Recharging and Self-recharging magic item costs

[Li Shenron]

What could be a reasonable cost multiplier for wands and staves if they had one of the following properties?

Recharging items:
If you have the same Item Creation Feat and requisites (including spells) to craft the item, you can restore the used charges of the item. It takes a proportionate amount of gp, xp and time to do so.

(example: a Wand that normally costs 5000gp/400xp/5days to craft and has 50 charges is used and 20 charges are left, you can restore the used 30 charges by spending 3000gp/240xp/3days)

Self-Recharging items (fast version):
The item automatically recharges itself, free of costs, one used charge is restored every day.

Self-Recharging items (slow version):
The item automatically recharges itself, free of costs, one used charge is restored every week.

 

[Jack Simth]

Bear in mind, any responses are basically going to be gut-reaction guesses....

What could be a reasonable cost multiplier for wands and staves if they had one of the following properties?

Recharging items:
If you have the same Item Creation Feat and requisites (including spells) to craft the item, you can restore the used charges of the item. It takes a proportionate amount of gp, xp and time to do so.

(example: a Wand that normally costs 5000gp/400xp/5days to craft and has 50 charges is used and 20 charges are left, you can restore the used 30 charges by spending 3000gp/240xp/3days)

Not particularly much of a balance issue; maybe a 10%-20% cost increase for the convence of being able to only spend a few XP/GP at a time.

Self-Recharging items (fast version):
The item automatically recharges itself, free of costs, one used charge is restored every day.

Campaign dependant. If you're constantly rushed and burning through charges, this is about a 10% price increase over the base wand/staff for a fully charged one - theoretcially, you could just sit around a while and have it recharged... in practice, you're going to run out. A Lot.

If you're never rushed and have time to sit around for it to fully recharge, this is about a 80% price increase over the base wand/staff (which, incidentally, puts it at a 10% price decrease from a limitless use version of the item) because in practice it would be near-infinite casting.

Self-Recharging items (slow version):
The item automatically recharges itself, free of costs, one used charge is restored every week.

Same as the fast version, but the campaign dependance is a bit more pronounced.

 

[Li Shenron]

...this is about a 80% price increase over the base wand/staff (which, incidentally, puts it at a 10% price decrease from a limitless use version of the item)

Where did you find limitless-use versions of staves/wands?

I can find a note in SRD that an item with 50 charges should cost 50% than an item with unlimited use, but I think that applies to command-word items.

Do you think it's safe to just double the price, for unlimited-charges wands and staves?

Thanks!

 

[Li Shenron]

(bump)

Can someone else confirm that a x2 price multiplier is appropriate to go from a wand/staff to an identical one but with unlimited charges ?

 

[CyberSpyder]

(bump)

Can someone else confirm that a x2 price multiplier is appropriate to go from a wand/staff to an identical one but with unlimited charges ?

From the SRD, the special effect "Charged (50 charges)" has the base price adjustment "½ unlimited use base price." So, yes, one could logically conclude that as far as the magic item creation rules apply, an infinite-use wand should cost twice as much as a 50-use wand.

In practice, that sounds like it may be too cheap of a price for many, many wands, but making them recharge instead of simply being infinite might be a good balance.