Pricing Help: Bracelets of Elementals

[Fiery Diamond]

How would you people price the following items? (They are one-of-a-kind items in the campaign(at least at the moment) but I'm asking for balance reasons)

Bracelet of Fire Elementals
This bracelet (for the purpose of sundering, treat as inch-thick adamantine) is set with numerous red jewels. It contains 8 tiny red garnets (worth 10gp each), 4 small red garnets(worth 25gp each), 2 tiny fire opals(worth 100gp each), and 1 small fire opal(worth 250gp each). Each of these gems is possessed of the power to summon and control a fire elemental.

Gem type|Elemental Size|Fire Points|Duration
8 tiny garnets|Small|5|10 rounds
4 small garnets|Medium|15|10 rounds
2 tiny fire opals|Large|45|10 rounds
1 small fire opal|Huge|135|10 rounds

In order to summon an elemental from a gem, the gem must be "charged" by being dealt fire damage, as listed under "Fire Points" above. The damage need not be dealt at the same time. The gems listed at the top of the table are charged first, and the gems at the bottom are charged last. Once a gem is fully charged, an elemental can be summoned. You can summon up to 8 small elementals simultaneously, up to 4 medium elementals simultaneously, up to 2 large elementals simultaneously, and one huge elemental. They remain summoned for 10 rounds. You are not limited to a certain number of elementals which may be summoned. (meaning- while you can't summon 8 small and 4 medium in the same turn, you can summon 8 small one turn and 4 medium the next).

Each gem can only be used once weekly, however, and cannot be charged once used until after the dawn of the first day of the week. The dawn also resets all current fire point charges to zero.

Interestingly, this bracelet offers a few "benefits" that normal summoning does not. The first benefit is that you can give general orders to the elementals even if you do not speak their language as a free action. The second, and much more questionable, benefit is that summoning only uses a standard action. However, the summoned elemental cannot act until your next turn, leaving it vulnerable in the meantime.

Bracelet of Fire Elementals (Consecrated to the Sun God, Sol)

Gem type|Elemental Size|Fire Points|Duration
8 tiny garnets|Medium|10|10 rounds
4 small garnets|Large|30|10 rounds
2 tiny fire opals|Huge|90|10 rounds
1 small fire opal|Greater|270|10 rounds

In all other respects, this functions as the Bracelet of Fire Elementals above.

Bracelet of Fire Elementals (Consecrated to the Goddess of Chance, Chanera)

Gem type|Elemental Size|Fire Points|Duration
8 tiny garnets|Small (1-8) or Large (9-10)|10|2d10 rounds
4 small garnets|Medium (1-8) or Huge (9-10)|30|2d10 rounds
2 tiny fire opals|Large (1-8) or Greater (9-10)|90|2d10 rounds
1 small fire opal|Huge (1-8) or Elder (9-10)|270|2d10 rounds

Every time an elemental is summoned, roll d10. On a result of 1-8, it summons the first option for size. On a result of 9-10 it summons the second option for size.
In all other respects, this functions as the Bracelet of Fire Elementals above.

Bracelet of Fire Elementals (Consecrated to the Sun God, Sol AND the Goddess of Change, Chanera)

Gem type|Elemental Size|Fire Points|Duration
8 tiny garnets|Medium (1-8) or Huge (9-10)|20|2d10 rounds
4 small garnets|Large (1-8) or Greater (9-10)|60|2d10 rounds
2 tiny fire opals|Huge (1-8) or Elder (9-10)|180|2d10 rounds
1 small fire opal|Greater (1-8) or Monolith (9-10)|540|2d10 rounds

Every time an elemental is summoned, roll d10. On a result of 1-8, it summons the first option for size. On a result of 9-10 it summons the second option for size.
If a Monolith is summoned, there is a 10% chance that it will act on its own rather than following the commands of the summoner.
In all other respects, this functions as the Bracelet of Fire Elementals above.


Bracelet of Water Elementals
As Bracelet of Fire Elementals, but requires cold damage or damage dealt from water effects (though such things only offer 1 point for 2 points of damage) and summons water Elementals.

Bracelet of Water Elementals (Consecrated to the Moon Goddess, Luna)
As Bracelet of Fire Elementals consecrated to the Sun God, Sol (but of course, water/cold damage and water elementals).

Bracelet of Water Elementals (Consecrated to the Goddess of Change, Chanera)
As Bracelet of Fire Elementals consecrated to the same (but of course, water/cold damage and water elementals).

Bracelet of Water Elementals (Consecrated to the Moon Goddess, Luna AND the Goddess of Change, Chanera)
I think you can figure out what this corresponds to.

Bracelet of Air Elementals
Electric damage.
And of course, the corresponding 3 consecrated versions (the Goddess of the Stars, Stella, and the Goddess of Change, Chanera, just so you know).

Bracelet of Earth Elementals
Acid damage and damage from earth effects(at half point conversion).
And the corresponding 3 consecrated versions (The God of the Hunt, Arkon, and the Goddess of Change, Chanera, just so you know).

No, it will not be a simple task to get them consecrated, so don't take that into consideration when offering prices for the basic versions.

