Cheapest possible anti-magic field item?

[Dr.Manhattan]

I am creating a barbarian that hates magic, so the one magic item he will use is a magic item that creates an anti-magic field.
Please make it as cheap as possible with a 24 hour duration on it, I do not want people creeping up on me while I am sleeping with their disgusting magic.
I want to force these magic users to fight me in glorious melee combat, the most honorable method of combat.
d&d 3.5 all books allowed, dragon magazine etc allowed if checked with the gm

[MisterKaws]

The cheapest you'll manage to get as an item is around 150k, and if you don't know, instantaneous Conjurations can go through AMFs, so unless you manage to get close to a caster without them noticing(not happening), you'll still get obliterated by their chain-gated Solars and Mailman-ed Orbs of Fire.

[lord_khaine]

Also, the request is not really possible, since the magic item creation rules are not as such rules, but guidelines. They directly call out a need for having to be cleared by a GM, and so need to be specific for each campaign.

[ExLibrisMortis]

There's a FAQ ruling that creatures keep their immunities as corpse, that is, fire giant skeletons are still immune to fire, etcetera. There was a pretty funny thread a while back about treating this as RAW in the most extreme case, including the possibility that a one-pound chunk of an epic colossus generates a 100' radius antimagic field, at a cost of only a handful of gp.

Now, it's not RAW, and pretty silly besides, but you can talk to your DM about this sort of flavourful benefit/drawback combination (because, let's face it: antimagic fields are a big nerf, in most cases). Suggest that you came across an iron colossus fingertip, and fashioned it into a helmet that projects a 5' antimagic field. 5' is small enough that it won't hurt your allies, but big enough to cover magical dungeon architecture, such as some traps, or magically locked doors, so you can still get some use out of it.

[Troacctid]

Probably the cheapest way is with sigils of antimagic (from Stronghold Builder's Guidebook), at a market price of 66,000 gp. They are built into the walls of a stronghold, and therefore affect only a fixed location, but as long as that's not a problem, then they should serve you nicely.

[Necroticplague]

A custom item of continuous AMF would be 9*1*2000*2=36000 GP (assuming an appropriate slot can be found), via the magic item creation guidelines. Using the Sculpt Self feat to take it as a Prestige Race would cost no gold, but require you to burn 14,400 XP. Probably fits the theme of the character rather well, to have the character not even need the item for the AMF (heck, it's technically Extraordinary to boot).

[Morcleon]

...a barbarian that hates magic
... a magic item that creates an anti-magic field.

:smalltongue:

In all seriousness though, the cheapest possible one is an Automatic Reset Magic Trap of antimagic field crafted by a Runescarred Berserker. It costs 22500 gp and casts antimagic field on you every round. Have it made as a ring with a switch and flip it off when you need it to not suppress all magic within 10ft.

[MisterKaws]

A custom item of continuous AMF would be 9*1*2000*2=36000 GP (assuming an appropriate slot can be found), via the magic item creation guidelines. Using the Sculpt Self feat to take it as a Prestige Race would cost no gold, but require you to burn 14,400 XP. Probably fits the theme of the character rather well, to have the character not even need the item for the AMF (heck, it's technically Extraordinary to boot).

Wrong. It's 9*17*2000*2=612000, which breaks the non-epic threshold, so 6120000, unless you use tons of restrictions to get a massive decrease in costs.

That is, unless you manage to convince me that there's a way to cast AMF at CL 1.

[Morcleon]

Wrong. It's 9*17*2000*2=612000, which breaks the non-epic threshold, so 6120000, unless you use tons of restrictions to get a massive decrease in costs.

That is, unless you manage to convince me that there's a way to cast AMF at CL 1.

Actually, it should be 9*5*2000*2 = 180000. The 9 is the CL, not the spell level, since this is being cast by a Runescarred Berserker at spell level 5.

[Necroticplague]

Wrong. It's 9*17*2000*2=612000, which breaks the non-epic threshold, so 6120000, unless you use tons of restrictions to get a massive decrease in costs.

That is, unless you manage to convince me that there's a way to cast AMF at CL 1.


