Determining Magic Item Market Price

[Uncensored]

In our current campaign, the DM has stated that we are able to mail order any "basic" magic item we like from any published source.

I haven't been able to determine exactly how much magic items cost, though, especially if they have multiple effects.

Let's say, for example, that I want a Scythe of Spell Storing.

A Scythe costs 18gp, but I decided I wanted a really cool-looking War Scythe(same effects, but, you know, stylish), so I figured 50gp for the base weapon. I'm not rolling in gold, but I'll pay a little more for my Sorcerer to not look like a wandering farmer.

A +1 effect costs 2,000gp, and Spell-Storing counts as a +1 effect.

So far, so good.

Now, I believe that one of the core rulebooks stated that magic effects have to be placed on magic items. Does this mean that in order to get my Scythe of Spell-Storing, I have to start with a +1 Scythe, and then put Spell-Storing onto that?

Also, how do I stack magical effects? I'm pretty sure I can't just stack several different +1 effects onto my Scythe for 2,000g each, but I'm not sure of the formula for multiple magical effects.

As usual, all assistance is immensely appreciated, and if you have book/page references, even better.

[kardar233]

Firstly, you have to make the weapon masterwork (for 300gp) before you can enchant it.

Secondly, you determine cost by adding up all the +whatever bonuses (+1, +1 for Flaming, etc.) and then finding the cost of the whole deal. You also have to have a +1 before you put abilities on it. So a +1 Flaming Scythe would count as a +2 weapon and cost 8,000gp.

[watchwood]

Specifically, it would cost 8318 Gold. 8000 for the magic, 300 for being masterwork (which includes it being as ornate as you like), and 18 for a scythe.

See the rules on magic item creation:

http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic-items#TOC-Magic-Item-Creation

[Uncensored]

So in the Scythe of Spell-Storing example, I could buy a +1 Scythe for 2,318gp.

Later, when I want to upgrade the +1 Scythe with the Spell-Storing effect, would it cost the price of a +2 weapon(8,000gp) minus 2,318gp?

So I could buy a +1 Scythe now for 2,318gp, then pay 5,682gp to upgrade it? That doesn't seem quite right.


[Also, the rules on Magic Item creation are far more oriented towards characters creating the items themselves rather than purchasing them outright. Though I've read through it several times, my eyes tend to glaze over.]

[Shpadoinkle]

when I want to upgrade the +1 Scythe with the Spell-Storing effect, would it cost the price of a +2 weapon(8,000gp) minus 2,318gp?

So I could buy a +1 Scythe now for 2,318gp, then pay 5,682gp to upgrade it? That doesn't seem quite right.

Strictly by the rules, no, you can't modify a magic item once it's been created. A +1 scythe is forever a +1 scythe, unless it gets destroyed at which point it becomes useless crap. being able to upgrade items like you described isn't an uncommon (or unreasonable, in my opinion) houserule though. In my games I rule that yeah, you have to pay the difference, plus an additional 10-20% or so (depending on various circumstances) for materials and labor.

The artificer class (Eberron Campaign Setting, I think, but I'm not certain. It's definitely one of the Eberron books though) has the ability to "disenchant" items, making them nonmagical, and use that magical energy towards building new items. So you might loko around for an NPC artificer.

[BowStreetRunner]

Strictly by the rules, no, you can't modify a magic item once it's been created.

The rules for Improving Magic Items can be found on page 233 of the Magic Item Compendium.

Edit: and in the SRD here (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/magicItems/creatingMagicItems.htm#addingNewAbilities), and on page 288 of the DMG under Adding New Abilities.

[TuggyNE]

So in the Scythe of Spell-Storing example, I could buy a +1 Scythe for 2,318gp.

Later, when I want to upgrade the +1 Scythe with the Spell-Storing effect, would it cost the price of a +2 weapon(8,000gp) minus 2,318gp?

So I could buy a +1 Scythe now for 2,318gp, then pay 5,682gp to upgrade it? That doesn't seem quite right.

You would pay 6000gp to upgrade to spell-storing. (The total cost of a +1 spell-storing scythe or any other +2 equivalent scythe is, as mentioned, 8318 gp; 8318 - 2318 = 6000gp.)

[Uncensored]

Yes, the Magic Item Compendium is where I saw it! I totally blanked it from my mind, thank you!
The example in that book was "a +1 longsword can be made into a +2 vorpal longsword, with the cost to create it being equal to that of a +2 vorpal longsword minus the cost of a +1 longsword (98,315 – 2,315 = 96,000 gp)"


So the final cost of my +1 Scythe of Spell-Storing would be 8,318gp, but if I want to do it in increments, I could pay 2,318gp for a +1 Scythe, then 6,000g for the Spell-Storing effect. Thanks a bunch!

[docnessuno]

Remember that upgrading the weapon would require 6 days and during this period you wouldn't have your Scythe avaiable.

[BowStreetRunner]

Remember that upgrading the weapon would require 6 days and during this period you wouldn't have your Scythe avaiable.

I honestly don't trust the mage who does most of my upgrade work. Every time I leave some critical equipment with him to be upgraded, it seems that there are suddenly a bunch of encounters where I could have seriously used that equipment. I think it's a consipiracy - he figures if I get killed and don't come back for my equipment, he can keep it and sell it to someone else.

How else would the bad guys always know when my equipment was in being upgraded?