Help Pricing Item

[Brown Jenkin]

Our champaign just finished a long adventure that was based around my character Bard 2/Cleric 3 (Silvanus)/Mystic Wanderer 6. As a reward I recieved a "Staff of the Oak Father" that does not follow standard item creation. I would like to be get an estimate of its worth under 3.5(To my character of course it is priceless and will NEVER be sold). It was designed around my character who took a hit in conversion in order to help make up for it.

It has the following properties.

1. Teleport without Error 1/day with limit of 1000 miles and only to hallowed groves. (I have 3 groves scattered about 600 miles apart. Mostly an out of combat benefit to help my character maintain the 3 groves since I have Leadership and followers at all 3)
2. +2 levels to turn undead always on (3 cleric levels left me very weak in turning)
3. Friend of the forest 1/day (3.0 Animal Friendship) Caster level = Char caster level with limit to 3HD per creature. (I had always envisioned being surrounded by woodland animals. I did not want/need the new Animal comanion)
4. Oak Father's Grasp 1/day (3.0 hold person) 10 rounds DC 17 (roots them to the ground and freezes them like a tree).

Since this does not follow the rules exactly I need some help on how best to fit it into the rules:

First should I consider it a Staff (No charges) a Weapon (no +1 base) or a Wonderous Item (Wonderous Items arn't weapons) for pricing.

Second how do I reduce the price for the extra limitations on 1 and 3.

Third how do you price Caster level = Char caster level.

Fourth what is the price on plusses to turn level.

I know this is somewhat house rules but I am trying to get this as close to real rules as possible so I am posting here.

 

[Shayuri]

1. Teleport without Error 1/day with limit of 1000 miles and only to hallowed groves. (I have 3 groves scattered about 600 miles apart. Mostly an out of combat benefit to help my character maintain the 3 groves since I have Leadership and followers at all 3)

-- Calculate it as per a command word effect for Greater Teleport, then halve the cost you arrive at to reflect the range limit and the limited target locations. That'd be how I'd handle it at least. Consider also basing it on Transport Via Plants, since that's similar in many ways and seems conceptually closer...

2. +2 levels to turn undead always on (3 cleric levels left me very weak in turning)

-- A Phylactery of Undead Turning gives +4 turning levels for 11,000...a good place to start.

3. Friend of the forest 1/day (3.0 Animal Friendship) Caster level = Char caster level with limit to 3HD per creature. (I had always envisioned being surrounded by woodland animals. I did not want/need the new Animal comanion)

-- That's really tricky since Animal Friendship isn't a spell anymore... Maybe use the Ring of Animal Friendship as a starting point for pricing, though it now functions as per Charm Animal. Toughie. Might just have to adhoc something. The limit on individual hit dice does keep the overall power level reasonable.

4. Oak Father's Grasp 1/day (3.0 hold person) 10 rounds DC 17 (roots them to the ground and freezes them like a tree).

-- 3.0 Hold Person is quite a bit more powerful than 3.5. Perhaps figure the cost as per 3.5 Hold Person on a 1/day command word item, then double it to reflect both the increased power, AND the fact that it's not an Enchantment (mind-affecting) effect and is therefore harder to defend against.

...that'd actually be a really cool druidic spell, come to think of it.

Since this does not follow the rules exactly I need some help on how best to fit it into the rules:

First should I consider it a Staff (No charges) a Weapon (no +1 base) or a Wonderous Item (Wonderous Items arn't weapons) for pricing.

-- These effects are definitely Wondrous Item fodder. You could enchant it as a weapon and/or a staff as well, of course, but those would be separate effects priced separately. If it only has the powers you list, then it's a Wondrous Item that just happens to look like a staff.

Second how do I reduce the price for the extra limitations on 1 and 3.

-- I'd say halve the cost for 1. If you have to go through a tree or shrub to teleport, base it on Transport Via Plants. If you can just bip there without needing anything to pass through, base it on Greater Teleport.

Third how do you price Caster level = Char caster level.

-- Technically, you shouldn't. One of the tenets of D&D items is that they have their own caster level...magic staves (the charged kind) being the only exception. I'd say easily double the cost of any ability that drew its caster level from the wielder otherwise. It may seem a bit harsh, but if it was too easy to do, all magic items would be attuned like that.

Fourth what is the price on plusses to turn level.

-- Phylactery of Undead Turning is 11,000 for +4, as previously noted. I see no reason not to just halve the cost if you halve the bonus. So +2 for 5,500gp.

I know this is somewhat house rules but I am trying to get this as close to real rules as possible so I am posting here.

 

[Brown Jenkin]

OK I am working on this.

So far I have based it on a Wonderous Item:

1. 16,380=((7[spell level]x13[minimum caster level]x1800)/5[1/day])/2[limitation to power]

2. 5,500 [1/2 Amulet of Undead turning]

3. 9,500 [3.0 Ring of animal friendship. Caster level advantage ballanced by HD limiatation]

4. 18,000=(5[spell level]x10[caster level for 10 round effect]x1800)/5[1/day] I based this on a 5th level spell which would equal the DC17 which was given. This would put the spell on par with Greater Command which freezes 1 creature/level but does not make them helpless

I am confused on applying the next step. Multiple Diffrent Abilities=Multiply higher item price by 2. How does this apply to 4 different items?

