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One of my pc's is a Wizard and has proposed to create the following magical item. He has the feats and skills necessary to do so.
Takara is sick of casting mage armor and even more sick of wearing leather armor. So she decides to create a mantel of mage armor. Basically, with this mantel (which I guess is worn over a cloak). It would always be as though I had cast mage armor on myself. It does not stack with armor.
You can read here http://www.systemreferencedocuments.org/35/sovelior_sage/magicItemsCreation .html
for the details but basically it will be a base price of 2000 soFeats/Powers
Feat What it does
Create Scroll Create a scroll
Exceptional Artisan Magic item creation costs are 75%
Create wonderous item Create various magic items2000 * .75 = 1500gold to buy the materials and one day to create it.
My question is as DM does this reasonable to create a mantle of mage armor for 1000 gold? The player says its easier to keep track of then him buying a a magical item that has 50 charges of mage armor for 750 gold.
I personally would direct them to the Bracers of Armor since these were designed as a magic item based off of mage armor.
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I would base the cost off of the Bracers of Armor (+4), which are basically the same thing:
16,000 GP
A robe can carry multiple effects, so I would rule that it was fine to transfer the bonus over there at no additional cost.
Checking the rules to make sure they pan out though. In this case, since Mage Armor grants a +4 armor bonus, the best way to go is check out the table where it says "Bonus to Armor". The general rule that applies is bonus squared x 1,000 GP. In this case, 4x4 is 16, times 1,000 is 16,000 GP.
As this matches up with the Bracers of Armor, I'd go with that. She could craft it for 8,000 GP plus some XP.
Crafting it for 1,500 GP (or 2,000, whatever)? Ridiculous. That's one where the DM needs to step up and say HOOOOOOLD on there, there's an item already made like the one you're looking for, it's over here, it costs 16,000 GP, don't try to cheat the system.
If it exists, even in a different slot, just change the slot. No need to re-invent the creation.
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LOL so 16000 gold for a 1st level spell effect....but only certain 1st level spell effects apparently?
EG:
Hat of Disguise: This apparently normal hat allows its wearer to alter her appearance as with a disguise self spell. As part of the disguise, the hat can be changed to appear as a comb, ribbon, headband, cap, coif, hood, helmet, and so on.
Faint illusion; CL 1st; Craft Wondrous Item, disguise self; Price 1,800 gp.
Seems a little weird.
Armor bonuses are more powerful than a simple disguise change. AC is one of the core mechanics at the heart of D&D, so yes, a permanent AC boost is going to be expensive when it doesn't impart any penalty to armor check, gives an infinite dex bonus, no casting penalty, and can even work against incorporeal attacks.
In any case I guess it makes sense when you think about the whole monk thing. Ok, so I guess I'll just get the Mithril shirt which costs 400 less and does the same thing basically? Not to mention with that option I can enchant it later and pump it up even more. I really only wanted it for the coolness factor ... the number will be the same ... except for the 400g I'll save and the annoyance of the spell failure of 1 in 10. But I'd rather have the protection all the time and not have to ask how many hours it's been since I cast mage armor every 10 mins of game time =(.
A Mithril Shirt is very different. Yes, it's much cheaper. However, with a wizard, it *still* has a 10% arcane spell failure chance. And the bonus wouldn't apply against incorporeal creatures. If you don't care about either of those, then yes, go for that.
Seems a little weird.
I have to agree with the other posters here. The magic item creation rules can be hard to follow sometimes, but they are clear on one point: Continuous AC Bonus has a retail cost of Bonus Squared x 1,000 gp. A fighter who wants to enhance his plate, or a thief who wants to enhance his leather, or someone creating an amulet of natural armor all have to pay the same price.
The key here is the duration. When you take a spell as useful as Mage Armor and change it from hour per level to permanent, that's a drastic increase in power.
You could think of it this way: It's still a first level spell, but since the duration is infinite, then the caster level is infinite. All the other "spell effect" magic items require you to pay some form of "spell level x caster level". 1 x infinity gold pieces is a bit steep.
But since you're making the item yourself, I admit my whole idea is a bit silly, because you're restricted by your caster level. If you were 24th level, the spell would last 24 hours anyway.
One of the benefits to the AC bonus payment system is that you can get a bonus higher than the standard +4 if you're high enough level and can afford it.
The Hat of Disguise is not nearly as powerful of an effect. Really, all you're getting is disguise bonus. Anyone you interact with has two ways to figure it out: They could get a skill check to recognize the disguise, and they could also get a will save if the "interact with the glammer". (Whatever that means. Not sure if just looking counts.)
But I'd rather have the protection all the time and not have to ask how many hours it's been since I cast mage armor every 10 mins of game time =(.
Welcome to the life of the mage. Your buffs keep you alive, and you have access to a huge number of them, but you have to keep track of them. Mirror Image is can be your friend, but it doesn't last a long time, or in the face of multiple magic missiles.
If you took the extend spell feat (or got a rod of extend), the duration of Mage Armor approaches half a day or more. Also, a "Daily x1" item that cast Mage Armor for 12+ hours a day might be cost effective. I'm too lazy to do the math and check.
If you want to add to your AC without a duration, there a few things you can do. A Mithral Buckler has no penalties, even if you're not proficient. You can also get an amulet of natural armor. Gloves of dexterity increase your AC, skills, reflex saves and don't forget your Ray Attacks.
With multple items, you could get to a permanent +4 to AC cheaper than the 16,000 gp it costs for Bracers of +4.
Takara is sick of casting mage armor and even more sick of wearing leather armor. So she decides to create a mantel of mage armor. Basically, with this mantel (which I guess is worn over a cloak). It would always be as though I had cast mage armor on myself. It does not stack with armor.
Instead of a permanent AC bonus (which should follow the rules for bracers of armor), perhaps an X times per day item would be an option. At (1 x 1 x 1,800gp) / 5 = 360gp for each activation per day (1 hour duration), it makes a decent stop-gap until bracers of armor +4 are affordable/available.
*sigh* agreed ... but it would have been cool to have =)Armor bonuses are more powerful than a simple disguise change. AC is one of the core mechanics at the heart of D&D, so yes, a permanent AC boost is going to be expensive when it doesn't impart any penalty to armor check, gives an infinite dex bonus, no casting penalty, and can even work against incorporeal attacks.
IMHO AC is never a way to spend your money for mages getting it up high enough to be useful is VERY expensive, and even a 10% failure rate is not acceptable. I have found that good uses of mirror image and Displacement with a little dimension door to get you out of sticky situations is all you will need for the majority of encounters.
The only problem with these is that anyone with true seeing will blow right through your defenses. So you also need good levels in the appropriate (planes,arcane and nature) knowledges to know who to stay away from.
And always remember the orb spells are your friend.