In a previous thread I discussed some possibilities for changing the rules for how magic items work. I am revisiting the subject in my GM campaign planning, so I had some other ideas I wanted to put out here for review and input. Additional notes and explanations are indicated in square brackets.
Here is the summary of changes that I thought about making for magic items (Changes to specific magic items are not included). The guiding principles behind these alterations are to make the magic item classes more internally consistent, to correct some sections that seem too vague or miswritten to me, to allow middle- and high-level spells to be placed into single-spell containers other than Scrolls and Staves, and to elaborate on some of the basic item creation procedures which will help make magic item classes of a similar appearance to be more easily distinguishable from one another.
1. Potions as a magic item class are restricted to spells that target creatures. Brewing a Potion requires at least one fluid ounce of liquid per spell level (or half an ounce for 0-level spells) for a base material.
2. Oils are set apart as their own magic item class. They follow the same rules as Potions but may contain object-affecting spells of up to 6th level. Class-specific prices as follows:
TABLE: OIL COSTS
The price of an Oil is equal to the spell level X creator's caster level X 50 gp, plus any added material component cost required for the original spell.
[sblock=Oil Costs]Cleric, Druid, Wizard, and Witch spells
0-level Oils: 25 gp
1st-level Oils: 50 gp
2nd-level Oils: 300 gp
3rd-level Oils: 750 gp
4th-level Oils: 1,400 gp
5th-level Oils: 2,250 gp
6th-level Oils: 3,300 gp
Sorcerer and Oracle spells
0-level Oils: 25 gp
1st-level Oils: 50 gp
2nd-level Oils: 400 gp
3rd-level Oils: 900 gp
4th-level Oils: 1,600 gp
5th-level Oils: 2,500 gp
6th-level Oils: 3,600 gp
Bard, Inquisitor, Magus, and Summoner spells
0-level Oils: 25 gp
1st-level Oils: 50 gp
2nd-level Oils: 400 gp
3rd-level Oils: 1,050 gp
4th-level Oils: 2,000 gp
5th-level Oils: 3,250 gp
6th-level Oils: 4,800 gp
Alchemist spells
1st-level Oils: 50 gp
2nd-level Oils: 400 gp
3rd-level Oils: 1,050 gp
4th-level Oils: 2,000 gp
5th-level Oils: 3,250 gp
6th-level Oils: 4,800 gp
Antipaladin, Paladin, and Ranger spells
1st-level Oils: 50 gp
2nd-level Oils: 400 gp
3rd-level Oils: 1,050 gp
4th-level Oils: 2,000 gp
Adept spells
0-level Oils: 25 gp
1st-level Oils: 50 gp
2nd-level Oils: 400 gp
3rd-level Oils: 1,200 gp
4th-level Oils: 2,400 gp
5th-level Oils: 4,000 gp[/sblock]
3. The feat Brew Potion is renamed to Brew Potions and Oils and allows the creation of both.
4. It would take a lot of reconfiguring, but I would like to rework the Ring item class so that it dealt almost exclusively with abilities that involved working with one's hands or which involve movement, defense, or melee combat. Some good examples of this are the Rings of Feather Falling, Climbing, Jumping, Swimming, Protection, The Ram, Force Shield and Telekinesis. Other rings do not really fit this paradigm at all: The Rings of Animal Friendship, X-Ray Vision, Regeneration, Djinni Calling, Three Wishes, Chameleon Power, Sustenance, and Elemental Command function more like Magic Garb or Wondrous Items.
5. Existing Rods which do not emulate a Metamagic feat are reclassified as Wondrous Items, and renamed appropriately. For example: Scepter of Lordly Might, Immovable Bar, Cane of the Python.
6. The function of Rods is also expanded to emulate other spellcasting-related feats such as Eschew Materials, Augment Summoning and Spell Penetration, so that Rods can used to augment spellcasting in many other ways besides metamagic.
7. When a caster desires to recharge a Staff, if any of the spells imbued has a material component worth more than 1 gp, the caster must provide that material component (or whichever material component has the higher cost, if more than one imbued spell has one).
8. Wands can be between 6 and 24 inches in length.
9. Existing Wondrous Items that occupy a body slot are reclassified as a separate magic item class, Magic Garb. Magic Garb items follow the same rules as for Wondrous Items; the main difference between the two item classes is that Magic Garb tends to be more powerful (and therefore are limited in the numbers and subtypes of garb items a character can have active at any one time).