[Drolyt]

Summoning a Huge Elemental is a 7th level spell. That would be 13 x 7 x 2000 GP, or 182,000 GP, if it was usable at will. 1/day would be 36,400 (I think), but your item can only call a huge elemental once weekly and requires you to deal unreasonable fire damage to it, so less than 30,000 GP at any rate.

[lightningcat]

In order to summon an elemental from a gem, the gem must be "charged" by being dealt fire damage, as listed under "Fire Points" above. The damage need not be dealt at the same time.
.....
Each gem can only be used once weekly, however, and cannot be charged once used until after the dawn of the first day of the week. The dawn also resets all current fire point charges to zero.


Now does this mean that you ignore the first 325 points (650 points if Consecrated to the Sun God, Sol) of fire damage you would take each week?
Or do you (or the bracelet) must take that much damage to charge the item up. And if that is the case, then would leaving it in the fire overnight work to get some charges?

As for price, if they work like my original question, then they would be lesser artifacts. But really cool.

[Fiery Diamond]

Now does this mean that you ignore the first 325 points (650 points if Consecrated to the Sun God, Sol) of fire damage you would take each week?
Or do you (or the bracelet) must take that much damage to charge the item up. And if that is the case, then would leaving it in the fire overnight work to get some charges?

As for price, if they work like my original question, then they would be lesser artifacts. But really cool.

It works like the latter. And yes, I would say that you could get some charges that way - I'm not sure exactly how I'd rule it for how much you would get, though, since I don't want it to be too easy to charge.

[lightningcat]

Using all of the following spells once per week (1 Summon Nature Ally VI, 2 Summon Nature Ally V, 4 Summon Nature Ally IV, 8 Summon Nature Ally II) would add up to about 20,571 gp.
As you would then have to deal with the damage, I would place it about half that, call it about 10,000 gp, maybe 12,000 gp, and make it so it does not take up a item slot, but it loses it's charges if it changes owners.

[DracoDei]

A campfire probably deals at least 2d6 damage per round.
Average 7 per round.
70 per minute.
Sounds like it would take less than 10 minutes to fully charge one in a standard campfire.
Give it fire-resistance 5 that applies BEFORE the charging and immunity that applies AFTERWARD?
Have it lose 1 point per round?
Make it not get any charges from non-magical fire?
Say that only the smallest gems can get charges from non-magical fire?

[Drolyt]

Yeah with all the restrictions using an item slot makes it very hard to justify. Duplicating a 7th level spell, even once a week, would normally justify a large expense, but in this case it really doesn't. Even if you make it only cost 10,000 GP then the earliest level they could have it (assuming WBL as in the DMG) is beyond the Huge Elemental's CR of 7. Most likely no character could afford this until about 11th or 12th level, and then the only reason anyone would ever buy it would be to get it sanctified so that it was actually useful. So 10,000 GP sounds about right, even if it doesn't use up a magic item slot.

[Drolyt]

A campfire probably deals at least 2d6 damage per round.
Average 7 per round.
70 per minute.
Sounds like it would take less than 10 minutes to fully charge one in a standard campfire.
Give it fire-resistance 5 that applies BEFORE the charging and immunity that applies AFTERWARD?
Have it lose 1 point per round?
Make it not get any charges from non-magical fire?
Say that only the smallest gems can get charges from non-magical fire?

I agree. Non-magical fire shouldn't charge it. Though I'm not sure a campfire deals 2d6 per round. Even 1d6 would imply that a campfire should kill a first level commoner (that is, someone in the real world) in six seconds, which is hard to believe.

[Raiki]

Yeah, 2d6 damage/round is a bit ridiculous for a nonmagical campfire. I would say that a normal campfire does 1 point of damage per round if it were my game.

So let's break down the math. 1 damage per round means 10 damage per minute. It takes 325 damage to charge to full, so that puts it at 32.5 minutes.

Still a bit too easy to charge. But if you put the stipulation that only the garnets can be charged by nonmagical fire damage, then I should think it wouldn't be too much. As someone already pointed out, that just equals out to 8 castings of summon monster 2 and 4 castings of summon monster 3 per week. 10,000gp doesn't seem like too little for that. Maybe tack on another 2500 for the rest, considering the difficulty of dealing that much magical fire damage and the weekly reset button.

Obviously, the price for the stronger versions should be increased accordingly.

[Drolyt]

Yeah, 2d6 damage/round is a bit ridiculous for a nonmagical campfire. I would say that a normal campfire does 1 point of damage per round if it were my game.

So let's break down the math. 1 damage per round means 10 damage per minute. It takes 325 damage to charge to full, so that puts it at 32.5 minutes.

Still a bit too easy to charge. But if you put the stipulation that only the garnets can be charged by nonmagical fire damage, then I should think it wouldn't be too much. As someone already pointed out, that just equals out to 8 castings of summon monster 2 and 4 castings of summon monster 3 per week. 10,000gp doesn't seem like too little for that. Maybe tack on another 2500 for the rest, considering the difficulty of dealing that much magical fire damage and the weekly reset button.

Obviously, the price for the stronger versions should be increased accordingly.

The stronger versions should cost more, but the sheer hassle of using the items means that (somewhat paradoxically) they pretty much need to be underpriced for any optimizers to consider using them; actually, even then no one would. As for using those items as plot devices, I don't see why they really need a price then. So 10,000 GP for the base item, then require alot of work to get it sanctified.