Item Price Comparison

[Lopke_Quasath]

A character in my campaign recently got blinded and after he was cured, he wanted a way to prevent that from happening again. He is a fighter with the archer feat path, so being blinded is a pain.

He is looking for options, and I think I have one magic item that could help.

It's based on The Periapt of Health, which provides protection against disease and costs 7,500gp.
The basic spell for this is Remove Disease

If a Remove Blindness spell is used instead, would the price be the same?

As in: Periapt of Sight - The wearer of this brown stone (agate, protects vision) on a silver chain is immune to blindness, including supernatural effects. Price: 7,500gp

Thoughts, comments?

Cheers

 

[domino]

Both are Clr 3 spells, so I'd say so.

I might even give it a slight discount if it's only to be used to prevent blindness, as the spell cures both blindness and deafness. Maybe 6000 gp.

 

[Shin Okada]

Hmm. I am not sure if that is a good idea to consider immunity against blindness is in equal value as immunity against disease.

Glitterdust and Blindness/Deafness are both very popular combat spell. Contagion (and other disease related spells) is, on the other hand, rarely actually used in combat. Diseases work slowly. Thus not that much critical in combat.

Many arcane casters try to use Glitturdust when they see fighter types. So your amulet gives him immunity to one of the most popular 2nd-level arcane spell.

Suggested value for a "Use-activated or continuous" item is Spell level x Caster level x 2,000 gp. In case of Remove Blindness Deafness, 3x 5x 2,000 = 30,000 gp. I will start from this line.

 

[Lopke_Quasath]

When you cast Remove Blindness/Deafness you choose which to remove, right?
It doesn't remove both in one casting. Therefore using this spell for a magic item would require choosing either the Blindness or Deafness aspect. So, the price of 7,500gp should be correct.
Or is my interpretation flawed?

Cheers

 

[domino]

You pick it when you cast it. Not when you select it.

Therefore, theoretically, a B/D amulet would protect against both, just as a peripat of health protects against all types of disease.

 

[Shin Okada]

When you cast Remove Blindness/Deafness you choose which to remove, right?
It doesn't remove both in one casting. Therefore using this spell for a magic item would require choosing either the Blindness or Deafness aspect. So, the price of 7,500gp should be correct.
Or is my interpretation flawed?

Cheers

As estimating value of a magic item is not a science, no one can cleally say something is right or not.

But if you ask me, I have 2 points I think are important.

1st, Deafness is rarely important. How often have you seen a caster chooses "deafness" version when casting Blindness/Deafness?

2nd, if you think immunity to blindness is half the price of immunity to blindness and deafness, it still be 150,000 gp.

But personally, as immunity to blindness is far more important than immunity to blindness, I will not lower the price below 20,000 gp if I were the DM.

And I think, when there is a doubt, it is better to price it higher. One over-costed item will never break game balance. But one under-costed item may.

 

[domino]

If blindness is so much more devestating than disease, why would they both be the same spell level?

Also, I think your numbers are wrong. Half of 30K is NOT 150K.

 

[Shin Okada]

If blindness is so much more devestating than disease, why would they both be the same spell level?

If fireball is so much more devastating than deep slamber, why would they both be the same spell level? And why most wizards choose fireball? And why many races have immunity to sleep as a minor racial ability when almost no LA +0 races have even resistance 5 against fire?

Also, I think your numbers are wrong. Half of 30K is NOT 150K.

On this part, you are right. It should be 15k. Or 20k if I consider the importance of Blindness over Deafness.

 

[Lopke_Quasath]

Shin,

I was looking up the pricing rules in DMG and I came up with that same number (30,000gp) based on the most approximate math I could. I couldn't figure out how the Periapt of Health was made in the first place. But then I went with the cheaper math because I thought Remove Disease and Remove Blindness were of the same power level.

You have a good argument that Blindness is cast more often than Cause Disease, because it is more useful.
Therefore, Remove Blindness is cast more often then Remove Disease, because it is more useful.
However, that doesn't make it more powerful, just more pooular, so the price of the item should be the same.

A 7,500gp item can be conceivably bought/ordered at 6th lvl, but probably 7th. That's a balanced level for a good protection item against 2nd lvl spells (Glitterdust) and if a character wants protection against a specific 3rd lvl spell, isn't that balanced? (he asks innocently )

Cheers

 

[Shin Okada]

However, that doesn't make it more powerful, just more pooular, so the price of the item should be the same.

I don't think so. More useful (or effective much often) = more powerful. And IMHO that is why Periapt of Health is so cheap. Immunity to disease is not that much useful (or take effect often), so it is considered less powerful, thus made to be cheap.

Glitturdust and Blindness Deafness are just examples. There are other spells, too. And other than spells, there are monsters or situations which makes a PC blinded.

Getting disease during combat is not that much problematic. You may have some ability damages but usually that is minor. And usually, you have no problem on getting Remove Disease spell after the combat (or in the next day). On the other hand, being blinded in the middle of combat can be lethal. And your buddy must choose whether or not spend a precious turn to cast Remove Blindness on you.