10. The minimum caster level for the Craft Magic Garb item creation feat is 5th level, unlike Craft Wondrous Items which is 3rd level. [ 5th Level is equivalent to Craft Arms & Armor. ]
11. A single casting of a spell of up to 6th level that targets one or more creatures (but not objects) can be imbued into a new magic item class called Manna items. [ Not to be confused with 'mana' which is magical or supernatural energy. I borrowed the name from the miraculous edible substance described in the Bible and Quran. ]
Physical Description: Whereas Potions consist simply of a small amount of sweetened water, wine, or more exotic beverage, Manna items often combine several perishable ingredients prepared in a separate recipe from the actual process of crafting the magic item, and then wrapped up in cloth or stowed in a pouch or other container. Likewise, unlike an ordinary potion, the base material of the Manna item (as befitting its creation from a recipe of different ingredients) can be imbued with a single use each of multiple spells. However, multiple uses of the same spell cannot be imbued in a Manna item.
A Manna item must be made of fresh ingredients consisting of organic base material, which may take any form of solid food, condiment, spice, or dessert: enchanted fruit, wafers, biscuits, cookies, slices of cheese, strips of beef jerky, ginger, cinnamon, cakes, and pies are fairly common examples, although fresh fruit and spices generally are limited to Manna items holding spells of less than 4th level. A Manna item requires at least ounce of base material per spell level (or half an ounce for a 0-level spell).
Typically, the enchantment process must begin no later than two hours after the food item itself has been harvested, baked, ground up, or otherwise prepared (including the completion of any curing or preservative process), although casting Purify Food and Drink on a edible item past the two-hour limit will make it fresh again for another two hours. For example, salted meat that was prepared several weeks ago cannot be used as a base material (unless Purify is cast on it first), though the meat is still mundanely edible. Conjured foodstuffs created by spells such as Create Food and Water or by magic items such as a Sustaining Spoon are never suitable as base materials. The process of enchanting a Manna item includes decorating the object with sigils and calligraphy such as by etching the designs directly into the surface with a sharp tool, by applying some form of icing, glaze, or other flavoring that hardens or seeps into the object's outer layers, or (particularly with spices or condiments) spreading the material out on a clean, flat surface (such as parchment or a slab of glass) and then delicately shaping the grains of the material into the magical symbols needed for the ritual, after which the material can be collected into a container for later use. A Manna item will retain its freshness twice as long as ordinary food of the same kind, as stored under similar conditions. Spoilage and rotting can be forestalled by casting Purify Food and Drink on the item while it is still potent, or by storing the item in some kind of stasis. If age, rot, contamination, pests, poor storage conditions, or other circumstance robs the Manna item of its freshness, its magic is lost.
Activation: Consuming a Manna item requires no special skill. The user merely unwraps the packaging or removes the item from the container and eats or drinks the item (or whatever other food item the Manna item has been mixed into). The following rules govern Manna item use.
Consume a Manna item is a standard action. The Manna item's imbued spell or spells take effect immediately after the first bite or draft is swallowed (the remnant can be consumed by the user, but is not necessary). Using a Manna item provokes attacks of opportunity. An enemy may direct an attack of opportunity against the Manna item or its container rather than against the character. A successful attack of this sort can damage the food item, preventing the character from eating it and ruining the magic item.
A creature must be able to eat or drink the Manna item. Because of this, incorporeal creatures cannot use Manna items. Any corporeal creature can consume a Manna item.
A character can carefully administer a Manna item to an unconscious creature. It takes one full minute to force enough of the Manna item down the the creature’s throat for the imbued spell to take effect.
Special Notes: The effects of cursed Manna items only take effect when the item is consumed, and will usually mimic the effects of a Potion of Poison (75% chance). Otherwise, a cursed Manna item will carry its normal effect but invoke one of the drawbacks listed on PFCR page 538 as a side effect which persists until a Remove Curse is obtained. Listed drawbacks that affect items will instead target a random mundane item in the victim's possession.
Manna items follow all other rules as for Potions except as detailed above.
TABLE: MANNA ITEM COSTS
For Manna items containing a single spell, the price is equal to the level of the spell X the creator's caster level X 150 gp, plus any added material component cost required for the original spell. If a Manna item is imbued with multiple spells, the cost for each spell is calculated separately and then added together to find the total cost of the Manna item. Thus a Manna item that contains a Cure Light Wounds spell (150 gp) and an Aid spell (900 gp) would cost 1,050 gp.
