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Tyger
2007-03-27, 10:43 AM
OK, just want to verify a couple of magic item costs...

Statuette of the Steed
Wonderous Magic Item
Cast Phantom Steed once per day, use activated with a command word. Caster Level 12.

Normally this would be (Spell level 3 x Caster level 12 x 1800) / 5 or 12960 GP to buy. Correct? Thus crafting would cost 6480GP and 519 XP.

And custom staves...

Because a staff uses the wielder's level and stats, is there ever any reason to put a spell in with higher than the minimum caster level for the spell?

In other words, if you are a level 7 caster, and want to put Fireball into a staff, it would be 375 x 3 (Spell level) x 5 (Caster level minimum for third level spell) = 5625 gp to buy, or 2812GP and 225XP to make?

That same staff would then allow a caster to use their own level on the casting of Fireball right? I.e. a 10th level caster would cast a 10d6 Fireball with this staff while a fifth level caster would cast a 5d6 Fireball.

Something tells me I am missing something here. I hope not, but that's why I was hoping you rules gurus could correct me.

Jasdoif
2007-03-27, 03:08 PM
Keep in mind that outside of scrolls, potions and wands; the guidelines are guidelines, not hard and fast rules. Wondrous items in particular tend to vary greatly from the standard costs.


Statuette of the Steed
Wonderous Magic Item
Cast Phantom Steed once per day, use activated with a command word. Caster Level 12.

Normally this would be (Spell level 3 x Caster level 12 x 1800) / 5 or 12960 GP to buy. Correct? Thus crafting would cost 6480GP and 519 XP.That's correct by the guidelines, yes.


And custom staves...

Because a staff uses the wielder's level and stats, is there ever any reason to put a spell in with higher than the minimum caster level for the spell?

In other words, if you are a level 7 caster, and want to put Fireball into a staff, it would be 375 x 3 (Spell level) x 5 (Caster level minimum for third level spell) = 5625 gp to buy, or 2812GP and 225XP to make?

That same staff would then allow a caster to use their own level on the casting of Fireball right? I.e. a 10th level caster would cast a 10d6 Fireball with this staff while a fifth level caster would cast a 5d6 Fireball.

Something tells me I am missing something here. I hope not, but that's why I was hoping you rules gurus could correct me.First off, Craft Staff has a CL prerequisite of 12, a level 7 caster can't take it.

A staff has a minimum caster level of 8, and all the spells in a staff have to match the staff's caster level. The staff's caster level has to be sufficient to cast all the spells in it also, so if you put in a spell with a minimum caster level of 11, then the staff's CL (and thus the CL of all the spells in it) the has to be at least 11.

And you use your caster level with the staff if it's higher then the staff's. If you're planning to sell it, the buyer may be quite willing to pay the extra cost if the staff's CL is much higher then their own.

And, this may or may not matter in this case, but players aren't guaranteed to be allowed to produce a custom staff, the DM has to approve it.

Kel_Arath
2007-04-06, 09:00 PM
those calculations are correct, but on all those points so is jasdoif.