N B 35's page

Okay I had to create an account just to post about this mess.

I too was confused about the difference between cost & price - usually cost is half market price.

Now upon plenty of confused research I noticed this under the Pathfinder item creation rules;

"some items cast or replicate spells with costly material components. For these items, the market price equals the base price plus an extra price for the spell component costs. The cost to create these items is the magic supplies cost plus the costs for the components. Descriptions of these items include an entry that gives the total cost of creating the item"

Now this sounds to me like a (marginally) better worded version of the rules from the 3.5 DMG;

"Create: The next part of a notational entry is the cost in gp and XP to create the item, given following the word “Cost.” This information appears only for items with components(material or XP), which make their market prices higher than their base prices. The cost to create includes the costs derived from the base cost plus the costs of the components. Items without components do not have a “Cost” entry."

Now, both these entries are still confusingly written for no reason whatsoever. The word "Cost" is used to refer to the final figure you pay ("Cost to create") and the cost of the components interchangeably. The 3.5 DMG guide calls the "Cost" figure the "cost in GP and XP to create the item", implying that's all you pay!

Also, it's horrific English. The "cost to create" (which in the previous sentence refers to anything is says after "Cost") doesn't include that half market price figure.. that figure should be INCLUDED to get the final figure to pay. It should read, "You must pay the amount in GP derived from half base cost, plus the costs of the spell components given under 'Costs'".

Therefore, it seems to be that the amount after "Costs" is what you pay in addition to normal 1/2 Market Price.

So.. the cost to create a Tome of Clear Thought is Half of the Base Price, plus the "Cost" figure. Why the flying f~ck anyone thought this was the best way to explain item creation "costs" is beyond me. Why they didn't realize that maybe the "Cost" figure is pointless on it's own, and could just be the 1/2 base price + any other component costs.. who knows.

Were I in charge, you would have market price become Gold Piece Worth (or simply worth), halving it would get you the Component Cost, to which must be added, if applicable, a Spell Component Cost.

Finally, the 25k gp Component Cost for the Wish Spell is only in Pathfinder. The Wish spell and the Tome of Clear Thought are both ordinary 3.5, and in 3.5 there is not a component cost for the Wish spell (usually) in GP.