Branding equipment

[Devronq]

I was thinking of making some sort of elite guards that are well known to everyone in the campaign world. Now im going to give them above average gear and i was trying to think of some way of branding them, symbols writing etc so that if the PCS try and sell the equipment (or wear it in public) that its obvious it belongs to the guards and any sane shop keep would refuse to buy it because he knows who it belongs to. It would probably have to be immune to low level spells that could remove the brand (mending, erase, dispel magic etc) but i suppose its ok it if could be remove by higher level spells like greater dispelling etc. Any ideas? Also how much it cost to add this effect to a magic weapon/armor/shield? thanks in advance

[Diarmuid]

The cost basis for adding something to normally mundane gear that would require a 6th level spell to remove seems pretty silly to me.

It'd probably be easier to just have them crafted in such a manner that makes them fairly distinctive. Armor patterns, weapon engravings, etc.

[Gerrtt]

Can't you just write your name on your underwear like everyone else?:smallwink:

How about some kind of permanencied arcane mark/magic aura spell?

[Geordnet]

You could always say that they have access to a magic item that does exactly that. Say, a Magic Marker (infinite-use Greater Arcane Mark) made by a level-10 mage.