This is my first crack at item creation, but my crazy players keep reading sourcebooks, so my stuff needs to be fresh. I have three item effects ready. I can hand them out to players no problem, but I need to be able to consider what caster level they should be, and how they should be priced.
Amulet of the Iron Monkey
The amulet is a disk of iron about the size of a coin with an image of a monkey enscribed on it. When worn by a monk it allows him to escape from the fray after making a decisive strike. When worn by one untrained in the martial arts, it imbues its wearer with some of the amazing capabilities of a monk.
A non-monk wearing the Amulet of the Iron Monky can use a Flurry of Blows with his unarmed strike as though he were a monk, at the usual -2 penalty on each attack. The blows still deal the same damage as the wearer's ordinary unarmed strike (likely subdual) and probably still provoke attacks of opportunity. The effect does not function if the user is wearing gauntlets.
A monk wearing the Amulet of the Iron Monkey may, if he has just hit with both attacks from a flurry of blows, move his speed. If he made a flurry of blows and then took another iterative attack, he may not take advantage of the amulet's effect. He must take the movement directly after making the second of two successful attacks from a flurry of blows. If he tumbles during this free movement, he gets a +2 enhancement bonus to his tumble check.
Quiver of Elemental Energy
The Quiver of Elemental Energy may be inscribed with a fire and frost detail to denote its function, of its apearance may give no sign of what it does. Each day, the quiver is capable of imbuing one arrow with a freezing chill, and one arrow with a fiery immolation.
When the wearer of the Quiver of Elemental Energy draws an arrow from it, he may utter either of two command words. One activates the fire effect, the other activates the cold. The effect lasts for one round, so the arrow must be fired immediately.
The ice arrow deals +1d6 points of cold damage on a hit, or +3d6 points of cold damage on a critical hit (x3, the usual with a bow). The fire arrow deals +1d6 fire damage on a hit, or +3d6 fire damage on a critical hit (x3).
If the arrow is used as a melee weapon (with the usual penalties) it deals only +2d6 damage on a crit (x2) but may be used in a series of iterative attacks.
The spell prerequisite for this will be fire shield, but I don't know what caster level the quiver should be.
Ring of the Random
A Ring of the Random generates a random spell effect of a level specific to the ring. Each ring is either divine or arcane, and is capable of casting any of the spells from the arcane or divine (depending on the ring) list for that level. The user of the ring must be able to cast spells of that type (divine or arcane) but need not be able to cast spells of that level.
Three times per day, the wearer may activate the ring as a standard action. He designates a person or monster within 100 feet, and the DM generates a random spell from the Scroll list for that level. That spell affects chosen creature, targets the chosen creature, centers its AoE on the creature, etc. If it has multiple chose targets (e.g. Slow) the ring affects elligible targets by which are closest to the chosen target. The ring makes no distinction between allies and enemies. All spell effects are based on the minimum caster level for the spell. If there are decisions to be made about the spell effect (e.g. Eyebite, Fire shield) the DM determines them randomly.
The wearer of the ring becomes aware of the effect that will be generated before it comes into effect, and he may make a charisma check to have the DM reroll the random spell. The DC is 10 + the level of the ring. The wearer may continue to reroll the spell as long as he can pass this check, but after each reroll the DC increases by 5. This is the only influence the wearer has on the spells being cast. He makes no decisions about how the selected spell takes effect.
I have absolutely no idea how to price this item. Obviously rings of higher levels cost more, but how much is any specific one worth? It seems like a toy for the sorcerer and bard, and that will make it lots of fun. There will be tons of DM adjudication involved with this, and I'm ready for that.
Amulet of the Iron Monkey
The amulet is a disk of iron about the size of a coin with an image of a monkey enscribed on it. When worn by a monk it allows him to escape from the fray after making a decisive strike. When worn by one untrained in the martial arts, it imbues its wearer with some of the amazing capabilities of a monk.
A non-monk wearing the Amulet of the Iron Monky can use a Flurry of Blows with his unarmed strike as though he were a monk, at the usual -2 penalty on each attack. The blows still deal the same damage as the wearer's ordinary unarmed strike (likely subdual) and probably still provoke attacks of opportunity. The effect does not function if the user is wearing gauntlets.
A monk wearing the Amulet of the Iron Monkey may, if he has just hit with both attacks from a flurry of blows, move his speed. If he made a flurry of blows and then took another iterative attack, he may not take advantage of the amulet's effect. He must take the movement directly after making the second of two successful attacks from a flurry of blows. If he tumbles during this free movement, he gets a +2 enhancement bonus to his tumble check.
Quiver of Elemental Energy
The Quiver of Elemental Energy may be inscribed with a fire and frost detail to denote its function, of its apearance may give no sign of what it does. Each day, the quiver is capable of imbuing one arrow with a freezing chill, and one arrow with a fiery immolation.
When the wearer of the Quiver of Elemental Energy draws an arrow from it, he may utter either of two command words. One activates the fire effect, the other activates the cold. The effect lasts for one round, so the arrow must be fired immediately.
The ice arrow deals +1d6 points of cold damage on a hit, or +3d6 points of cold damage on a critical hit (x3, the usual with a bow). The fire arrow deals +1d6 fire damage on a hit, or +3d6 fire damage on a critical hit (x3).
If the arrow is used as a melee weapon (with the usual penalties) it deals only +2d6 damage on a crit (x2) but may be used in a series of iterative attacks.
The spell prerequisite for this will be fire shield, but I don't know what caster level the quiver should be.
Ring of the Random
A Ring of the Random generates a random spell effect of a level specific to the ring. Each ring is either divine or arcane, and is capable of casting any of the spells from the arcane or divine (depending on the ring) list for that level. The user of the ring must be able to cast spells of that type (divine or arcane) but need not be able to cast spells of that level.
Three times per day, the wearer may activate the ring as a standard action. He designates a person or monster within 100 feet, and the DM generates a random spell from the Scroll list for that level. That spell affects chosen creature, targets the chosen creature, centers its AoE on the creature, etc. If it has multiple chose targets (e.g. Slow) the ring affects elligible targets by which are closest to the chosen target. The ring makes no distinction between allies and enemies. All spell effects are based on the minimum caster level for the spell. If there are decisions to be made about the spell effect (e.g. Eyebite, Fire shield) the DM determines them randomly.
The wearer of the ring becomes aware of the effect that will be generated before it comes into effect, and he may make a charisma check to have the DM reroll the random spell. The DC is 10 + the level of the ring. The wearer may continue to reroll the spell as long as he can pass this check, but after each reroll the DC increases by 5. This is the only influence the wearer has on the spells being cast. He makes no decisions about how the selected spell takes effect.
I have absolutely no idea how to price this item. Obviously rings of higher levels cost more, but how much is any specific one worth? It seems like a toy for the sorcerer and bard, and that will make it lots of fun. There will be tons of DM adjudication involved with this, and I'm ready for that.