hy doesn't every magic item key to an alignment?

[dvvega]

magnus: the whole point is that it's a rule open to abuse by players who just want to make items for themselves or other party members at a massive reduction in cost.

So DM sense comes into it.

 

[officeronin]

Eh... So what?

So the caster who blew a feat to make items and wants to make himself the magic gizmo can make it a little cheaper for himself. 30% might be a little high, but I don't find the principle absurd. I'd top it out at 30% (alignment, race, class, etc.), but so what?

I have more of a problem with the caster creating an item unusable by him. I'd call it a prerequisite that the caster qualify for any restrictive properties he's putting into the item.

OfficeRonin

 

[magnas_veritas]

magnus: the whole point is that it's a rule open to abuse by players who just want to make items for themselves or other party members at a massive reduction in cost.

So DM sense comes into it.

So, what's the problem? I'm with OfficeRonin on this one; they spent a feat, and if they want to spend their XP on something that they'll have difficulty selling or sharing with the party, it'd be fine with me. (Okay, I'm a mite biased on this one. )

If you don't like that idea, then either remove it entirely or lower the discount. It does mean that you don't have to worry about making sure they're decently equipped, since they'll make sure they get what they really want, and you can feel free to have your NPCs drop stuff that's similarly enchanted. After all, not much from BoVD is useful for a good-aligned party, and if the PC can make a custom item, so can the NPCs...just watch the PCs pick up the Evil Drow Weapon Master's +4 Keen Vorpal Falchion and mourn when it performs as a masterwork falchion for them (since they're not evil, drow, and have levels in fighter and weapon master...).

Brad

 

[shilsen]

If anything, the price to create ought to go up 30%. It serves as something of a security feature: the item is less likely to be stolen and used against you, and the thief will have a hard time even finding buyers for the stolen item. Of course, the item is considerably less valuable to someone who can't use it. It all just goes to show that the game designers had no clue that the entire concept of value is relative. (This is the reason I despise spells like know value and detect gems, BTW.)

That's the way it works IMC. Alignment (or similar) restrictions are an added feature of the weapon, and raise the cost, not lower it.