3
\$\begingroup\$

I am trying to work out the cost and mechanics of a wondrous item. I personally have not found an item of similar effect, therefore, I am using the magic item gold piece table as a guide.

Gloves of Calming Touch

Cost

Spell: Ceremony/Community Domain

Community: Celebration of Bonding. As a standard action, the subject can heal a touched creature 1d6 points of nonlethal damage.

Augmented: The subject is cured of the fatigued, shaken, and sickened conditions.

Since 1d6 of nonlethal healing is a little underwhelming for adventurers an optimal creator would pay the additional cost of 200 gp to augment the spell to gain the additional boon.

You may spend 10 Goods, Labor, or Influence or 2 Magic to create a larger ceremony and grant an additional boon ...

Spell Level: Cleric 1

Caster Level: min 3

Spell-like abilities are cast at a creature’s highest caster level gained, ...

Since Craft Wondrous Item requires a CL of 3, that is used as a baseline.

Duration Factor: 1/2

If the spell has a 24-hour duration or greater, divide the cost in half.

Since the duration is 3 days at a CL of 3.

You may spend 10 Goods, Labor, or Influence or 2 Magic to create a larger ceremony and grant an additional boon that lasts for 1 day per caster level (up to a maximum of 5 days).

Extra Cost: 20,000 gp

If item is continuous or unlimited, not charged, determine cost as if it had 100 charges.

Since there is an added material cost of 200 gp.

Total cost: 23,000 gp

spell level x caster level x 2,000 gp x duration factor + extra cost

Benefit

As a standard action you may activate Gloves of Calming Touch and touch up to 3 creatures healing them for 1d6 nonlethal damage and curing them of the fatigued, shaken, and sickened conditions.

The gloves may be active for up to 3 days or after 3 creatures have be healed, which ever comes first. After which an additional standard action must be used to reactivate the Gloves of Calming Touch.

Summary

Does this seem correct? If someone can find an item of similar effect would you please reference it? Furthermore, I am open to any concerns dealing with balancing.

\$\endgroup\$
6
  • \$\begingroup\$ You may be better off just asking the question Is there a magic item that does X? with X being whatever you want the magic item to do. (I think from the description that it's important that the magic item remove the listed conditions, but I can't be sure.) Then, if no answer's forthcoming, post your own custom magic item as an answer. \$\endgroup\$ Jul 7, 2018 at 5:03
  • \$\begingroup\$ You are correct. However, the item itself is pretty mundane, and not very flashy. So after I couldn't find something I figured that would have to roll something up, which is more fun imo. Really, I am less concerned with 'is there an item that does x', and more like 'am I applying these concepts right'. Teach a man to fish is the actual spirit of the question. Thank you though for the guidance! \$\endgroup\$ Jul 7, 2018 at 5:30
  • \$\begingroup\$ It's just that multiple answers will tell you that the Table: Estimating Magic Item Gold Piece Values is the last resort, and that the GM is better off creating something that does what the GM wants it to do, comparing that new item to existing items, and developing a price for the new item based on the price of the existing item. In other words, it's usually effect first and then determining the item's creation prerequisites rather than guessing what a spell does when it's turned into a magic item! \$\endgroup\$ Jul 7, 2018 at 5:41
  • \$\begingroup\$ That's not to discourage this question, of course! I mean, it's totally yours; you can ask what you want. But if there's an effect you want the magic item to have—even though that's not, apparently, the problem—, then that's usually a better place to start with making a magic item. And if you want to learn how to fish, you can, instead, just ask how to fish! :-) \$\endgroup\$ Jul 7, 2018 at 5:43
  • \$\begingroup\$ When making permanent magic items, always compare that to wands (the cheapest) and the example of the permanent true strike weapon given by the book (the most expensive). \$\endgroup\$
    – ShadowKras
    Jul 7, 2018 at 17:46

1 Answer 1

2
\$\begingroup\$

Your numbers aren't quite correct.

Costs:
Use Activated/Continuous Magic Item: Caster Level 1 * Spell Level 1 * 2,000g = 2,000g
Expensive Material Components: 200g * 100 = 20,000g
Time Modification: none

Total Cost: 22,000g (11,000g to craft)

Being that this is a custom item, you can set the CL. Ref:

While item creation costs are handled in detail below, note that normally the two primary factors are the caster level of the creator and the level of the spell or spells put into the item. A creator can create an item at a lower caster level than her own, but never lower than the minimum level needed to cast the needed spell.

Expensive Material Components works as you outlined (assuming the GM sees the Downtime material expenditure as Material Components; they're not actually called out as such).

You misquote the time bracket price modification; the full text is:

If a continuous item has an effect based on a spell with a duration measured in rounds, multiply the cost by 4. If the duration of the spell is 1 minute/level, multiply the cost by 2, and if the duration is 10 minutes/level, multiply the cost by 1.5. If the spell has a 24-hour duration or greater, divide the cost in half.

In context, it's more clear that these refer to the duration as written, not the actual duration when cast. An item that gives Extended Mage Armor (with a duration of 2 hr/CL) does not drop in price from CL 11 to CL 12.


The final ruling when a GM is deciding if an item is appropriately priced is to compare it to existing items that are similar in effect. These are the items I would compare to:

  • (8,000g) Merciful Vambraces: Removes conditions, but requires Paladin and only once per day. Condition removal is much more flexible. Probably about 1/2 to 2/3 the value of your item.
  • (15,000g) Bracelet of Mercy: Provides disease removal, which is moderately more potent than any one of the fatigued, shaken, or sickened but significantly weaker than removing 2-3 of those at one time. Also for Paladins. Probably of similar or slightly cheaper than you item.
  • (30,500g) Wayfinder with resonant Pale Green Ioun Stone: Two slotless items results in an inflated price, but allows you to remove only 1 of the 3 conditions, twice per day (but as a free action). Removing the slotless inflation, this combo would cost 15,250g. This effect is probably worth 2/3 to 3/4 the value of your item.

For these reasons, 22,000g is probably a very reasonable price tag to remove three basic conditions (and heal 1d6 non-lethal damage) as a Standard Action.

\$\endgroup\$

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .