belt of might? +1 or +2 to all scores

[Dheran]

IIRC, the belt of excellence, & it came in +4 & +6 varities. Horribly underpriced & found in the Miniatures Handbook.

Officially, the Belt of Magnificence isn't underpriced at 200,000 gp for +6 to all 6 stats, nor is the Headband of Perfect Excellence overpriced at 180,000 gp for +6 to just 3 stats. Both items veer from the guidelines, for different reasons. The Headband is the perfect combo for a monk (bonuses to STR, DEX, and WIS, and leaves free the slot needed for the Monk's Belt), so the designers imposed a surcharge over the guidelines. As others have pointed out, the Belt of Magnificence forces you to buy the same enhancement for all 6 stats (whether they're all equally valuable to you or not) and thus the designers included a discount from the guideline price.

 

[saucercrab]

"Same benefits" means what?

Any character that wears the belt gets the same increases each of the abilities scores. Whether a particular ability score is useful to a character or not, doesn't factor into how costly it is to make the item.

What matters is whether a typical PC gains roughtly 200k worth of benefit for +6 to 6 stats when measured against reasonable alternatives that are likely to be available, based on the yardstick of what we can see in the DMG.

Other than the six, separate stat-booster items, what are the alternatives in the DMG?

The Fighter loves the +6 Str, Con, Dex, Wis, and does not care about the rest. The Wizard loves the +6 Int, Con, Dex, and does not care about the rest.

Are they getting the same benefits? Not precisely, but both are getting about 200k worth of boost.

So the fighter is getting two stat boosts for free, & the wizard is getting three stat boosts for free. They're paying the same price for different benefits...?

If you have a better number, please feel free to put it forward. But claiming that 6 stats is always worth exactly full formula price is going to get demolished by a simple perusal of the DMG for price comparison.

The "better" number I was putting forth is the standard price to combine six separate items into one. What in the DMG demolishes that?

 

[saucercrab]

Well, consider that the orc probably wants more than a +2 to his Str and Con, and will value a Belt of Giant Strength +4 and an Amulet of Health +4 more than +2 to every stat. Why would he care about +2 to Int and Cha?

Why should the creator of the magic item care who uses his item? It costs the same for him to make it, regardless of the user. So, after he's made it, should he sell it to someone based on how usefull the buyer will find it? If so, then that's outside the magic item creation rules.

 

[saucercrab]

Of course, because it is based on different assumptions.

That assumption being that the cost to make an item has a flat value?

OTOH, when you bundle multiple bonuses together, of which only some might be truely useful, then a discount is in order.

Where in the creation rules/guidelines does it refer to discounts of this sort?

There are multiple examples, where this has been done already. This is just one of them.

Please name some of them, then.

 

[saucercrab]

Officially, the Belt of Magnificence isn't underpriced at 200,000 gp for +6 to all 6 stats, nor is the Headband of Perfect Excellence overpriced at 180,000 gp for +6 to just 3 stats. Both items veer from the guidelines, for different reasons. The Headband is the perfect combo for a monk (bonuses to STR, DEX, and WIS, and leaves free the slot needed for the Monk's Belt), so the designers imposed a surcharge over the guidelines. As others have pointed out, the Belt of Magnificence forces you to buy the same enhancement for all 6 stats (whether they're all equally valuable to you or not) and thus the designers included a discount from the guideline price.

The headband of perfect excellence from Sword & Fist? Its price looks spot-on:

36000 (belt of Strength +6) +
36000 (gloves of Dexterity +6) +
36000 (periapt of Wisdom +6) =
108,000gp

18000 (adding gloves' ability to first item) +
18000 (adding periapt's ability to first item) +
18000 (Strength item in headband slot) +
18000 (Dexterity item in headband slot) =
72,000gp

108,000 + 72,000 = 180,000gp

 

[hong]

Any character that wears the belt gets the same increases each of the abilities scores.

Very good.

Whether a particular ability score is useful to a character or not, doesn't factor into how costly it is to make the item.

Very bad. The cost of an item is a balancing factor into the game, and hard-and-fast rules cannot take into account all possible issues when it comes to balance. Insert true strike example here.

Other than the six, separate stat-booster items, what are the alternatives in the DMG?

Who cares?

So the fighter is getting two stat boosts for free, & the wizard is getting three stat boosts for free. They're paying the same price for different benefits...?

But nobody is getting all six. Pay attention.

The "better" number I was putting forth is the standard price to combine six separate items into one. What in the DMG demolishes that?

The fact that it's now wrong.

 

[hong]

The headband of perfect excellence from Sword & Fist? Its price looks spot-on:

Oh dear.

 

[hong]

That assumption being that the cost to make an item has a flat value?

Yes. But with a discount.

Where in the creation rules/guidelines does it refer to discounts of this sort?

The discount that any sane DM is free, nay is obligated to apply to guidelines that do not cover all possible situations.

 

[hong]

Why should the creator of the magic item care who uses his item?

Because it's magic.

It costs the same for him to make it,

Yes.

regardless of the user.

But not all users will want to buy it.

So, after he's made it, should he sell it to someone based on how usefull the buyer will find it?

No, he will sell it to whoever it was commissioned him to make it, which will in all likelihood be someone who can make best use of it. But who will also, in all likelihood, be unable to exploit all six bonuses to the full, thus justifying in game-balance terms the cost of the item.

If so, then that's outside the magic item creation rules.

Who cares?

 

[Cabral]

6 4,000 GP items = 24,000
6 16,000 GP items = 96,000
6 36,000 GP items = 218,000.

Just for reference, with the increased cost for additional different powers in an item that takes up a body slot, the prices (according to the guidelines) for the various levels are:
+2 - 34,000 gp
+4 - 136,000 gp
+6 - 309,000 gp

the 25k/100k/200k prices is a little less than the cost of an item that adds +x to 4 stats. Maybe they figured that there was little difference between +x to 4 stats and +x to 6 stats. The latter is certainly simpler to deal with.