[ I'm not attached to this price level; the Manna item class should be expensive enough so that Potions are not made obsolete, but not so expensive that it becomes an easy decision to choose the Wand version of a given spell over the Manna item version. ]
[sblock=Manna Item Costs]Cleric, Druid, Wizard, and Witch spells
0-level Manna items: 75 gp
1st-level Manna items: 150 gp
2nd-level Manna items: 900 gp
3rd-level Manna items: 2,250 gp
4th-level Manna items: 4,200 gp
5th-level Manna items: 6,750 gp
6th-level Manna items: 9,900 gp
Sorcerer and Oracle spells
0-level Manna items: 75 gp
1st-level Manna items: 150 gp
2nd-level Manna items: 1,200 gp
3rd-level Manna items: 2,700 gp
4th-level Manna items: 4,800 gp
5th-level Manna items: 7,500 gp
6th-level Manna items: 10,800 gp
Bard, Inquisitor, Magus, and Summoner spells
0-level Manna items: 75 gp
1st-level Manna items: 150 gp
2nd-level Manna items: 1,200 gp
3rd-level Manna items: 3,150 gp
4th-level Manna items: 6,000 gp
5th-level Manna items: 9,750 gp
6th-level Manna items: 14,400 gp
Alchemist spells
1st-level Manna items: 150 gp
2nd-level Manna items: 1,200 gp
3rd-level Manna items: 3,150 gp
4th-level Manna items: 6,000 gp
5th-level Manna items: 9,750 gp
6th-level Manna items: 14,400 gp
Antipaladin, Paladin, and Ranger spells
1st-level Manna items: 150 gp
2nd-level Manna items: 1,200 gp
3rd-level Manna items: 3,150 gp
4th-level Manna items: 6,000 gp
Adept spells
0-level Manna items: 75 gp
1st-level Manna items: 150 gp
2nd-level Manna items: 1,200 gp
3rd-level Manna items: 3,600 gp
4th-level Manna items: 7,200 gp
5th-level Manna items: 12,000 gp[/sblock]
12. Craft Manna, the item creation feat associated with Manna items, has caster level 5th as a prerequisite.
13. A spell of up to 8th level can be imbued into a new magic item class called Virges, small staff-like implements intended to be intermediate spell containers between Wands and Staves.
Virges contain a single spell of 8th level or lower and has 20 charges when created—each charge allows the use of the Virge’s spell one time. A Virge that runs out of charges is just a stick. If the Virge has a material component cost, it is added to the base price and cost to create once for each charge (20 × material component cost). Table 15–17 gives sample prices for Virges created at the lowest possible caster level for each spellcasting class. Note that some spells appear at different levels for different casters. The level of such spells depends on the caster crafting the Virge.
Physical Description: Most Virges (70%) have a small device or emblem at one end which signify the spell contained therein. A typical Virge is between 2 and 4 feet in length, weighs about 1 or 2 pounds, has AC 8, 8 hit points, hardness 8, and a break DC of 20. A Virge can also be used as a bludgeoning weapon (stats equivalent to a club) and will always be of masterwork quality.
Activation: Virges use the spell trigger activation method, so casting a spell from a Virge is usually a standard action that doesn’t provoke attacks of opportunity. (If the spell being cast has a longer casting time than 1 action, however, it takes that long to cast the spell from a Virge.) To activate a Virge, a character must hold it in hand (or whatever passes for a hand, for nonhumanoid creatures) and point it in the general direction of the target or area. A Virge may be used while grappling or while swallowed whole.
Virges hold a maximum of 20 charges. Each spell cast from a Virge consumes a charge. If a Virge runs out of charges, its magic is lost; therefore at least one charge must always be retained. Each morning, when a spellcaster prepares spells or regains spell slots, he can also imbue a Virge with a portion of his power so long the spell cast by the Virge is on his spell list and he is capable of casting it. Imbuing a Virge with this power restores one charge to the Virge, but the caster must forgo one prepared spell or spell slot of a level equal to the level of the spell cast by the Virge. For example, a 5th-level sorcerer with a Virge of Lightning Bolt could imbue the Virge with one charge per day by using up one of his 3rd-level spells. A Virge cannot gain more than one charge per day and a caster cannot imbue more than one magic item per day (whether it be a Virge or some other chargeable item like a Staff). If the spell cast by the Virge requires a material component worth more than 1 gp, that material component must be provided when the item is recharged.
[ Virge costs must be balanced against Wands, so as not to make them obsolete. A good comparison to Virges for purposes of determining a balanced item price is the Spell Storing special ability of weapons which allows a hold a single spell of up to 3rd level; the minimum cost of a Weapon of Spell Storing is 8,000 gp (+1 for the ability and +1 for the basic enhancement bonus). ]
TABLE: VIRGE COSTS
The price of a Virge is equal to the level of the spell X the creator’s caster level X 1,000 gp, plus any added material component costs required for the original spell (X 20 charges).
