Q about multiple abilities on an item (did i do this right? )

[darthkilmor]

Say you want to make a hat that gives +5 knowledge arcane and +5 knowledge religion, is my math right on this?
100 * 5^2 = 2500 k: a
100 * 5^2 = 2500 k: r
.75 * 2500 = 1875 multiple similar abilites
= 6875 gp market value ?

 

[Infiniti2000]

That sounds reasonable to me.

 

[darthkilmor]

That sounds reasonable to me.

Ok cool, my magic item creation Fu is weak and was worried I wasn't doing something right.

 

[Infiniti2000]

Whoa, wait a minute. After finishing my coffee, let me say that's not right. The "multiple similar abilities" rule is for "items ... that don’t take up space on a character’s body." This is not such an item. In any case, you calculated it wrong because you add 2500 + 1875. you don't add in 1875 as a penalty. It's a reduction on the second ability.

For slotted items, there's a lot of debate. The most common implementation I see is to treat them as multiple different abilities and price the subsequent abilities at +50%. So the total cost would be 2500 + 3750. This implementation occurs because the rule is repeated later where the "different" aspect is not included: "If the item is one that occupies a specific place on a character’s body the cost of adding any additional ability to that item increases by 50%."

 

[Nail]

Say you want to make a hat that gives +5 knowledge arcane and +5 knowledge religion, is my math right on this?
100 * 5^2 = 2500 k: a
100 * 5^2 = 2500 k: r
.75 * 2500 = 1875 multiple similar abilites
= 6875 gp market value ?

I'm afraid there are only a VERY limited number of circumstances in which the "similar" clause applies when creating a magic item. Bonuses to 2 different skills on a slotted item is NOT one of them. You need to use the "Multiple different abilities => Multiply lower item cost by 1.5".

Besides, the "multiple similar abilites" clause would change one of the "2500gp" into "1875 gp", rather than adding it on top of the cost of both. See how Staves are priced.

The correct way:
+5 (Know-arcane)^2 * 100 gp
+5 (Know-Religion)^2 * 100 gp
plus 1/2 less expensive ability= 1250gp

= 2500 gp + 2500 gp +1250 gp = 6250gp

 

[Nail]

Whoa, wait a minute. After finishing my coffee, let me say that's not right.

Whew! I was about to express send a cup of latte.

 

[darthkilmor]

I'm afraid there are only a VERY limited number of circumstances in which the "similar" clause applies when creating a magic item. Bonuses to 2 different skills on a slotted item is NOT one of them.

Doh, didnt know that
so, what kind of circustances do work for the "similar" clause?

 

[Nail]

so, what kind of circustances do work for the "similar" clause?

The SRD has this sentence: "Multiple Similar Abilities: For items with multiple similar abilities that don’t take up space on a character’s body ..."

Note:

• in order to apply this at all, the item cannot take up a body slot,
• the sentence doesn't really tell us what "similar" means.

So then we go the next paragraph, about "Different Abilities": "Abilities such as an attack roll bonus or saving throw bonus and a spell-like function are not similar,..."

IOW: A similar ability is NOT an ability on a Body slot item, nor is it multiple different bonuses on some stat.

Does that tell you what a similar ability is? You tell me.

 

[MatthewJHanson]

Doh, didnt know that
so, what kind of circustances do work for the "similar" clause?

"Similar" is really a poor word choice in my opinion. I think "mutually exclusive" would have been better.

The main time it's used is in making staves. If a staff casts a 7th, 5th, and 3rd level spell, these are "similar" because they use the same pool of charges. The 7th level spell would cost full price, 5th would be 75%, the 3rd level would cost 50%.

If the ring granted a bonus to either Knowledg (arcana) OR (religeon) and you could change it once per day, I think that could also qualify as a "similar" ability.

 

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

"Similar" is really a poor word choice in my opinion. I think "mutually exclusive" would have been better.

Bingo. Right on. Etc.