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Hey guys,
My DM has a confusing Magic Item creation price guide, because he has a mixture of editions involved in his game it all tends to be one big contradiction.
I was hoping people would share any tips on how they do things in their game? He wants to make it as realistic as possible.....Bags of Holding came out as 30,000gp :(
The one in 3.5, minus all the cost reduction and with a bit of clarification on what continuous means to prevent the Staff of Instant Death being a thing, should work fine. I don't see that you need to make your own creation guidelines, because if something falls outside the scope of that you're probably better off guessing for each individual item anyway.
I mean "Original" Item creation, he has a system where he bases specific abilities a certain price per spell level.
I'm just going to kind of wing-it on this and I'm sorry in advance if it isn't helpful at all -
1. Cost of raw materials should be pretty easy to determine based on the item guides
2. Enchanting an item from the beginning of it's creation could be easier/cheaper than enchanting a premade one (making the Neon Green Boots of Blinding Speed from scratch yourself imbues some of your own magic in it's creation, bringing costs in XP and/or $ down)
3. Some sort of Ritual casting spell going on during assembly
So for a Staff of Resurrection - an amount of materials equal to the number of times you want the staff to be able to cast Resurrection, access to the spell (either yourself, another caster, scroll, etc.), an actual staff, and a focusing ritual maybe?
Now that I've typed this, I can see my preference for RPing things out on the fly over having more concrete rules...
Not being familiar with crafting in any D&D edition, I'm not sure where your DM's system falls in with this.
So, you want to come up with a price for a magic item, but the guidelines in the books aren't enough for you? Come one, come all, to Jormengand's Magic Item Pricing Workshop!
Let's see what kind of item you want to make, and have a look at how to deal with it.
Q1: My item progresses saves, skills, spells per day, attack bonus, armour class or spell resistance in a linear fashion, or allows the use of a spell, or emulates the effect of a spell:
A1: Use the 3.5 item pricing guidelines. Don't use the cost reduction options: limiting an item's functionality so that your enemies can't use it shouldn't make it cost less money.
Example:
Axe of the Executioner
This +2 Greataxe instantly kills any unconscious creature the blade touches, and converts their life energy into power for the wielder. A will save negates this effect (DC 13*). If the save is failed, the creature is slain and the wielder gains 1d8 temporary hit points and +2 strength, as well as +1 caster level if they are capable of casting spells, for 10 minutes per hit die of the subject.
Weak necromancy; CL 3rd; Craft Magical Arms and Armour, Death Knell; Price 20320 gp
*The pricing guidelines don't specify a save DC, but you should assume that the spellcaster crafting the item has exactly enough intelligence, wisdom or charisma to cast the spell if you buy it rather than making it yourself.
Q2: My item is similar to another wondrous item:
A2: Consider the comparison with the other wondrous item. If your item is an infinite version of a single-use item, multiply the price by 40. If your item does more damage, holds more items, or is better in some other sense, the cost increases exponentially.
Example:
Phial of the Oceans Asunder
The moment that the stopper is taken out of this unassuming glass phial, a jet of water escapes at high velocity. 100 gallons of water are fired up to 30 feet each round, dealing 2d6 bludgeoning damage to anything that is hit by it. A DC 24 strength check is needed to avoid being knocked down by the water. The water will slowly force its way through buildings, dealing a minimum of 1 point of damage regardless of hardness, but the phial itself takes no damage. The water can be stopped using a command word.
Moderate transmutation; CL 9th; Craft Wondrous Item, control water; Price 81,000 gp
Q3: My magic item does something similar to a class feature, or makes class features better:
A3: Monk's Belt is your friend here; it does both of those things and so is a decent price basis.
Q4: My magic item works a little bit like a spell, but not really:
A4: Is it the same power level as the spell? More? Less? Just treat it as a level higher or lower if necessary.
Example:
Soulthief's Arrow:
This single piece of ammunition can be used with a longbow, shortbow, or crossbow. Any target it hits has its soul forever trapped within the firer's body. The arrow itself disappears when it steals a soul.
The creature hit is allowed a will save (DC 23), otherwise they are slain and cannot be resurrected until the creature who fired the arrow is slain.
Strong Conjuration; CL 17th; Craft Wondrous Item, trap the soul; Price 28,000 gp*
*Actual price was 27650 assuming material component for 20 HD, but you can change prices to make them look neater - notice I didn't bother taking into account the single piece of masterwork ammunition either.
Q5: My magic item does something really left-field and I don't know what it's like:
A5: Okay, relax, deep breaths. Now, if your item were a spell, what level would it be? For example:
Hat of Rabbits
Three times per day, a rabbit may be produced from the Hat of Rabbits by drawing into it and pulling out a rabbit. The rabbit bounces around for three rounds before disappearing in a puff of smoke. The rabbit avoids combat and only attacks if provoked, and the smoke does not impede combat.
Now consider:
Summon Rabbit
Conjuration
You summon a rabbit out of thin air. The rabbit bounces around for three rounds before disappearing in a puff of smoke. The rabbit avoids combat and only attacks if provoked, and the smoke does not impede combat.
That honestly sounds like a cantrip. How often can we use it? 3 times per day. Okay, so our item should cost 600 gold pieces, and be perfect for parties!