Elf High Mage (Magic Item Cost)

[Larry Hunsaker]

The Elf High Mage (New Epic Destiny in Dragon Issue 367) has a level 21 ability that lets it pay half the cost for performing a ritual. When you perform the ritual to create a magic item, the cost is the item cost. This means an Elf High Mage can make magic items at half the cost. Am I reading this correctly? I am running an epic game now, with PCs of level 27 and it seems to me this would be a bit too much and lead to a swis army knife mentality for magic items. My PCs already have several items of the same slot that they just alternate use of as needed. Technically they could do this in mid combat, but I house ruled it so the first slot filling item they use in an encounter is the only one they can use that encounter. Anyway, just wanted to see if I was correct in my reading and interpretation.

Larry

 

[James McMurray]

Legally it's possible. With the right ring from AV, he could make them at 1/4 the normal cost. I agree that it's incredibly crazy. I doubt the writers envisioned people suddenly skyrocketing ahead of the magic item curve with this destiny or that ring.

 

[Mezzer]

Making a plethora of magic items for themselves at that point is probably not that much of a problem (they're still gonna be somewhat lower level items), and as far as possibly selling those items, well, who the heck is gonna buy a truck load of epic items? While it could potentially be a problem, I'd say it's one you can easily avoid as the DM.

 

[Syrsuro]

Legally it's possible. With the right ring from AV, he could make them at 1/4 the normal cost. I agree that it's incredibly crazy. I doubt the writers envisioned people suddenly skyrocketing ahead of the magic item curve with this destiny or that ring.

Who says the two 'half-cost' abilities stack.

I would say that the ring is redundant for the Elf High Mage.

And since items sell for 20% of the cost, even if you could make them for 25% of cost, you would still be losing money to sell them.


Carl

 

[Byronic]

I'd say "let him", the Elf High Mage should enjoy the benefits of his epic class. After all the player choose that path instead of being an arch mage or demigod.

 

[James McMurray]

Who says the two 'half-cost' abilities stack.

I would say that the ring is redundant for the Elf High Mage.

And since items sell for 20% of the cost, even if you could make them for 25% of cost, you would still be losing money to sell them.


Carl

Selling them is a sucker's bet anyway, when you could instead be filling every slot with the perfect choice for that character (of the elf's level or less). If you allow it, please post to let us know how it goes. I'm curious about how the balance holds up if you throw the magic item assumptions out the window.

I've kinda done something like that in my epic game with the pools (link in my sig). They're mechanically the same as unslotted magic items with fairly moderate powers (compared to what you could craft at epic levels). Even that small modification to the power levels is noticeable. I'd like to see what doubled or quadrupled access to magic items does to the encounter system.

 

[KidSnide]

The Elf High Mage (New Epic Destiny in Dragon Issue 367) has a level 21 ability that lets it pay half the cost for performing a ritual. When you perform the ritual to create a magic item, the cost is the item cost. This means an Elf High Mage can make magic items at half the cost. Am I reading this correctly?

When I read that, I presumed the designers meant "except rituals creating magic items", because - otherwise - you're right: that ability seems nuts. I would apply a common sense interpretation, but yeah - as written - that ability gives half-off on creating magic items.

-KS

 

[doctorhook]

When I read that, I presumed the designers meant "except rituals creating magic items", because - otherwise - you're right: that ability seems nuts. I would apply a common sense interpretation, but yeah - as written - that ability gives half-off on creating magic items.

-KS

This.

I'm going to rule that magic item creation costs are the exception to this rule, because the price of epic level items is one of their balancing factors: the difference (balance-wise) between spending all the party's gold to make one 30th-level sword for yourself versus making two 30th-level swords for each of you and your buddy, is huge, IMO.

 

[inati]

Or, you could always let them do it so they create a glut of epic level magic items in the world. Suddenly, the bad guys they are facing start showing up all epically armed because they bought it off the free (or black) market.



That would teach the players a good lesson

 

[Allister]

You actually can't create a glut of magic items due to the magic item economy.

At level 21 for example when you get this ability, in this party it means that you can create 2 extra magic items of that level (remember, the treasure system gives you 2xyour level in cash, level +1-+4 magic items for a 5 person party).

If you see the higher level magic items, you end up with enough cash for a level +x-5 item. Which is what the epic ability of the high mage will be forced to work on.

The combination of the treasure system and the magic item economy means that you really don't get much benefit from this ability....