Do Artifacts have a market cost?

[Maldor]

Giving an artifact a price is like trying to state a price for something utterly unique: the Mona Lisa, the Hope Diamond,

these things have been sold at least once and so have a market price


as far as artifacs go most are not that impressive and are not in my mind usally worth hardly anything to kings really how much more powerful is a army with the sword of Kas then an army with out it for the price of getting it be though thift, force or cash you could get an extra thousand troops to kill that one man wielding the sword

 

[James Heard]

The only artifact worthwhile in economic terms, imo, is the infamous Head of Vecna.

1. Accept tons of cash for Head of Vecna
2. Wait for purchaser to use Head of Vecna.
3. Ridicule corpse and collect Head.
4. Repeat.

There's a customer born every minute.

 

[Li Shenron]

Artifacts are talked about as something that can shatter the world or at least seriously affect the outcome of a large-scale war.

But of the artifacts of D&D there's really not many that qualify for that:
- a sphere of annihilation with its talisman could utterly destroy as much as you want, provided you have time and no one stops you
- the orbs of dragonkind can seriously make you win a war, but there have to be enough dragons available
- a few deck of many things sent as gifts to the other army can bring about its self-destruction

Everything else, while extremely powerful for a PC, is really nothing more than a magic item. Earth-shattering items just don't exist at least in the WotC books I've seen.

Anybody knows artifacts from other publishers who could really achieve to win a war? I mean something that will turn a practically lost war into an almost sure success, not an item that just kills the enemy commander (as many non-artifact items already do).

I think the Black Banner in Mongoose's Necromancy was a good example of a real artifact: IIRC it automatically animated any corpse in a battlefield and turn in into an undead under your command, potentially tripling your army (both your fallen and the enemy's fallen foster your own numbers). Now THAT would be a real artifact

 

[Nightfall]

Okay how much for the Rod of Seven parts then?

 

[Delta]

And how about the Rod of 7 Parts.

1E artifacts had prices attached. What you quoted for 2E power of the Rod are the same number, and basic level of powers as in 1E. Price listed there was 25,000 gp (one of the lowest-priced artifacts therein).

 

[Nightfall]

25 K for the Rod of Seven parts?!! WTF?!

*shakes his head* 1st edition might be fun but dang that's wonky!

 

[James Heard]

Maybe that was for one piece? I'd have to dig through boxes in my attic to get to my Pre-3E stuff.

 

[Nightfall]

James,

Still considering all the stuff it does...not sure the pricing is correct.