Cost of Amulet of Ignore Material Components

[redking]

A feat in a magical item is around 10,000 gp. But we have no guidance on what an epic feat in an item might cost, much less an item with immense utility like an item of ignore material components.

What would be a "fair" costing for such an item?

[Gruftzwerg]

Have a look at the epic magic item rules:

Market Price

Use the guidelines for nonepic magic items to determine the market price of an epic magic item, with one addition: If the item gives a bonus beyond the limit allowed in for normal, nonepic magic items, multiply the portion of the market price derived from that characteristic by 10. Some epic characteristics, such as caster level, don’t trigger this multiplier.

Dunno if it helps, but imho the most obvious point to start at.

[Biggus]

Some epic magic items grant epic feats:

Exceptional Arrow Deflection armor, +8 enhancement

Infinite Arrow Deflection armor, +6 enhancement

Distant Shot weapon, +6 enhancement

Everwhirling Chain, Improved Combat Reflexes, +100,000GP

Ring of Rapid Healing, Fast Healing, 300,000GP

Some other items do also, but it's often not clear what part of their price is derived from the feat(s). For example, the Quarterstaff of Alacrity grants both Deflect Arrows and Infinite Deflection and also gives a +5 resistance bonus to Reflex saves. Looking at the A&EG and MIC suggests the epic feat part would cost 174,000GP but that's just an estimate.

[Feantar]

Shouldn't your original price be 15000? As in, 10000 for a feat, 5000 because it has a pre-requisite (Eschew Materials)? So, going by epic guidelines, it'd cost 150,000 gp. Which is… insanely cheap for its utility.

[icefractal]

Rod of Excellent Magic could be another one to look at.
For 650k, it supplies 2000 xp per day (for spell cost purposes), the equivalent of 10k gp.

It can also be sacrificed to completely cover the cost of epic spell research, so maybe discount it a bit. 500k would be 50x the amount it provides a day, which fits with the pricing for expendable-charged vs at-will items.

Ofc, one could make the argument that gp becomes fairly irrelevant by epic levels (and thus supplying xp is more than 5x superior) unless the many free-gold methods are house-ruled away. But in that situation we wouldn't be talking about the gold costs for magic items anyway; we can assume this item is being priced for a campaign where gold still matters.

[Thurbane]

One of the effects of the Hat of Many Spells (Animated Series Handbook p.10) provides any material component up to 1,000gp. Component must be used within 1 round, or it disappears. Unlimited use per day.

The other effects are as a Rod of Wonder, free Empower Spell and swap out memorized spell for one in your spellbook (although the last two come with a chance of failure or unexpected results).

The whole package goes for the ridiculously low cost of 25,000gp.

[redking]

One of the effects of the Hat of Many Spells (Animated Series Handbook p.10) provides any material component up to 1,000gp. Component must be used within 1 round, or it disappears. Unlimited use per day.

The other effects are as a Rod of Wonder, free Empower Spell and swap out memorized spell for one in your spellbook (although the last two come with a chance of failure or unexpected results).

The whole package goes for the ridiculously low cost of 25,000gp.

Ooosh. I forgot about that one. How many spells require material components of over 1000 gp?

[Biggus]

Ooosh. I forgot about that one. How many spells require material components of over 1000 gp?

S/W PHB

6 Symbol of Persuasion (M: 5,000 gp of powdered diamond and opal)
7 Forcecage (M: 1,500 gp ruby dust)
7 Symbol of Stunning (M: 5,000 gp of powdered diamond and opal)
7 Symbol of Weakness (M: 5,000 gp of powdered diamond and opal)
8 Symbol of Death (M: 5,000 gp of powdered diamond and opal)
8 Symbol of Insanity (M: 5,000 gp of powdered diamond and opal)
8 Sympathy (M: 1,500 gp worth of crushed pearls)
9 Astral Projection (M: 1,000 gp jacinth, 5 gp silver bar per person)
9 Refuge (M: 1,500 gp of gems on item)
9 Temporal Stasis (M: 5,000 gp (diamond, ruby, emerald and sapphire dust)

Non-S/W PHB

5 Hallow (M: 1,000 gp of herbs, oils and incense, +1,000 gp per level of spell included)
5 Raise Dead (M: 5,000 gp diamond)
5 Unhallow (M: 1,000 gp of herbs, oils and incense, +1,000 gp per level of spell included)
6 Forbiddance (M: 1,500 gp worth of incense per 60 foot cube, +5,000 gp of incense per 60-foot cube for password)
7 Resurrection (M: 10,000 gp diamond)
9 True Resurrection (M: 25,000 gp diamond)

S/W other books

6 Revive Undead (M: 5,000gp black pearl (SpC))
6 Symbol of Thirst (M: 5,000gp powdered diamond and opal (SS))
7 Energy Transformation Field (M: 5,000gp powdered diamond, XP: 250 (SpC))
7 Barghest's Feast (M: 5,000gp diamond (SpC))
9 Ice Assassin (M: 20,000gp powdered diamond, XP: 5000 (FB))

