Personalizing Magic

[taotad]

First thread, so step gently...

If I personalize a magical item in it's creation, will that increase the cost of it or decrease it?
By personalize I mean allowing it to be used only by a specific person or a special group of persons.

I can see several ways of looking at this, but can't seem to make up my mind.

 

[Vaxalon]

Increase.

Frex, if you want to keep those goody-goody paladin types away from your black sword, make it Unholy and Chaotic and they'll keep their mitts off.

 

[taotad]

More requirements -> less hassle

But limiting the way magic works, and giving it more reqs, shouldn't that make it easier to create?

 

[Skaros]

I'm not really sure under what circumstances the DMG says you should reduce the creation cost of a magic item.

However, in my opinon, wizards shouldn't get price decreases for doing things that not only don't limit their ability to use the magic item, but give them the advantage that their enemies can't use it against them (like alignment restrictions, etc).

-Skaros

 

[kengar]

One way to look at it is that the two factors cancel each other out. In other words, the limitation of only one person being able to use the item is offset by the "security" it offers the owner.

If you wanted to have a reduced-cost item, you might try something like a "key." For instance, the wand only works if you're wearing a particular ring, etc. Neither item does anything on its own, but one "unlocks" the other. This way, the item is limited but the ability to use it could be "taken" from the owner, thus making it less secure.

Just my 2cp

 

[kengar]

One way to look at it is that the two factors cancel each other out. In other words, the limitation of only one person being able to use the item is offset by the "security" it offers the owner.

If you wanted to have a reduced-cost item, you might try something like a "key." For instance, the wand only works if you're wearing a particular ring, etc. Neither item does anything on its own, but one "unlocks" the other. This way, the item is limited but the ability to use it could be "taken" from the owner, thus making it less secure.

Just my 2cp

 

[taotad]

I run a very low magic campaign, and if the players started making person-specific items, of course all the other peoples of the world would start doing the same.

I also see a certain kind of logic in making items this way. If you had a powerful rifle in a modern world, there would be a large advantage in programming it to you specifically so that the enemy couldn't use it in case of your demise. In modern terms that would require extra cost, so I'm bending toward giving the items xtra cost for the making.

Thanks for your thoughts. It bent my mind-train in the right direction...

 

[gnfnrf]

Re: More requirements -> less hassle

But limiting the way magic works, and giving it more reqs, shouldn't that make it easier to create?

Are you arguing from a plausibility standpoint here?

If so, you can just as easily say that an item that needs to have the ability to detect certain things about its weilder before activating requires more magic than one that does not.

--
gnfnrf

 

[Deadguy]

For my own Shattered World campaign, I have ruled that the only way to reduce the cost of a magic item is to actually build into it some real limitations (c.f. items that can be used only a certain number of times a day).

For example, one PC acquired a magic sword that must "drink" blood each time that it is unsheathed, i.e. that the wielder must actually hit a target who has blood of some description. For so long as it doesn't drink blood it cannot even be released from the sword hand (and unbeknownst to the PC will slowly drive the bearer toward murderous acts). I mention this because I have noted up how it is made and granted it a 20% cost reduction because of this limitation. The PC-wielder is very careful when he uses this sword, and carries another for circumstances kike encounters with undead, constructs, vermin, plants and certain outsiders.

Another was a magical cloak that would provide a deflection bonus to AC against attacks only from piercing and slashing weapons. (Worth a 40% reduction in cost).

If a PC wants an item that is keyed to themselves personally I charge them more for it (around 10% more as a matter of fact). This way I can reasonably say that most magic items aren't personally keyed so that PCs canbenefit from the treasure they find (otherwise the PCs would make the same choice too and all their items would be keyed only to themselves and their groups).