The final step would then be multipling everything by 2 to account for no space limitation.

 

[Shayuri]

Actually, in 3.5 each additional unlike power costs 50% extra, not twice as much.

Generally you make the most expensive ability the "base" ability if you're building it from scratch and therefore have that option. The base ability is normal cost.

All additional abilities are 50% extra on top of any other modifiers to price.

Total that up for the total market value.

And if you're not the GM, remember that these pricing rules are guidelines...so be sure to show your notes, and remember that the GM has the final say on item cost and availability.

Not to be pedantic or anything, I just thought this was a logical juncture for a good-natured admonishment.

Have fun!

 

[kreynolds]

All additional abilities are 50% extra on top of any other modifiers to price.

Yup, on slotted items. Unslotted items just have all the costs added together and the whole thing is then doubled.

 

[Brown Jenkin]

All additional abilities are 50% extra on top of any other modifiers to price.

Where in the SRD does it say this? the only thing I saw was in the Special section of the Table: Estimating Magic Item Gold Piece Values

Multiple different abilities: Multiply higher item cost by 2

Maybe I am missunderstanding but doubling the cost cost of the higher ability seems to be directly stated.


I have also been thinking. Would this staff realy be unslotted? It doesn't fill a traditional slot but it must be wielded as a weapon to use, unlike say a Pearl of Power which only needs to be in a belt pouch or anywhere else on your person. Couldn't it be argued it takes the weapon slot and as a result is only the Uncustomary space limitation which multiplies the cost by 1.5 instead of 2 for Unsloted?

 

[der_kluge]

Using the rules from Mystic Eye Games' _Artificer's Handbook_ :

This is a wondrous item, though the concept of "wondrous item" doesn't really exist in these rules.

1. Teleport without Error 1/day with limit of 1000 miles and only to hallowed groves.

No "teleport without error" spell in 3.5 - "Teleport, Greater" is what it's called now. It's the same spell, though.
1 charge per day, command-word activated (spell slot cost 4 +4 = 8 -2 spell slots for specific destination = 6)
spell level = 7, caster level is 13.
10gp(7 + 13 - 1) * 6^2 = 190gp * 36 = 6,840gp


2. +2 levels to turn undead

Treated as a bonus item. Spell slots 2 +1 for first additional effect, spell level 3, caster level 6.
10gp(3 + 6 - 1) * 3^2 = 720gp


3. Friend of the forest 1/day (3.0 Animal Friendship) Caster level = Char caster level with limit to 3HD per creature.

1 use-per day, command-word activated = 4 +4 spell slots +2 for second extra effect in item = 10 slots. spell level 1, caster level 2 (for 3hd animals). Am I to assume that you want to be able to use this without regard to the restriction on the total number of hit dice? If so, then I'll add an arbitrary +2 spell slots for that benefit.
10gp(1 + 2 - 1) * 12^2 = 2,880gp


4. Oak Father's Grasp 1/day (3.0 hold person) 10 rounds DC 17 (roots them to the ground and freezes them like a tree). (ed: sounds like a little bit of entangle here as well.)

1 use-per day, command word activated (4 +4 +3 for third effect) = 11 spell slots. Spell level 2, caster level 10 (10 rounds of duration). Plus Entangle, spell level 1, caster level 1 (I won't add in the additional cost for the added effect since these are combined) 4 + 4 (command-word, use-activated) -4 since the duration is greatly reduced, and it only affects one target.
10gp(2 + 10 - 1) * 11^2 = 13,310gp
10gp(1 + 1 - 1) * 4^2 = 160gp

total:
6,840gp
720gp
2,880gp
13,310gp
160gp

23,910gp

 

[der_kluge]

Oh, that's creation cost.
Market Cost would be 23,910gp * 2 = 47,820gp

 

[kreynolds]

Where in the SRD does it say this?

Not sure, but I don't play SRD. I play D&D.

the only thing I saw was in the Special section of the Table: Estimating Magic Item Gold Piece Values

It's in the DMG table as well, but it directly conflicts with two (or is it three?) other passages. Also, items in the DMG seem to follow the "50% increase" guideline, rather than the doubling of the base power.

There was a thread on this recently, but I couldn't find it. If someone else manages to dig it up, it may be a good source for you.

 

[Brown Jenkin]

1. 16,380*1.5=24,570
2. 5,500*1.5=8,250
3. 9,500*1.5=14,250
4. 18,000 (base power)

Total=65,070

We will call it a wonderous item that takes a weapon/staff slot with this slot having an affinity for spellcasting and turning.

Does this price seem relatively correct from both a calculation point of view and in comparison to other items?

[Edit: P.S. Thanks everyone. Guess I won't be recieviing any more magic items for a few levels.]