Magic Item Costs - Armbands of Might Variants

[youspoonybard]

Hello!

I'm relatively new to pricing and the like, but I was wondering if I could get some help deconstructing the costs of the Armbands of Might, found in Complete Adventurer. My character is a Two-weapon fighter, dual-wielding light weapons, yet I have taken the Power Attack feat (for Divine Might).

The Armbands in question provide a +2 bonus on Strength checks, and provide an additional +2 damage when you take a -2 penalty on attack rolls using your Power Attack feat. The way I see it, I could use this item even with light weapons (allowing a -2 penalty for +2 damage with my light weapons).

The price of this item is 4100 gp. What I'm really interested in is an item that would let me take a more significant penalty (say, -5 or so) to get that penalty as a bonus to damage. The size of the strength check bonus (from 0 to the penalty) is not as important to me.

Does anyone have any advice for figuring out the price of such an item?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Hypersmurf]

The Armbands in question provide a +2 bonus on Strength checks, and provide an additional +2 damage when you take a -2 penalty on attack rolls using your Power Attack feat. The way I see it, I could use this item even with light weapons (allowing a -2 penalty for +2 damage with my light weapons).

I'm away from my book - does it say that you deal an additional +2 damage, or does it say it adds +2 to the bonus damage of the Power Attack feat?

If the latter, it doesn't work with light weapons...

-Hyp.

 

[youspoonybard]

"If the wearer has the Power Attack feat, he gain a +2 bonus on melee damage rolls on any attack on which he uses the Power Attack feat and takes a penalty of at least -2 on his attack roll."

 

[Hypersmurf]

"If the wearer has the Power Attack feat, he gain a +2 bonus on melee damage rolls on any attack on which he uses the Power Attack feat and takes a penalty of at least -2 on his attack roll."

Hmm. So it's only for an 'attack on which he uses the Power Attack feat'.

The question then is - is he 'using the feat' on a particular attack, if the attack is with a weapon that the bonus cannot apply to?

-Hyp.

 

[youspoonybard]

From the Power Attack feat, it would seem that way.

After all, "You can't add the bonus from Power Attack to the damage dealt with a light weapon, even though the penalty on attack rolls still applies." (PHB, Power Attack)

It would seem that I can use the feat with a light weapon fine.

Is this item + strategy Smurfproof? : )

(I'm do appreciate looking over the tactic and seeing if it works, thanks Hypersmurf!)

 

[Hypersmurf]

After all, "You can't add the bonus from Power Attack to the damage dealt with a light weapon, even though the penalty on attack rolls still applies."

That's what I meant.

You can use the Power Attack feat in a round even if you make no attacks. But are you using the feat on your attack with a longbow? You take no penalty, you gain no bonus, but you are making the attack in a round that you are using Power Attack.

Similarly, on your attack with a dagger, you take the penalty but gain no bonus. You are using the feat in the round, but if it gives no benefit, are you using the feat 'on' that attack?

-Hyp.

 

[youspoonybard]

Hmm. I do see your point.

Are their any cases where language like this is used, to look at as references? Barring that, what do you think of the situation?

(Long, unwieldy paragraph deleted for clarity).

The key difference between the longbow and the dagger is the melee in Power Attack. If I were DMing (in this case I'm not), I would rule that the longbow, not being used in melee, doesn't actually have a penalty (Power Attack specifically references melee attack rolls and damage rolls), and so the attack made by the longbow would not be using the Power Attack feat (unless you were clobbering someone over the head with it, or something). The dagger, which is in this example being used in melee, would be using the feat; you'd take the penalty to your melee attack roll, and gain the bonus to damage, which you couldn't apply because it's a light weapon.

A thrown dagger would not be using the feat.

 

[Shallown]

I always thought the light weapon reference to taking the penalty but gaining no damage bonus was mostly for two weapon users who may use power attack for a primary weapon but not be able to apply the damage to the light off hand weapon.

I think if you take the penalty your using the feat if it is legal to do so (in the case of melee versus missile)

Balance wise it seems okay. Your paying about half the price of a +2 weapon for a +2 to damage but you are also taking a -2 to hit.
What would a -2 to hit +2 damage weapon cost?