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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Bad Paper" data-source="post: 2181496" data-attributes="member: 24674">A DM recently introduced a Babelfish (as in the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy) into our group, as a magic item.  We're having difficulty pricing it.  It could be anything from 1,500gp to 90,000gp.  At first she wanted it to be a continuous tongues that did not occupy a body slot!  whew!So let's say that it's just like the book, and it merely allows you to understand any spoken language, not speak it, or read it, or write it.  This is like a toned-down comprehend languages spell, but you don't have to touch the being speaking to understand it.  Here is where I noticed the spell differs from the helm of comprehending languages and reading magic.  (Is this an error?  Should the helm require physical contact?)So that would make it half as effective as a 3,000gp item, or if it doesn't occupy a body slot, half of a 6,000gp item.  But realistically, the game gives far more weight to verbal communication than to the written word, so can you really say it's half?What if the helm of comprehending languages and reading magic requires the speaker to be touched?  Then the Babelfish becomes half of a tongues spell, and suddenly we're talking about part of a 45,000gp item, or 90,000gp if it doesn't occupy a body slot!Brainstorm: what if it's a symbiotic being, like in the book?  I don't remember how it survived; presumably it eats brainwaves or something.  What if it simply drained 1hp/day or so?Thoughts?</blockquote>

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