Neat base items for Intelligent pre-Weapon of Legacy

[Morphic tide]

The limit is 4,000 GP. The cheapest Intelligent Magic Item by 3.5 is a 12/12/10 with Empathy, 30 ft. hearing and vision, and 3/day Bless for +2,000 GP. The cheapest by 3.0 comes from the Arms and Equipment Guide on page 139, where 10s with Semiempathy communication and 1/day Feather Fall is +1,350 GP, assuming that a power is still obligatory.

Other in-budget 3.5 lesser powers are 3/day Faerie Fire at +2,100, 1/day Mirror Image at +3,200, and continual Deathwatch at +3,700 GP. 13/13/10 is not available because there is not a valid two-lesser-powers option. Arms and Equipment Guide has 10 ranks Intuit Direction or Sense Motive or 1/day Spider Climb at +3,000 GP budget, at-will Detect [opposing alignment], Secret Doors, or Magic or 1/day CL 5 Cure Light Wounds at total +2,800 GP, and 3/day Charm Person on contact or Shield at total +2,080 GP. You can also manage Speech with 1/day Feather Fall at +3,350, and get a +6 mental modifier with +3,750 GP

Surprisingly, there actually does exist a 250 GP non-finite-use magic item in Jumping Caltrops. Why somebody would make Jumping Caltrops with 22 to a mental ability score and Feather Fall I don't know, but hyperintelligent caltrops able to move 5 ft. a round for five rounds per day as a Weapon of Legacy sounds hilarious.

[Curbludgeon]

An intelligent Everfull Mug has a certain narrative hook.

[Vaern]

Intelligent augment crystals can make for an inexpensive substitute for intelligent weapons. A few of them have specific abilities that can make choosing a special purpose for higher-tier intelligent items easy. For example, a truedeath crystal is obviously designed for the purpose of slaying undead.

An intelligent everlasting feedbag could potentially take control of whatever mount it's put on and just act independently as its own character.

Hand of the Mage grants Mage Hand at-will, which could be entertaining if the intelligent item can activate the abilities of its base item and not just the powers it gains by nature of being an intelligent item.

[Morphic tide]

Intelligent augment crystals can make for an inexpensive substitute for intelligent weapons. A few of them have specific abilities that can make choosing a special purpose for higher-tier intelligent items easy. For example, a truedeath crystal is obviously designed for the purpose of slaying undead.
As it pertains to being made a Weapon of Legacy later, they're also a good choice for Variable Weapons of Legacy, such as having a Least or Lesser Crystal of Aquatic Action that varies based on armor category. Least permits the 22 Int case but only negates Armor Check Penalty on Swim, Lesser comes with inbuilt Swim speed directly based on your land speed for a decent benefit up-front.


An intelligent everlasting feedbag could potentially take control of whatever mount it's put on and just act independently as its own character.
I'm partial to having the item turn into CR 1 creatures of considerably more interesting use than the "canonical" Light Horse of the menu A Mount option. A Large Monstrous Centipede is both actually a mechanically sound mount (Large, above standard speed, additional movement mode) and has a decent progression hook in the poison (which can be given Ability Focus and Constitution Enhancement)


Hand of the Mage grants Mage Hand at-will, which could be entertaining if the intelligent item can activate the abilities of its base item and not just the powers it gains by nature of being an intelligent item.
The bit here is actually that it's a DMG or AEG Intelligent Item used as the candidate for a Weapon of Legacy, not the Intelligent Legacy power, so using the non-legacy effects is the default. Funnily enough, since Mage Hand is unbounded Concentration it can actually conserve its standard action for something else while using its move actions to direct the selected non-magical item 15 ft. a round.

Some more options:

Pearl of Speech: Insert into Mindless creature for it to be Ego-checked into a speaker for the item's mind, which may be 20 Int.
Metoric Knife: It's a good buildaround for cheating the Legacy Weapon Enhancement scheme and an example of the Masterwork surcharge being critical
2nd+1st level Runestaff: 2,000 GP for two spells to use. Wings of Swift Flying or Wings of Cover would be good to beat in the Sorcerer preference.
Cognizance Crystal, 1 PP: So we don't have examples of Psionic Special Abilities to go with this, but housing hard PP in the first place is a good hook.
Cloak of Weaponry: It starts out storing one Medium weapon. You can take that stored weapon nasty places.
Ring of Communication: Actually a sound idea for producing Intelligent Items in bulk, as you can touch a lot more rings when you don't need them on a hand.
Ring of Four Winds: Disguises the AEG option's Feather Fall inside another X/day Feather Fall item, charges can alternatively be used for +2 to AC for an attack.
Amber Amulet of Giant Vermin: 1/day of a particular Giant or Monstrous Vermin. Very cheap for either AEG mental scores or stacking into other items.

[Curbludgeon]

If a Poison Ring counts as a ring I'd consider that.

Does the item have to already be magical before it's made intelligent? It doesn't seem like it.

If not, a masterwork poison ring enchanted only with the basic 3.5 intelligent item package has 1655 to spend on material. Aurorum is too expensive. Obdurium? I'm not finding a good special material cost list.

[Prime32]

Intelligent augment crystals can make for an inexpensive substitute for intelligent weapons. A few of them have specific abilities that can make choosing a special purpose for higher-tier intelligent items easy. For example, a truedeath crystal is obviously designed for the purpose of slaying undead.
Related: Dragonshard Pommel StonesFoW are enchanted as magic weapons at 125% cost, and their properties override that of any melee weapon they're attached to (except epic weapons, legacy weapons and artifacts). Upgrading it through legacy weapon abilities bypasses that markup.

[lylsyly]

An intelligent Everfull Mug has a certain narrative hook.

One of my favorite builds: FERGUS MADROAR (Chaotic Good) Male Dwarf Half Earth ElementalCloistered Cleric (Hanseath) 5 / Divine Oracle 6 / Comtemplative 9 /// Paladin of Freedom 20

Hanseath is a Forgotten Realms Dwarf Diety of well, basically partying. Gets the war and travel domains which are great. His symbol is a golden mug. Seems like a perfect fit for an intelligent item! Especially an intelligent everful mug of dwarnen ale. How would you create such an item?

[Mnemius]

One of my favorite builds: FERGUS MADROAR (Chaotic Good) Male Dwarf Half Earth ElementalCloistered Cleric (Hanseath) 5 / Divine Oracle 6 / Comtemplative 9 /// Paladin of Freedom 20

Hanseath is a Forgotten Realms Dwarf Diety of well, basically partying. Gets the war and travel domains which are great. His symbol is a golden mug. Seems like a perfect fit for an intelligent item! Especially an intelligent everful mug of dwarnen ale. How would you create such an item?

No one should drink alone. Hanseath knowing this, created his blessed mug of companionship just for this purpose... Intelligent, well, more wisdom, everful mug of ale? Put a zone of truth power on it due to playing sloppy with In vino veritas? (this is suggestion, not actual item.)