Recharging Magic Items

[Erekose13]

Here are a couple of abilities that I thought might come in handy. Inspired by this article - Save My Game: Upgrading Magic Items I thought I'd add to a spellcaster's ability to make use of items that the party comes across but has a hard time making use of.
[sblock=Steal Enchantment - tabled for further development]
Steal Enchantment
Transmutation
Level: Sor/Wiz 4, Clr 4
Components: V, S, M/DF, XP
Casting Time: 1 standard action or see text
Range: Touch
Target: One magical object of up to 100 cu. ft./level
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: Fortitude negates (object)
Spell Resistance: Yes (object)

With this spell you are able to move an enchantment from one magic item to another. The enchantment must be follow all rules on acceptable item use in the crafting magic items section of the SRD. The first item, the giver, and the second item, the receiver must of similar type. If the giver is a weapon than the reciever must be a weapon. If the giver is a wonderous item than the reciever must be a wonderous item. If a magic item has multiple enhancements you can choose to steal one, some, or all with one casting of this spell.

Any increase in XP or monetary costs must be paid in addition to the casting of this spell. If you move an enchantment from a slotted item (like an amulet) to a non-slotted item (like an ioun stone) then you must pay the additional cost (+50%). If you move a +1 weapon enhancement (flaming) from a weapon with a total of only +2 (a +1 flaming weapon) to one that already has a +2 value (a +1 keen weapon) then you must pay the cost (+5,000gp) of increasing the weapon to a +3 value (yielding a +1 keen flaming weapon).

The XP paid is 1/25th of the increase in market price for the item (400xp for the flaming enhancement example). The monetary costs equal half of the increase to overall market price of the item (+5000gp in the example above) as per the standard rules for creating items. If you have to pay an XP and gp amount for this spell increase the casting time to 1 day per 1000gp spent.

This spell does not require you to have the appropriate feats or spell prerequisites to create a similar item from scratch. Instead you must provide the item from which the enchantment will be removed. Once cast, the giver will loose any powers stolen permanently.

Intelligent items gain the saving throw listed above to resist having powers taken away. Intelligent Item Powers cannot be stolen, but base powers of an item can be. Artifacts are immune to this spell.

Material Component: any material costs that are required as above.

XP: any XP costs that are required as above.
[/sblock]
Recharging Magic Items

A staff, wand, or other charged item (like a ring of wishes) may be recharged by paying a fraction of the cost of creating the item equal to the ratio of cost per charge. The person recharging the item must meet all requirements for creating the item in question (including any feats, spells, or other requirements). You must devote time equal to 1 day per 1000gp involved. When recharging an item, you must pay an additional up front cost of 10% of the creation cost (in gp only).

For example if a Wand of Cure Light Wounds needed recharging. The wand has an initial market price of 750gp for 50 charges. Each charge then costs 7.5gp, with an up front cost of 37.5gp. If a caster were trying to recharge this wand 40 of its 50 charges, the caster would have to pay 337.5gp, 24XP, and 1 day. The caster must have Craft Wand and Cure Light Wounds available.

Another example, if a Ring of Three Wishes needed recharging. The ring has an initial market price of 97,950gp for 3 charges. Each charge costs 3825gp and 5306xp. If a caster were trying to recharge this ring 2 of its charges, the caster would have to pay 8797.5gp and 10,612xp, and 66 days. The caster must have Forge Ring and Wish or Miracle available.

Notes: Both items above mention 'Days' in LEW we use Craft Points. Substitute the appropriate number of craft points based on associated costs as per the rules.

Here are the two examples listed in recharging
Wand of Cure Light Wounds
Max Charges: 50
Base Cost: 750gp
Creation Cost: 375gp + 30xp + 1 day (or some craft points)
Creation Cost per charge: 7.5gp + 0.6xp + 1 day (or some craft points)
Up Front Cost: 37.5gp
Current Charges: 10
Desired Charges: 40
Creation Cost for 40 charges: 337.5gp + 24xp + 1 day (or some craft points)

Ring of Wishes
Max Charges: 3
Base Cost: 97,950gp
Creation Cost: 11,475 gp + 15,918 XP + 98 days (or some craft points)
Creation Cost per charge: 3825gp + 5306xp + 33 days (or some craft points)
Up Front Cost: 1147.5gp
Current Charges: 1
Desired Charges: 2
Creation Cost for 2 charges: 8797.5gp + 10,612xp + 66 days (or some craft points) - I had made a mistake on days to craft in the example above.

EDIT: Adjusted recharging rules to include the 10% of creation price as an upfront cost.

 

[Bront]

I like both of these, however, I would recomend giving the transfer a 50% discount in XP and Gold if that person has the appropriate craft item feat (Stating it explicitly unless you were requiring it, in which case you should as well). I might also limit the effect to Wonderous Items, Weapons, Armor, and Rings. Wands could be... odd. Same with potions, Scrolls, and potentialy staves/rods.

