Bracers of Spell Deflection [Archive] - Wizards Community

Bracers of Spell Deflection [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
grelna
07-02-06, 02:32 PM Please look over the item described below and let me know if you think it would be abusive and, if so, why. I am asking on my own behalf, and am not looking for arguments to use on my GM. I play a Mulhorandi necromancer who will have some significant downtime if she survives her current adventure (culminating in a shadow dragon dracolich). One item she is considering crafting during this downtime would be a nonstandard item she'd call Ibis Bracers of Spellwarding with the following abilities:

+6 armor bonus
Ray Deflection (as 4th level spell in Spell Compendium, 7th caster level, continuous)
I would like to be sure that I have calculated the cost in gold and XP of creating such an item correctly, assuming that the GM does not adjust the book price. Here are my calculations:

The continuous Ray Deflection protection would be the most expensive: 4 (spell lvl) * 7 (caster level) * 2000gp * 2 (normal duration is 1 minute/level) = 112,000 gp base market price.
The next most expensive protection would be the armor bonus: 36 (armor bonus squared) * 1000 gp = 36,000 gp base market price * 1.5 (additional ability on item) = 54,000 gp adjusted market price.
The sum of the market values of the above enchantments would come to 166,000 gp. This means that the actual cost to create such an item would normally come to 83,000 gp, 6,640 xp, and 166 days of crafting.

However, my character would like to make this item easier to craft by tapping into the power of her faith, with the added benefit that the item would not then benefit any evil mage who manages to defeat her. She worships Thoth (and has made a significant point of this since 1st level), and would like to use the rules in the sidebar of p.282 of the DMG to reduce the cost of the item by restricting its use to Neutral spellcasters (-30% cost reduction) who are devout followers of Thoth (-10% cost reduction). That second restriction would require having maximized ranks in Religion at every level and having Thoth as a patron deity. This would bring the cost of crafting this item down to 49,800 gp, 3,984 xp, and 100 days of crafting.

This would be a powerful defensive item, as it would make it extremely difficult to affect the wearer with Ray spells - either the item would need to be temporarily dispelled or sundered, or the Rays would have to be delivered as melee touch attacks for such spells to affect her. I don't think the item is necessarily overpowered for the cost. I would, however, like to hear the opinions of other gamers on this.
kalstrand
07-02-06, 03:01 PM I wouldn't let players use the discount rules as it is simply too easy to make the item so that it only works for their character.
grelna
07-02-06, 03:10 PM I wouldn't let players use the discount rules as it is simply too easy to make the item so that it only works for their character.No offense intended, Kalstrand, but I'm not sure of your point. ANYONE using those rules is going to use them to restrict item usage to a group that includes themself. I did try to come up with an in-game roleplaying reason for why it should work. Now, that said, if you think that players should not be allowed to craft items with restrictions on who can use them, I would like to ask if you include Evil-only or Good-only items in your games. Items that are restricted in some fashion probably make up about 25-30% of the magic items in the games I run.
wonlee76
07-02-06, 03:29 PM No offense intended, Kalstrand, but I'm not sure of your point. ANYONE using those rules is going to use them to restrict item usage to a group that includes themself. I did try to come up with an in-game roleplaying reason for why it should work. Now, that said, if you think that players should not be allowed to craft items with restrictions on who can use them, I would like to ask if you include Evil-only or Good-only items in your games. Items that are restricted in some fashion probably make up about 25-30% of the magic items in the games I run.

Here's a question for you.

How many magical items has your group come across that had limitations in them that would prevent your players from using and even possibly selling the item for profit?

If your answer is: "All the time." then I say let your player use the discount rule.

If your answer is: "Never" then I say don't use the discount rule.