Non-S/W other books

6 Stone Walk (M: 2,500 gp diamond, 5,000 gp worth of ruby and amber paste (PGtF)
6 Revive Outsider (M: 5,000gp diamond (SpC))
8 Evil Weather (M: 10,000gp amethysts, XP: 200, ability damage: 3d6 Con (BoVD))
9 Apocalypse from the Sky (M: an artifact, ability damage/drain: Con/Wis (BoVD))

[redking]

Spoiler: Quote by Biggus

Show

S/W PHB

6 Symbol of Persuasion (M: 5,000 gp of powdered diamond and opal)
7 Forcecage (M: 1,500 gp ruby dust)
7 Symbol of Stunning (M: 5,000 gp of powdered diamond and opal)
7 Symbol of Weakness (M: 5,000 gp of powdered diamond and opal)
8 Symbol of Death (M: 5,000 gp of powdered diamond and opal)
8 Symbol of Insanity (M: 5,000 gp of powdered diamond and opal)
8 Sympathy (M: 1,500 gp worth of crushed pearls)
9 Astral Projection (M: 1,000 gp jacinth, 5 gp silver bar per person)
9 Refuge (M: 1,500 gp of gems on item)
9 Temporal Stasis (M: 5,000 gp (diamond, ruby, emerald and sapphire dust)

Non-S/W PHB

5 Hallow (M: 1,000 gp of herbs, oils and incense, +1,000 gp per level of spell included)
5 Raise Dead (M: 5,000 gp diamond)
5 Unhallow (M: 1,000 gp of herbs, oils and incense, +1,000 gp per level of spell included)
6 Forbiddance (M: 1,500 gp worth of incense per 60 foot cube, +5,000 gp of incense per 60-foot cube for password)
7 Resurrection (M: 10,000 gp diamond)
9 True Resurrection (M: 25,000 gp diamond)

S/W other books

6 Revive Undead (M: 5,000gp black pearl (SpC))
6 Symbol of Thirst (M: 5,000gp powdered diamond and opal (SS))
7 Energy Transformation Field (M: 5,000gp powdered diamond, XP: 250 (SpC))
7 Barghest's Feast (M: 5,000gp diamond (SpC))
9 Ice Assassin (M: 20,000gp powdered diamond, XP: 5000 (FB))

Non-S/W other books

6 Stone Walk (M: 2,500 gp diamond, 5,000 gp worth of ruby and amber paste (PGtF)
6 Revive Outsider (M: 5,000gp diamond (SpC))
8 Evil Weather (M: 10,000gp amethysts, XP: 200, ability damage: 3d6 Con (BoVD))
9 Apocalypse from the Sky (M: an artifact, ability damage/drain: Con/Wis (BoVD))

Thanks. OK, so there aren't really that many spells that have over 1000 gp worth of components, and Hat of Many Spells from the Animated Series Handbook is best for bang for buck and due to it being a canon item, has better acceptability than a custom item of ignore material components.

Based on the comments here, I was thinking that a custom item of ignore material components would cost around 315,000 gp, and have a 24 hour attunement time.

[Beni-Kujaku]

Thanks. OK, so there aren't really that many spells that have over 1000 gp worth of components, and Hat of Many Spells from the Animated Series Handbook is best for bang for buck and due to it being a canon item, has better acceptability than a custom item of ignore material components.

Based on the comments here, I was thinking that a custom item of ignore material components would cost around 315,000 gp, and have a 24 hour attunement time.

Seems acceptable at very first glance. The basic question is how long it will take for a return on investment. If you abuse it with costly spells, I'd say you'd get your buck back in about 20 to 40 expensive spells cast, or 2 to 4 levels, which is not that much when you think about it. Then again, they could have taken the feat instead, and it's epic play. I still think I would up that to 500k and prevent it from providing specific material component like that of Simulacrum.

[Biggus]

Based on the comments here, I was thinking that a custom item of ignore material components would cost around 315,000 gp, and have a 24 hour attunement time.

That seems fairly reasonable to me. I'd say it's definitely worth that much, but not dramatically more: after all, you wouldn't buy it if it weren't going to save you a signficant amount of money in the long run.

[Darg]

I still think I would up that to 500k and prevent it from providing specific material component like that of Simulacrum.

I don't see a problem with it allowing specific materials. It's ignoring xp costs that is problematic.

[redking]

I don't see a problem with it allowing specific materials. It's ignoring xp costs that is problematic.

I think the material component being referenced is something like a Balor's fingernails and not the crushed rubies or whatever it was.

[Beni-Kujaku]

I think the material component being referenced is something like a Balor's fingernails and not the crushed rubies or whatever it was.

I was thinking more of a black ethergaunt's tendril, but yeah, getting dominate monster at will would be valuable even in epic levels.

[redking]

I was thinking more of a black ethergaunt's tendril, but yeah, getting dominate monster at will would be valuable even in epic levels.

As a DM I would not allow ignore material components to emulate a piece of a creature and as a player I wouldn't try it either. I'd expect the trade in etherguant tendrils to be lively.