[sblock=Virge Costs]Cleric, Druid, Wizard, and Witch spells
0-level Virges: 500 gp
1st-level Virges: 1,000 gp
2nd-level Virges: 6,000 gp
3rd-level Virges: 15,000 gp
4th-level Virges: 28,000 gp
5th-level Virges: 45,000 gp
6th-level Virges: 66,000 gp
7th-level Virges: 91,000 gp
8th-level Virges: 120,000 gp
Sorcerer and Oracle spells
0-level Virges: 500 gp
1st-level Virges: 1,000 gp
2nd-level Virges: 8,000 gp
3rd-level Virges: 18,000 gp
4th-level Virges: 32,000 gp
5th-level Virges: 50,000 gp
6th-level Virges: 72,000 gp
7th-level Virges: 98,000 gp
8th-level Virges: 128,000 gp
Bard, Inquisitor, Magus, and Summoner spells
0-level Virges: 500 gp
1st-level Virges: 1,000 gp
2nd-level Virges: 8,000 gp
3rd-level Virges: 21,000 gp
4th-level Virges: 40,000 gp
5th-level Virges: 65,000 gp
6th-level Virges: 96,000 gp
Alchemist spells
1st-level Virges: 1,000 gp
2nd-level Virges: 8,000 gp
3rd-level Virges: 21,000 gp
4th-level Virges: 40,000 gp
5th-level Virges: 65,000 gp
6th-level Virges: 96,000 gp
Antipaladin, Paladin, and Ranger spells
1st-level Virges: 1,000 gp
2nd-level Virges: 8,000 gp
3rd-level Virges: 21,000 gp
4th-level Virges: 40,000 gp
Adept spells
0-level Virges: 500 gp
1st-level Virges: 1,000 gp
2nd-level Virges: 8,000 gp
3rd-level Virges: 24,000 gp
4th-level Virges: 48,000 gp
5th-level Virges: 80,000 gp[/sblock]
14. Normally, there is only a 1% chance for a newly-created permanent magic item to spontaneously develop intelligence. The new item-creation feat Craft Intelligent Item enables a caster to deliberately construct an intelligent magical item or imbue an existing permanent item with intelligence. Prerequisites for this feat are: Int 11, Wis 11, Cha 11, and Caster Level 7th. [ Compare to the minimum caster level possible for a 4th-level spell, which is the highest 3/day spell level listed on Table 15-24 and the lowest level of at-will spells on Table 15-26. ]
The creater of an Intelligent magic item can grant as high an ability score to the item as he possesses himself, but need not do so (to avoid Ego conflicts).
Only deliberately-constructed intelligent magical items can have dedicated powers.
15. When the creator of a magic-item fails his magic item creation skill check by 5 or more, he produces a cursed item with randomly-determined flaws. The new item-creaton feat Craft Cursed Item provides three benefits:
(a) You gain a +5 competence bonus to magic item creation skill checks when attempting to create normal magic items.
(b) Whenever you attempt to create a cursed magic item on purpose, you are able to customize the nature of the curse carried by the magic item, going by the tables on PFCR 535-539 as a guide. You can also create any of the specific cursed items listed in the PFCR or APG if you also possesses the appropriate item-creation feat for that item class. (Forge Ring feat for a Ring of Clumsiness, for instance.)
(c) You are always immune to any cursed magic items you create yourself (whether you create them on purpose or not). [ This aspect of the feat provides a great explanation for how cursed magic items get mixed in with seemingly harmless treasure hordes. The spellcaster who can handle his own cursed items without any trouble can put them to excellent use as magical portable traps and snares. Also, I'm pretty sure that the immunity aspect of this feat should not be retroactive. It would be kind of funky to let a character try to use this feat as some kind of 'antibiotic' against an existing curse that he brought upon himself. ]
The prequisites for Craft Cursed Item are any one other item creation feat and Caster Level 3rd. [ Not CL 1, because you need to know a little more than just enough to get yourself in trouble. ]
16. Most magic items aren't designed to take the kind of physical punishment that occurs in combat, but armor, shields, weapons. and some Magic Garb items are. Magical armor, shields, and weapons are impervious to damage from nonmagical weapons. (Masterwork weapons do not possess this ability, so such items placed within areas of antimagic or dead magic become as vulnerable as any other item of the same sort.)
Armor, shields, and weapons of a given enhancement bonus are also immune to damage from other magical weapons (and shield bashes) having an equal or lesser enhancement bonus. Thus a +4 sword can damage any armor, shield, or other weapon with an enhancement bonus of +4 or less, but is itself vulnerable to damage by a +5 sword. [ These added rules provide a balance against loading up a +1 weapon with fancy energy attacks and such, because a +1 Flaming Burst Wounding Throwing Keen Shock Defending Spell Storing weapon would be vulnerable to damage from a mere +2 sword having no other special powers. So--keep your +1 FBWTKSDSS weapon for killing monsters, but save your dinky little +2 sword for sundering your enemy's own +1 FBWTKSDSS weapons. ]
For purposes of resisting damage from magical weapons, treat Magic Garb items as having an effective enhancement bonus equal to one-third its Caster Level (minimum 1). This imperviousness to nonmagical and inferior magical weapons never translates to providing a bonus to the wearer's Armor Class.