Your player can't be the first smart item crafter to try to create items for himself or his/her allies to put restrictions on the item to prevent them from falling into enemy hands. Considering putting such restrictions actually makes it easier to make the item without losing the main benefit of the item, I believe a good majority of magical items in the world will have some kind of restriction on them since what person doesn't like the idea of spending less gold and spending less xp in crafting an item. And with all the restrictions on the items, it will make it a lot more difficult to sell them in certain locations.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
grelna 07-02-06, 02:32 PM	Please look over the item described below and let me know if you think it would be abusive and, if so, why. I am asking on my own behalf, and am not looking for arguments to use on my GM. I play a Mulhorandi necromancer who will have some significant downtime if she survives her current adventure (culminating in a shadow dragon dracolich). One item she is considering crafting during this downtime would be a nonstandard item she'd call Ibis Bracers of Spellwarding with the following abilities: +6 armor bonus Ray Deflection (as 4th level spell in Spell Compendium, 7th caster level, continuous) I would like to be sure that I have calculated the cost in gold and XP of creating such an item correctly, assuming that the GM does not adjust the book price. Here are my calculations: The continuous Ray Deflection protection would be the most expensive: 4 (spell lvl) * 7 (caster level) * 2000gp * 2 (normal duration is 1 minute/level) = 112,000 gp base market price. The next most expensive protection would be the armor bonus: 36 (armor bonus squared) * 1000 gp = 36,000 gp base market price * 1.5 (additional ability on item) = 54,000 gp adjusted market price. The sum of the market values of the above enchantments would come to 166,000 gp. This means that the actual cost to create such an item would normally come to 83,000 gp, 6,640 xp, and 166 days of crafting. However, my character would like to make this item easier to craft by tapping into the power of her faith, with the added benefit that the item would not then benefit any evil mage who manages to defeat her. She worships Thoth (and has made a significant point of this since 1st level), and would like to use the rules in the sidebar of p.282 of the DMG to reduce the cost of the item by restricting its use to Neutral spellcasters (-30% cost reduction) who are devout followers of Thoth (-10% cost reduction). That second restriction would require having maximized ranks in Religion at every level and having Thoth as a patron deity. This would bring the cost of crafting this item down to 49,800 gp, 3,984 xp, and 100 days of crafting. This would be a powerful defensive item, as it would make it extremely difficult to affect the wearer with Ray spells - either the item would need to be temporarily dispelled or sundered, or the Rays would have to be delivered as melee touch attacks for such spells to affect her. I don't think the item is necessarily overpowered for the cost. I would, however, like to hear the opinions of other gamers on this.
kalstrand 07-02-06, 03:01 PM	I wouldn't let players use the discount rules as it is simply too easy to make the item so that it only works for their character.
grelna 07-02-06, 03:10 PM	I wouldn't let players use the discount rules as it is simply too easy to make the item so that it only works for their character.No offense intended, Kalstrand, but I'm not sure of your point. ANYONE using those rules is going to use them to restrict item usage to a group that includes themself. I did try to come up with an in-game roleplaying reason for why it should work. Now, that said, if you think that players should not be allowed to craft items with restrictions on who can use them, I would like to ask if you include Evil-only or Good-only items in your games. Items that are restricted in some fashion probably make up about 25-30% of the magic items in the games I run.
wonlee76 07-02-06, 03:29 PM	No offense intended, Kalstrand, but I'm not sure of your point. ANYONE using those rules is going to use them to restrict item usage to a group that includes themself. I did try to come up with an in-game roleplaying reason for why it should work. Now, that said, if you think that players should not be allowed to craft items with restrictions on who can use them, I would like to ask if you include Evil-only or Good-only items in your games. Items that are restricted in some fashion probably make up about 25-30% of the magic items in the games I run. Here's a question for you. How many magical items has your group come across that had limitations in them that would prevent your players from using and even possibly selling the item for profit? If your answer is: "All the time." then I say let your player use the discount rule. If your answer is: "Never" then I say don't use the discount rule. Your player can't be the first smart item crafter to try to create items for himself or his/her allies to put restrictions on the item to prevent them from falling into enemy hands. Considering putting such restrictions actually makes it easier to make the item without losing the main benefit of the item, I believe a good majority of magical items in the world will have some kind of restriction on them since what person doesn't like the idea of spending less gold and spending less xp in crafting an item. And with all the restrictions on the items, it will make it a lot more difficult to sell them in certain locations.