Rods of Metamagic

[Liminal Syzygy]

You mean they rock.

No I mean: < monte python and the holy grail faux french accent >they are a vaary nice< /monte python and the holy grail faux french accent >

wow. i would guess that makes the metamagic feats useless then in a game where magic items are readily available.

Yeah, not quite useless but there is much less reason to spend a feat on them.

 

[Plane Sailing]

My 8th level sorcerer character has a rod of lesser maximise and it is excellent for throwing out 48 damage fireballs (or a pair of 24 damage scorching bolts). Pretty cheap for the price (but it is nice to be able to see fireballs maximised for less than 60 damage, which doesn't normally happen.

This sorcerer has still spell and silent spell feats, so didn't worry about the rod of silent casting.

Cheers

 

[Orius]

The prices are much lower in 3.5. The costliest of the greater rods is quicken (170k), maximize (121.5k), and empower (73k), followed by silent, enlarge and extend (all at 24.5k each).

That's no good. The rods are cool, but overused could possibly have the ability to unbalance a campaign. The original prices were about twice what you have listed above: quicken: 340,200 gp, maximize: 243k, empower 145,800 gp, and the last three 48,600 gp. I think the original prices would be a good use for rule #0.

 

[Orius]

wow. i would guess that makes the metamagic feats useless then in a game where magic items are readily available.

Not necessarily. You need the metamagic feats along with Craft Rod to make the items.

Besides, while I'd allow casters to buy some of the lesser rods, I wouldn't put the greater rods up for sale. Given both the gp and XP costs involved, how many casters are going to crank out greater quickening rods for sale? Even if they are greedy, a greater quickening or maximization rod gives a caster great power. I would imagine many spellcasters capable of making such items would prefer to make them for their own use, instead of giving such power to potenial enemies and rivals.

 

[Nifft]

IMC, I put a limit of about 30,000 gp on what the market supports as comodities. Above that, you gotta comission it or make it yourself.

-- N