Consultation on Magic Item Creation

[W3bDragon]

Hi all,

For my Hexcrafter Magus in our current pathfinder adventure path, I've been trying to add the Cruel (https://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic-items/magic-weapons/magic-weapon-special-abilities/cruel/) weapon ability to my weapon. My current weapon is a minor artifact and so adding the ability to the weapon directly has been ruled out by the GM. As such, I'm looking to make a custom item that can add the ability.

I found a couple of items that can add an ability indirectly. Namely, Deliquescent Gloves (https://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic-items/wondrous-items/e-g/gloves-deliquescent/) and Demonic Smith's Gloves (https://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic-items/wondrous-items/e-g/gloves-demonic-smith-s/) both of which add a +1 special ability indirectly to the weapon wielded by the user.

However, I'm having two difficulties. First off, both of these items have secondary abilities that are rather difficult to adjudicate when creating a similar item. Secondly, the pricing of the items doesn't make sense.

Can anyone add some insight into this?

[Vaern]

The pricing on the item creation table for custom magic items is just a guideline. The pricing for "official" magic items is often adjusted depending on how powerful or useful they actually are. In this case, the items in question don't directly emulate the effects of the spells used to create them, so the item pricing guidelines don't necessarily apply in full to them anyway. Rather, they emulate the effect of a +1 weapon ability which typically requires a weapon to already have a +1 enhancement, making it effectively a +2 weapon.
As for the secondary ability, they seem to be tossed on just as a free bonus for flavor. Or perhaps not free, so much as a substitute for the +1 bonus that would normally be required of a proper weapon - that way, pricing the item as if it were a +2 weapon without including the base +1 bonus is still kind of fair. This is all just speculation on my part, though.

[W3bDragon]

Thanks for the input. I suppose you're right in that the basis of the pricing is for a +2 weapon. I began to write something and could use a review of it.

Gloves of Cruelty

Price 8,000 gp; Slot hands; Weight 1 lb; Aura moderate transmutation

DESCRIPTION
These fingerless leather gloves are covered in small spikes that appear razor sharp but are harmless to the wearer.

The wearer’s melee touch attacks cause the target to be shaken for 1d4 rounds (DC 14 will save negates). This is a mind affecting effect. If the target succeeds at this save, they are immune to this ability for 24 hours. If the wearer wields a weapon or makes an attack with an unarmed strike, that attack gains the cruel weapon special ability.

These gloves also grant the wearer a +2 morale bonus on intimidate checks to demoralize opponents and a +2 morale bonus on bluff checks to deliver verbal threats.

Feats: Craft Wondrous Item; Spells: instrument of agony; Cost 4,000 gp


Thoughts?