[3.5] belt of growth

[Raezeman]

The belt of growth: costs 3000 gold pieces and once per day let's you get enlarged (like enlarge person) for a standard action.
I am now playing a character based mostly on tripping (the 'high sword low axe' kind of tripping, not the mushroom kind of tripping), and while being enlarged greatly helps with the tripping, is the item worth it?
I mean, it's the belt slot, a standard action and only once per day. And since enlarge potion is level 1 spell, it would cost me 50 gold for a potion. It would only last one minute while the belt lasts for 10 minutes, but that still is most of the fight most of the times. So with the cost of the belt, i could get 60 potions...

belt worth it or not? what say you?

[Troacctid]

What you really want is a way to get it without wasting an action at all. For example, hiring an NPC spellcaster to cast Enlarge Person followed by Permanency costs you about 3000 gp and is permanent until dispelled, so you can just be Large size all the time. Or if you can get a familiar with access to Use Magic Device, give it a wand of Enlarge Person and have it use its action to cast the spell on you, leaving your own actions free. Or cast Enlarge Person ahead of time via your familiar's Deliver Touch Spells feature, but have it hold the charge, then once combat starts, it can touch you to trigger the spell--although this one only works if you don't cast other spells in the meantime, of course.

[Jowgen]

If I want to enlarge person for cheap, I tend make sure I have the ability to use some eternal wands for it (most DMs will let SLAs qualify, worst case scenario spend a feat). 820 gp will get me 2 activation of a minute a pop every day. That's 6 minutes total spread out over 6 uses for 2460 per day. 2560 really when counting the wand-chamber that invariably holds the currently charged wand.

Also, in addition to being able to spread out the use, the wand version allows to use it on other creatures as well, just in case that comes up.

I think the only time the belt is really worth it is if you're not humanoid (as it works for those as written even though the spell normally can't) and absolutely positively need a temporary size increase for something.

[Darrin]

Phylactery of Change (11200 GP, A&EG) might be a better investment. All-day polymorph up to 7 HD. Or Fleshshifter Armor (13160 GP, BoVD) for at-will alter self.