Magic Item power costs don't compute?

[Ten]

Also note that MOST (But obviously not all) weapon powers scale with level. In general you want the highest level version of each weapon possible except in those cases, like that orb, where there appears to be no difference.

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

OK maybe I wasn't clear. This has been what has been said to me:

Magic Orb +1=360gp
Orb of IC +1=680gp.
So both of these Orbs give a +1 to attack and damage with any power with the implement keyword. However the IC orb also gives you a daily power which makes one of your powers last 1 more round. For having this power the IC orb is worth 320gp more, fair enough.
However the +6 versions:
Magic Orb +6= 1.125 million gp
Orb of IC +6=2.125 million gp.
Both these orbs give you +6 to attack and damage with any power with the implement keyword. However the IC orb gives you a daily power which makes one of your powers last 1 more round. For having this power the IC orb is worth 1,000,000gp more, WTF!

If I was making magic items I would make a Magic orb +6 (giving me +6 to att and dam) and a Orb of IC +1 (giving me a daily power to extend one of my powers for one round) total cost=1,125,680gp. Yes i would have to swap orbs to get the magic benefit I wanted (but only once per day!) but I would save 1 million gp? (assuming that making a magic item cost you the same ass the market cost, I think that is right?)

Ii just makes no sense to me?

Remember 3E magical item pricing? If you had a slotted item and added extra abilities, they cost more then if they were the only ability on that item. The reasoning is you get more bangbling for your buckslot.
Okay, with that mindset, move to 4E.
The +1 item with the power is nice.
But at high levels (where you can expect +6 items), it just doesn't cut it anymore. No matter how useful the power is, if you want to use it, you have to put in your hand (a kind of slot) and use it. The time you use it, you get a +1 bonus, but you could/should have a +6 item!
So, you need a +6 item with that power. And this advantage is worth a million gp, since the powers usefulness has scaled with the +6 bonus.

 

[Graf]

I love the idea of a wizard who just juggles orbs, wielding several simultaneously.

It'd be like a jester of death.

 

[mach1.9pants]

Well, there are still different properties you can take advantage of...but in general, you can't collect weapons for their powers only.

really?
If you can hold 2 orbs and decide which use (like you can with weps) no problems. Or worst case you can stow/retrieve as a minor action

 

[Ten]

really?
If you can hold 2 orbs and decide which use (like you can with weps) no problems. Or worst case you can stow/retrieve as a minor action

Again, like I said in my first post, you can only use 1 weapon power a day at heroic tier, 2 weapon powers a day at paragon, and 3 at epic.

 

[Tervin]

One new rule is kind of important here.

Heroic tier characters can use one Daily power from a magic item per day. Paragon tier characters can use two, and epic tier three.

All of that limited to one daily power use per item. You get one daily power item use back every milestone.

This should mean that people are a bit less inclined to swap items in the middle of the fight. On the other hand, you can use every Encounter power you have in an item in every fight, so if you find good ones like that, it will all be different.

 

[mach1.9pants]

Again, like I said in my first post, you can only use 1 weapon power a day at heroic tier, 2 weapon powers a day at paragon, and 3 at epic.

Yeah I get that but for the price of (in my limited example) orbs for a lot less money you could create a +6 orb for general use and all of the other orbs that are in the book . So, depending on the situation, you can get out the appropriate orb and use that daily power and the rest of the time you get +6.

How many +1 or other low levels orbs are there, not much from what I have read. I reckon you could make all of the cheapest ones in the PHB for less that 1000000gp! (if +1 orbs are in the region of 1000gp with a power and having a million spare by not making a +6 IC orb)

So for a lot less gp you get a LOT more flexibility for the price of having to stow/retrieve your orbs (at most 1,2 or 3 times per day, depending on tier). Do you see where I am coming from?

 

[glass]

really? If you can hold 2 orbs and decide which use (like you can with weps) no problems. Or worst case you can stow/retrieve as a minor action

Excpt that if you are using a daily power, that is one you really don't want to miss. That really isn't a time to be taking an effective -5 penalty on you attack roll!


glass.

 

[mach1.9pants]

Excpt that if you are using a daily power, that is one you really don't want to miss. That really isn't a time to be taking an effective -5 penalty on you attack roll!


glass.

Except that not all (any, I don't know?) of the powers given by orbs rely on an attack roll. Like the example I was given.

If the vast majority of daily powers given by magic items rely on an attack roll then the example Orb I was given is in the majority. If this is the case it is just one of those 'it doesn't make much sense but it is easier than other systems we could think of' 4E-isms No probs with that. But if a lot of the powers given do not rely on an attack roll then there will be a lot of cheapo magic items made by my PCs. They are not stupid and they can see all the advantages sitting in the PHB!