That's pretty much what I have so far. I look forward to your input.
Here is the summary of changes that I thought about making for magic items (Changes to specific magic items are not included). The guiding principles behind these alterations are to make the magic item classes more internally consistent, to correct some sections that seem too vague or miswritten to me, to allow middle- and high-level spells to be placed into single-spell containers other than Scrolls and Staves, and to elaborate on some of the basic item creation procedures which will help make magic item classes of a similar appearance to be more easily distinguishable from one another.
1. Potions as a magic item class are restricted to spells that target creatures. Brewing a Potion requires at least one fluid ounce of liquid per spell level (or half an ounce for 0-level spells) for a base material.
2. Oils are set apart as their own magic item class. They follow the same rules as Potions but may contain object-affecting spells of up to 6th level. Class-specific prices as follows:
TABLE: OIL COSTS
The price of an Oil is equal to the spell level X creator's caster level X 50 gp, plus any added material component cost required for the original spell.
[sblock=Oil Costs]Cleric, Druid, Wizard, and Witch spells
0-level Oils: 25 gp
1st-level Oils: 50 gp
2nd-level Oils: 300 gp
3rd-level Oils: 750 gp
4th-level Oils: 1,400 gp
5th-level Oils: 2,250 gp
6th-level Oils: 3,300 gp
Sorcerer and Oracle spells
0-level Oils: 25 gp
1st-level Oils: 50 gp
2nd-level Oils: 400 gp
3rd-level Oils: 900 gp
4th-level Oils: 1,600 gp
5th-level Oils: 2,500 gp
6th-level Oils: 3,600 gp
Bard, Inquisitor, Magus, and Summoner spells
0-level Oils: 25 gp
1st-level Oils: 50 gp
2nd-level Oils: 400 gp
3rd-level Oils: 1,050 gp
4th-level Oils: 2,000 gp
5th-level Oils: 3,250 gp
6th-level Oils: 4,800 gp
Alchemist spells
1st-level Oils: 50 gp
2nd-level Oils: 400 gp
3rd-level Oils: 1,050 gp
4th-level Oils: 2,000 gp
5th-level Oils: 3,250 gp
6th-level Oils: 4,800 gp
Antipaladin, Paladin, and Ranger spells
1st-level Oils: 50 gp
2nd-level Oils: 400 gp
3rd-level Oils: 1,050 gp
4th-level Oils: 2,000 gp
Adept spells
0-level Oils: 25 gp
1st-level Oils: 50 gp
2nd-level Oils: 400 gp
3rd-level Oils: 1,200 gp
4th-level Oils: 2,400 gp
5th-level Oils: 4,000 gp[/sblock]
3. The feat Brew Potion is renamed to Brew Potions and Oils and allows the creation of both.
4. It would take a lot of reconfiguring, but I would like to rework the Ring item class so that it dealt almost exclusively with abilities that involved working with one's hands or which involve movement, defense, or melee combat. Some good examples of this are the Rings of Feather Falling, Climbing, Jumping, Swimming, Protection, The Ram, Force Shield and Telekinesis. Other rings do not really fit this paradigm at all: The Rings of Animal Friendship, X-Ray Vision, Regeneration, Djinni Calling, Three Wishes, Chameleon Power, Sustenance, and Elemental Command function more like Magic Garb or Wondrous Items.
5. Existing Rods which do not emulate a Metamagic feat are reclassified as Wondrous Items, and renamed appropriately. For example: Scepter of Lordly Might, Immovable Bar, Cane of the Python.
6. The function of Rods is also expanded to emulate other spellcasting-related feats such as Eschew Materials, Augment Summoning and Spell Penetration, so that Rods can used to augment spellcasting in many other ways besides metamagic.
7. When a caster desires to recharge a Staff, if any of the spells imbued has a material component worth more than 1 gp, the caster must provide that material component (or whichever material component has the higher cost, if more than one imbued spell has one).
8. Wands can be between 6 and 24 inches in length.
9. Existing Wondrous Items that occupy a body slot are reclassified as a separate magic item class, Magic Garb. Magic Garb items follow the same rules as for Wondrous Items; the main difference between the two item classes is that Magic Garb tends to be more powerful (and therefore are limited in the numbers and subtypes of garb items a character can have active at any one time).