Shai'ir with Mage-slayer, Pierce Magic Protection, and Pierce Magic Concealment feats. Technically, CL 0, but I'm assuming CL can't go below 1.

[legomaster00156]

As I understand it, an energy-drained wizard can still cast spells of a higher CL than he is. A level 17 wizard level drained to 1 (temporary levels) can cast a level 9 spell at CL 1, and thus make appropriate magic items.

[Morcleon]

As I understand it, an energy-drained wizard can still cast spells of a higher CL than he is. A level 17 wizard level drained to 1 (temporary levels) can cast a level 9 spell at CL 1, and thus make appropriate magic items.

In that case, it should be 5*1*2000*2 = 20kgp, since it's a 5th level spell.

[MisterKaws]

Wait, why the hell did I think it was a 9th-level spell again? Well, whatever. Still pretty expensive, and forbidden to have by RAW(50% of WBL) until ECL 18.

[Morcleon]

forbidden to have by RAW(25% of WBL)

That's not an actual rule, just a guideline. Also, the CL 1 version only costs 20kgp, so that's easily affordable at level 9, especially since the character isn't using any other magic items (really would just have mundane armor and weapons, and maybe some grafts).

[Âmesang]

Wrong. It's 9*17*2000*2=612000, which breaks the non-epic threshold, so 6120000, unless you use tons of restrictions to get a massive decrease in costs.

That is, unless you manage to convince me that there's a way to cast AMF at CL 1.
Except I think this particular rule would apply:


"Some epic characteristics, such as caster level, don't trigger this multiplier."

…in which case the cost in this example would remain 612,000 gp. An example from the book would be the cabinet of feasting: CL 40 × 6th-level spell (heroes' feast) × 2,000 gp (use activated) ÷ (5÷3; 3/day) = 288,000 gp.

CL 40? Who made this thing? Karsus? Slerotin?

[MisterKaws]

That's not an actual rule, just a guideline. Also, the CL 1 version only costs 20kgp, so that's easily affordable at level 9, especially since the character isn't using any other magic items (really would just have mundane armor and weapons, and maybe some grafts).

Yeah, I mistook the rule, and I thought I edited it fast enough, but doesn't look like it worked. The rule is 50%, page 42 on DMG.

[Morcleon]

Yeah, I mistook the rule, and I thought I edited it fast enough, but doesn't look like it worked. The rule is 50%, page 42 on DMG.

...huh. That's a silly rule. :smalltongue:

Although it should be ECL 10 then, since it's only 20kgp.

[MisterKaws]

...huh. That's a silly rule. :smalltongue:

Although it should be ECL 10 then, since it's only 20kgp.

Well, not really, and I'm too lazy to quote the previous post, but each drained level takes a slot away, and I don't think any Wizard would be able to have that many spell slots, unless someone released Pandorym and taught him the hocus-pocus.

[Troacctid]

You can't cast a spell at lower than the minimum caster level to cast spells of that level, so a wizard cannot cast antimagic field at CL 1. She needs to have at least CL 11.

[Morcleon]

Well, not really, and I'm too lazy to quote the previous post, but each drained level takes a slot away, and I don't think any Wizard would be able to have that many spell slots, unless someone released Pandorym and taught him the hocus-pocus.

Ah, right. Then the ARMT of antimagic field is still probably the best and cheapest at 22500gp. :smalltongue:


You can't cast a spell at lower than the minimum caster level to cast spells of that level, so a wizard cannot cast antimagic field at CL 1. She needs to have at least CL 11.

Yeah, but I'm having a Runescarred Berserker cast it at CL 9, since it's a 5th level spell for them. :smallbiggrin:

[MisterKaws]

Except I think this particular rule would apply:


"Some epic characteristics, such as caster level, don't trigger this multiplier."

…in which case the cost in this example would remain 612,000 gp. An example from the book would be the cabinet of feasting: CL 40 × 6th-level spell (heroes' feast) × 2,000 gp (use activated) ÷ (5÷3; 3/day) = 288,000 gp.

CL 40? Who made this thing? Karsus? Slerotin?

Well, I was talking about the 200k threshold, but it looks like that doesn't trigger a multiplier either...


