I'm currently rebuilding my level 6 playtest vigilante to have the Blinded Blade Style feat tree (he was already a lawyer social identity, might as well go as close to Daredevil as I can now that Blood of Shadows came out with such an option). Blinded blade style grants scent if the character is blinded or can't see (blindfolded or closing eyes works too), the character would "gain the scent special ability with a range of 10 feet; if you already have scent, the range of your scent ability increases by 10 feet instead." Obviously I'm gonna have to find another source of gaining the scent ability to maximize that feat ability. Thus, the Headband of the Wolf!
Price 5,000 gp; Slot headband; CL 5th; Weight 1/2 lb.; Aura faint transmutation
This silver band is cast to resemble a pack of hunting wolves. On command, the wearer can gain the scent ability with a range of 10 feet (20 feet upwind, 5 feet downwind) as the wolf aspect of the hunter's animal focus class feature. If the wearer is a hunter with that aspect, this headband instead increases the wearer's effective hunter level for the wolf aspect by 8 levels.
The caster level is 5, does that mean the hunter's animal focus class feature is treated as level 5 for a duration of 5 minutes? Or are class features that aren't replicating spells independent of item caster level and it's treated as a minimal of 1 minute duration? Or unlimited duration that can be turned off and on with a command word? It not being a spell has thrown me into a loop trying to reverse the math to figure out what duration might be.
I believe command activated magic items doesn't have durations. You activate it once and can use it indefinitely, until you decide to turn it off.
|
There is another item which gives permanent scent and some perception bonuses for twice the cost. The evolving armor property also gives the wearer a choice of two eidolon evolutions, including scent, for 30 minutes per day as only a +1 property.
It seems strange that a duration wouldn't be listed if there was a limit... but also strange that a character who actually has the ability would only have it extended by 8 minutes per day while one that doesn't have it would get the ability permanently. Still, a Hunter with the ability would also get extended range, so maybe that was considered a worthwhile tradeoff.
Overall, I'd lean towards it being a permanent effect. That seems about right for the cost and in comparison to other items. Just Hunters with the actual ability seem somewhat short-changed.
It seems strange that a duration wouldn't be listed if there was a limit... but also strange that a character who actually has the ability would only have it extended by 8 minutes per day while one that doesn't have it would get the ability permanently. Still, a Hunter with the ability would also get extended range, so maybe that was considered a worthwhile tradeoff.
I'd read it as Hunter without the wolf animal aspect activated would still be able to use the headband as anyone else - permanently gaining (a very short-ranged) Scent. However, upon activating wolf aspect the hunter counts his level as 8 higher (which, in addition to extending duration also extends the range of the ability for a character below level 15).
Not completely relevant, but all the same:
When I use a magic item like ring of invisibility or hat of disguise that can be activated to gain the effects of a spell, does the wording "as the spell" also include the spell’s duration?
Yes, such items' effects have a duration, as indicated by the spell’s duration and the item’s caster level. If the item has no daily use limit, however, you can simply use the item again to reset the duration.
So, since this item does not work like a spell I think the duration is "until removed".
Thanks all. I'll go with continuous duration til another command word do deactivate or the headband is removed, like with a flaming sword, until someone presents some conflicting rules I might have missed which would ixnay that.
Not completely relevant, but all the same:
So, since this item does not work like a spell I think the duration is "until removed".When I use a magic item like ring of invisibility or hat of disguise that can be activated to gain the effects of a spell, does the wording "as the spell" also include the spell’s duration?
Yes, such items' effects have a duration, as indicated by the spell’s duration and the item’s caster level. If the item has no daily use limit, however, you can simply use the item again to reset the duration.
The unattributed quote above is this FAQ.
The item states: "On command, ... as the wolf aspect of the hunter's animal focus class feature"
The hunter can use this ability for a number of minutes per day equal to her level. This duration does not need to be consecutive, but must be spent in 1-minute increments.
Given the text of the class ability, I would say that On Command you get up to 5 minutes of scent at a time, in minute increments. However, as you can do this on command, you can keep it up all day for one standard every 5 minutes.
/cevah
Not completely relevant, but all the same:
So, since this item does not work like a spell I think the duration is "until removed".When I use a magic item like ring of invisibility or hat of disguise that can be activated to gain the effects of a spell, does the wording "as the spell" also include the spell’s duration?
Yes, such items' effects have a duration, as indicated by the spell’s duration and the item’s caster level. If the item has no daily use limit, however, you can simply use the item again to reset the duration.
The unattributed quote above is this FAQ.
The item states: "On command, ... as the wolf aspect of the hunter's animal focus class feature"
The hunter can use this ability for a number of minutes per day equal to her level. This duration does not need to be consecutive, but must be spent in 1-minute increments.Given the text of the class ability, I would say that On Command you get up to 5 minutes of scent at a time, in minute increments. However, as you can do this on command, you can keep it up all day for one standard every 5 minutes.
/cevah
Yea I considered that possibility too in the first post. Because the Animal Focus isn't a spell but rather a class ability, the duration seems more ambiguous since the class features are typically not tied to caster level. I'm thinking the caster level of 5 is more due to the minimum hunter level to cast bloodhound is level 4 but it got rounded off to 5.
Other items that seem to grant class features, seem to have conflicting caster level / stated effective class feature level duration:
Bane Baldric is CL 10 but grants bane as a 5th level inquisitor.
Poet's Cloak is CL 7 grants the raging song/ inspire courage and inspire competence of a 4th level bard or skald for the other opposite class ability.
Torc of Bloody Rage is CL 7 and "once per day as a free action, the wearer can enter a rage for 6 rounds as the spell, except that the wearer is fatigued for 12 rounds after the rage end" which is at least approximate to 2 levels of barbarian.
There's undoubtedly more examples but I can't think of anything else after a quick search. But at the very least, those item granted abilities have a set class level or duration to be used with the class feature, which the Headband of the Wolf isn't doing.
The Bloodhound spell costs doesn't work at when trying to figure out costs with CL 5: command word would have been 9000 gp, or continuous/use-activated would have been 10,000 gp; which makes sense as the wolf aspect of the animal focus class feature doesn't have the same advantages or disadvantages of the bloodhound spell.