Costing for a half belt of magnificence

[redking]

The belt of magnificence gives +2 to all ability scores for 25,000 gp. How much would it cost for a "belt of mental magnificence" for the 3 mental ability scores, and a "belt of physical magnificence" for the 3 physical ability scores?

[Beni-Kujaku]

The belt of magnificence gives +2 to all ability scores for 25,000 gp. How much would it cost for a "belt of mental magnificence" for the 3 mental ability scores, and a "belt of physical magnificence" for the 3 physical ability scores?

Since the Belt of magnificence is just 6x the price of a standard +X item, rounded to make it look nicer (24k->25k, 96k->100k, 216k->200k), I would assume half of it would cost half as much. +2: 12k; +4: 50k; +6: 100k.

Then again, PF has these exact items (Belt of physical perfection) and prices them as much as 4x a singular item (+2: 16k; +4: 64k; +6: 144k) instead of 3x and Sword and Fist even has the Headband of Perfect Excellence (+6 Str, Dex and Wis) for 180,000, which is almost as much as a Belt of Magnificence and represents 5x a singular item (I believe the thought process was that you bought one slotted item then 2 slotless ones). Choose whichever you want. I'd personally go with 3x because of the loss of versatility.

[Seerow]

Since the Belt of magnificence is just 6x the price of a standard +X item, rounded to make it look nicer (24k->25k, 96k->100k, 216k->200k), I would assume half of it would cost half as much. +2: 12k; +4: 50k; +6: 100k.

Then again, PF has these exact items (Belt of physical perfection) and prices them as much as 4x a singular item (+2: 16k; +4: 64k; +6: 144k) instead of 3x and Sword and Fist even has the Headband of Perfect Excellence (+6 Str, Dex and Wis) for 180,000, which is almost as much as a Belt of Magnificence and represents 5x a singular item (I believe the thought process was that you bought one slotted item then 2 slotless ones). Choose whichever you want. I'd personally go with 3x because of the loss of versatility.

In 3.5, all of the stat boosting items in MIC were declared to be able to be added onto an existing item without any sort of markup. So if you're playing in 3.5, paying x3 or x4 shouldn't be happening at all (given your examples of higher priced variants are from 3.0 and PF respectively).

[AvatarVecna]

Normally it would cost 216k and 6 item slots to get +6 to all attributes. Belt Of Magnificence changes this to...200k and 1 slot. It's not following pricing guidelines at all, it only does this because items costing more than 200k aren't generally available pre-epic. Price guidelines for +6 to all attributes in one item slot would either be 216k (no price change at all), 135k (multiple similar abilities), 306k (Multiple different abilities), or 396k (all but one are effectively "slotless" items). If you did these pricing for a belt giving three bonuses, it would cost either 3, 2.25, 4, or 5 times as much as a single item of the same bonus.

Which of these prices is fair is a matter of personal opinion. If you want a precedent to point to, PF prices their "multiple attribute bump" items as "multiple different abilities".

[Wintermoot]

It costs the amount of hitpoints and expendable combat resources it takes to kill the guy who already has it.

Nice belt you got there, Chad.

[Shaurmiath]

Cut it in half with Occam's Razor. If the full belt is 25K, half the belt should be 12.5K.

Or you could use the 16,000 gold Pathfinder versions of those items as mentioned above.

[Powerdork]

I'd peg it at 10,000 gp, since it's supposed to appear at a time when 4,000 gp items are providing equivalent benefits, and the cloak of Charisma +4 or belt of giant strength +4 provide strictly better effects for one ability at a 16,000 gp price point, even if you equip both this new ability enhancing item and the vanilla item with the higher bonus at the same time. Neither is made redundant by the other, and a sorcerer would be happier to have the cloak of Charisma in all circumstances, while a warrior would no doubt be happier taking the belt of giant strength +4 compared to the 3-stat item. There's no tough choice between the two, so instead there should be a tough choice between grabbing the cheap and broad bonus and grabbing the powerful but costly bonus.

[Troacctid]

I'm pretty sure the mental- and physical-only versions appeared in the Whatever & Whatever series of 3.0 books somewhere.

[redking]

I'm pretty sure the mental- and physical-only versions appeared in the Whatever & Whatever series of 3.0 books somewhere.

Big if true. Anyone know anything about this?

In the case of a belt of mental magnificence, is the belt the appropriate slot, or should it be a different slot?

[Beni-Kujaku]

Big if true. Anyone know anything about this?

In the case of a belt of mental magnificence, is the belt the appropriate slot, or should it be a different slot?

