Robe of the Incantator

[EvilGM]

How would you price this item?

I've included the prices that I came up with but need some help verifying/tweaking it.
Would you adjust the price up/down or is it good to go?
Would you change any of the powers?

Robe of the Incantator
+10 competence bonus to Spellcraft checks (10,000gp)

+1 caster level (15,000gp)
- half of a non-slot Ioun Stone @ 30k

continuous Mind Blank (120,000gp)
- spell level (8) x caster level (15) x 2,000 gp; 1/2 for 24 hr duration

continuous Shield (32,000gp)
- spell level (1) x caster level (1) x 2,000 gp; x2 for 1min/lvl duration = 4000gp

The shield effect is way too cheap so I looked at mage armor (2000gp, half the cost of shield due to 1hr/lvl duration) compared to what a normal +4 armor bonus would cost (16k) resulting in a factor of x8. This multiplies the shield effect cost to 32k. Sound good?

So...

120,000gp +
48,000gp (32,000gp x1.5) +
22,500gp (15,000gp x1.5) +
15,000gp (10,000gp x1.5)

= 205,500gp

Seems kinda pricey to me. Do robes get charged the x1.5 for additional powers? The Robe of the Arch Magi doesn't look like it does (and in fact looks like it gets a discount).

How much would you charge for a +2 bonus to caster level?

 

[dcollins]

Personally, I wouldn't allow this in the game I DM. The item is a bit too much much of a perfect wish-list. The Spellcraft bonus, caster level bonus, Mind Blank, and permanent Shield are all exactly the items that everyone wants that don't exist in the core rules items. (Except #2, and even that is suspicious.) My attitude is that several of these are near game-breakers all on their own (esp. Spellcraft if Epic spells come into play.)

 

[Antoine]

Robe of the Incantator
+10 competence bonus to Spellcraft checks (10,000gp)

+1 caster level (15,000gp)
- half of a non-slot Ioun Stone @ 30k

continuous Mind Blank (120,000gp)
- spell level (8) x caster level (15) x 2,000 gp; 1/2 for 24 hr duration

continuous Shield (32,000gp)
- spell level (1) x caster level (1) x 2,000 gp; x2 for 1min/lvl duration = 4000gp

First, the maths :

Spellcraft 10 000 gp. OK

+1 caster level. More expensive : a ioun stone is vulnerable. On the other side, bead of karma provides +4 caster level 10 min. daily @ 20 000 gp. What do I learn from this, that a +1 CL bead of karma placed on a "space using" item will probably cost 1/16th (since most bonus costs are squared in 3E) of 1/2 of these 20 K, around 625 gp. For 10 minutes a day. Since a day is 144 times 10 minutes, and a continuous item need not be activated, I'd estimate the cost around 90 000 gp (144 x 625), maybe discount it to 62 500 gp.

Continuous mind blank 120 000 gp. OK by the books, though cheap for the game.

Continuous shield : wrong. If item is CL 15, so is the shield. Then it costs at least 30 000 gp.

SO :
120 000 gp
+ 15 000 gp for spellcraft (different ability)
+ at least 93 750 gp for +1 CL (different ability)
+ 45 000 gp for shield (different ability)
= 273 750 gp

Two more points :
I wouldn't consider robes as discounting multiple effects items. I'd rather state it's the only body slot where you don't check for affinity, since its affinity is versatility (multiple effects by SRD).

I'd probably not allow non-epic items over 200 000 gp value, and kinda recall something in this line in the ELH.

Hope this helps.

 

[Vlos]

Yes as for costs go with Antoine's and Epic items are considered any item that costs over 200,000gp.

If a caster is creating this item, then I would probably not allow them to add the +1 level caster. It is a very powerful/nice item without it. If they/you are really set on having it raise the the caster level I would say it has the Beads of Karma buit into it and thus are use only (not constant). Adding more beads of Karma does not increase the level, but rather adds additional times per day its power is usable.

As a DM, I would make finding the Beads of Karma very very difficult, maybe adventures of themselves.

 

[Antoine]

Yes as for costs go with Antoine's and Epic items are considered any item that costs over 200,000gp.

If a caster is creating this item, then I would probably not allow them to add the +1 level caster.

+1 CL, I think most GM can manage (after all, nothing worse than an Archmage). And if you're sure of that over-200k-item = epic item, then we're protected from +2 or +3 CL items, which would probably average around 250k and 550k respectively if we go along the line cost = squared bonus x X.

What happens after 20th level is beyond control anyway.

 

[EvilGM]

Thanks for the posts.

I didn't even think about the Spellcraft bonus/epic spell problem. Oh well, the DM approved it and said I would need everything I could get my hands on (21-25th lvl epic campaign).

I did end up switching out the +1 caster level for +2 to caster level for purposes of penetrating spell resistance. I think the final price was 265k?

 

[ARandomGod]

Thanks for the posts.

I didn't even think about the Spellcraft bonus/epic spell problem. Oh well, the DM approved it and said I would need everything I could get my hands on (21-25th lvl epic campaign).

I did end up switching out the +1 caster level for +2 to caster level for purposes of penetrating spell resistance. I think the final price was 265k?

One point, perhaps too late for you.
Don't forget that you can say an item can only be used by one class to get a 70% discount on the price of that item. Very very handy in the higher cost items.