Pricing for a custom ring of enlarge

[Kalendraf]

The monk in my group wants to get a ring or wondrous item that casts enlarge 1 to 3 times per day (probably just at caster level 1). I'm trying to decide on the price for such an item.

Using the basic rules, a ring that casts enlarge 3/day would seem to be:
((2000 gp x 1 CL x 1 SL) / (5 / 3 per day) = 1200 gp.

That seems pretty cheap for this item. Am I overlooking something here?

 

[Eraslin]

Seems right to me.

Shame they changed Enlarge to this version of Enlarge Person in 3.5. To get the same effect in 3.0 would require an item costing 5x as much (require a caster level of 5 to get the same effect as the 3.5 enlarge person -- double height, etc). My group played the 3.0 Enlarge much the same as the current Enlarge if it was cast by a high enough levelled spellcaster. Plus the 3.0 enlarge/reduce were just more all around useful...

-Eraslin

 

[Kalendraf]

I also like older versions of enlarge/reduce far better than the new enlarge person spell. I could always house rule it back to the earlier version, and use that for the cost basis.

 

[Kalendraf]

I did some more investigation and discovered that Enlarge Person appears to be one of those special cases for pricing. The recommendation is 5x other 1st level spells.

If you want some evidence, consider the price of the enlarge potion. Most 1st level potions cost 50gp, but the enlarge person potion chimes in at 250gp. There's no material cost related to the spell to explain this cost increase.

IMHO, they should list spell-by-spell which ones have modifiers like this, either in the crafting section or as a special entry for each spell. It really bites trying to maintain the balance with the existing rules for crafting.

 

[Kaleon Moonshae]

On a related topic I have a question for you all. I have a society in my world where the blessed of the city are granted awakened animals upon attaining a certain level. It is common for these awakened animals to fall in love with their partner and the society has no qualms about this. They have developed a ring that when wonr allows the animal to take on human form (and only human form) so that the pair (often eventually married) may wander the world without suffering the bigotry of other societies... not to mention it allows for more.. normal.. expression of affection between them.

Do any of you have aany ideas on how to price a ring like this? It would probaly need to work at least 8 hours a day, possibly 12 like in ladyhawk. I know that if the society is npcs I do not need to nec have rules for this but if the players ever kill one of these pairs they will have the ring and I am thinking about offering the idea as a prestige class eventually.

Also, what spell should I use as the basis? I was thinking about polymorph object (not at home so don't have the book handy for the correct name) where it is a permanent affect and allows any change, making it usable twice per day and knocking the price way down since it is so limited (offering only a single form) but is there a better idea?

 

[Impeesa]

If you want some evidence, consider the price of the enlarge potion. Most 1st level potions cost 50gp, but the enlarge person potion chimes in at 250gp. There's no material cost related to the spell to explain this cost increase.

In 3.0, that makes perfect sense - level 1 spell * optimal caster level of 5 * 50 gp. I suspect the table in the 3.5 DMG simply wasn't recalculated when the name was changed. A potion of Enlarge Person should cost 300 gp (level 2 spell * minimum level 3 caster * 50).

--Impeesa--

 

[UltimaGabe]

A potion of Enlarge Person should cost 300 gp (level 2 spell * minimum level 3 caster * 50).

Except that it's a 1st-level spell now. So that means the minimum is 1st-level spell, 1st-level caster, times 50 gp. So 50 gp.

The only explanation I can think of for the increase in price for the potions of Enlarge Person is that it has a casting time of 1 round. But, then again, there are other potions of spells with higher caster levels, without higher costs, aren't there?

 

[Junkheap]

I think in the planar handbook there is a new magical item, a ring to be exact that does the same thing, only is unlimited times a day and i think its 10000 gps. If i find it i will let you know.

Edit: K, i was completely wrong. It is in savage species, Pg 55, call the ring of growth. Give a +4 size to str, the rest of the modifiers are the same as enlarge. Its only usable once per day and lasts 9 minutes, and it costs 18000gp!

 

[UltimaGabe]

it costs 18000gp!

The main reason it cost so much, as far as I know, was that in 3e, there were no items or spells aside from Righteous Might or Polymorph that could change your size category, and therefore something that did such was a rare, and seemingly powerful thing. In 3.5, however, they made it into a 1st-level spell.

 

[Impeesa]

Except that it's a 1st-level spell now. So that means the minimum is 1st-level spell, 1st-level caster, times 50 gp. So 50 gp.

The only explanation I can think of for the increase in price for the potions of Enlarge Person is that it has a casting time of 1 round. But, then again, there are other potions of spells with higher caster levels, without higher costs, aren't there?

It was still 1st level in 3.0. For some reason I had it in my head that it had been bumped to 2nd level in 3.5. So yes, a 3.5 Enlarge Person potion should cost 50 gp. However, remember that the 3.0 version required the caster to be 5th level to get the maximum effect out of it - thus the assumption that any useful Enlarge potion would be made at that caster level, and therefore cost 250 gp. I suspect this cost in the 3.5 DMG is simply a holdover (nobody recalculated it).

--Impeesa--