10. The minimum caster level for the Craft Magic Garb item creation feat is 5th level, unlike Craft Wondrous Items which is 3rd level. [ 5th Level is equivalent to Craft Arms & Armor. ]
11. A single casting of a spell of up to 6th level that targets one or more creatures (but not objects) can be imbued into a new magic item class called Manna items. [ Not to be confused with 'mana' which is magical or supernatural energy. I borrowed the name from the miraculous edible substance described in the Bible and Quran. ]
Physical Description: Whereas Potions consist simply of a small amount of sweetened water, wine, or more exotic beverage, Manna items often combine several perishable ingredients prepared in a separate recipe from the actual process of crafting the magic item, and then wrapped up in cloth or stowed in a pouch or other container. Likewise, unlike an ordinary potion, the base material of the Manna item (as befitting its creation from a recipe of different ingredients) can be imbued with a single use each of multiple spells. However, multiple uses of the same spell cannot be imbued in a Manna item.
A Manna item must be made of fresh ingredients consisting of organic base material, which may take any form of solid food, condiment, spice, or dessert: enchanted fruit, wafers, biscuits, cookies, slices of cheese, strips of beef jerky, ginger, cinnamon, cakes, and pies are fairly common examples, although fresh fruit and spices generally are limited to Manna items holding spells of less than 4th level. A Manna item requires at least ounce of base material per spell level (or half an ounce for a 0-level spell).
Typically, the enchantment process must begin no later than two hours after the food item itself has been harvested, baked, ground up, or otherwise prepared (including the completion of any curing or preservative process), although casting Purify Food and Drink on a edible item past the two-hour limit will make it fresh again for another two hours. For example, salted meat that was prepared several weeks ago cannot be used as a base material (unless Purify is cast on it first), though the meat is still mundanely edible. Conjured foodstuffs created by spells such as Create Food and Water or by magic items such as a Sustaining Spoon are never suitable as base materials. The process of enchanting a Manna item includes decorating the object with sigils and calligraphy such as by etching the designs directly into the surface with a sharp tool, by applying some form of icing, glaze, or other flavoring that hardens or seeps into the object's outer layers, or (particularly with spices or condiments) spreading the material out on a clean, flat surface (such as parchment or a slab of glass) and then delicately shaping the grains of the material into the magical symbols needed for the ritual, after which the material can be collected into a container for later use. A Manna item will retain its freshness twice as long as ordinary food of the same kind, as stored under similar conditions. Spoilage and rotting can be forestalled by casting Purify Food and Drink on the item while it is still potent, or by storing the item in some kind of stasis. If age, rot, contamination, pests, poor storage conditions, or other circumstance robs the Manna item of its freshness, its magic is lost.
Activation: Consuming a Manna item requires no special skill. The user merely unwraps the packaging or removes the item from the container and eats or drinks the item (or whatever other food item the Manna item has been mixed into). The following rules govern Manna item use.
Consume a Manna item is a standard action. The Manna item's imbued spell or spells take effect immediately after the first bite or draft is swallowed (the remnant can be consumed by the user, but is not necessary). Using a Manna item provokes attacks of opportunity. An enemy may direct an attack of opportunity against the Manna item or its container rather than against the character. A successful attack of this sort can damage the food item, preventing the character from eating it and ruining the magic item.
A creature must be able to eat or drink the Manna item. Because of this, incorporeal creatures cannot use Manna items. Any corporeal creature can consume a Manna item.
A character can carefully administer a Manna item to an unconscious creature. It takes one full minute to force enough of the Manna item down the the creature’s throat for the imbued spell to take effect.
Special Notes: The effects of cursed Manna items only take effect when the item is consumed, and will usually mimic the effects of a Potion of Poison (75% chance). Otherwise, a cursed Manna item will carry its normal effect but invoke one of the drawbacks listed on PFCR page 538 as a side effect which persists until a Remove Curse is obtained. Listed drawbacks that affect items will instead target a random mundane item in the victim's possession.
Manna items follow all other rules as for Potions except as detailed above.
TABLE: MANNA ITEM COSTS
For Manna items containing a single spell, the price is equal to the level of the spell X the creator's caster level X 150 gp, plus any added material component cost required for the original spell. If a Manna item is imbued with multiple spells, the cost for each spell is calculated separately and then added together to find the total cost of the Manna item. Thus a Manna item that contains a Cure Light Wounds spell (150 gp) and an Aid spell (900 gp) would cost 1,050 gp.
