What should a more "basic model" sunblade cost?

[RhoTheWanderer]

So I recently got to thinking about the sunblade (DMG228); specifically, I was thinking about the fact that it is effectively a magic bastard sword that can be wielded by someone proficient with short swords just as well as someone proficient with bastard swords. I've been trying to "reverse engineer" the sunblade to figure out the cost of a simple +1 bastard sword that can be wielded with equal ease by someone just proficient with short swords (mostly out of curiosity, although it may find its way into one of my builds someday or a campaign that I DM). But there are some things I'm just not sure about.

It normally functions as a +2 bastard sword, but it has a higher than normal enhancement bonus (+4) against evil creatures and deals x2 damage against "Negative Energy Plane creatures or undead creatures." The Bane ability is similar, but doesn't quite match up (maybe count as +2 instead of +1 price bonus?). Then there's the "special sunlight power," it seems a bit like daylight; however, I never feel comfortable dealing with the "Estimating Magic Item Gold Piece Values" table from DMG285 because I always feel I'm choosing the wrong category somewhere. But here's what I figure:
>Effect: Weapon bonus (enhancement)=Bonus (+4) squared x 2000gp=32,000gp
>Spell Effect: Command word=spell level (3rd) x caster level (5th) x 18000gp=27,000gp
>Special: Charges per day=base price (27,000) /(5/[charges per day{1}])=5,400gp
>Component: Weapon=Mwk bastard sword=+335gp
>Special: Uncustomary space limitation=entire cost (64,735gp)x1.5=97,102.5gp
So I figure a total cost of 97,102gp normally, but referring to the sidebar on DMG282, the "item requires specific class or alignment to use;" therefore, that would reduce the cost by 30%.
>Total: 97,102.5x0.7=67,971.75gp

Counting the Bane-like ability as a +1 price bonus, it comes to 24,921.75gp instead. Either way, I'm way off. Am I screwing up somewhere, or is this just a case of the designers finding in playtesting that the item's true value doesn't line up with its formulaic value? Or is the ability to treat the bastard sword as a short sword for purposes of proficiency and relevant feats really worth something in the ballpark of 25,000gp and/or a +1 or +2 price bonus? What would you charge a player for such a weapon ability? Any particular reason why? Or is there a weapon ability or crystal listed somewhere that grants such an ability?

[Nousos]

Aptitude weapon enhancement. +1 cost.

[HammeredWharf]

A +1 Lesser Sunsword from Ravenloft costs 3000 gp. It's a Sunblade, but without most of the special abilities except the short+bastardsword feature. Old D&D tends to value static bonus damage way too much, as evidenced by this item, bastard swords in general, Monkey Grip, Weapon Specialization, etc. I think 3000 gp is fine for an item like this, although I'd not sell it in shops, but give as loot instead.

[Seppo87]

Aptitude weapon enhancement. +1 cost
It's a good enhancement but it does not replicate the sunblade properties

[bekeleven]

Aptitude weapon enhancement. +1 cost.

Aptitude is a lot less powerful than most people realize. The majority of non-elf builds don't even have proficiency feats.

[sleepyphoenixx]

A +1 Lesser Sunsword from Ravenloft costs 3000 gp. It's a Sunblade, but without most of the special abilities except the short+bastardsword feature. Old D&D tends to value static bonus damage way too much, as evidenced by this item, bastard swords in general, Monkey Grip, Weapon Specialization, etc. I think 3000 gp is fine for an item like this, although I'd not sell it in shops, but give as loot instead.

You pay ~700gp to go from 1d6-piercing to 1d10-slashing and the ability to use it twohanded. The rest is the cost for a masterwork +1 weapon. That's a pretty good deal.
I'd only get it on a character that actually benefits from that though (high STR or PA), otherwise the minor damage increase isn't really worth the money imo.

[HammeredWharf]

You pay ~700gp to go from 1d6-piercing to 1d10-slashing and the ability to use it twohanded. The rest is the cost for a masterwork +1 weapon. That's a pretty good deal.
I'd only get it on a character that actually benefits from that though (high STR or PA), otherwise the minor damage increase isn't really worth the money imo.


This sword is the size of a bastard sword. However, a sun blade is wielded as if it were a short sword with respect to weight and ease of use. (In other words, the weapon appears to all viewers to be a bastard sword, and deals bastard sword damage, but the wielder feels and reacts as if the weapon were a short sword.) Any individual able to use either a bastard sword or a short sword with proficiency is proficient in the use of a sun blade. Likewise, Weapon Focus and Weapon Specialization in short sword and bastard sword apply equally, but the benefits of those feats do not stack.

It's still a short sword, so you can't PA with a sun blade. However, its lesser version is a good weapon when used by a character who'd normally be stuck using shortswords, because the +2 damage per hit is really cheap for 700 gp.

[sleepyphoenixx]

It's still a short sword, so you can't PA with a sun blade. However, its lesser version is a good weapon when used by a character who'd normally be stuck using shortswords, because the +2 damage per hit is really cheap for 700 gp.

The version in ECR is "a +1 bastard sword that can be wielded by someone who has proficiency with the short sword". That means you can twohand and PA with it to me, just like you can with a normal bastard sword. You just don't have to spend a feat on proficiency.

[HammeredWharf]

The version in ECR is "a +1 bastard sword that can be wielded by someone who has proficiency with the short sword". That means you can twohand and PA with it to me, just like you can with a normal bastard sword. You just don't have to spend a feat on proficiency.

Oh, ok. Sorry, don't have ECR with me right now and thought it's an exact copy of the SRD weapon in this regard. I guess I'll have to reread the description when I get to my books. Still, the normal bastard sword isn't a weapon I'd wield on a str-based PA character, because they normally use 2h weapons and greatsword and falchion are better for that. Most of them get proficiency for free or have to get it to enter a PRC, so the free martial weapon proficiency is wasted on them, too.