Brauron
2011-11-01, 05:19 PM
One of my players started building a back-up character for my campaign, as I issued a warning that the session upcoming this weekend has a high chance of character death, and asked that players come prepared with a name, race, class, and reason for adventuring for a back-up character, just in case. This guy decided to actually build a full back-up character.
He always asks permission to give his characters custom magic items. Since 99% of the time these aren't game-breaking and are usually pretty flavorful and sometimes turn into plot-hooks in their own right, I'm pretty comfortable allowing them. For example, his current character is an Open Hand Fighter wearing a pair of magic bracers that, when clashed together and a command word spoken, cast Shield as a first-level caster, usable three times per day.
His back-up character is a roguish type, and he asked me to help him figure out what a custom item he wants would cost.
It's a cloak, enchanted under the light of the moon, to have several magic properties...that only work outside, at night. It gives a +2 bonus to AC (we agreed to count it as a Circumstance Bonus, since none of the other possibilities really made sense to us in discussing this), if he's moving it is treated as casting Blur, and if he's standing still for one or more full rounds, it is treated as casting Invisibility. Again, all of this only works if he's outside, under the open sky, and it is night-time.
Now, checking the rules for custom magic item, for an item giving a +2 bonus to AC that is not a deflection bonus, and also casting Invisibility and Blur as more or less "continuous" effects (if he stands still for an hour, he's invisible for an hour, if he moves for an hour, he's blurred for that hour), I'm coming up with a raw price of 34,000 GP. Because it only works at night, my immediate reaction is to slash the price in half, to 17,000 GP.
What do you say, Playgrounders? Am I doing it right, or am I completely and totally off base?
He always asks permission to give his characters custom magic items. Since 99% of the time these aren't game-breaking and are usually pretty flavorful and sometimes turn into plot-hooks in their own right, I'm pretty comfortable allowing them. For example, his current character is an Open Hand Fighter wearing a pair of magic bracers that, when clashed together and a command word spoken, cast Shield as a first-level caster, usable three times per day.
His back-up character is a roguish type, and he asked me to help him figure out what a custom item he wants would cost.
It's a cloak, enchanted under the light of the moon, to have several magic properties...that only work outside, at night. It gives a +2 bonus to AC (we agreed to count it as a Circumstance Bonus, since none of the other possibilities really made sense to us in discussing this), if he's moving it is treated as casting Blur, and if he's standing still for one or more full rounds, it is treated as casting Invisibility. Again, all of this only works if he's outside, under the open sky, and it is night-time.
Now, checking the rules for custom magic item, for an item giving a +2 bonus to AC that is not a deflection bonus, and also casting Invisibility and Blur as more or less "continuous" effects (if he stands still for an hour, he's invisible for an hour, if he moves for an hour, he's blurred for that hour), I'm coming up with a raw price of 34,000 GP. Because it only works at night, my immediate reaction is to slash the price in half, to 17,000 GP.
What do you say, Playgrounders? Am I doing it right, or am I completely and totally off base?