IcyCool said:
So, I'm fiddling with some item creation stuff, and I was trying to figure out how WotC priced the following two items:
Sure!
Decanter (SRD price 9,000):
Command word item, 4th level spell, so:
(Spell level) 4 * (Caster level (minimum for spell)) 7 * 1,800gp = 50,400 (not counting the no body slot increase).
1. The caster level for the decanter is 9th, so any variable prices should be based off of that price.
2. Control Water is, in fact, a 4th-level spell (for a bunch of classes). The minimum caster level of the item is therefore 7th.
3. However, what you've priced above is *not* a Decanter of Endless Water. What you've priced above is a "Headband of Control Water," which allows you to cast the
Control Water spell an unlimited number of times per day. In other words, the formula of Spell * Caster * Value is used when determining the price of an item which actually casts a spell, not merely has a particular spell as a prerequisite.
SRD said:
Control Water
Transmutation [Water]
Level: Clr 4, Drd 4, Sor/Wiz 6, Water 4
Components: V, S, M/DF
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Long (400 ft. + 40 ft./level)
Area: Water in a volume of 10 ft./level by 10 ft./level by 2 ft./level (S)
Duration: 10 min./level (D)
Saving Throw: None; see text
Spell Resistance: No
Depending on the version you choose, the control water spell raises or lowers water.
Lower Water: This causes water or similar liquid to reduce its depth by as much as 2 feet per caster level (to a minimum depth of 1 inch). The water is lowered within a squarish depression whose sides are up to caster level x 10 feet long. In extremely large and deep bodies of water, such as a deep ocean, the spell creates a whirlpool that sweeps ships and similar craft downward, putting them at risk and rendering them unable to leave by normal movement for the duration of the spell. When cast on water elementals and other water-based creatures, this spell acts as a slow spell (Will negates). The spell has no effect on other creatures.
Raise Water: This causes water or similar liquid to rise in height, just as the lower water version causes it to lower. Boats raised in this way slide down the sides of the hump that the spell creates. If the area affected by the spell includes riverbanks, a beach, or other land nearby, the water can spill over onto dry land.
With either version, you may reduce one horizontal dimension by half and double the other horizontal dimension.
Arcane Material Component: A drop of water (for raise water) or a pinch of dust (for lower water).
You can surely see the marked difference between such an item and the Decanter.
The price of the Decanter, then, is based on a more subjective, "How useful is this item?" analysis.
Sustaining Spoon (SRD price 5,400):
Use activated item, 4 charges per day, 3rd level spell, so:
(Spell level) 3 * (Caster level (minimum for spell)) 5 * 2,000 = 30,000 (not countin the no body slot increase).
So, anyone have any ideas as to what I'm doing wrong?
1. Again, you're not pricing a Sustaining Spoon. You're pricing an item which is a continuous-use Create Food and Water at CL 5. That really doesn't make any sense, unless you're talking about a permanently-stocked larder or table.
2. For a continuous use item, there's no such thing as charges per day. Charges per day apply to command-activated items. Therefore, the more correct formula is (Spell * Caster * 1,800) / (5 / Charges per Day).
3. Applying the formula to this case would then result in (3 * 5 * 1,800) / (5 / 4), or 21,600gp.
4. However, even that isn't correct, because that would be an item which was capable of casting Create Food and Water at CL 5 four times per day.
SRD said:
Create Food and Water
Conjuration (Creation)
Level: Clr 3
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 10 minutes
Range: Close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Effect: Food and water to sustain three humans or one horse/level for 24 hours
Duration: 24 hours; see text
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: No
The food that this spell creates is simple fare of your choice—highly nourishing, if rather bland. Food so created decays and becomes inedible within 24 hours, although it can be kept fresh for another 24 hours by casting a purify food and water spell on it. The water created by this spell is just like clean rain water, and it doesn’t go bad as the food does.
That would mean that the item you are pricing is capable of feeding 12 people per day - 3 per casting, 4 castings per day.
The Spoon, however, is only capable of feeding 4 people per day. As such, it's much, much closer to a single casting of Create Food and Water.
The price for a Wondrous Item that provides single casting of Create Food and Water per day is (3 * 5 * 1,800) / (5 / 1), or 5,400gp.
Which, if you'll notice, is exactly what the SRD states.
