D&D 3E/3.5 Virtual Feats on Magical Items 3.5

[RappinTonyDanza]

I want to give my players some virtual feats through magical items and I can't find pricing anywhere I'm looking (books/online). Can anyone help me? How much would you value an item that granted say... Power Attack?

Thanks!

 

[Theo R Cwithin]

Heh, I've been thinking about exactly this thing lately...

...and as far as I can tell, there's no set formula. In "Loot 4 Less, vol 1" (older 3.5e version), Owen KC Stephens estimates the price of a generic feat at 5000gp. That's based on the assumption that gloves of arrow snaring effectively grants the two feats deflect arrows and snatch arrows, then back-calculating the price-per-feat from there. I don't know that I agree with that fully, but it's a start.

Some feats like Alertness grant (effectively untyped) bonuses to two skills. I assume untyped skill bonuses are twice as pricey as typed ones, then just used the standard item creation rules and some mumbo jumbo logic. I guesstimate those to be worth 2000-2500k or so. So the baselines I've just started working from is basically: feat for 5000gp (probably limited to 5x per day); 'weak' feat for 2500gp (continuous passive use). However, I only just started doing this and have no idea how the resulting items rate against others of the same value, or how they mess with game balance.

[edit] The more I think about it, the more I think I'll stick with the simple 5000 gp number for all feats, then nudge it up or down for more or less powerful ones.

 

[RappinTonyDanza]

My initial thought was something like 6-10k a feat. I'm giving each of my players a bonus for writing a short bio before we start this campaign tonight. I was aiming to give each player an item worth about 5 or 6k. For this player in particular I think I'm going to just give him an unslotted (all the other players' items are unslotted) item that grants him one bonus feat of his choosing.

Hopefully that's more balanced than just giving him a bonus feat, as the item could be stolen or broken. He's also one of the more underpowered characters in this campaign. Feelings? Is this item worth way more than 6k?

 

[Theo R Cwithin]

6k to 10k sounds reasonable to me, and seems a nice range to encompass more or less effective feats, imho.

One thing that might affect pricing is how the granted feat stacks for purposes of qualifying for PrCs or other feats. Or, along similar lines, does the item grant a feat in the absence of that feat's own prereqs. If that sort of flexibility is allowed, such an item likely becomes a bit more valuable-- and potentially a bigger pita if the item is lost. Not really sure how to handle that, though.

Another consideration is if you as DM are going to allow PCs to also create such items. To my mind, that's where the real worry of balance comes in. If not, you're probably golden, since you can always just smash the item if it proves to be too much for your campaign.

Btw, it's a little unclear from your post: are you creating an item that grants a particular feat (eg, a Widget of Power Attacks), or one that allows the PC to choose a feat (eg, an Anyfeat Widget)? That would seriously change the pricing, too, to say the least.

 

[Magesmiley]

In my games, for magic items which grant feats, I've used 10,000 gp x the square of the number of feats that the item grants as a baseline. For feats that require prerequisites, you have to include the prerequisites in the item as well. For limited use and non-slotted items, I apply the usual modifiers.

I'll tweak the price up or down some depending on the feat(s) - some are clearly better than others.

 

[Greenfield]

I'll say that it definitely varies.

For example, Metamagic feats in Rods vary from 3000 gp for things like Enlarge and Extend spell, 9000 for Empower, 14,000 for Maximize, and 35,000 for Quicken.

Feats in weapons, like Keen (Improved Critical) and Mighty Cleaving (extra use of Cleave feat), are treated as +1 weapon bonuses.

So, as with any magic item, you have to use your own judgment. Look for an item with what you consider to be an equal over all power level, and work from there. There really won't be a one-size-fits-all type formula for this.

 

[Veven1290]

I am AFB and I might be wrong on the formula for estimating the cost of a custom magic item, but I think an item that grants a continuous effect of the heroics spell with cost about 6,000 gp. Sounds good to me.

 

[a-d]

Something to consider.
...Not allowing in your game.

Earlier I realized a way to make a cellphone using magic from low level spells.

It used a miniature portal inside a gem with a wand of permanent Message on target with a constant area effect.

The wand fires through the portal at the opposite gem activating the Message spell with area effect set up so anyone inside the area of effect hears what I'm saying on the other end.
Their setup also has a the same kind of wand and fires back in kind so I can hear them.

Interesting yes, but the real problems is when you take the portal and mix it with a magical item on the other side that buffs everyone within an area. The area of affect would extend through the portal to the other side.
Take a magical item which grants Feats, give it an area of effect, then carry the other end of the portal with you while keeping party members in range of the effect.

Place a contingent spell on the portal so that it automatically shuts down when it would be affected by anyone trying the Shatter spell or Mordenkainen's Disjuntion in an attempt to hit the source of the area buffing and it will live to be accessed later once a new portal is made.

Unfortunately:
Portals cost a lot, so it'll be a while before the internet can be created.
The smallest portal that can apparently be created is a foot across. That's no cellphone.
Making them work like the Stargate so you can choose who you're talking to either doesn't exist or will up the price even more.

On the upside, if you want to use a portal for just war, this is a way to leave your tree trunk sized wand of extreme maximized Fireball at home pointing directly at the twin of the portal in your backpack.

Try not to roast any kingdoms.

Hah ha ha!
Oh my, I forgot. You could place these small portals on a tiny aircraft and leave the giant, heavy cannons on the other end.
Micro heavy bomber.