player has asked for a battle scythe gadet thing. but how much for cost?

[Kidbuu51]

Title explains a bit, the player has asked me for a sythe with a spring loaded grappling hook at the tip. He explained the concept and I'm kool with it, but I need second opinions on cost, time to build and tinkerers required.

[Flashy]

I need second opinions on cost, time to build and tinkerers required.

What's the world like? Is this kind of gadgetry common? Are there are lot of machinists who you could commission to make this sort of thing? Is magic prevalent?

[Ninja_Prawn]

Well, in terms of materials, grappling hooks are listed in the PHB as 2gp, rope is 1gp (if it's not included in the hook), and I'd say a war scythe is about the same amount of work and material as a glaive (20gp). The spring loading system is harder to cost, but I'd start by asking how much it's worth to the player in game terms.

Really, all it's doing is saving a bit of space in their pack and allowing them to fire off a grappling hook without dropping their weapon. Maybe it changes it from a STR check (throwing the hook) to a DEX check (aiming it like a ranged weapon). In a pinch it could be an improvised ranged weapon. That's not hugely valuable; it's mainly just cool.

So, coming at it the other way, how long would it take you to build a simple machine? Maybe five working days? According to the crafting rules, a skilled craftsman can output 5gp of value per day. 25gp sounds fair to me, given the usefulness of it.

So, the total comes to 48gp, which probably rounds up to 50 given that it's a one-off bespoke design. And you need to find a tinker, obviously.

Oh, and how were you intending to represent the scythe as a weapon? How does one become proficient with it? I'm imagining 1d12 slashing, two-handed, reach, exotic proficiency required, maybe heavy as well. I would not count it as a polearm. Drop it to 1d10 if it's martial.

[Submortimer]

Well, in terms of materials, grappling hooks are listed in the PHB as 2gp, rope is 1gp (if it's not included in the hook), and I'd say a war scythe is about the same amount of work and material as a glaive (20gp). The spring loading system is harder to cost, but I'd start by asking how much it's worth to the player in game terms.

Really, all it's doing is saving a bit of space in their pack and allowing them to fire off a grappling hook without dropping their weapon. Maybe it changes it from a STR check (throwing the hook) to a DEX check (aiming it like a ranged weapon). In a pinch it could be an improvised ranged weapon. That's not hugely valuable; it's mainly just cool.

So, coming at it the other way, how long would it take you to build a simple machine? Maybe five working days? According to the crafting rules, a skilled craftsman can output 5gp of value per day. 25gp sounds fair to me, given the usefulness of it.

So, the total comes to 48gp, which probably rounds up to 50 given that it's a one-off bespoke design. And you need to find a tinker, obviously.

Oh, and how were you intending to represent the scythe as a weapon? How does one become proficient with it? I'm imagining 1d12 slashing, two-handed, reach, exotic proficiency required, maybe heavy as well. I would not count it as a polearm. Drop it to 1d10 if it's martial.


Well...

1) Make it an uncommon magic item item. Things like Adamantine and mithral armor are classified as magic items, even though they don't have an enchantment. Use the Magic Item Creation guidelines for cost (I'm AFB, but I think 500 gold was uncommon?). This frees you up to do something fun with it instead of making it adhere to physics or anything like that.
2) There's no such thing as an "Exotic" weapon proficiency yet. It's a scythe, I'd say martial.
3) Go outlandish with the design, now that it's a "Magic" weapon. I see this as a scythe that has it's blade attached by a big, spring-loaded chain:
- 1d12, Heavy, 2-handed melee/1d10 ranged, 120ft. reach. User can use a bonus action to fire the blade, either at an enemy or an object within range. The user can either be pulled to the target or can attempt to pull the target to them, requiring a strength save from the target.

[ChubbyRain]

Well...

1) Make it an uncommon magic item item. Things like Adamantine and mithral armor are classified as magic items, even though they don't have an enchantment. Use the Magic Item Creation guidelines for cost (I'm AFB, but I think 500 gold was uncommon?). This frees you up to do something fun with it instead of making it adhere to physics or anything like that.
2) There's no such thing as an "Exotic" weapon proficiency yet. It's a scythe, I'd say martial.
3) Go outlandish with the design, now that it's a "Magic" weapon. I see this as a scythe that has it's blade attached by a big, spring-loaded chain:
- 1d12, Heavy, 2-handed melee/1d10 ranged, 120ft. reach. User can use a bonus action to fire the blade, either at an enemy or an object within range. The user can either be pulled to the target or can attempt to pull the target to them, requiring a strength save from the target.

Why in the world does everything cool need to be classified as a magic item? Sorry but those materials are under magic items because of their base properties being special in some way.

The item proposed doesn't have image special properties, it is just a weapon with a spring loaded grappling hook.

That's like saying that a three section staff will automatically be a magic item because it splits into three sections. If stuff so mundane are now magic items I guess my new spell "got your nose" is a 2nd level spell.

[SliceandDiceKid]

Why in the world does everything cool need to be classified as a magic item? Sorry but those materials are under magic items because of their base properties being special in some way.

The item proposed doesn't have image special properties, it is just a weapon with a spring loaded grappling hook.

That's like saying that a three section staff will automatically be a magic item because it splits into three sections. If stuff so mundane are now magic items I guess my new spell "got your nose" is a 2nd level spell.

3rd level spell

[Easy_Lee]

3rd level spell

Target must make a dexterity saving throw, losing its nose on a failure. This nose ends up in the carter's hand. This nose never rots or decays.

