Appropriate cost for "tech" stuff?

[JusticeZero]

Trying to figure out how a few items can be costed out. Things like.. a motor. You touch the control and the driveshaft can be commanded to spin, rated by strength. Such as might be used to power a self-powered vehicle, like a horseless carriage of some sort, or to power a boat. Or, well, i'm sure that people will come up with other mischief they can do with it.

I'm at a loss of how to figure out the base price of such a thing. As an aside, the cost will need to be modified by "must have a Grit pool to use", which will change the cost a bit.

[Lord Vukodlak]

It be helpful to know exactly what the things do,

A horseless carriage that can speed down the road at twenty miles an hour is a lot more valuable then a horseless carriage that can only travel at two or three miles an hour.

[JusticeZero]

Sure, but I don't know how I would begin to price such things. Let's start with the motor by itself; say, a portable thing the size of a buckler that does motor things - makes the driveshaft spin that can do things like reel in rope or whatever.

Object that reels in a rope or cable with a load on it
Object that moves a vehicle, say at horse speeds
Object that pumps water from one end of a pipe to the other end

[unseenmage]

You could apply the price for a single casting/scroll of the Animate Objects+Permanency spells or just the Minor Servitor spell for each moving part.
As an added bonus each separate "part" gets it's own actions and Spot/Listen checks each round too.

I saw a thread somewhere where Tippy built a Wand gatling gun using this method. It was terrifying.

[ArcturusV]

I suppose that's one method. If you want a "mundane" engine that doesn't run off things like bound elementals, wands, resetting traps, etc... it's going to get expensive. Or at least SHOULD be expensive. Note that if anything is sufficiently advanced, it should basically have a surcharge on it for advanced tech. In fact I think D20 Modern does have rules for things like buying objects from the next Tech Level but at something like two times the Wealth DC that it normally would be.

I imagine you could find, and adapt those rules for Crafting. So a Craft: Mechanical skill to make a steam engine in a steam Tech Level might be a DC of 50. But if you're making a steam engine prior to the steam tech level you might look at a DC of 100. With a relative inflation of material costs due to the fact that he parts you need probably had to have been custom made.

[JusticeZero]

Well, it's Girdwood psitech. It's not exceptionally alien or exotic stuff, just, as noted, "can only be used by an individual who possesses a Grit pool", which is rare.

[Alex Xeno]

Well look at Magic items that do similar things, like the spell "Phantom Steed" or something like that.


A motor is something really basic, It apply's force. that force is then channelled by whatever is attached to it to do various things. Perhaps price off a lighting based spell?

Then give a discount based on the fact they have to spend grit points(I assume they have to spend it)