Cold Iron costs

[Naez]

I've played 3.5 for quite a while and have only just now thought of using a cold iron weapon. normally put off by the "Also, any magical enhancements cost an additional 2,000 gp." clause but now that I actually want to get a cold iron weapon that same clause is causing me massive confusion.

For example let me say I want a +2 Keen Flaming Cold Iron Greatsword how much would this weapon cost?

Is it 32450? with the extra cost clause only triggering once?
Is it 34450? with the extra cost clause triggering on the keen and flaming enhancements?
Is it 36450? with the extra cost clause triggering on the flat enhancement bonus, keen, and flaming enhancements?
Is it 38450? with the extra cost clause triggering on the flat enhancement bonus twice (once for each +1), keen, and flaming enhancements?
In addition, how does it interact with enhancements that take more than a +1 enhancement cost?

[Coventry]

I've played 3.5 for quite a while and have only just now thought of using a cold iron weapon. normally put off by the "Also, any magical enhancements cost an additional 2,000 gp." clause but now that I actually want to get a cold iron weapon that same clause is causing me massive confusion.

For example let me say I want a +2 Keen Flaming Cold Iron Greatsword how much would this weapon cost?

Is it 32450? with the extra cost clause only triggering once?
Is it 34450? with the extra cost clause triggering on the keen and flaming enhancements?
Is it 36450? with the extra cost clause triggering on the flat enhancement bonus, keen, and flaming enhancements?
Is it 38450? with the extra cost clause triggering on the flat enhancement bonus twice (once for each +1), keen, and flaming enhancements?
In addition, how does it interact with enhancements that take more than a +1 enhancement cost?

A normal greatsword costs 50 gp.
Crafting it from cold iron doubles that, to 100 gp.
Turning it into a masterwork weapon adds 300 gp (new total 400 gp).

Enchanting it as +2 keen flaming (effective +4 bonus) adds 32,000 gp for a normal weapon, to which the 2,000 gp cost for enchanting cold iron is added, bringing the total weapon cost to 34,400 gold.

That assumes that all of the enchantments are added in one session, which is definitely possible.

Going back and adding more enchantments at a later time *might* trigger the 2,000 gold, again ... that is an "ask your DM" question. But given the end results of one weapon being upgraded, and one being directly enchanted are two weapons that are otherwise identical in the hands of a character, I would be inclined to only charge the extra 2000 gold one time.

[Crake]

A normal greatsword costs 50 gp.
Crafting it from cold iron doubles that, to 100 gp.
Turning it into a masterwork weapon adds 300 gp (new total 400 gp).

Enchanting it as +2 keen flaming (effective +4 bonus) adds 32,000 gp for a normal weapon, to which the 2,000 gp cost for enchanting cold iron is added, bringing the total weapon cost to 34,400 gold.

That assumes that all of the enchantments are added in one session, which is definitely possible.

Going back and adding more enchantments at a later time *might* trigger the 2,000 gold, again ... that is an "ask your DM" question. But given the end results of one weapon being upgraded, and one being directly enchanted are two weapons that are otherwise identical in the hands of a character, I would be inclined to only charge the extra 2000 gold one time.

I've never understood the logic of the people who subscribe to this theory of how it works. Whether you enchant it in one go or in batches shouldn't affect the price of the item at all, as it would make determining market value a nightmare with random and inconsistent prices for the same item. The fact that it doesn't specify that each magical enhancement cost an additional 2000gp in my mind makes it a one off cost that is applied when the item is enhanced in the first place. Adding enhancements or improving enhancements after that do not incur an additional 2000gp cost each time.

Edit: Also, the base cold iron weapon costs a flat double that of the normal item, including masterwork adjustment costs. So a cold iron greatsword would cost 100gp, but a masterwork cold iron greatsword would cost 700gp.

[Coventry]

I've never understood the logic of the people who subscribe to this theory of how it works. Whether you enchant it in one go or in batches shouldn't affect the price of the item at all, as it would make determining market value a nightmare with random and inconsistent prices for the same item. The fact that it doesn't specify that each magical enhancement cost an additional 2000gp in my mind makes it a one off cost that is applied when the item is enhanced in the first place. Adding enhancements or improving enhancements after that do not incur an additional 2000gp cost each time.

Edit: Also, the base cold iron weapon costs a flat double that of the normal item, including masterwork adjustment costs. So a cold iron greatsword would cost 100gp, but a masterwork cold iron greatsword would cost 700gp.

I think we just proved Naez's point about how confusing the cold iron pricing rules are.

Here is my analogy about why the 2,000 could apply multiple times. Let's say you have a problem in your car's engine. There is a labor cost associated with removing all the other parts in order to get at the engine to perform work on it. If you need to fix two things in the engine at different times, you have to tear down the other parts twice. If you can fix both things at the same time, you only incur the tear-down cost once.

But on that part, I agree with you. I disagree about adding the masterwork fee twice, though.

There is precedent in d20 where "doubling" some value is additive (when damage is doubled by one effect and tripled by another, the final result ends up times four, not times). Based on that, I only added the 300 gold one time. But the way you read it seems just as logical to me as the way I read it.

So I fired up Hero Labs to see what it thinks the weapon should be worth. It ends up at my price of 34,400.

[Crake]

I think we just proved Naez's point about how confusing the cold iron pricing rules are.

Here is my analogy about why the 2,000 could apply multiple times. Let's say you have a problem in your car's engine. There is a labor cost associated with removing all the other parts in order to get at the engine to perform work on it. If you need to fix two things in the engine at different times, you have to tear down the other parts twice. If you can fix both things at the same time, you only incur the tear-down cost once.

But on that part, I agree with you. I disagree about adding the masterwork fee twice, though.

There is precedent in d20 where "doubling" some value is additive (when damage is doubled by one effect and tripled by another, the final result ends up times four, not times). Based on that, I only added the 300 gold one time. But the way you read it seems just as logical to me as the way I read it.

So I fired up Hero Labs to see what it thinks the weapon should be worth. It ends up at my price of 34,400.

Turns out I was wrong about the masterwork cost doubling, I did some digging and the cold iron longsword under specific weapons and armor in the DMG prices it at 330gp, which is double the 15gp for the longsword, but only the single +300gp cost for masterwork, so I'll concede that point.

[Zanos]

MIC has another rule (which is probably a misprint) for the cost of cold iron weapons. It says the base price is +2,000gp and that magical enhancements cost double. Technically it takes precedence but...

I go with the DMG rule and say the 2k gp is a one time cost when the item is first made magical. Cold iron isn't that good.

[Jay R]

Ask your DM. That's the only opinion that matters.

[Deophaun]

MIC has another rule (what is probably a misprint) for the cost of cold iron weapons. It says the base price is +2,000gp and that magical enhancements cost double. Technically it takes precedence but...
Well, at least it gets points for clarity.

It's like they took all the good they did with price balancing throughout the book and concentrated enough bad in one shot to offset it. That's why you don't hire true neutrals to edit your books.