What do you think a pair of quick-draw hidden blade sheaths would cost?

[CoffeeIncluded]

So I'm playing a dual-wielding roguebuckler (Daring Outlaw) who likes to make traps and mechanical devices. She does not have quick draw as a feat and so she loses time switching back and forth between her swords and a bow (she'll often start with buffs and a bow and switch to blades as enemies close in). Since she enjoys making mechanical devices I figured it would be fun and in-character for her to make a pair of hidden blade sheaths so she can draw her shortsword and dagger as part of a swift action. The DM think that since this will replace much of the quick draw feat it should be extremely expensive (about 3000 GP if I remember correctly) to craft two of them. It's the same reason he doesn't like the Least Crystal of Returning, which is fine. I think that it should be much less for the following two reasons:

1. It only works on her swords while quick draw works on any weapon.

2. The hidden blade sheaths as she would initially craft them would shorten drawing a weapon to a swift action (and probably make replacing them a full-round action), not a free action. She's got an anklet of translocation and a level of Swordsage with several swift-action maneuvers, so it's not like she could just do it for free; deciding whether or not to draw her weapons as a swift action would take some strategizing.

Because of this, what do you all think that it would cost for her to make the two sheaths, and would she be able to make upgrades (perhaps bringing drawing the blade down to a free action, making it hard for her to drop the weapons if she's stunned, or other things) later? I was thinking that both should cost about 1000 GP to make, but what do you all think?

Thanks!

[sleepyphoenixx]

The easiest solution would be 2x the price of the Least Crystal of Return (for slotless), so 1200gp. Feats on the other hand are priced at 10,000gp (A&EG), even crappy ones like Quick Draw.

Personally i'd just let you use the crystals. That's what they're for, so there's really no reason to make a custom item that does the same thing imo.
If your DM doesn't even allow Crystal of Return you may just be out of luck though. I don't see the sense since it's hardly overpowered but it's not my game.

[PallentisLunam]

Personally if one of my players came to me and asked to do something like this, and it was in keeping with their character concept as it seems to be for you, I would get really excited and say of course. My opinion is that the best way to price homebrew is using existing items, preferably those that everybody can agree are balanced, rather than trying to just make up a number. You mentioned crystals of return and although your DM doesn't like them I would say that they provide the perfect analog to this.

Two least crystals of return would be 600 gp. A crystal that can be put on and removed from any weapon of masterwork or higher quality is arguably better than a pair of sheaths that bestow a lesser advantage (swift vs free) on two specific weapons that are made expressly for them. The only possible advantage I could see is that your sheaths would operate in an Anitmagic zone where the crystals would not, but then I might rule that the mechanics could malfunction in all manner of scenarios. But I digress, I would price your sheaths at 500 gp to make both. 300 for your shortsword and 200 for your dagger.

I don't see why your DM has such a problem with this that they would try to put such a huge price on it. Quick Draw only modifies the action economy a little bit and only matters for certain builds.

[Eisfalken]

To me the easiest solution is to use the hidden blades from Complete Scoundrel pg. 110, slightly modified for this use.
1. Knife spring sheath is double the price of a sleeve blade, can be worn on any limb or on the waist. Lowers Sleight of Hand bonus to hide the dagger by -1.
2. Short sword spring sheath is double the price of a knee blade, can be worn only on the waist.
3. Craft (trapmaking) to make them from scratch.
3. Using the sheath is a free action to push/pull the lever/button, but requires you to have a free hand per weapon, and make a DC 15 Dexterity check or a DC 20 Sleight of Hand check to catch the blades. Failing the check means the weapons fall to the ground in your square, requiring you to pick them up as normal (move action, triggers AoO).
4. You can draw and sheath the weapon as a normal, and this doesn't affect the mechanism. Cocking the mechanism requires a standard action.
5. These devices, if used successfully, count as having Quick Draw for the purposes of any feats or skill tricks, but only when using these devices.

You don't have to take hardly any Sleight of Hand to reduce the chance of failure to practically nothing, but it shows your investment to the idea.

[CoffeeIncluded]

I don't think that check is necessary, but thank you! These are some good suggestions and helped me get an estimate on price (he doesn't like the crystals of returning, and the blade sheaths fit my character's personality better).

[PallentisLunam]

The easiest solution would be 2x the price of the Least Crystal of Return (for slotless), so 1200gp. Feats on the other hand are priced at 10,000gp (A&EG), even crappy ones like Quick Draw.

The crystals are already listed as slotless in the MIC.

Where does the A&EG list prices for feats?

[sleepyphoenixx]

The crystals are already listed as slotless in the MIC.

Where does the A&EG list prices for feats?

The crystals prevent you from using another crystal, which is a problem a sheath doesn't have.
The price listed for feats is in one of the sidebars "Magic items that grant feats" somewhere in the magic item section, but it's explicitly a guideline, not a hard rule.