Ah, right. Then the ARMT of antimagic field is still probably the best and cheapest at 22500gp. :smalltongue:

How so? As far as I know, there's no way to get it anywhere below ~120k, and that's considering the discounts from having restrictions applied to the original 180k cost.

[daremetoidareyo]

Probably the cheapest way is with sigils of antimagic (from Stronghold Builder's Guidebook), at a market price of 66,000 gp. They are built into the walls of a stronghold, and therefore affect only a fixed location, but as long as that's not a problem, then they should serve you nicely.


Perfect. Just carry a 5 x 5 wall with you. Strap a handle on it and call it a tower shield. Umm... Maybe make your stronghold out of wood?

How flavorfull would it be for a barbarian to tear an antimagic wall out of a keep and carry it around.

[Zakier]

The problem I see with prestige classes personally is that their caster level is either much higher or much lower then the avg caster level. But if you instead apply the level requirement to join such a prestige class (as caster level is technically based off level but gets wonky mixing magical and non magical classes together) the final ECL of them gaining access to that spell at its earliest ends up being somewhere between cleric, wiz and sorc.

For the runescarred berserker this would be ECL 12 since the PrC requires BaB 7 before you meet entry requirements. Then level 5 in the PrC.

My dm prefers we use base classes or the above method for determining the minimum caster level required.

In this situation an item of AntiMagic field CL 11(Wizard) is a level 6 spell




Antimagic Field
Abjuration
Level: Clr 8, Magic 6, Protection 6, Sor/Wiz 6
Components: V, S, M/DF
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: 10 ft.
Area: 10-ft.-radius emanation, centered on you
Duration: 10 min./level (D)
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: See text


The minimum cost for such an item in this case would be

11×6×2000=132000
If set to a number of charges per day.

132000/(5÷#of charges)

You could get it down to 26,100 usable once per day.

Allowing the game meta magics to be applied is simple enough to be excused. when, as an actual spell caster, the spell must be slotted and is discharged during the crafting process.
It follows through that a meta magic version of a spell can be used at the cost of that higher spell cost.

So an extended version would be spell level 7 cl minimum to cast 13.

As an Artificer counts as 2 levels higher the purpose of meeting casting requirements to create a magical item this can still be achieved at level 11. However the minimum cl of the item has to equal the minimum required spell level.

Thus

7×13×2000/(5÷#charges)

This version doubled the duration of the activated anti magic field because extend spell meta magic was applied.

As the items level is still 13 the duration is 130 min x2 or 260 minutes. 4 hours 20 minutes

2 charges would be enough for you to sleep without getting hit with magic.

The cost would be 72,800.

Tons cheaper if you craft it.


Since many people get into the argument over paradox's in this item even though anti magic fields don't negate each other. You can get spell resistance for 10k per point over 12 points (13 minimum) so pick your SR amount, minus 12 then multiply by 10,000 for your price.

If you've got the cash it could work in conjunction with your anti magic field so you use SR while awake, and anti magic while you sleep.


On a final note, having a buddy who is a really well built artificer craft the endless field for you nets you the item far cheaper.

It's possible you wouldn't hate him as artificer's are not spell casters.

Using him he can get that 132000 ring/amulet of anti magic down to costing you (or at least him) only
15,787g 4s 1c provided he has all the proper feats and applied the proper restrictions to item. Possibly About 10% higher as this may not be able to qualify as receiving a skill required cost reduction. The artificer may charge you more than this as it cost an artificer xp to craft an item but at most it'll(again if properly built) only cost him about 2080 xp. And the rule of thumb on converting xp the GP is usually about 5 gp per xp

So 10,400 gp to cover xp cost, 15,787.41 To cover material cost.

The artificer could probably charge you anywhere between 30k all the way down to the 15,787 depending on how friendly you are and what kind of discounts he can get through feats.

If they have an amulet of transference and you are both willing to use this amulet and pay the xp cost there chances of it being down to the 15k price are much higher as the amulet let's you use your xp for crafting the item instead of the artificer.

[Troacctid]

Perfect. Just carry a 5 x 5 wall with you. Strap a handle on it and call it a tower shield. Umm... Maybe make your stronghold out of wood?