This takes away sense of smell, makes everything taste crappy, and makes the target resemble the ancient dark wizard Voldemrotter Potterplinkis. A history check of 15 will identify the likeness.

The nose will not grow back on its own, and will take a regeneration spell to replace. Holding the original nose to one's face and casting a healing spell or, oddly, the mending cantrip on the target will also restore the nose.

[Ninja_Prawn]

3rd level spell

But it doesn't require concentration, so it's actually not that bad.

Edit: ninja'd, but I totally imagined the same spell as Easy_Lee. :)

[Dontdestroyme]

Instead of having him commission it as normal, because no one as normal would make this, have the PCs meet and do some work for a genius tinkerer/weapon maker/whatever and at the end of it he gives the PC that invention. Or maybe lets him buy it off of him.

[Kidbuu51]

Well, in terms of materials, grappling hooks are listed in the PHB as 2gp, rope is 1gp (if it's not included in the hook), and I'd say a war scythe is about the same amount of work and material as a glaive (20gp). The spring loading system is harder to cost, but I'd start by asking how much it's worth to the player in game terms.

Really, all it's doing is saving a bit of space in their pack and allowing them to fire off a grappling hook without dropping their weapon. Maybe it changes it from a STR check (throwing the hook) to a DEX check (aiming it like a ranged weapon). In a pinch it could be an improvised ranged weapon. That's not hugely valuable; it's mainly just cool.

So, coming at it the other way, how long would it take you to build a simple machine? Maybe five working days? According to the crafting rules, a skilled craftsman can output 5gp of value per day. 25gp sounds fair to me, given the usefulness of it.

So, the total comes to 48gp, which probably rounds up to 50 given that it's a one-off bespoke design. And you need to find a tinker, obviously.

Oh, and how were you intending to represent the scythe as a weapon? How does one become proficient with it? I'm imagining 1d12 slashing, two-handed, reach, exotic proficiency required, maybe heavy as well. I would not count it as a polearm. Drop it to 1d10 if it's martial.

Thanks this helps a lot with the insight into it, I'll take your suggestions and tweak them a bit. As for the scythe itself I was planning on using 3.5. And pathfinder rulesets to base weapons on. So like a 2d4 or similar, max a 1d10 or 2d5

[SliceandDiceKid]

Target must make a dexterity saving throw, losing its nose on a failure. This nose ends up in the carter's hand. This nose never rots or decays.

This takes away sense of smell, makes everything taste crappy, and makes the target resemble the ancient dark wizard Voldemrotter Potterplinkis. A history check of 15 will identify the likeness.

The nose will not grow back on its own, and will take a regeneration spell to replace. Holding the original nose to one's face and casting a healing spell or, oddly, the mending cantrip on the target will also restore the nose.

This spell is OP
[insert generic opposition here]

Lol

Good stuff easy

[Slipperychicken]

Maybe call it nonmagical, but make it like 500gp for a fully-functional combination scythe/grapple-gun with automatic retracting and good load-bearing? Also, I agree with the suggestion of making them commission it from a mad scientist.

[Ralanr]

Why in the world does everything cool need to be classified as a magic item? Sorry but those materials are under magic items because of their base properties being special in some way.

The item proposed doesn't have image special properties, it is just a weapon with a spring loaded grappling hook.

That's like saying that a three section staff will automatically be a magic item because it splits into three sections. If stuff so mundane are now magic items I guess my new spell "got your nose" is a 2nd level spell.

Because masterwork and adamantine items aren't really a thing in 5e.

Yet anyway. It's easier to classify special abilities as magic, though I wouldn't mind if we took the road less traveled. Doing so however makes things more complicated. Let's use supernatural vs magic. Technically if I understand it correctly, supernatural abilities are still functional in an anti-magic zone, while magic doesn't happen at all. This might end up confusing a lot of players.

Though people with confusion come to ask questions. Which is good and the average player can grasp easy concepts. But is innate spellcasting magic or a supernatural ability? I'm on the side of it being magical, but someone could argue it's supernatural.

Though actual supernatural in D&D is...confusing since magic is technically natural. It's a type of energy that flows in the world and it can be harnessed in certain ways. In some settings magic can hurt the surroundings of the world, but in real life oil does the same thing.

Then we lean into psionics, shadow magic, and all other things that makes it all blurry and confusing, just like 3.5 (Which I never played. I played pathfinder though, I didn't see it as much to take in and I still didn't. Those systems offered a lot of versatility in playstyles, but it made it so certain playstyles just couldn't function. Some people don't want to use magic, some people want to hit with their swords and hit really damn well. Then it gets into arguments about how a wizard who spends decades learning arcane secrets is still equal in power to a guy who just swings a sharp piece of metal.)

I wonder if 3.5 had lots of options before supplements were released? Did they? Or did the supplements make it really shine?

[Dontdestroyme]

Sword making was already seen as magical by all kinds of ancient peoples. So to say that masterwork and magic weapons say even +0 would be equivalent I think wouldn't be a stretch. I agree not everything well made or specially crafted has to be magical but from a historical perspective that wouldn't be that far from the "truth". There's no reason to separate specifically a master craftsmanship handywork from the weave... It could all be connected...

[Ninja_Prawn]

in an anti-magic zone, while magic doesn't happen at all.

This is a good point. I'd be pretty upset if my spring-loaded grappping hook stopped working in a dead magic zone, or if I couldn't say its activation word because of a silence spell.