Another magic item question

[skywalker]

How much would you price an item of "protection from evil?" I'm thinking continuous, slotted for the head. Thoughts?

[DraPrime]

The SRD has some advice on pricing. I've found it to be fairly accurate. See how it works for you.

[martyboy74]

The SRD has some advice on pricing. I've found it to be fairly accurate. See how it works for you.

This is not a case for those rules, mostly because the Protection from X spells are horribly broken. I mean, immunity to mental control as a level one spell? Who thought that was a good idea?

[Chronos]

The SRD would suggest 2000 GP for a continuous-effect 1st-level spell.

But that's a suggestion. It's wise to also check the prices on items with similar effects. Protection from Evil grants a +2 deflection bonus to AC and a +2 resistance bonus to saves. Admittedly, both of these apply only vs. evil opponents, but most of the significant opponents you'll face are evil. A ring of protection +2 costs 8000 GP, and a cloak of resistance +2 costs 4000 GP. Putting both of those effects on the same item would cost half again as much for the second effect, for a total of 14,000 GP, already far above the 1st-level-spell guideline. Plus there's the other two effects of the spell, preventing posession and domination, and warding away outsiders.

Then again, the closest existing item in the SRD is the Horn of Goodness, which casts Magic Circle against Evil once per day, and it only costs 500 GP above what the spell-level guidelines would suggest. So maybe the game designers thought that Protection from Evil wasn't worth all that much after all. I dunno.

[skywalker]

So maybe the game designers thought that Protection from Evil wasn't worth all that much after all. I dunno.

It really depends on your campaign, doesn't it?

I find it interesting that everyone thinks 2,000gp to replicate a first level spell is so broken, whereas 2,500gp to give +5 to a skill check is acceptable. I know that +5 to Handle Animal isn't worth 2,500, but a +5 to tumble, concentration, etc. is huge.

Why is this?

[DraPrime]

Why is this?

There's one simple sentence that will answere this.

People are dumb and/or irrational.

[Citizen Joe]

Continuous protection from evil headband

(Spell level: 1) X (Caster level: 1) x (minutes/level: 2) x (wrong body slot affinity: 1.5) x (continuous: 2000 gp) = 6000 gp

[CASTLEMIKE]

It should be either 2,200 GP as a Ring like a Ring of Feather Falling or based on the DMG page 288 Behind the curtain body slot affinities: 1,000 GP as an Amulet, Brooch, Medallion, Necklace, Periapt or Scarab based on the price of a +1 Cloak or +1 Bracers of Armor based on exisitng game mechanics and pricing for a Protection affinity in the correct slot.

As a nonstandard item although you could rule although it is theoretically possible just like the light bulb was. It took well over 100 tries by the inventor. In game no one has discovered exactly how to do it except with Intelligent weapons for Magic Circle at +16,000 GP. The PC has about a 1% chance of discovering it with each experiment at a standard cost of 500 GP or 1,000 GP (Half Market Cost) along with the experience point loss and 1D4 weeks of research and experimentation.

DMG page 270 Intelligent Items and the Greater Powers: Magic Circle against opposing alignment at will +16,000 GP.

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Based on game mechanics and demograhics most permanent magic items should be Wonderous Items in game. The majority should be based on First and Second level spells due to the fact that most NPCs are level 4 and below according to DMG demographics and those are the spells available to them normally.

IMO minor craft wonderous items should outnumber other types of magic items by a factor of 20 or greater as other permanent magic items normally require caster levels of 5 or greater and those casters do not all take craft item feats.

On the same note things like Meta rods should be very rare, in extremely high demand for their benefits and on par with Minor artifacts for their CL17 crafting requiring the Craft Rod feat to make.

[Roderick_BR]

This is not a case for those rules, mostly because the Protection from X spells are horribly broken. I mean, immunity to mental control as a level one spell? Who thought that was a good idea?

Remember that it only affects spells cast by creatures with the alignment from which you are protected from. Plus, it just suppress the effect, doesn't cancel it. But a permanent item would be virtual immunity, really.

[excrtd]

Actually I am reading that from the SRD

"Second, the barrier blocks any attempt to possess the warded creature...or to exercise mental control over the creature.... This second effect works regardless of alignment."

[goat]

It really depends on your campaign, doesn't it?

I find it interesting that everyone thinks 2,000gp to replicate a first level spell is so broken, whereas 2,500gp to give +5 to a skill check is acceptable. I know that +5 to Handle Animal isn't worth 2,500, but a +5 to tumble, concentration, etc. is huge.

Why is this?

Well, probably because people want to be able to use their skills. Unless you're int-heavy or playing a skill monkey class, you're not going to have many skills at high levels, and if you ARE playing a skill monkey class you want to be able to pull off at least a few checks almost every time.

Admittedly, it can be hideously broken. Items of +X UMD and Bluff spring to mind, but then UMD is a skill people really, really want to be able to use in the middle of a fight, and Bluff is something you normally want to work first time.

[Starbuck_II]

This is not a case for those rules, mostly because the Protection from X spells are horribly broken. I mean, immunity to mental control as a level one spell? Who thought that was a good idea?

Even worse: the immunity to charm spell feature of it is 1 rd/level for Wu jen as a 2nd level spell.

Who casts Charm protection if you also know Protection spells?! What were they thinking?

[Chronos]

Protection from Evil doesn't do anything against charm spells (other than the +2 on saves, if it's evil). It protects against mental control, which is a different matter. Charm Person, for instance, does not take away your free will; it merely makes you regard the caster as a friend. It won't cause you to turn on your other friends, unless the caster is extremely persuasive, and even if you do something as a result of a charm, you can still do it in a way you choose. Dominate Person, on the other hand, doesn't give you any choice in the matter. If you're dominated, you'll do exactly what the caster wants, in the way he wants it. That's what Protection from Evil protects against.

[CASTLEMIKE]

Protection from Evil doesn't do anything against charm spells (other than the +2 on saves, if it's evil). It protects against mental control, which is a different matter. Charm Person, for instance, does not take away your free will; it merely makes you regard the caster as a friend. It won't cause you to turn on your other friends, unless the caster is extremely persuasive, and even if you do something as a result of a charm, you can still do it in a way you choose. Dominate Person, on the other hand, doesn't give you any choice in the matter. If you're dominated, you'll do exactly what the caster wants, in the way he wants it. That's what Protection from Evil protects against.

I disagree PHB page 266 Second, the barrier blocks any attempt to possess the warded creature (by a magic jar attack, for example) or to exercise mental control over the creature (INCLUDING ENCHANTMENT (CHARM) EFFECTS AND ENCHANTMENT (COMPULSION EFFECTS)...

Charm Person page 209 Enchantment (Charm) [Mind-Affecting].

[Shhalahr Windrider]

Admittedly, it can be hideously broken. Items of +X UMD and Bluff spring to mind, but then UMD is a skill people really, really want to be able to use in the middle of a fight, and Bluff is something you normally want to work first time.

Although it's not listed as a requirement in the item creation guidelines, items that grant competence bonuses tend to require their creator have as many ranks as the bonus it grants. If we were to take that as a standard prerequisite and apply it to all skill-boosting items, we would have a useful starting point for restricting access to such items when applied to specific skills. Of course, it would mean introducing item-availability other than just using the town gold piece limits. You want a ring of tumbling +20? You need to find a caster with 20 ranks in Tumble. Not easy.