Pricing a custom weapon

[legomaster00156]

I'm building a custom magic weapon for my Hell's Vengeance game, and I need some help pricing it. I know that the base enchantments are worth 18,000 gold, but I'm wondering how I should price its unique ability.


Angel's Fall
CL 12

This +2 good outsider-bane longsword once belonged to the Angel Knight, Lencia Visserene, until further enchanted with profane power by Darellus Fex. Once per day, one may spend a swift action to treat a single target within 30 feet as a good-aligned outsider for purposes of activating the bane property. The target must be a paladin or cleric worshiping Iomedae, or the ability fails. This effect lasts for 12 rounds, or until the target is dead.

[aglondier]

Looks like you have an additional Bane effect with a hefty limitation, so reduce the value of that portion of the enchantment.

Base +2 enchantment 8000gp
Good outsider Bane (+1) +10000gp
Paladin/cleric of Iomedae Bane (+1) +14000gp

The usual discount for a major limitation is 30%, bringing that component down to 9800gp, for a total cost of 27800gp.

[Kurald Galain]

I would give a further discount because the limitation is once per day and a rarely-encountered enemy and the ability is wasted if mis-targeted. In a normal campaign, it would basically never come up; in Hell's Vengeance I suppose you'll fight a small amount of Iomedae clerics/paladins. I'd say 75% discount on the 14000 in this particular campaign, 90% in others; because frankly adding a plain +1 is sooo much better than this boon.

I would include warpriests and inquistors, too (basically any divine caster). And the 12-round limitation is not very meaningful, combat doesn't last 12 rounds.

[Ashiel]

The usual modifier for a 1/day ability is 1/5th the cost of the price.

Honestly though, I don't think this ability should be priced as a +X modifier because it just doesn't seem to be that sort of ability. You should probably price it as a spell effect.

EDIT: If you didn't want to deal with trying to tie it like a spell effect, the following should be reasonably fair.

6,000 gp (difference between a +1 and +2 item) x .70 (30% reduction for class/alignment restriction) x 0.20 (1/5 for 1/day) = 840 gp, and just consider it a flat modifier to the weapon (just add the +840gp onto whatever the cost of the item is without increasing cost for multiple abilities). Maybe just make it a modifier of the existing bane property (in which case it would require at least one bane effect on the weapon). 12 rounds is a bit weird. Maybe you tied it to caster level (I didn't bother to check) but you might just make it 10 rounds flat as an ability, similar to divine favor or something.

[legomaster00156]

Thanks for the input, guys.

And the 12-round limitation is not very meaningful, combat doesn't last 12 rounds.
This is mainly to prevent arguments that the bane property is still active against recurring foes.

[aglondier]

Looks like you have an additional Bane effect with a hefty limitation, so reduce the value of that portion of the enchantment.

Base +2 enchantment 8000gp
Good outsider Bane (+1) +10000gp
Paladin/cleric of Iomedae Bane (+1) +14000gp

The usual discount for a major limitation is 30%, bringing that component down to 9800gp, for a total cost of 27800gp.


The usual modifier for a 1/day ability is 1/5th the cost of the price.

Honestly though, I don't think this ability should be priced as a +X modifier because it just doesn't seem to be that sort of ability. You should probably price it as a spell effect.

EDIT: If you didn't want to deal with trying to tie it like a spell effect, the following should be reasonably fair.

6,000 gp (difference between a +1 and +2 item) x .70 (30% reduction for class/alignment restriction) x 0.20 (1/5 for 1/day) = 840 gp, and just consider it a flat modifier to the weapon (just add the +840gp onto whatever the cost of the item is without increasing cost for multiple abilities). Maybe just make it a modifier of the existing bane property (in which case it would require at least one bane effect on the weapon). 12 rounds is a bit weird. Maybe you tied it to caster level (I didn't bother to check) but you might just make it 10 rounds flat as an ability, similar to divine favor or something.

I would still price it as the 4th +1, but I missed the 1/day.
So, major limitation 30% discount with 1 use per day 1/5 multiplier. 1960gp. For a total 19960gp cost.

That is what I would set the price as for a pc owning a weapon like this.

[Vaern]

I'd set the 1/day ability as a flat price bonus, just because adding price multipliers to a variable cost gets really hairy if you decide to enchant the weapon further.

[aglondier]

Going from +4 to +5 costs 18000gp. Simple enough. Just base the next enchant on that, or adjust the "enchant order" and reprice from there.