How flavorfull would it be for a barbarian to tear an antimagic wall out of a keep and carry it around.
That would make it stop working. If you want it to be mobile, you need a mobile stronghold, like a flying castle.

[Necroticplague]

You can't cast a spell at lower than the minimum caster level to cast spells of that level, so a wizard cannot cast antimagic field at CL 1. She needs to have at least CL 11.

And, pray do tell, where is the rule for what the minimum caster level for spells of a given level are?

[Darkweave31]

Not quite anti-magic, but a stone with silence cast on it can shut down an unprepared or low level caster, or at least limit their tactics. It'd be exponentially cheaper than antimagic field, too.

[Troacctid]

And, pray do tell, where is the rule for what the minimum caster level for spells of a given level are?
Relevant rule:

While item creation costs are handled in detail elsewhere, note that normally the two primary factors are the caster level of the creator and the level of the spell or spells put into the item. A creator can create an item at a lower caster level than her own, but never lower than the minimum level needed to cast the needed spell. For example, a 15th-level wizard could craft a wand of fireball at 10th caster level, or even as low as 5th level (the minimum caster level for fireball, a 3rd-level spell), but no lower.
The minimum level required to cast spells of a certain level is given on a class's spellcasting table.

If the entry is “—” for a given level of spells, the character may not cast any spells of that level.
You can also find charts on page 287 of the DMG that include the minimum caster levels for all the core spellcasting classes for the purpose of magic items.

[daremetoidareyo]

Not quite anti-magic, but a stone with silence cast on it can shut down an unprepared or low level caster, or at least limit their tactics. It'd be exponentially cheaper than antimagic field, too.

As a bonus, you can throw it into the face of your enemies! That'll shut them up.

[Morcleon]

How so? As far as I know, there's no way to get it anywhere below ~120k, and that's considering the discounts from having restrictions applied to the original 180k cost.

You make it as an automatically resetting magic trap that casts antimagic field once per round, not a wondrous item of continuous antimagic field.

Since we're using wizard for it, it'll cost 6*11*500 = 33000 gp.

[Troacctid]

You make it as an automatically resetting magic trap that casts antimagic field once per round, not a wondrous item of continuous antimagic field.

Since we're using wizard for it, it'll cost 6*11*500 = 33000 gp.

Traps are cheaper than wondrous items because they're assumed to be stationary. So while you do get a nice discount, you do may run into the same mobility problem as the sigils of antimagic.

[Morcleon]

Traps are cheaper than wondrous items because they're assumed to be stationary. So while you do get a nice discount, you do may run into the same mobility problem as the sigils of antimagic.

It never actually says that they have to be stationary though. :smalltongue:

You could always make it into a doorknob that casts antimagic field whenever it's touched, and just carry it around in your pocket.

[MisterKaws]

It never actually says that they have to be stationary though. :smalltongue:

You could always make it into a doorknob that casts antimagic field whenever it's touched, and just carry it around in your pocket.

This is PO, so those TO readings can't really apply here, since this needs a DM approval, and DMs will go by RAI, instead of RAW.

The doorknob will stay on the door.

[Necroticplague]

This is PO, so those TO readings can't really apply here, since this needs a DM approval, and DMs will go by RAI, instead of RAW.

The doorknob will stay on the door.

Well, if we're going to dwell into not just "what do the rules say" but "what will the DM accept", then it's likely we should ice most the talk about custom magic items in the first place, since those are a pretty massive IF. For something that's pretty bulletproof, though, a spell clock is pretty much the same as a repeating trap, so just get one that cast antimagic every round when it's not in an AMF. Bit pricy at 130000 GP, though (and kills your attempts at stealth).

[Âmesang]

Well, I was talking about the 200k threshold, but it looks like that doesn't trigger a multiplier either…
Yeah, I think that just determines whether or not a non-scroll item requires (regular) Craft Whatever or Epic Craft Whatever. :smallsmile:

[Morcleon]

This is PO, so those TO readings can't really apply here, since this needs a DM approval, and DMs will go by RAI, instead of RAW.

The doorknob will stay on the door.

Considering the end goal isn't to make something that makes sense within the rules and fluff given, but rather to find possibilities for a constant AMF, you could simply refluff whichever solution is used to be whatever is wanted.