I'd also include the crafting costs in your examples instead of the base costs when figuring out the individual cost of the item in recharging the.

 

[Erekose13]

Transferring ~
You only have to pay something when you have a difference in what you are transferring. So moving a cloak of charisma to a bracer of charisma is free and takes just a simple casting of the spell. Moving that charisma bonus to bracers of dexterity you have to pay the additional cost for adding a secondary ability. Given that you don't need to be able to cast Eagle's Splendor or have Craft Wonderous Item, I was charging full creation cost.

So yes even without the necessary requirements you act as if you were creating the item not buying it from a store. I need to specify that, unless you think it is too much.

Note however that if I sell an item at 50% to a merchant in Orussus and I do possess all the feats/spells/reqs to create it again, I can do it and only loose out on XP and CP. GP comes out fine in the end. Throw in a Trader and you are making money, throw in characters willing to donate XP and CP (re-proposal pending) and this spell will actually cost more than just doing it yourself.

Regarding limiting it to items. At first I agreed completely, but then I thought about it. Wouldn't it be cool to allow this spell to create some of those more powerful effects like a potion of healing and strength or a wand that could cast either cure light or cure mod drawing from a different pool of charges for each one (yes that is almost a staff). you'd have to pay the cost for secondary effects though. Eh, while cool I agree that it'd probably be easier to manage/balance if restricted.

Recharging~

Here are the two examples listed in recharging
Wand of Cure Light Wounds
Max Charges: 50
Base Cost: 750gp
Creation Cost: 375gp + 30xp + 1 day (or some craft points)
Creation Cost per charge: 7.5gp + 0.6xp + 1 day (or some craft points)
Current Charges: 10
Desired Charges: 40
Creation Cost for 40 charges: 300gp + 24xp + 1 day (or some craft points)

Ring of Wishes
Max Charges: 3
Base Cost: 97,950gp
Creation Cost: 11,475 gp + 15,918 XP + 98 days (or some craft points)
Creation Cost per charge: 3825gp + 5306xp + 33 days (or some craft points)
Current Charges: 1
Desired Charges: 2
Creation Cost for 2 charges: 7650gp + 10,612xp + 66 days (or some craft points) - I had made a mistake on days to craft in the example above.

I choose these two because they covered the spectrum of difficulty. A 1st level wand is simple to calculate, the item with an XP cost is the most difficult. Luckily the SRD specifies creation cost for all items with added XP components.

 

[Rystil Arden]

If you can recharge wands one charge at a time, why ever make a scroll? The recharge option makes scrolls completely obsolete, since making one wand charge costs 3/5 the price and it's easier to use.

 

[Erekose13]

True, but I look at scrolls as more utilitarian backup spells that you'd only need once in a blue moon. At least thats the ones that my characters tend to scribe. My clerics don't create CLW scrolls beyond the first couple of levels, and I'm hoping to get my wizard out of creating MM scrolls too. Things like Comprehend Languages, Knock, Remove Curse and more one off spells work best as scrolls.

As it is once you have money to create an MM wand or even buy one, why create scrolls?

 

[Rystil Arden]

True, but I look at scrolls as more utilitarian backup spells that you'd only need once in a blue moon. At least thats the ones that my characters tend to scribe. My clerics don't create CLW scrolls beyond the first couple of levels, and I'm hoping to get my wizard out of creating MM scrolls too. Things like Comprehend Languages, Knock, Remove Curse and more one off spells work best as scrolls.

As it is once you have money to create an MM wand or even buy one, why create scrolls?

Currently, you create scrolls for the reasons you stated above. But with the recharge allowed, you wouldn't even create them for that reason any more. You'd just get a 1 charge wand and recharge it by 1 charge when you need it and pretend it was a cheaper and more effective scroll. This is the reason stated by designers when asked why they didn't allow wand recharging in the core, and it seems compelling to me.

 

[Erekose13]

Ah I get you, I was working on the assumption that you could only purchase/initially create full wands. Which is so far the case, but does not always have to be. Unless of course it were a corollary to this proposal...

 

[Bront]

Scrolls can be used by people who might not be able to use a wand, and are a good way to give a spell to someone else, but yes, recharging wands does make scrolls obsolite.

 

[Erekose13]

would it be more acceptable though potentially awkward to phrase/envision to force recharging and creating to hit the max? You calculate cost at per charge but must fully charge a wand.

 

[Rystil Arden]

Scrolls can be used by people who might not be able to use a wand, and are a good way to give a spell to someone else, but yes, recharging wands does make scrolls obsolite.

Actually, they can't be used by people who can't use the wand. In fact, the wand can be used by people who can't use the scroll And actually, they are a lousy way to give someone else a spell you know--you usually pay 50xspell level to NPCs to copy down the spell, but scrolls cost more except for level 1 spells.