airwalkrr
Adventurer
I'm thinking about making a house rule for scrolls, staffs, wands, and potions. Note I like simplifying things to make game calculations easier. Tell me what you think.
The idea here is that scrolls and wands should work like staffs. They function at the caster's level and use the caster's save DC. For simplicity, I would also like to combine the Craft Wand and Craft Staff feats into one. My only problem is how I should cost them. Ideally, I would like to flatten the cost curve at least a bit (i.e. lower level wands are a bit more expensive, higher level ones are a bit cheaper). As it is, a low-level wand is cheap. This tends to make wands of spells like cure light wounds fly around like candy in a high-level game and I feel that cheapens magic. I'd like them (low-level wands) to be a little more pricey, but at least offer a better benefit. Basically the same story with scrolls. Potions effects would always get average rolls (4 on a d8 for example) but function for maximal benefit (like 9 hp for a potion of cure light wounds, i.e. 1d8+5). What about a flat cost of 2,500 gp x spell level for a wand, 125 gp x spell level for a scroll, and 250 gp x spell level for a potion?
And yes, I realize this makes wands, scrolls, and potions more off-limits to low-level characters. I don't mind that. I also realize this makes consumable items of high-level spells much cheaper, but in my experience, PCs usually refrain from using scrolls and wands of high-level spells and staffs altogether simply because of their cost. And it is a rare campaign where a PC takes Brew Potion.
Optionally, suppose that caster level of the item is solely dependent upon the caster and not the creator. Hence, these items have more value in a high-level character's hands. It could also lead to interesting situations like a 1d6 fireball, although perhaps I would still use the minimum caster level as the basis for the effect.
While I'm at it, what about a house rule feat "craft consumable item" that lets you just craft wands, staffs, potions, and scrolls? The caster level limits would still be enforced for individual items, but it wouldn't require more feats. Has anyone tried anything like this?
Thoughts?
The idea here is that scrolls and wands should work like staffs. They function at the caster's level and use the caster's save DC. For simplicity, I would also like to combine the Craft Wand and Craft Staff feats into one. My only problem is how I should cost them. Ideally, I would like to flatten the cost curve at least a bit (i.e. lower level wands are a bit more expensive, higher level ones are a bit cheaper). As it is, a low-level wand is cheap. This tends to make wands of spells like cure light wounds fly around like candy in a high-level game and I feel that cheapens magic. I'd like them (low-level wands) to be a little more pricey, but at least offer a better benefit. Basically the same story with scrolls. Potions effects would always get average rolls (4 on a d8 for example) but function for maximal benefit (like 9 hp for a potion of cure light wounds, i.e. 1d8+5). What about a flat cost of 2,500 gp x spell level for a wand, 125 gp x spell level for a scroll, and 250 gp x spell level for a potion?
And yes, I realize this makes wands, scrolls, and potions more off-limits to low-level characters. I don't mind that. I also realize this makes consumable items of high-level spells much cheaper, but in my experience, PCs usually refrain from using scrolls and wands of high-level spells and staffs altogether simply because of their cost. And it is a rare campaign where a PC takes Brew Potion.
Optionally, suppose that caster level of the item is solely dependent upon the caster and not the creator. Hence, these items have more value in a high-level character's hands. It could also lead to interesting situations like a 1d6 fireball, although perhaps I would still use the minimum caster level as the basis for the effect.
While I'm at it, what about a house rule feat "craft consumable item" that lets you just craft wands, staffs, potions, and scrolls? The caster level limits would still be enforced for individual items, but it wouldn't require more feats. Has anyone tried anything like this?
Thoughts?
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