Rate My Staves!!!

[Xath]

I still think this is incorrect. The doubling of price comes at the end. Don't start off by multiplying by 750, because that'll give you incorrect results.

Let's see what my math says.

First, let's start with the base price:
In order to get that, let's calculate the non-discounted base prices of the included spells. I'll use a caster level of 13, since we don't have any spells above 7th level in the staff.
Greater Restoration: 7*13*750/4 = 17,062.5
Heal: 6*13*750/2 = 29,250
Mass Cure Moderate Wounds: 6*13*750 = 58500

Ok, base price. I'm going to use CL 15, since that's the level of the item creating spellcasters in our game; it will also give us the maximum effect of the Heal spell.

Greater Restoration: 7*15*375= 39375/ (4 charges) = 9843.75
Mass Cure Moderate Wounds: 6*15*375= 33750
Heal= 6*15*375= 33750/ (2 charges) = 16875

With a 25% discount for the second most expensive spell and a 50% discount for the third and following most expensive ones, we get:
58,500 + 29,250*.75 + 17,062.5*.5 = 88,968.75. Let's round that off to 89,000

This is incorrect. The DMG specifically says that the unaffected price is that of the highest level spell. Then continue down by subsequent price.

Thus it would be 9843.75 + (33750*.75) + (16875*.5) = 43593.75

This base price then gives us a couple of values:
Component cost: Base price / 2 = 44,500
Time taken: Base price / 1,000 = 89 days
Base XP cost: Base price / 25 = 3,560

None of the 3 spells above have a material component, so that charge is not applicable to the cost.
Time taken: 44 Days
Base XP Cost: 1743.75 = 1744xp

In addition to these base costs, we have the following additional costs:
Masterwork staff: 600 gp
XP cost for Greater Restoration: 500 XP * 50 charges / 4 charges per use = 6,250 XP

Masterwork staff is only 300; I don't double until the final cost.
XP Cost = 6250

This gives us a total cost to create of:
Gold: Component cost plus cost of MW staff = 44,500 + 600 = 45,100
XP: Base XP cost plus extra for Greater Restoration = 3,560 + 6,250 = 9,810

A masterwork staff only costs 300gp.

Gold: Base Price + Staff = 300 + 43593.75 = 43894gp
XP: Base + Component = 1744 + 6250 = 7994

And finally the market price:
Base price + extra components + 5* extra XP = 89,000 + 600 + 5*6,250 = 120,850

Market Price is

Creation gp*2 + Creation xp*5
43894*2 + 7994*5 = 87788 + 39970 = 127758gp Market Price

 

[Staffan]

I still think this is incorrect. The doubling of price comes at the end. Don't start off by multiplying by 750, because that'll give you incorrect results.

Not if you do it right. It's important to remember that the 750 figure gives you base price, not market price.

This is incorrect. The DMG specifically says that the unaffected price is that of the highest level spell. Then continue down by subsequent price.

OK, my bad. It would make more sense my way though, otherwise you can get inappropriate discounts by doing something like adding a high-level spell that uses up 25 charges per use (thus costing almost nothing) and then getting discounts on the lower-level spells that will actually be used.

None of the 3 spells above have a material component, so that charge is not applicable to the cost.

The "component cost" I refer to is the cost for the components for making the magic item. You don't just pour gold on a stick in order to make it magical, you need various weird components like basilisk scales, the breath of a zephyr, and whatever. It's just that these are abstracted into "components", aka "cost to create".

Masterwork staff is only 300; I don't double until the final cost.

A staff is a double weapon, and therefore a masterwork staff costs 600 gp. See the table for magic weapon costs.

Anyway, using the level-order for discounts rather than cost order, I get:

Greater Restoration: 7*15*750/4 = 19,687.5
Mass Cure Moderate Wounds: 0.75*6*15*750 = 50,625
Heal: 0.5*6*15*750/2 = 16,875

Total: 87,187,5. Round off to 87,000, to make things easier.
Component cost (aka creation cost) = 87,000/2 = 43,500
Base XP cost: 87000/25 = 3,480
Time taken: 87 days.

You seem to be calculating XP cost and time taken off the creation cost, which leads to halved values there in your version.

Then there's the additional XP cost for Greater Restoration: still 6,250 XP. And the cost of a masterwork staff, which is 600 gp since it's a double-weapon (whether it makes sense that a really well-made staff costs more than a really well-made heavy crossbow is a discussion for another time).

Taken together, we get:
Cost to create: 44,100 (43,500 + 600)
XP cost: 9730 XP (3,480 + 6,250)
Time taken: 87 days.
Market price: 118,850 (87,000 + 600 + 6,250*5)

Your market price is higher because you include the basic creation XP*5, not just the additional XP component for greater restoration

Edit: It's important to separate base price, market price, and creation cost. They are as follows:
Base price = Value determined solely from the magics that make up the item.
Creation cost (gold) = Half the base price, plus any special material components involved in the spells.
Creation cost (xp) = 1/25th of the base price, plus any special XP components involved in the spells.
Market price = Base price plus extra components plus 5*extra XP.

For 95% of items, market price and base price are the same, but when they're not things get complicated. Especially when making staves, which are pretty complicated to begin with.

 

[Xath]

Ok, I see it now. But the quarterstaff thing does seem a bit odd since it says 300gp in the chart. I'm not going to argue over 300 gp though. But with the cost you list above, we can all agree that the staff is balanced?

 

[Staffan]

Ok, I see it now. But the quarterstaff thing does seem a bit odd since it says 300gp in the chart. I'm not going to argue over 300 gp though.

I noticed that as I was looking through the SRD - the magic weapons table lists a masterwork staff as 600 gp, while the item creation cost table lists it as 300 gp. Odd.

But with the cost you list above, we can all agree that the staff is balanced?

Sure.

 

[Dareoon Dalandrove]

Can't you reduce the price because of like powers?

 

[Staffan]

Can't you reduce the price because of like powers?

You're already getting a discount for the second and third power.