Need help pricing a multiple skill bonus item

[Ambrus]

A player of mine wants to have a slotted item (either a robe or a hat) that grants a +5 competence bonus to Concentration, Knowledge (arcana) and Spellcraft skill checks (sort of an all-around caster aid). I figured it would be no problem to price it by comparing it to similar multi-bonus items. Unfortunately it's proved to be a little more difficult than I first imagined since the items I've found seem to follow different pricing conventions.

For instance, the Vest of Escape adds the cost of the two bonuses together: 3600 gp for a +6 bonus to escape artist checks and a 1600 gp for a +4 bonus to open lock checks for a market value of 5200 gp. The Gloves of Swimming and Climbing add 2500 gp for the first +5 bonus and then increases the cost for the second bonus to 150% [2500 + (2500 x 1.5) = 6250 gp]. The Choker of Eloquence (from Complete Adventurer) on the other hand seems to have been given an arbitrary cost of 6000 gp for three +5 bonuses.

If I used the same system as the Vest of Escape, the proposed item would cost 7500 gp. The Gloves of Swimming and Climbing's system would make for an item cost of 10000 gp. The third item actually grants three +5 bonuses but costs substantially less at a mere 6000 gp.

So anyone want to try and make sense of this discrepancy for me?

 

[Corlon]

I believe it says somewhere that for every additional ability added on it's double the price or something...

dmg in making items perhaps?

 

[Sithobi1]

The difference with the choker is that those are not going to be used all at once, and are related, but you might use the three caster skills all at once (or at least together) in combat or something.
The gloves are not closely related, therefore the 1.5x.
The vest of escape is just weird, since there are 2 rules: 1.5x if not related, .75x if related.
Since all new items are HR anyway, you might as well work out a deal with your DM.

 

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

The reason for your confusion is that the vest of escape is actually two items in one. It is a vest that grants a +6 competence bonus to Escape Artist checks (slotted in the vest / chest slot) and a lockpick that grants a +4 competence bonus to Open Lock checks (slotted in the hand slot).

Thus, pricing the items seperately and adding them together is an acceptable way to determine the price.

The Gloves of Swimming and Climbing are a more appropriate item to consider. They take up a single slot - the gloves - and provide multiple, dissimilar bonuses. As such, the first, most expensive bonus (+5 to Swim checks) is priced normally, while each additional power (+5 to Climb checks) has its price increased by 50%.

Note that, in this case, the bonuses and therefore prices are equal, so it doesn't really matter which order you price them in.

So, for your Headband of Arcane Might, you're looking at three bonuses: +5 Competence to Concentration, +5 Competence to Knowledge (arcana), and +5 Competence to Spellcraft.

The formula for a Competence bonus is (Bonus ^ 2) * 100, so each item, individually, is worth 2,500 gp. However, since you are placing them into a single, slotted item, each power beyond the first has its price increased by 50%.

So, you now have:

+5 Comp. Concentration: 2,500 * 1 = 2,500gp
+5 Comp. Knowledge (arcana): 2,500 *1.5 = 3,750gp
+5 Comp. Spellcraft: 2,500 *1.5 = 3,750gp

= 10,000 gp.

To create this wondrous item would then require 5,000 gp worth of materials and 400xp. This puts it firmly out of the reach of lower level casters.

So, is it balanced at that price?

I think so, as a bonus to any of those abilities is unlikely to be game-shattering.

 

[Darkness]

CAdv has the choker of eloquence (+5 competence bonus to Dimplomay, Bluff, Perform: sing). It's priced at 6,000 gp.
(Or 24,000 gp for the great version, which gives a +10 bonus to these skills.)

I haven't quite made up my mind on whether that's too cheap.

 

[Thanee]

I'd also just price it at 10,000 gp (if it occupies the head slot, otherwise increase cost appopriately for non-affinity), as the guidelines suggest. Maybe lower it to 8,750 gp, if you feel it's too much (granting the Knowledge skill bonus without a cost increase).

Bye
Thanee