price this weapon enchantment

[rrwoods]

DM dropped this item on me, and we're trying to figure out what the price of the enhancement is. It's a +1 blinkstrike short sword.

Blinkstrike: Once per day as a swift action, the wielder of a blinkstrike weapon may teleport to a location within 30' to which s/he has line of sight and line of effect. After taking his/her next action, which must be a move or standard action, the wielder teleports back to the space s/he came from. If s/he doesn't take another action this turn, s/he teleports back at the end of his/her turn. This is a supernatural ability.

What does this enhancement cost, as a priced enhancement rather than a bonus-equivalent?

For the future, the DM is considering making an upgrade to it that also makes the target of the wielder's next attack flat-footed for that attack. What might it cost then?

[Crake]

does the wielder need line of sight/effect to his teleport destination? Because I think that would greatly affect the cost. Most cheap tactical teleportation items require at least line of sight to the destination.

[rrwoods]

does the wielder need line of sight/effect to his teleport destination? Because I think that would greatly affect the cost. Most cheap tactical teleportation items require at least line of sight to the destination.
Yes, he does. I'll edit that in.

[Deophaun]

Around the price of an anklet of translocation, maybe less. The rubber-banding is interesting but likely more limiting.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

Use-Activated: Spell Level x Caster Level x 2,000 gp
Charges per day: Divide by (5 divided by charges per day)

I'm not aware of any swift-action teleportation spells that do exactly what that weapon does, but Knight's Move (SC) is a Cleric 3 spell that's a swift action to teleport the caster 5 ft/2 levels into a flanking position. I'd say replacing the limitation of into a flanking position with the limitation of moving you back to your original position after you take a standard or move action would be a spell of equal level and distance for this item. To move 30 ft. with that spell you need a caster level of 12th.

Therefore, Spell Level 3 x Caster Level 12 x 2,000 gp, divide by (5/1=5) = 14,400 gp, in addition to the price of the +1 weapon.

[Deophaun]

Use-Activated: Spell Level x Caster Level x 2,000 gp
Charges per day: Divide by (5 divided by charges per day)

I'm not aware of any swift-action teleportation spells that do exactly what that weapon does, but Knight's Move (SC) is a Cleric 3 spell that's a swift action to teleport the caster 5 ft/2 levels into a flanking position
First, it's not use activated: it's command. If it was use activated, it wouldn't require the swift. So x1,800, not x2,000.

Second, it's also a Paladin 2 spell, so we can knock a third off the adjusted price if you're going by that instead of actually looking at the price of items that do roughly the same thing.

Or, we can look at a 5th level dimension hop, which would give us a price of 1,800. Slightly more expensive than an anklet of translocation, but still cheap enough that someone might bother to purchase it, which I cannot say for your 14,400 price tag. I mean, consider that's enough to buy you permanent flight; a once-a-day "tee-hee, I'm over here, oops I'm back" blink doesn't compare.

[logic_error]

DM dropped this item on me, and we're trying to figure out what the price of the enhancement is. It's a +1 blinkstrike short sword.

Blinkstrike: Once per day as a swift action, the wielder of a blinkstrike weapon may teleport to a location within 30' to which s/he has line of sight and line of effect. After taking his/her next action, which must be a move or standard action, the wielder teleports back to the space s/he came from. If s/he doesn't take another action this turn, s/he teleports back at the end of his/her turn. This is a supernatural ability.

What does this enhancement cost, as a priced enhancement rather than a bonus-equivalent?

For the future, the DM is considering making an upgrade to it that also makes the target of the wielder's next attack flat-footed for that attack. What might it cost then?

Meh. This is useful I guess. The once per day kills it. You are basically occupying one hand with this sword. About a thousand gold I would guess.

Consider it this way: this item can be replicated with a feat spring attack. That feat let's you do this all day. Granted the risk is higher but the reward is greater too. You should consider how much delivering ONE certain sneak attack on connect is worth to you by comparing to this.

Don't forget a ranged weapon does it even better.

[flappeercraft]

Considering the use of it, having the once a day limitation and there being better items that do the same thing I would give it at most 3,000 GP

[rrwoods]

Interesting considerations all around. I don't think 14,400 is the right answer! Something in the 1,400 - 3,000 range seems reasonable.

It's triple the range of an Anklet, but only 1/day. The rubberband is both limiting and freeing -- it's Spring Attack but with a full 30' on both sides. In the campaign, I'm a swordsage who likes hitting things but not being hit, so being able to go from "behind the crusader" to "striking their caster" back to "behind the crusader" seems pretty useful, even if it's only 1/day. The utility is very high but very narrow, making it tough to price (but also the kind of thing this DM likes to drop every once in a while).

Speaking of which, I'm not planning on selling it; we're just trying to figure out how much wealth it should contribute. (I already got the shadow hand enhancement added to it!)

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

First, it's not use activated: it's command. If it was use activated, it wouldn't require the swift. So x1,800, not x2,000.

Second, it's also a Paladin 2 spell, so we can knock a third off the adjusted price if you're going by that instead of actually looking at the price of items that do roughly the same thing.

