dominate, etc.

3) Preventing bodily contact by summoned creatures. This only works if the character doesn't attack them, and creatures with SR only have to bypass a d20 + 5 SR roll (or +1 in the original example at 4,000gp - which I'd make at least 8,000gp).

Anyway here's my take on the ring.

Protection from Evil: This ring protects the wearer as if they are continually under the effects of a protection from evil spell.
Faint abjuration [good]; CL 5th; Craft Ring, protection from evil; Price 40,000gp.

The price as listed is double what the basic calculation would require, and it could be higher if evil is more prevalent than normal in your campaign.

Also at caster level 5 it will be fairly easy to suppress with dispel magic, which I'm sure the bad guys will do once they run into the character wearing it a few times

 

[nhl_1997]

I think all (except one) of these points have already been expressed, but.....

1) If you're already at a high-level campaign, the bonuses to AC and saves are already likely irrelevent due to other items or spells.

2) Protection (or Magic Circle) vs. X protects against spells or effects that provide the caster "ongoing mental control." In my opinion, this is essentially limited to the various Dominate spells from the PHB. Again, in my opinion, this does not protect against the spell Suggestion since that spell does not provide "ongoing" control. As I intruprut the Protection from X spells, since Suggestion only provides a single course of action which cannot be changed, this does not constitute ongoing control.

3) Summoned creatures must overcome a spell resistance check in order to engage in melee combat. Even if the summoned creature does not have spell resistance (or fails the check), it can still engage in ranged combat.

4) Remember that the tables in the DMG are guidelines only. It's up the the GM to determine if the item can possibly exist and if it can how much it would cost.

5) I've seen a continual protection from evil item (with the hat slot) priced at 8000gp. I'm not saying that's what it should be but rather only that I've seen it.