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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Deset Gled" data-source="post: 2017243" data-attributes="member: 7808">I figured it might be worth looking at some other items to try and get a feel for the value associated with the Bands.  None of this really matters for those of you that are trying to decipher the true meaning of the text, but I figure it could be pretty useful for balance analysis.The Item in Question:Iron Bands of Binding: When initially discovered, this very potent item appears to be a 3-inch-diameter rusty iron sphere with bandings on the globe. When the proper command word is spoken and the spherical iron device is hurled at an opponent, the bands expand and then contract to bind the target creature on a successful ranged touch attack. A single Large or  smaller creature can be captured thus and held immobile until the command word is spoken to bring the bands into spherical form again. The creature can break (and ruin) the bands with a DC 30 Strength check or escape them with a DC 30 Escape Artist check. Iron bands of binding are usable once per day.Strong evocation; CL 13th; Craft Wondrous Item, grasping hand; Price 26,000 gp;Weight 1 lb.Other Items of Note (descending in price):Drums of Panic: These drums are kettle drums (hemispheres about 1-1/2 feet in diameter on stands). They come in pairs and are unremarkable in appearance. If both of the pair are sounded, all creatures within 120 feet (with the exception of those within a 20-foot-radius safe zone around the drums) are affected as by a fear spell (Will DC 16 partial). Drums of panic can be used once per day.Moderate necromancy; CL 7th; Craft Wondrous Item, fear; Price 30,000 gp;Weight 10 lb. for the pair.Eyes of Doom: These crystal lenses fit over the user’s eyes, enabling him to cast doom upon those around him (one target per round) as a gaze attack, except that the wearer must take a standard action, and those merely looking at the wearer are not affected. Those failing a DC 11 Will save are affected as by the doom spell. If the wearer has only one lens, the DC of the saving throw is reduced to 10. However, if the wearer has both lenses, he gains the additional power of a continual deathwatch effect and can use fear (Will DC 16 partial) as a normal gaze attack once per week.Moderate necromancy; CL 11th; Craft Wondrous Item, doom, deathwatch, fear; Price 25,000 gp.Circlet of Blasting, Major: On command, this elaborate golden headband projects a blast of searing light (5d8 maximized for 40 points of damage) once per day.Strong evocation; CL 17th; Craft Wondrous Item, Maximize Spell, searing light; Price 23,760 gp.Rope of Entanglement: A rope of entanglement looks just like any other hempen rope about 30 feet long. Upon command, the rope lashes forward 20 feet or upward 10 feet to entangle a victim. An entangled creature can break free with a DC 20 Strength check or a DC 20 Escape Artist check.The rope has AC 22, 12 hit points, and hardness 10, and it has damage reduction 5/slashing as well. The rope repairs damage to itself at a rate of 1 point per 5 minutes, but if a rope of entanglement is severed (all 12 hit points lost to damage), it is destroyed.Moderate transmutation; CL 12th; Craft Wondrous Item, animate objects, animate rope, entangle; Price 21,000 gp; Weight 5 lb.Horn of Blasting: This horn appears to be a normal trumpet. It can be sounded as a normal horn, but if the command word is spoken and the instrument is then played, it deals 5d6 points of sonic damage to creatures within a 40-foot cone and causes them to be deafened for 2d6 rounds (a DC 16 Fortitude save reduces the damage by half and negates the deafening). Crystalline objects and creatures take 7d6 points of sonic damage, with no save unless they’re held, worn, or carried by creatures (Will DC 16 negates).If a horn of blasting is used magically more than once in a given day, there is a 20% cumulative chance with each extra use that it explodes and deals 10d6 points of damage to the person sounding it.Moderate evocation; CL 7th; Craft Wondrous Item, shout; Price 20,000 gp; Weight 1 lb.Feather Token: Whip: A token that forms into a huge leather whip and wields itself against any opponent desired just like a dancing weapon. The weapon has a +10 base attack bonus, does 1d6+1 points of damage, has a +1 enhancement bonus on attack and damage rolls, and a makes a free grapple attack (with a +15 attack bonus) if it hits. The whip lasts no longer than 1 hour.Moderate conjuration; CL 12th; Craft Wondrous Item, major creation; 500 gp (whip).Other Weapons of Note:Flame Tongue: This is a +1 flaming burst longsword. Once per day, the sword can blast forth a fiery ray at any target within 30 feet as a ranged touch attack. The ray deals 4d6 points of fire damage on a successful hit.Moderate evocation; CL 12th; Craft Magic Arms and Armor, scorching ray, and flame blade, flame strike, or fireball; Price 20,715 gp; Cost 10,515 gp + 816 XP.Rapier of Puncturing: Three times per day, this +2 wounding rapier allows the wielder to make a touch attack with the weapon that deals 1d6 points of Constitution damage by draining blood. Creatures immune to critical hits are immune to the Constitution damage dealt by this weapon.Strong necromancy; CL 13th; Craft Magic Arms and Armor, harm; Price 50,320 gp; Cost 25,320 gp + 2,000 XP.Slaying Arrow: This +1 arrow is keyed to a particular type or subtype of creature. If it strikes such a creature, the target must make a DC 20 Fortitude save or die (or, in the case of unliving targets, be destroyed) instantly. Note that even creatures normally exempt from Fortitude saves (undead and constructs) are subject to this attack. When keyed to a living creature, this is a death effect (and thus death ward protects a target). To determine the type or subtype of creature the arrow is keyed to, roll on the table below.A greater slaying arrow functions just like a normal slaying arrow, but the DC to avoid the death effect is 23.Strong necromancy; CL 13th; Craft Magic Arms and Armor, finger of death (slaying arrow) or heightened finger of death (greater slaying arrow); Price 2,282 gp (slaying arrow) or 4,057 gp (greater slaying arrow); Cost 1,144 gp 5 sp + 91 XP (slaying arrow) or 2,032 gp + 162 XP (greater slaying arrow).Now, most of the other Wondrous Items lead me to believe that allowing the Bands to render their target helpless is overpowered.  Doing so means it's more or less a save-or-die item, but with a range touch attack instead of a save.  Seems pretty powerful to me.  AFAICT, there are no other Wondrous Items (at a similar price) that produce a similar hit-and-die effect.  The Bands seem especially powerful compared to the Circlet of Blasting and Rope of Entanglement (which are only marginally less expensive, but far less useful).  The Arrows of Slaying are the only item that suggest the Bands are reasonably priced for a "helpless" effect, but they are single use items that are also keyed to a specific type of creature, so it's hard to compare the two.Given this comparison, I would rule (were I a DM faced with the item) that it renders a target immobile, but not helpless.  Actually, as a DM I'd be even more likely to just make sure the items never pop up in the game.  YMMV.</blockquote>

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