If the DM won't allow the barbarian to run a constant AMF, then the method used to get there is irrelevant. If it is allowed, then 100kgp+ is a very steep price for something that is a significant portion of the character's concept.

[Jowgen]

This probably won't suit your needs, but I feel it bears mentioning because it's bloody growing an AMF.


Sussur aka. Deeproot: A rare, magical, faerzres-dependent tree with long gnarled branches and banyan-like aerial roots found in the largest underdark caverns. Grows to 60 ft of height, has very few leaves, and absorbs magic, creating massive (i.e. several 100 ft) antimagic fields. Und p. 108

[ben-zayb]

Flux Slime, folks. Flux Slime.

edit: fun link (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?455786-Earliest-access-to-Antimagic-Field&p=20050101#post20050101)

[Bronk]

In this situation an item of AntiMagic field CL 11(Wizard) is a level 6 spell


The minimum cost for such an item in this case would be

11×6×2000=132000
If set to a number of charges per day.

132000/(5÷#of charges)

You could get it down to 26,100 usable once per day.

Oddly, there's already an item that does this: the Antimagic Torc from Underdark. 25,000g, CL11, usable 1/day.

[Darrin]

Flux Slime, folks. Flux Slime.

edit: fun link (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?455786-Earliest-access-to-Antimagic-Field&p=20050101#post20050101)

Chaos Flask (100 GP, Planar Handbook) -> Flux Slime -> AMF.

[Gildedragon]

Kinda surprised no one has suggested this: maybe an acorn of far travel?

[Zaq]

Kinda surprised no one has suggested this: maybe an acorn of far travel?

Wouldn't the AMF suppress the Acorn? I mean, I'm okay with an AMF not suppressing itself (even though I feel like it's a little sketchy to have a magic item make an AMF, since AMF specifies that it nixes all magic items in its AoE), but I don't see any wholesome way to read an AMF not suppressing the Acorn.

[Gildedragon]

Wouldn't the AMF suppress the Acorn? I mean, I'm okay with an AMF not suppressing itself (even though I feel like it's a little sketchy to have a magic item make an AMF, since AMF specifies that it nixes all magic items in its AoE), but I don't see any wholesome way to read an AMF not suppressing the Acorn.

Acorn isn't in the antimagic field/dead magic zone/plane the tree and the acorn bearer are.

[Zaq]

Acorn isn't in the antimagic field/dead magic zone/plane the tree and the acorn bearer are.

I'm not sure that I'm comfortable with an AMF that happens to be around the Acorn's target tree extending through the Acorn (especially because the AMF has to be able to be taken down long enough to cast the spell that creates the Acorn but then maintained continuously outside of that, but that's a separate issue, so there's two ways that I'm uncomfortable before we even start), but let's roll with it for now. If the acorn bearer is affected by the AMF, though, their held items would have to also be affected by the AMF—I don't see any possible rule reading that wouldn't work that way. You can't say that holding an enchanted item (it's not a traditional magic item, but it's very clearly a magical effect on a physical object) causes you to be treated as though you were in an AMF but not have that AMF apply to your held items (including the enchanted item that serves as your link to the AMF).

Even if you could make that work, though, you wouldn't bring the field with you (you're treated as standing under the boughs of the tree, but that doesn't mean that you carry a bubble of tree-nearness with you), so that might not be sufficient to actually impede magic near you. You pretty clearly couldn't cast anything, but the person standing near you still could. Arguing whether or not that would make you immune to targeted magical effects (or even area magical effects) is just a rules headache in the making (we're already stretching things by having the AMF extend through the Acorn), so unless we get the OP's GM in here saying that they're on board with it, I'll be honest, I don't see this discussion going anywhere useful.

[Dr.Manhattan]

Thanks guys! The Forum blew up and not only did you give me creative much cheaper options, but also some really nice options for buying it it, mobile and stationary, Thanks again! :D

[Âmesang]

Any chance you can just shadow walk to Earth and pick up Dr. Insano's "anti-magic field generator kit (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fhGS0tAcQg&t=2m52s)?" :smallamused: What better way to counteract magic than with SCIENCE!!

Plus it comes with free robotic grabby things!