In Pathfinder it's the Headband of Mental Superiority, which seems fair.

[Maat Mons]

Sword and Fist had a Str+Con Item and a Str+Dex+Wis item. Dragon 302 had a Str+Dex item. Dragon 328 had an Int+Cha item.

[Epic Legand]

As has already been pointed out, the cost depends on the system you are playing. In 3.5, the rules STARTED at X+Y(x1.5)+Z(x1.5)....In the magin item compendium, they revised the rules to not cost extra. The thought process was that everyone HAD to get certain boosts to stay competitive...thus no one got interesting stuff because they needed those slots to go to " Bump my prime stat". Free stacking on those key things was thought to allow more interesting item choices.

Pathfinder is built in part on DMG, MM and players of 3.5...but not the later books...so they use the origional stacking rules...So for example a +2 to Str/Dex/Con costs $16,000 ( 4k+6(4x1.5)+6(4x1.5)...However pathfinder offers more money then 3.5 at the same levels

So your cost depends on which you are using.

BOTH systems says slotless costs 2x, not 1.5

[Quertus]

MIC pegs "+2 to 3 abilities" at 12k. Why are we still talking about this?

Normally it would cost 216k and 6 item slots to get +6 to all attributes. Belt Of Magnificence changes this to...200k and 1 slot. It's not following pricing guidelines at all, it only does this because items costing more than 200k aren't generally available pre-epic. Price guidelines for +6 to all attributes in one item slot would either be 216k (no price change at all), 135k (multiple similar abilities), 306k (Multiple different abilities), or 396k (all but one are effectively "slotless" items). If you did these pricing for a belt giving three bonuses, it would cost either 3, 2.25, 4, or 5 times as much as a single item of the same bonus.

Which of these prices is fair is a matter of personal opinion. If you want a precedent to point to, PF prices their "multiple attribute bump" items as "multiple different abilities".

Lol. I've long wanted to build an item that gave +6 to all stats, one at a time, for the reduced price.

It sounds like quite a bargain… until you fire a mighty bow & have to choose between Str and Dex… or pass out due to thinking about something while low on HP or suffering Wis damage.

[Beni-Kujaku]

Lol. I've long wanted to build an item that gave +6 to all stats, one at a time, for the reduced price.

An item that gives +1 enhancement, +1 divine, +1 insight, +1 luck, +1 sacred, +1 profane to an ability score would cost 1k+2(nonstandard bonus)x5k=11k. Much lower than the usual, but takes up a lot of bonus types.

+2 enhancement, +2 sacred, +2 luck would be 20k, if you want to stick to the "no odd-numbered bonus to ability scores" policy.

[Troacctid]

MIC pegs "+2 to 3 abilities" at 12k. Why are we still talking about this?

Well, that's only if they're in the correct slot. Mental ability bonuses can't normally go in a belt.

[Quertus]

Well, that's only if they're in the correct slot. Mental ability bonuses can't normally go in a belt.

Touché. Although I think my belt looks smart.

[redking]

Well, that's only if they're in the correct slot. Mental ability bonuses can't normally go in a belt.

What's the difference between a belt and a headband, really? Just choose where you want to put it.

[AvatarVecna]

What's the difference between a belt and a headband, really? Just choose where you want to put it.

The idea is generally that items are attuning to ideas that the slots embody. Head magic makes you more smarterer, waist is tying into the body and makes you tougherer. It's a rather silly distinction though.

[Elkad]

Make it all a headband.
"Lift smarter, not harder" for Str.
Etc.

[icefractal]

I think the MIC discount is more accurate pricing than the Pathfinder full-price version, balance-wise, because very few characters actually benefit from boosting all six stats (and if they do, they're probably underpowered from being so MAD).

So for the "all mental" or "all physical" version, I'd give less of a discount, since it's more likely that a given character fully benefits from it. Still some discount though, not the PF cost.

[Bphill561]

Since you are talking custom, one trick might be to make it a relic (although technically they are not usually sold, have it commissioned).

A sanctified relic that required a 4th level spell slot would reduce costs by 11,200gp. Have it setup to give +2 to all mental or physical stats, and the 4th level slot would be necessary to unlock the other set. Not quite half off, but RAW if you can RP the relic.

Does not quite work for the +6 version due to a max discount of 61,200 with a 9th level slot. You could have to settle for a bonus to 4 stats.

Long way around, but kind of funny.

[Crake]

IMO just use pathfinder automatic bonus progression and throw away +X stat items entirely