[ I'm not attached to this price level; the Manna item class should be expensive enough so that Potions are not made obsolete, but not so expensive that it becomes an easy decision to choose the Wand version of a given spell over the Manna item version. ]
[sblock=Manna Item Costs]Cleric, Druid, Wizard, and Witch spells
0-level Manna items: 75 gp
1st-level Manna items: 150 gp
2nd-level Manna items: 900 gp
3rd-level Manna items: 2,250 gp
4th-level Manna items: 4,200 gp
5th-level Manna items: 6,750 gp
6th-level Manna items: 9,900 gp
Sorcerer and Oracle spells
0-level Manna items: 75 gp
1st-level Manna items: 150 gp
2nd-level Manna items: 1,200 gp
3rd-level Manna items: 2,700 gp
4th-level Manna items: 4,800 gp
5th-level Manna items: 7,500 gp
6th-level Manna items: 10,800 gp
Bard, Inquisitor, Magus, and Summoner spells
0-level Manna items: 75 gp
1st-level Manna items: 150 gp
2nd-level Manna items: 1,200 gp
3rd-level Manna items: 3,150 gp
4th-level Manna items: 6,000 gp
5th-level Manna items: 9,750 gp
6th-level Manna items: 14,400 gp
Alchemist spells
1st-level Manna items: 150 gp
2nd-level Manna items: 1,200 gp
3rd-level Manna items: 3,150 gp
4th-level Manna items: 6,000 gp
5th-level Manna items: 9,750 gp
6th-level Manna items: 14,400 gp
Antipaladin, Paladin, and Ranger spells
1st-level Manna items: 150 gp
2nd-level Manna items: 1,200 gp
3rd-level Manna items: 3,150 gp
4th-level Manna items: 6,000 gp
Adept spells
0-level Manna items: 75 gp
1st-level Manna items: 150 gp
2nd-level Manna items: 1,200 gp
3rd-level Manna items: 3,600 gp
4th-level Manna items: 7,200 gp
5th-level Manna items: 12,000 gp[/sblock]
12. Craft Manna, the item creation feat associated with Manna items, has caster level 5th as a prerequisite.
13. A spell of up to 8th level can be imbued into a new magic item class called Virges, small staff-like implements intended to be intermediate spell containers between Wands and Staves.
Virges contain a single spell of 8th level or lower and has 20 charges when created—each charge allows the use of the Virge’s spell one time. A Virge that runs out of charges is just a stick. If the Virge has a material component cost, it is added to the base price and cost to create once for each charge (20 × material component cost). Table 15–17 gives sample prices for Virges created at the lowest possible caster level for each spellcasting class. Note that some spells appear at different levels for different casters. The level of such spells depends on the caster crafting the Virge.
Physical Description: Most Virges (70%) have a small device or emblem at one end which signify the spell contained therein. A typical Virge is between 2 and 4 feet in length, weighs about 1 or 2 pounds, has AC 8, 8 hit points, hardness 8, and a break DC of 20. A Virge can also be used as a bludgeoning weapon (stats equivalent to a club) and will always be of masterwork quality.
Activation: Virges use the spell trigger activation method, so casting a spell from a Virge is usually a standard action that doesn’t provoke attacks of opportunity. (If the spell being cast has a longer casting time than 1 action, however, it takes that long to cast the spell from a Virge.) To activate a Virge, a character must hold it in hand (or whatever passes for a hand, for nonhumanoid creatures) and point it in the general direction of the target or area. A Virge may be used while grappling or while swallowed whole.
Virges hold a maximum of 20 charges. Each spell cast from a Virge consumes a charge. If a Virge runs out of charges, its magic is lost; therefore at least one charge must always be retained. Each morning, when a spellcaster prepares spells or regains spell slots, he can also imbue a Virge with a portion of his power so long the spell cast by the Virge is on his spell list and he is capable of casting it. Imbuing a Virge with this power restores one charge to the Virge, but the caster must forgo one prepared spell or spell slot of a level equal to the level of the spell cast by the Virge. For example, a 5th-level sorcerer with a Virge of Lightning Bolt could imbue the Virge with one charge per day by using up one of his 3rd-level spells. A Virge cannot gain more than one charge per day and a caster cannot imbue more than one magic item per day (whether it be a Virge or some other chargeable item like a Staff). If the spell cast by the Virge requires a material component worth more than 1 gp, that material component must be provided when the item is recharged.
[ Virge costs must be balanced against Wands, so as not to make them obsolete. A good comparison to Virges for purposes of determining a balanced item price is the Spell Storing special ability of weapons which allows a hold a single spell of up to 3rd level; the minimum cost of a Weapon of Spell Storing is 8,000 gp (+1 for the ability and +1 for the basic enhancement bonus). ]
TABLE: VIRGE COSTS
The price of a Virge is equal to the level of the spell X the creator’s caster level X 1,000 gp, plus any added material component costs required for the original spell (X 20 charges).
