A magic item which gives bonus to skill checks, but only for a certain task.

[Shin Okada]

I am trying to give PCs "Safety Saddles" which gives +2 competence bonus (as per default item creation rule) to Ride Checks, but only to "Stay in saddle" checks. As miliary saddle gives +2 circumstance bonus to such (staying in the saddle) checks, it will give +4 total to such checks only.

My goal is to create a saddle which enables almost any character to ride on a mount safely, but will not give any true bonus for skilled riders who are using mounted combat feats and such.

How much should this saddle costs? Certainly I should start from a military saddle (in this case, an exotic military saddle and thus 60gp). But how much should be the cost for that "saying on the saddle" only +2 bonus to Ride checks?

Are there any formula or example for such skill bonus only for a certain task?

Thanks in advance.

 

[blargney the second]

240gp sounds about right. It's really a pretty minor magic item. (I'm going with bonus squared times 15gp, btw.)

 

[darthkilmor]

I am trying to give PCs "Safety Saddles" which gives +2 competence bonus (as per default item creation rule) to Ride Checks, but only to "Stay in saddle" checks. As miliary saddle gives +2 circumstance bonus to such (staying in the saddle) checks, it will give +4 total to such checks only.

My goal is to create a saddle which enables almost any character to ride on a mount safely, but will not give any true bonus for skilled riders who are using mounted combat feats and such.

How much should this saddle costs? Certainly I should start from a military saddle (in this case, an exotic military saddle and thus 60gp). But how much should be the cost for that "saying on the saddle" only +2 bonus to Ride checks?

Are there any formula or example for such skill bonus only for a certain task?

Thanks in advance.

Just make it masterwork ?

 

[Simm]

THe skill use for one specific check sounds somthing like Combat Casting. You might to try using that as a baseline.

 

[Mistwell]

I agree with the masterwork suggestion. It's already in the PHB. Look under Equipment: Tools. A Masterwork Tool grants a +2 circumstance bonus to the thing it's made for.

 

[Slaved]

I would say to increase the base cost of the saddle by +50% in order to increase the bonus by +2 to staying in the saddle and an extra +5% to the staying in the saddle check while unconscious. I would also increase the amount of time it takes to get in and out of it by 1 round for each addition. If I was feeling mean I would make it so that a character with at least 1 rank in ride per addition would be needed to put a person into it properly as well.

 

[darthkilmor]

I would say to increase the base cost of the saddle by +50% in order to increase the bonus by +2 to staying in the saddle and an extra +5% to the staying in the saddle check while unconscious. I would also increase the amount of time it takes to get in and out of it by 1 round for each addition. If I was feeling mean I would make it so that a character with at least 1 rank in ride per addition would be needed to put a person into it properly as well.

Were I a player I'd probably go, "whatever i'll just use a normal saddle" or "screw it, i'll walk".
No offense but, thats a lot of complication for what basically amounts to a DC 5 skill check.

 

[Slaved]

Were I a player I'd probably go, "whatever i'll just use a normal saddle" or "screw it, i'll walk".
No offense but, thats a lot of complication for what basically amounts to a DC 5 skill check.

But then you are not Shin Okada or the players in question. What I put forward makes sense in an in game way and in an out of game way both with a reasonable expenditure of resources.

 

[Piratecat]

What I put forward makes sense in an in game way and in an out of game way both with a reasonable expenditure of resources.

I respectfully disagree. D&D isn't a simulation, and for me it isn't fun to have a lot of picayune details surrounding something as simple as getting into and out of a saddle. I want my heroes to be able to vault into the saddle on the fly, and I don't get any pleasure from having to look up rules on how the saddle operates.

Obviously, every campaign and DM is different, and I don't necessarily quibble about your pricing logic. I'd save such intricacies for an offensive item, though, one that provides more of what I consider fun.

 

[Slaved]

I respectfully disagree. D&D isn't a simulation, and for me it isn't fun to have a lot of picayune details surrounding something as simple as getting into and out of a saddle. I want my heroes to be able to vault into the saddle on the fly, and I don't get any pleasure from having to look up rules on how the saddle operates.

Obviously, every campaign and DM is different, and I don't necessarily quibble about your pricing logic. I'd save such intricacies for an offensive item, though, one that provides more of what I consider fun.

A simulation? It is a game, so it is a simulation of something. I have no idea what you are talking about here.

But if you want your heroes to be able to vault from the saddle on the fly then you are probably not worried about whether or not they even have a saddle. Shin Okada asked for how much a "Safety Saddle" should cost, so I think that the question is already outside of the bounds you would want for your game anyway. Why should you care what the suggestions are for something you would not want in your own style of gaming?

With the suggestion I put forward it is a simple matter of adding on a few gold pieces to the price of a saddle and the newly improved saddle is easy to use and does exactly what Shin Okada is looking for.

I am not sure how saying +30 gold for an extra +2 bonus to the check along with an extra 5% chance to not fall out of the saddle when unconscious is either complicated or forcing extra lookups in the rule book.