Weight of combined magic items

[Alent]

I've got what I'm hoping is a fairly quick and simple question.

I'm making a few combined items for an upcoming mid level campaign and I can easily find the PF rules for the GP cost of adding abilities to an existing item, but not the weight of the resulting item. (The example on d20pfsrd is for weightless items. :smallannoyed: ) I'm assuming I use the weight of the base item, but the DM intends to be strict with carrying capacities, so if there's RAW on the subject I'd like to have it on hand if it becomes an issue.

[Mordaedil]

Weight? Magic enhancements for things like armor doesn't increase the weight of the armor. Do you mean things like armor spikes? They should have a listing as increasing the weight by 10 lbs. Do you mean when you have the item made from a different material? As far as I can tell, only mithril changes the weight and it just halves it.

[Alent]

Let's say I'm combining other worn equipment, such as headbands, which generally seem to weigh 1 pound.

I start with a Headband of Vast Intellect (+4) and add in a Headband of Inspired Wisdom (+4) at 1.5x cost. The resulting headband weighs what? 1 pound? 2 pounds? The rules don't seem to specify an interaction at all, and the friend that'll be DMing is indicating that he really wants to strictly enforce weight. It could end up mattering since I'm running a caster with dump str- I'll be running a pair of Muleback Cords, so it shouldn't matter, but this is the first game this friend will be DMing for (ever), so I don't have a good feel on his DMing style yet other than he thinks strictness is important.

Actually, checking over the headband lists, from the costs of the Headband of Mental Prowess and the Headband of Mental Superiority, it seems like the answer is "it doesn't add weight", because those are priced the same as what a DIY combination item would cost. I'm hoping for something a little more definitive, tho'.

[Kayblis]

When you add properties, the result is a single item with both properties. It weighs the same as a common item because magic doesn't add weight. You're using a single headband(1 pound) that has two enchantments on it. The rules specify that, you don't even need two separate items to "fuse", it's a single item enchanted twice.

[Anymage]

I can't see a word of anything about weight being affected. Frankly, I don't think rules for that crossed anyone's mind.

If you combine two items, it's generally safe to assume that you use the base item's weight and anything added is negligible. The main drawbacks to trying to make one do-it-all item, aside from the fact that items the DM gives won't necessarily come attached, are making that one item a huge smite target and getting past the giggle test (your wand probably isn't baglike enough to become a bag of holding).

[Mordaedil]

This is actually covered in the Magic Item Compendium, but like the others have said, the weight doesn't increase, but the price does. There is a handy table at the back of the book for how prices for "common enhancements" increase the cost.

There are limits to this however and the rules do not typically allow "stacking headbands together", but enhancing an item that shares the same slot can be both applied to an item occupying that slot. It is most effective to do this to an item that has a unique enhancement, so you don't end up needing to switch between them as you run out of slots. You can, for instance, not have a headband of +6 to intelligence, charisma, strength, dexterity and wisdom. Not all of those share slot benefits. You can however take your helmet of teleportation and give it a +4 to Intelligence enhancement, by first paying to add the +2 bonus, then raising it to +4.

An enterprising wizard might be willing to accept a headband of similar enhancement and effectively "move the enhancement over" (in reality he just enhances the item in question and pockets the headband for himself) for half the price of the enhancement.

[Alent]

When you add properties, the result is a single item with both properties. It weighs the same as a common item because magic doesn't add weight. You're using a single headband(1 pound) that has two enchantments on it. The rules specify that, you don't even need two separate items to "fuse", it's a single item enchanted twice.


I can't see a word of anything about weight being affected. Frankly, I don't think rules for that crossed anyone's mind.

If you combine two items, it's generally safe to assume that you use the base item's weight and anything added is negligible. The main drawbacks to trying to make one do-it-all item, aside from the fact that items the DM gives won't necessarily come attached, are making that one item a huge smite target and getting past the giggle test (your wand probably isn't baglike enough to become a bag of holding).

Spiffy, thanks both for the reply. Now to go figure out Soulmelds and Chakra binds and figure out where exactly I need these various abilities to land. Whee! :smallbiggrin: