Magic items

[Chaoslord]

Ok along time ago i made magic items and went through with my DM's at time and they sed i was doing it correct but the items i made were way over powered and i agreed
since then i have changed DM's and the DM like to power play they NPC's
so decided to start creating some basic items and would like rulings as its been awhile
first on the list is my mysticthierg has been the ability to use bow and is not able to use and other physical weapon still able to use magic though

Ok the weapon of choice shhort bow with Heaven’s Wrath on it
Now creating this is a +2 bonus (8000gp) +330 for master work bow.

now if i read correctly i pay half the value if creating myself eg 4000 + 330
now in creating this item i am giving it conditions that only the person adding the magical essence to it can use the item which according to dmg give me a 30% discount when creating it thus making it now 2800gp +330
and yes i know xp is not reduced
Firstly is this correct in my thinking
Secondly id like to also make the bow bestow negative levels on anyone trying to take the bow should my character die (its the evil in side me)

where can i find this information out about negative levels

 

[FEADIN]

Nearly (or all) magic items that bestow negative levels on the wearer are aligned, seems that it's a condition (must have the correct alignement) which can reduce the cost.
In fact if you create an item that only you can use it's not really a condition because you can use it and you create it for you , the same for objects you create for others in the party, there is no real drawback and for me you can't gain discount in this way, the only conditions worth discount are conditionnal or situational; ie: usable only by day, at night, underground and so on.....

 

[frankthedm]

Pricing a magic item is not G.U.R.P.S. character creation.

 

[shadyizok]

The pricing (and especially the discount bit) is specificaly for the DM to price his homemade items.

For you it costs the same to create as normal and, assuming your DM allows you to make it usefull for you only with a certain drawback for anyone else, the only thing that would be reduced is the retail price. So you could just sell it for less. But it might still be a cool RP option.

 

[Dross]

Those rules should have had "For the DM only!!!!" in big letters.

Personally I think the cost to make something with such restrictions should be increased. The supposed inconvenience of the limits really becomes a safety valve against the item being used against you somehow (or even the rest of the party if you are that way inclined).

On the other side, if this was the norm, then the DM would be within their right using this rule set to make all magic items for the PC's foes. Let's face it, if the item is cheaper to make with built in limitations, why is not everybody doing it? And it would allow more items for a given $. This would mean that the PCs would have to somehow match those limitations, or find someone to to sell those items to (which shouldn't be automatic anyway: since when would a merchant buy something that they could only sell to an evil half-orc in a good to neutral dwarven city?)

 

[Corsair]

On the other side, if this was the norm, then the DM would be within their right using this rule set to make all magic items for the PC's foes. Let's face it, if the item is cheaper to make with built in limitations, why is not everybody doing it? And it would allow more items for a given $. This would mean that the PCs would have to somehow match those limitations, or find someone to to sell those items to (which shouldn't be automatic anyway: since when would a merchant buy something that they could only sell to an evil half-orc in a good to neutral dwarven city?)

This actually happened in a game I was in. The DM was very by the book in how he handled anything, but basically said if players do something, then any right-thinking NPC will do the same. It was kind of hilarious when we fought a ton of evil cabalists and their items could only be used by people of their faith. The vast majority of the items were given to our paladin to destroy to upgrade his sword (ancestral relic I think?). The rest we used what we could via Use Magic Device, but the remainder were basically just very expensive junk.

 

[Zhoom]

This actually happened in a game I was in. The DM was very by the book in how he handled anything, but basically said if players do something, then any right-thinking NPC will do the same. It was kind of hilarious when we fought a ton of evil cabalists and their items could only be used by people of their faith. The vast majority of the items were given to our paladin to destroy to upgrade his sword (ancestral relic I think?). The rest we used what we could via Use Magic Device, but the remainder were basically just very expensive junk.

You could hand them to your artificer to retain the xp and replace them with more useful magic items.

 

[Sil]

UMD for the Win! Just UMD them and use them.