# How to calculate the costs of a weapon enchantment?

For my new adventure I want to buy an Inspired Rapier and just do not get how to calculate it. I actually thought I calculate the costs of the weapon (20gp) plus the +1 enchantment (2000gp) and pay the Inspired with the +1 so instead of a +1 Rapier I have an Inspired Rapier.

Is that correct and if not, could anyone explain to me how to calculate this?

# The +1 inspired rapier has a price of 8,320 gp

• Get a masterwork weapon. Creating Magic Weapons says, "Only a masterwork weapon can become a magic weapon, and the masterwork cost is added to the total cost to determine final market value."
• Get that weapon at least a +1 magical enhancement bonus. Creating Magic Weapons also says, "A magic weapon must have at least a [+]1 enhancement bonus to have any melee or ranged special weapon abilities."
• Add other magic weapon special abilities. These can be either flat cost magic weapon special abilities or +1 or more equivalent magic weapon special abilities.
• Find the price. Consult the Magic Weapons Table: Weapon Pricing by Bonus and determine the weapon's equivalent total bonus then add to the price any flat cost weapon special abilities and the cost of the weapon itself (including masterwork cost, special materials, and so on).

As GMJoe mentioned, to price this +1 inspired rapier, the typical rapier costs 20 gp, and a masterwork rapier costs 300 gp more. A +1 enhancement bonus on the weapon costs 2,000 gp, and an additional +1 enhancement bonus (or, in this case, a magic weapon special ability equivalent to a +1 enhancement bonus) costs 6,000 gp more, for a total of 8,000 gp. That's 20 gp +300 gp +8,000 gp = 8,320 gp in all for a +1 inspired rapier.

• There's a dirty trick to figure out the value of a magic item, without needing to check that table out. Pick the total enhancement bonus squared, and multiply it by 2k. 2² = 4, 4*2.000 = 8k. No need for fancy tables :P – T. Sar Feb 25 '16 at 17:08
• This is correct but why I houserule it out. 8'320gp is too damn much for such a moderate benefit. The +1 enhancement bonus is mostly redundant as it doesn't stack with enhancement bonus from being masterwork. Though you do get +1 damage... whoopee. I do this to correct the terrible caster/combatant disparity where magic weapons are one way non-casters can keep up, but they can't keep up with such pointless "taxes" like this. – TREB Feb 27 '16 at 12:15
• @jvriesem Unfortunately, no. The +1 magical enhancement bonus is mandatory before magic weapon weapon special abilities can be added. For details, see the second bullet or Creating Magic Weapons. – Hey I Can Chan Jan 10 '17 at 22:07
• Also: the +1 inspired rapier still only has a +1 to attack rolls and +1 to damage, even though it has an effective enhancement bonus of +2, correct? – jvriesem Jan 10 '17 at 22:37
• @jvriesem We're approaching the point where this should be it's own question, but, yes, a weapon possessing only a +1 enhancement bonus grants its wielder only a +1 enhancement bonus on attack rolls and a +1 enhancement bonus on damage rolls even if that weapon's weapon special abilities make the weapon's price equivalent to a weapon with a much higher enhancement bonus. – Hey I Can Chan Jan 10 '17 at 23:00

In order to calculate the price of a magic weapon, you take the total enhancement bonus cost and add it to the cost of the weapon. Since you can only craft magic arms and armor with a masterwork item, you also need to include the masterwork cost (300gp). In addition, specific enchantments such as Inspired also require that the weapon be at least a +1 to begin with, so an Inspired Rapier is actually a +1 Inspired Rapier and has a total enhancement bonus of +2, bringing the total price to 8320gp.

First of all, keep in mind that, by the RAW, both Pathfinder and D&D 3.X mandates at least a +1 enhancement bonus on any magic weapon, before any special effects. That means you can't have a "+0" Inspired Rapier: it should at least be +1 already, and Inspired should be put above that.

That said,

There is a really quick way to get the cost of the enchantments of any non-fixed cost magic weapon.

First of all, pick up the total enhancement bonus of your weapon. In your case, you have the mandatory basic +1 enhancement bonus, plus the Inspired special ability. Inspired is equivalent to a +1 for effects of cost, so your weapon would cost the same as a +2 weapon when you sum the two up.

Pick up the +2, and square it up. Then, multiply it by 2.

That's the total gold value, in thousands of gold pieces, that the magical effects of your weapon cost.

On you case:

(+1+1)² x 2 => 4 x 2 => 8


So 8 thousand gold pieces, just on the magic enhancements.

Then, you should add up the cost of a masterwork version of the weapon you want (320gp for a Rapier).

That brings us for the grand total of 8.320gp*, for a +1 Inspired Rapier!

If you weapon was a +2 Inspired Rapier, the calculation would be:

(+2[enhancement] +1[Inspired])² x 2 => 9 x 2 => 18


So, it would cost 18.000gp in magical effects alone, plus the cost of the masterwork rapier (320gp), to a grand total of 18.320gp*.

*Taxes and delivery fees not included.

• something is wrong here since srt(1+1) is not 2 and srt(2+1) x2 is not 9, it is 18. So the weapon costs are not 18320, they are 8320. – ruedi Mar 2 '16 at 13:33
• @ruedi I'm not sure if I follow your rationale. That's exactly what I put on my answer! – T. Sar Mar 2 '16 at 15:06
• @ruedi: The final cost is 8320 gp, as TSar says in his answer. He went on to give the example of a +2 inspired rapier, which he calculates to cost 18,320 gp. TSar got it right. Does this make sense? – jvriesem Jan 10 '17 at 21:28