Help me price a magical item.

[bekeleven]

Spiked Chainmail

This suit of +1 Chainmail with +1 Armor Spikes has a special power. When making an attack or a full attack action, its wearer may tug on the end of the shirt, causing it to magically unravel and turn into a +1 Spiked Chain. At the end of the attack, the wielder need only let go for the chain to coil back around their body and continue to provide protection. However, should anyone attack during their attack action (such as if they provoked an attack of opportunity), the wielder loses the armor bonus of their Spiked Chainmail for such attacks.

Craft Magical Arms and Armor, Animate Weapon

Price: A +1 chainmail with armor spikes costs 1k + 150 + 150 + 2k + 300 + 50, or 3650. This basically provides a benefit over holding a spiked chain (quick draw/quick holster) and a drawback (unarmed with attacking).

Thoughts?

[Venger]

why exactly would anyone want to use this item over just buying a spiked chain? as-is, it provides no additional utility, just drawbacks.

[bekeleven]

Because it's a pseudo-gnomish quickrazor and free hands are awesome?

[Venger]

Because it's a pseudo-gnomish quickrazor and free hands are awesome?

oh, so you'd houserule it to count as being freshly "drawn" when you transform it into weapon form to allow iaijutsu focus damage?

that's pretty niche, but if someone's playing a factotum or something, and is focused on AOOs, they might enjoy it.

[Hellborn_Blight]

I think this would make an amazing cursed item lol. As armor, it just jumps off of you and attacks who you attack, and then is a dancing spiked chain until it falls on the ground, then the next time someone uses it as a chain it tries to equip its self on the person, and if not possible, just turns into armor on the ground.

The price seems ok though, considering readied actions are gonna really mess this up. Add in disarms and your gonna lose your weapon AND your armor.