Or, we can look at a 5th level dimension hop, which would give us a price of 1,800. Slightly more expensive than an anklet of translocation, but still cheap enough that someone might bother to purchase it, which I cannot say for your 14,400 price tag. I mean, consider that's enough to buy you permanent flight; a once-a-day "tee-hee, I'm over here, oops I'm back" blink doesn't compare.

"Activating a command word magic item is a standard action and does not provoke attacks of opportunity. (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/magicItems/magicItemBasics.htm#commandWord)"

A Paladin 20 only has a caster level of 10th, a 30-ft. move with this spell requires a caster level of 12th. I'm pretty sure the epic magic item markup of x10 price will apply if the creator needs to be over 20th level.

Dimension Hop is also 5 ft./2 levels, so it requires a caster level 12th to move 30 ft., and it's a standard action, not a swift action.

An Anklet of Translocation only goes 10 ft., so it's not a comparable effect.


I did some looking, and found the Dislocator and Great Dislocator weapon properties in MIC, which is activated as a swift action and causes your next hit to teleport your opponent 30 ft. on a failed save. It functions 3/day at a +2 weapon cost. The effect is the same distance and the same action to activate, and while Dislocator and Great Dislocator are one of the most worthless weapon properties I've ever seen, it's a good base to work with for making a weapon that teleports someone. A +1 bonus for a swift action 10 ft. teleport 3/day, and an additional +1 bonus to increase it to 30 ft., looks like it would be a fair price for this type of effect.

[Deophaun]

"Activating a command word magic item is a standard action and does not provoke attacks of opportunity. (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/magicItems/magicItemBasics.htm#commandWord)"
Written at a time when Swift actions did not exist:

Activating this sort of magic item takes the same amount of time as casting the spell the item’s power duplicates. If the power doesn’t duplicate a spell, activating the item is a standard action unless its description says otherwise. See note 16 for spells that have 1-round casting times.
Rules Compendium, page 9.

A Paladin 20 only has a caster level of 10th, a 30-ft. move with this spell requires a caster level of 12th. I'm pretty sure the epic magic item markup of x10 price will apply if the creator needs to be over 20th level.
If only there were ways to increase caster levels without being over level 20. Maybe a feat or a magic item or a spell. Ah well. Too bad...

Get out of here, you damn Artificer.

Dimension Hop is also 5 ft./2 levels, so it requires a caster level 12th to move 30 ft., and it's a standard action, not a swift action.


DIMENSION HOP Psychoportation (Teleportation)
Level: Freedom 1
...
Manifesting Time: 1 swift action
Range: 10 feet
Augment: For every additional power point you spend, you can move an additional 5 feet.


An Anklet of Translocation only goes 10 ft., so it's not a comparable effect.
"This apple is 50% bigger than the other apple, so they are not comparable."

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

Written at a time when Swift actions did not exist:

Rules Compendium, page 9.

If only there were ways to increase caster levels without being over level 20. Maybe a feat or a magic item or a spell. Ah well. Too bad...

Get out of here, you damn Artificer.

"This apple is 50% bigger than the other apple, so they are not comparable."

I was looking at Dimension Hop in PH2.

Regardless, I found an existing item with a comparable effect in the Dislocator and Greater Dislocator properties, so I'd still say a +1 bonus for 10 ft. or a +2 bonus for 30 ft. is appropriate for this effect.

[Deophaun]

egardless, I found an existing item with a comparable effect in the Dislocator and Greater Dislocator properties
No, you didn't. Those are offensive; the target is the enemy.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

No, you didn't. Those are offensive; the target is the enemy.

It's still a swift action teleportation effect, on a weapon, that goes the desired distance and targets someone.

[Lvl 2 Expert]

It's an interesting object. It's a weapon, but the best way to use it might be as a spellcaster, using your current level high damage options or putting some long term effect up around a corner, maybe some nice damaging terrain on the guys ducking away from the covering fire the martial characters are laying down. If the weapon can be a shield or something a blaster sorcerer could have a good time with this. To be really useful for a warrior type I might make it more like costing a move action to initiate, and letting you return as a bonus action anywhere in or at most at the end of the next x turns. But that would probably cost more than the current setup as well.

[Deophaun]

It's still a swift action teleportation effect, on a weapon, that goes the desired distance and targets someone.
No. By the rules for improving magic items (not even guidelines, rules), you can take the ability of an anklet of translocation, pay a %50 tax for an unconventional slot, and put it on a short sword.

It's still apples to oranges if the "someone" you are targeting is yourself or an enemy. A weapon that has an effect that deals 6d6 force damage to an enemy on an attack is going to be a heck of a lot more expensive than a weapon that deals 6d6 force damage to its wielder on an attack. These are not things in the same ballpark.

[Thurbane]

Well, there's already the Vanishing weapon enhancement (MIC p.45) that allows you to Dimension Door up to 60 feet as a swift action after a successful attack, 1/day. +8,000gp. That's probably a decent point to start a comparison to an existing ability.