PDA

View Full Version : Is this item overpowered? [3.5/PF]



Thomar_of_Uointer
2012-10-02, 07:20 PM
Cloak of Brilliant Winds
This gray silk cloak always shifts and billows, even in still air. Three times per day its wearer can use a command word to activate the cloak for 5 rounds, causing it to shed light as a torch and surrounding the wearer with multiple indistinct shapes of white light. While active the wearer has 50% concealment, produces 1d4+1 mirror images (as the spell for 5 rounds), and gains a +4 shield bonus to AC.
Lesser illusion and abjuration, CL 5th, Craft Wondrous Item, blur, mirror image, shield, 21,500 gp

Using the guidelines I got a 21,600 gp market price, which is a little less than +5 armor. I imagine the 5 round duration is a balancing factor for the way the buffs all stack. Is that too much or too little? Would I be able to cut the price down by making it a clothing item that couldn't be worn with armor?

Yitzi
2012-10-02, 07:38 PM
Doesn't really seem overpowered to me...keep in mind that you're sacrificing a standard action for a 5 round buff. It's only usable 3/day, so a defensively oriented character may be able to wait it out. It's great against rocket tag builds, but of limited use against builds designed to achieve and then win at longer fights.

Deviston
2012-10-02, 08:16 PM
Such a chara cter COULD wait it out, but why would they think the new defensive abilities even HAD a duration?

I like the item. Seems balanced and well thought out. The fact it's not static is where the lower price comes in... yeah I like this. Well done.

Garryl
2012-10-02, 11:53 PM
Core pricing guidelines say 40500g
CL 5 Shield 3/day (1x5x(3/5)x1800g = 5400g)
CL 5 Mirror Image 3/day (2x5x(3/5)x1800g = 10800g)
CL 5 Displacement 3/day (3x5x(3/5)x1800g = 16200g)
The shield and images cost 1.5x normal for being additional effects above and beyond the first (displacement).
Command word item usable 3/day is 3/5 for daily uses and an 1800g multiplier.
The Shield component can arguably be somewhat less, as it doesn't provide the protection against Magic Missiles nor incorporeal touch attacks, and has a dramatically reduced duration.
Overall, it should actually be valued more than indicated above, as not only are there three effects, but they are all invoked as part of a single action, so it's slightly more akin to a Quickened Shield/Mirror Image in a sense.

MiC pricing guidelines say not to charge more than what players will pay for the item, so with the short duration and standard action activation, you be the judge. Just remember the action advantage granted over using those abilities as three separate effects (which would normally take 3 standard actions, not 1).

DracoDei
2012-10-06, 06:13 AM
Technical notes:

Specify that you can't use the concealment to hide... in fact this should give a mondo penalty to hide. Actually, given that most creatures tend to notice motion (and thus staying still is better for hiding for more than one reason), if you want to get detailed with the mechanics to back up the fluff (something I strongly favor for immersion-building) I would suggest that it give penalties to hide even when not activated, but those penalties should specifically NOT stack with those for moving.
50% miss chance is for Displacement, while I actually agree on keeping Blur as the spell required to create it for fluff reasons, this should be considered in the pricing.
Cloak of Displacement is already an item, so that should give you an idea of how much it costs.


As for the actual numbers... when the PCs are the ones who are going to be kicking down the door*, regardless of what buffs they cast first, that 5 round duration isn't so harsh.
*Or teleporting into a fight, which gets a little cheesy: see "Scry and Die".

As for a defensively oriented character knowing to wait it out: that is one of the things that Spellcraft is for.