Interesting new item... not sure how to price it.

[Tatsukun]

A wand is a spell completion item, activating it is a standard action, regardless of how easy to reach it is, so that's self-regulating.

Yeah, but drawing a wand should take a move action. If it's free, that's a big bonus (you can still move, for example).

The cover isn't like a shield, because a shield has to be actively used. To be effective a shield must be used to block, etc.

Not animated shields. You can just let an animated tower shiled go and it floats and give s you cover from 1 side of your square.

Cover is a nice boon, but it's a two edged sword. The cover goes both ways, so in melee the player has cover but so does the creature against the player. Also, if a target has cover relative to you, you can't take AOO's against it. Again, this goes both ways. So it's quite different from a shield in all those ways.

Well, I was thinking a mage, so AoO's are not a big deal, and cover is great. What would be the action to move the cover around? For example, if my blaster mage uses this item to get cover on three sides of his square. He turns the "open" side to the battle, drops the fireball, then turns the "open" side 180 degrees away.

I'm just doing what I always do with a new item. I'm trying to think like my players (as in "How can I abuse this???").

-Tatsu

 

[Arravis]

Yeah, but drawing a wand should take a move action. If it's free, that's a big bonus (you can still move, for example).

Yep, that's the advantage of a magical item . I beleive there are a few mundane items that allow this as well, the bandolier from Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting, etc.

Not animated shields. You can just let an animated tower shiled go and it floats and give s you cover from 1 side of your square.

Yep, but an "unmanned" mundane tower shield, I beleive, doesn't give you a "shield" bonus, only a standard cover bonus.

For example, if my blaster mage uses this item to get cover on three sides of his square.

Well a tower shield weighs 45 lbs, three would be beyond the weight limit.

Anyway.. keep the comments coming .

 

[myradale]

Closest thing I can find

The closest thing I can find is the immovable rod (5000gp). Since your spell/item acts very similar I'd use that as a base, then increase for acting on multiple items and for following the caster around.

just a shot in the dark, i'd cost it around 12000?

 

[Diirk]

Compare it to a handy haversack which only holds 20 lbs, still costs a move action to retrieve items (minus the AoO), and costs 2000gp. Its slotless tho, whereas you want a slotted magic item.

So 20 lbs = 1000 gp, slotted.

so lbs * lbs * 2.5 seems appropriate given the quadratic nature of most d&d costings.. this would put 50 lbs at 6250 for a slotted item that costs a move action to retrieve items (no AoO). Now a free action is signicantly more powerful, but having the baddies able to just grab your items and use them against you is a pretty big downside, too.

I'd probably just call it 6000-7000. But I wouldn't allow you to use it for cover.

 

[Diirk]

ps The least unlikely body slot afinity would probably be headband/helmet under 'mental improvement'. Call it the headband of telekinetic adhesion or some such. Or if thats too much of a stretch, rings don't have any body affinities to worry about.

 

[KerlanRayne]

Compare it to a handy haversack which only holds 20 lbs.

Uh, it's 120 lbs. 80 + 20 + 20 = 120. Big difference.

KerlanRayne

 

[Sejs]

I'd say 6k, slotted.

5k based off the immovable rod, have it use the same pre-req (levitate)
+1k for the item mobility/covienance factor.

 

[Diirk]

Uh, it's 120 lbs. 80 + 20 + 20 = 120. Big difference.

KerlanRayne

Oh my bad, I was just skimming the entry and saw '20 lbs'.

Hmm, probably 2-4k range then. I think I'd tend more towards making it 2k and saying grabbing the floating item is a move equiv that doesn't provoke. Of course you could always just buy a few ioun stones and some duct tape...

 

[Lord Pendragon]

I would remove the bit about cover entirely and not allow it to work with large objects. Getting a free tower shield, that you don't have to wield or be proficient with, is a significant advantage. In most cases for a spellcaster a cover bonus is better than a shield bonus. No pesky AoOs when spellcasting (it's not like a wizard is going to cry about giving up his own sad AoO opportunities. ) And in fact, it'd stack with the shield bonus from Shield.

As a means of having several items readily available and accessible as a free action, I could see this item at 5k or so. Allowing a cover bonus from a tower shield....well, I wouldn't allow that in my game.

 

[Sejs]

Oop, yeah - forgot to mention: I agree with what LP said.


No free tower shield.