Pricing Itimes with Initiative Bonus

[MatthewJHanson]

I'm creating a magic item which grants an initiative bonus, but I can't remember how much that would cost (and it doesn't seem to be covered in the DMG). I remeber seeing some Init boosting items in Oriental Adventures, but I don't have that handy.

Any help would be great.

 

[wuyanei]

I do not have Oriental Adventures, but here is how I would price it:

A feat is basically worth about 10000 gp. Impro Init. is a feat that adds +4 to you initiative bonus. Assuming the cost for a bonus to Init. follows the standard formula of (bonus squared) x (some gp value), we have: 10000 / (4 * 4) = 625 gp.

The price of an initiative bonus would be: (bonus squared) x 625 gp

To simplify the calculation, and to reflect the fact that a competence/enhancement bonus is generally inferior to an unnamed bonus, I would probably DM fait the bonus down to: (bonus squared) x 500 gp. That is to say:

+ 4 competence bonus to Initiative: 8000 gp
+10 competence bonus to Initiative: 50000 gp
+15 competence bonus to Initiative: 112500 gp
+20 competence bonus to Initiative: 200000 gp

This is probably too cheap. I cannot see *any* 20th level character being unwilling to shell out a paltry 200000 gp in return for a whopping +20 bonus to intitative.

Perhaps we should add a x2 in there (Basically, 'pricing' Impro Init. at 16000 gp instead of 8000 gp, as it is one of the better feats to have). 16000 gp for a +4 bonus to initiative is still very, very good, and I would certainly be willing to spend 100000 gp to get a +10 init. bonus at 20th+ level (at high levels, whoever wins intitative, wins).

+ 4 competence bonus to Initiative: 16000 gp
+10 competence bonus to Initiative: 100000 gp
+14 competence bonus to Initiative: 196000 gp

That is how I would price a item that grants a competence bonus to intitative checks in my campaign. Of course, IMC there are no Iiajutsu Masters with insane Iiajutsu focus (or whatever it is called. I do not have the setting), so please take all of my calculations with a large grain of salt....

Ja ne, ^_-
Yanei Wu

 

[Snowy]

possibly better to start at a dexterity boosting item?

So gloves of dexterity +2 are priced at 4000 (bonus squared x 1000)
and would give a +1 to initiative.

gloves of dex +3 at 9000 and give (hmmmmm, not so useful)

gloves of dex +4 at 16000 and give +2

maybe start with (init bonus x 2) x 1000 the only problem I see is that this is the same price as the corresponding increase in dexterity would be which is more useful (does initiative, reflex save, fair few skills, and ranged/finesse weapons).

On the other hand who goes first does matter a lot at mid-high levels,depending on your game, and a dex item and a init item woudl stack to improve your initiative, so maybe it is justified having it the same price as the dexterity bonus.

 

[domino]

I'd go with 500 as well. It's half the cost of a normal enhancement bonus. But, when you consider it's only 1/4 the benefit of a plain dex bonus, it works out.

 

[Bront]

bonus squared * 500 seems like a good price.

 

[wuyanei]

Err... no.

Remember, you need +2 Dex to add +1 to your initiative bonus. To get a +4 bonus to intitative, you need +8 bonus to Dex. That would cost 64000 gp at the very least (actually, +8 enhancment bonus would require an epic item costing 640000 gold pieces! )

To get a +10 intiative bonus through enhancement bonuses to Dexterity, the non-epic pricing would be 400000 gp (or 4 million gp by epic rules).

+20 to initiative? 1.6 million gp (or 16 million gp by epic pricing).

The listed pricings are already 1/4 the price of an item that grants an equivalent bonus to Dexterity. IMHO, cutting the price by half again would be too much of a bargain.

I still think (bonus squared) x 1000 gp would be the best pricing.

 

[S'mon]

I'd suggest half the cost of the equivalent DEX boost, it's about half as powerful, assuming it stacks with DEX boost items, with maybe +10 being the max non-Epic boost.

ie Init +1 (DEX +2) 2000gp
Init +2 (DEX +4) 8000gp
Init +3 (DEX +6) 18000gp
Extrapolating:
Init+4 (DEX+8) 32000gp
Init +5 (DEX+10) 50000gp
Init+6 (DEX+12) 72000gp
...
Init+10 (DEX+20) 200,000gp

 

[Nifft]

I'd suggest that +4 be the max for an item. It's what a Feat does, and it's more than Gloves of Dex +6 would do, AND it stacks with both.

A Ring of Improved Init would cost about 10kgp, given the magic item creation guidelines. Of course, it wouldn't stack with the Feat.

So, this item's high end (+4) should be over 10kgp, but its low end (+1) well below that.

Bonus squared progression: 1, 4, 9, 16. Let's just say (1kgp * bonus squared). Then it's priced like a Cloak of Resistance. Given that analogy, I might allow the bonus to Initiative to reach +5 (for 25kgp, of course).

-- N

 

[Nifft]

It seems to me that Dex is a HUGE ability -- ranged attack, AoOs, many skills, Init, AC and Reflex saves. Init is worth less than half. Perhaps items that boost Dex are underpriced... in fact, I'm almost certain they are.

-- N

 

[gamecat]

Magic of Faerun has a 1st level spell called Kauper's Skittish Nerves, which grants a +5 initiative bonus. At use activated pricing, an item for +5 initiative would in theory cost only 2000 gp.