ROTG: Making Magic Items (Part seven)

[Trainz]

So we have the final installment on Making Magic Items:

http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/rg/20050118a

Things of note (IMO):

Use the Correct Formula: One item people frequently ask me about is a ring oftrue strike. The spell provides a whopping +20 insight bonus on attack rolls and negates miss chances arising from concealed targets. It's only 1st level, however, because it is a personal range spell with a duration of 1 round. That means you can normally manage one attack every 2 rounds when using the spell. Also, you can't bestow it on an ally (except for a familiar or animal companion) because of its personal range.

Assuming such a ring worked whenever it was needed and has a caster level of 1st, it would cost a mere 2,000 gp by the formula for a use-activated spell effect (in this case, 1 x 1 x 2,000 gp). Sharp-eyed readers will note that any continuously functioning item has a cost adjustment of x4 (see the footnotes to Table 7-33), which bumps up the ring's cost to 8,000 gp. That's a real bargain for an item that provides so much boost to a user's combat power. Much too great a bargain.

So, what would our example ring of true strike be worth? Insight bonuses aren't included on Table 7-33, but a weapon bonus has a cost equal to the bonus squared x 2,000 gp, so a +20 weapon would cost 800,000 gp. One can argue that the ring isn't quite as good as a +20 weapon because it doesn't provide a damage bonus. That, however, ignores the very potent ability to negate most miss chances. Also, the ring's insight bonus works with any sort of attack the wearer makes. On top of all that, the insight bonus stacks with any enhancement bonus from a magic weapon the wearer might wield. Still, 800,000 gp is a lot of cash and the lack of a damage bonus is significant, so some price reduction is in order. A 50% reduction might be in order, or 400,000 gp for the ring.

Would you pay 400,000 gp for a ring of true striking? I would if I could afford it. At a price of 400,000 gp, our mythical ring of true strike is something only an epic-level character could afford. That's fine, because epic play is where the ring belongs.

This sets a nice precedent on pricing stuff that can be problematic.

One thing that came up IMC (epic, a year ago), is a vest of greater heroism, always active. This in effect gives a +4 to hit, saves, skills, and immunity to fear (we decided to ignore the temporary hit points stuff for this item). At the time, I had no reference for how to price this item, so I followed the much sensible rule of "How much are you ready to pay for it", and arbitrarily set it at 600,000 g.p..

According to Skip, it's better to figure out what those pluses entail and ignore the base spell. SO...

+4 to hit: bonus squared x 2000: 32,000. Doesn't provide +4 damage, so half, but since it is stackable with regular sword bonus (and other standard bonuses such as bulls strength), it's a tad better, so let's just shave off 25%, which leaves 24,000 g.p.

+4 saves: bonus squared x 1000, but stacks with vest or cloak of resistance, AND it is an additional power, so I'll triple that: 48,000 g.p.

+4 skills: that's a rough one because it has a much bigger effect on a rogue than on a fighter. For a single skill it would be 4x4x100 or 1600, for the second skill I could add 50% more on the 1600, or 2400, and I could arbitrarily decide to calculate it for 10 skills (this bonus also applies on untrained skill checks), or (2400x9)+1600, or 23,200.

Immunity to fear: for this one, I am at a loss, but being immune to fear is more or less as good as having freedom of movement active at all times (ring of freedom of movement), so I'll base myself on the ring's price. I would MUCH rather have freedom of movement active all the time than being immune to fear, so I won't double this one: 40,000 g.p.

The vest of greater heroism thus comes at a total of 135,200 g.p., caster level 12th.

Makes any sense ? ? ?

 

[Klaus]

I'd calculate Immunity to Fear as an always-active Remove Fear spell. Freedom of Movement is much more powerful, with its bonus to escape grapples and stuff...

And after you've calculated all powers, start at the most expensive and then add all others in, using the multiplier for being additional powers.

 

[Diirk]

Well when you think about it, +4 to all skills is basically a +4 to all the different skills.. 35 or so. Except not quite, because some (knowledge, profession etc) actually have subsets, you'd get +4 to both knowledge (local) and knowledge (history). Also some skills are trained only, and you'd only get +4 to those trained only skills that you know. So its kinda hard to put a price tag on it like that, but if you estimated 40 it would work out to be like 4*4*100 * 1.5 (secondary item power) * 40... or 96000.

Luckily however we have a better guideline ! The stone of good luck. At 20k this handy thing gives +1 to saves, and +1 to skills and ability checks. The pricing guidelines say that +saves that aren't resistance bonuses are bonus squared * 2000 and gives the stone as a specific example. That means that the +1 to skills/ability checks must be worth 17000 (2000 * 1.5 for secondary power for the saves = 3000). So you could roughly guesstimate that 4*4*17000 = 68000 for +4 to skills and ability checks. Your vestment doesn't give ability checks tho, so maybe drop it down to 50k or so.

So +4 to hit, I'd suggest 4*4*1000 for enhancement ... and given the pricing guidelines in the SRD anything that isn't enhancement or competence seems to be worth double (eg armour enhancement vs ac deflection), so 4*4*2000 = 32000.

+4 saves is 4*4*2000 being a non-resistance bonus. It even clearly says that in the SRD so another 32000.

Finally, the fear immunity... 1*1*2000*2 = 4000 if you used remove fear as a basis. Not only is that too cheap, but remove fear doesn't even make you immune to fear, it only provides a +4 bonus against it (unless you plan to don the vest while feared ?). Honestly I don't know how to price this one. Maybe 20k?

50k + 32k * 1.5 + 32k * 1.5 + 20k * 1.5 = 176k. Rough estimate. Very rough.

 

[Diirk]

On a side note, bonus squared * 1000 is too cheap for an insight bonus to attack... it should more properly be bonus squared * 2000 (as per armour deflection) or even bonus squared * 2500 (as per armour 'other'). Non standard bonus types are worth alot more.

And if you feel 800,000 is too much for a +20 to hit, well... I mean, +20 to hit ?!?! The negating miss chance should cost more on top of that too

I feel that just makes sense. A ring of +1 insight bonus to AC would cost 2500, so a ring of +1 insight bonus to hit, which would complement the AC one exactly, should cost the same.