[sblock=Virge Costs]Cleric, Druid, Wizard, and Witch spells
0-level Virges: 500 gp
1st-level Virges: 1,000 gp
2nd-level Virges: 6,000 gp
3rd-level Virges: 15,000 gp
4th-level Virges: 28,000 gp
5th-level Virges: 45,000 gp
6th-level Virges: 66,000 gp
7th-level Virges: 91,000 gp
8th-level Virges: 120,000 gp
Sorcerer and Oracle spells
0-level Virges: 500 gp
1st-level Virges: 1,000 gp
2nd-level Virges: 8,000 gp
3rd-level Virges: 18,000 gp
4th-level Virges: 32,000 gp
5th-level Virges: 50,000 gp
6th-level Virges: 72,000 gp
7th-level Virges: 98,000 gp
8th-level Virges: 128,000 gp
Bard, Inquisitor, Magus, and Summoner spells
0-level Virges: 500 gp
1st-level Virges: 1,000 gp
2nd-level Virges: 8,000 gp
3rd-level Virges: 21,000 gp
4th-level Virges: 40,000 gp
5th-level Virges: 65,000 gp
6th-level Virges: 96,000 gp
Alchemist spells
1st-level Virges: 1,000 gp
2nd-level Virges: 8,000 gp
3rd-level Virges: 21,000 gp
4th-level Virges: 40,000 gp
5th-level Virges: 65,000 gp
6th-level Virges: 96,000 gp
Antipaladin, Paladin, and Ranger spells
1st-level Virges: 1,000 gp
2nd-level Virges: 8,000 gp
3rd-level Virges: 21,000 gp
4th-level Virges: 40,000 gp
Adept spells
0-level Virges: 500 gp
1st-level Virges: 1,000 gp
2nd-level Virges: 8,000 gp
3rd-level Virges: 24,000 gp
4th-level Virges: 48,000 gp
5th-level Virges: 80,000 gp[/sblock]
14. Normally, there is only a 1% chance for a newly-created permanent magic item to spontaneously develop intelligence. The new item-creation feat Craft Intelligent Item enables a caster to deliberately construct an intelligent magical item or imbue an existing permanent item with intelligence. Prerequisites for this feat are: Int 11, Wis 11, Cha 11, and Caster Level 7th. [ Compare to the minimum caster level possible for a 4th-level spell, which is the highest 3/day spell level listed on Table 15-24 and the lowest level of at-will spells on Table 15-26. ]
The creater of an Intelligent magic item can grant as high an ability score to the item as he possesses himself, but need not do so (to avoid Ego conflicts).
Only deliberately-constructed intelligent magical items can have dedicated powers.
15. When the creator of a magic-item fails his magic item creation skill check by 5 or more, he produces a cursed item with randomly-determined flaws. The new item-creaton feat Craft Cursed Item provides three benefits:
(a) You gain a +5 competence bonus to magic item creation skill checks when attempting to create normal magic items.
(b) Whenever you attempt to create a cursed magic item on purpose, you are able to customize the nature of the curse carried by the magic item, going by the tables on PFCR 535-539 as a guide. You can also create any of the specific cursed items listed in the PFCR or APG if you also possesses the appropriate item-creation feat for that item class. (Forge Ring feat for a Ring of Clumsiness, for instance.)
(c) You are always immune to any cursed magic items you create yourself (whether you create them on purpose or not). [ This aspect of the feat provides a great explanation for how cursed magic items get mixed in with seemingly harmless treasure hordes. The spellcaster who can handle his own cursed items without any trouble can put them to excellent use as magical portable traps and snares. Also, I'm pretty sure that the immunity aspect of this feat should not be retroactive. It would be kind of funky to let a character try to use this feat as some kind of 'antibiotic' against an existing curse that he brought upon himself. ]
The prequisites for Craft Cursed Item are any one other item creation feat and Caster Level 3rd. [ Not CL 1, because you need to know a little more than just enough to get yourself in trouble. ]
16. Most magic items aren't designed to take the kind of physical punishment that occurs in combat, but armor, shields, weapons. and some Magic Garb items are. Magical armor, shields, and weapons are impervious to damage from nonmagical weapons. (Masterwork weapons do not possess this ability, so such items placed within areas of antimagic or dead magic become as vulnerable as any other item of the same sort.)
Armor, shields, and weapons of a given enhancement bonus are also immune to damage from other magical weapons (and shield bashes) having an equal or lesser enhancement bonus. Thus a +4 sword can damage any armor, shield, or other weapon with an enhancement bonus of +4 or less, but is itself vulnerable to damage by a +5 sword. [ These added rules provide a balance against loading up a +1 weapon with fancy energy attacks and such, because a +1 Flaming Burst Wounding Throwing Keen Shock Defending Spell Storing weapon would be vulnerable to damage from a mere +2 sword having no other special powers. So--keep your +1 FBWTKSDSS weapon for killing monsters, but save your dinky little +2 sword for sundering your enemy's own +1 FBWTKSDSS weapons. ]
For purposes of resisting damage from magical weapons, treat Magic Garb items as having an effective enhancement bonus equal to one-third its Caster Level (minimum 1). This imperviousness to nonmagical and inferior magical weapons never translates to providing a bonus to the wearer's Armor Class.
That's pretty much what I have so far. I look forward to your input.
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