How on Earth is this magic item costed out?

[Thia Halmades]

In one of the splat books there's a weapon - I don't recall the name - which can flip from a staff to a bow. It's a transformitive magic. In order to make the weapon, you have to know Polymorph Any Object, which is a level 8 spell. Any time you get that high a spell involved, the cost becomes astronomical. The weapon only costs 11,000, which ain't cheap, but covers its +2 bonus, and has 3,000 leftover.

So how is it costed out? Clearly, PAO doesn't enter into it at all, because the costing doesn't support it. I had to HR it to a "+1" for purposes of improving an Ancestral Relic, but again, I'm posting here because I want to know the RAW. Are there other examples of this which are equally head scratching? Any & all help is appreciated.

 

[Hammerhead]

Well, a staff isn't exactly a first class weapon, so a bow that switches to one shouldn't cost that much. 11,000 GP sounds about right.

Not everything needs a mathematical formula.

 

[Thia Halmades]

I submit that it does when you're trying to recreate it. I wholly acknowledge, admit & agree that it sounds just fine, but I still need to be able to reverse engineer it. That's my primary issue here. If the answer truly is "You've got questions. That's... understandable." Well, hey, at least I asked. But I'm curious if this is an anomaly or if its rampant. Most weapons can be broken down by their cost, some better than others, but if we're going to sort of randomly assign values, where's the yard stick?

 

[wuyanei]

Shrug. Perhaps instead of Polymorph Any Object, just consider the staff/bow to be a weapon that grants limited use of quickdraw.

As a very rough rule of thumb, free use of a feat with no feats in its prerequisites is worth about 5000 gp, so a limited quickdraw might be priced at a 40% discount for +3000 gp cost.

+1 cost modifier is also good -- The mighty cleaving enchantment grants a limited version of Great Cleave, and is priced at +1 cost modifier.

Anyways, 'Custom made items are a house rule.' There really are no RAW rules for item pricing except 'The DM does believes that this price will not be unbalancing.' I am afraid I cannot help you beyond that.

 

[Mavrik]

Have a look in Races of the Wild.. there is a Bow that can be used as a staff as a weapon and there is a sword that changes to a bow and back as a free action, I believe that it has a cost of about 4k (I think!!) not a '+' cost.. you could work it on that

Mavrik

 

[Infiniti2000]

The yard stick is that the cost structures provided in the DMG are guidelines. You can use it to derive a cost/price and then use your judgment, preferably backed by other examples in the book or other books, to modify the cost/price. If +50,000gp is too much to allow one to transform from bow to bo, then reduce it, as was obviously done.

 

[dcollins]

So how is it costed out? Clearly, PAO doesn't enter into it at all, because the costing doesn't support it. I had to HR it to a "+1" for purposes of improving an Ancestral Relic, but again, I'm posting here because I want to know the RAW. Are there other examples of this which are equally head scratching? Any & all help is appreciated.

It's priced at the level the designers think is the value of the item. From the DMG, "Behind the Curtain: Magic Item Gold Piece Values":

Each of the magic items presented here was examined and modified based on its actual worth. The formulas only provide a starting point.

 

[Thia Halmades]

Ah, so the answer really is "You have questions. That's... understandable." Y'all have been extremely helpful, thanks!

 

[dcollins]

I'll try one more time. Pricing new magic items is a creative design process. There are no rules for pricing thems -- only suggestive guidelines. (Exceptions: Potions, scrolls, and wands, as ruled in the PHB.)

You may as well ask "How did they price a courtier's outfit at 30 gp?"

 

[cmanos]

Anyone want to explain the Rod of Lordly Might?

I think 11000 is fine for a +2 staff that turns into a +2 bow.