Permanency or Magic Items

[sam500]

I've got a player who wants to buy a Headband of Enlarge Person (continuous).
Does such a thing exist and if so, how much would you charge him?

 

[MarkB]

It's certainly not a core-rules item, and I'd hesitate to allow it, as being Large size at will has some serious advantages. By item-creation guidelines alone, such an item could cost as little as 4,000 gp, but I'd consider that seriously underpriced.

 

[Sammael]

The large size alone is enough for LA +1 (according to Savage Species), and I'd say that most of its benefits (+2 size bonus to Str, reach, ability to wield larger weapons and carry more) remain fairly useful throughout a character's progression. Regular item pricing certainly does not apply here. I'd tentatively price it around 20,000 gp, but I'm not sure I'd even allow it. What happens when the item is subject to a dispel magic or antimagic field? Does the character get crushed under the weight of his own (large-sized) equipment?

 

[MarkB]

The large size alone is enough for LA +1 (according to Savage Species), and I'd say that most of its benefits (+2 size bonus to Str, reach, ability to wield larger weapons and carry more) remain fairly useful throughout a character's progression. Regular item pricing certainly does not apply here. I'd tentatively price it around 20,000 gp, but I'm not sure I'd even allow it. What happens when the item is subject to a dispel magic or antimagic field? Does the character get crushed under the weight of his own (large-sized) equipment?

He wouldn't need large-size equipment. He'd just take the item off, equip himself with medium equipment, then put it back on. The ability to revert to normal size at will simply by un-equipping the item is another great advantage over putting the Permanencied spell on him.

 

[Sammael]

I would personally not allow the item to function on equipment at all.

BTW, since this we're not talking about an official item, this thread belongs in House Rules.

 

[MarkB]

BTW, since this we're not talking about an official item, this thread belongs in House Rules.

No, the ability to create custom items is covered in the DMG. It leaves balancing them up to the DM's discretion, but that's not the same thing as their creation being house rules. More importantly, item creation guidelines are something every DM will have to deal with at some point, so consigning threads on the subject to a board most DMs won't even browse is counterproductive.

 

[sam500]

I wasn't sure if this item existed in a WOTC book somewhere so I wasn't sure where it belonged.
Anyway, are there rules somewhere in a WOTC for pricing homemade magic doo dahs like this?

 

[sam500]

Thanks for your help fellas.
I think I'm just going to make the bugger more expensive.
He was asking for 2000gps. I'll probably make it 10k.
Cheers,
Sam

 

[MarkB]

I wasn't sure if this item existed in a WOTC book somewhere so I wasn't sure where it belonged.
Anyway, are there rules somewhere in a WOTC for pricing homemade magic doo dahs like this?

The pricing guidelines for creating new magical items are in the DMG. But the primary rule is that the calculations presented there are only guidelines, because when you start making new items based upon spell effects, they can easily be underpowered or greatly overpowered for their price. So the DM must make the final decision on any individual item, using the creation guidelines as a starting point rather than a formula.

 

[taferial]

Heh, id make him pay by haveing him bang his head all the time, stretching out all his clothes hulk style, livestock refuseing to carry him anywhere and being chased out of town evry now and then for looking like an ogre.

also id make him have to eat more (halflings vs human food consumption style) as theres a lot of diference between being masive 3 mins a day and all day