Note: This is a preliminary draft. Looking to revise it sometime in the future, and interested in how it seems for play.
“The prices of jewels are not stable. There is no law governing their prices, and there is no reason why these prices should not fluctuate with time and place. Each country, each nation carries its own temper. Furthermore, at one time nobles begin to sell them off and at others, to stock them. Stones are plentiful at one time and scarce at another. God grants honour to some and disgrace to others.”
al-Biruni, 11th century AD
Kitab al-Jamahir fi Ma‘rifat al-Jawahir
With Pathfinder, there’s a base assumption that the monetary system is stable: silver is worth ten times the same weight of copper, gold is worth ten times the same weight of silver, and platinum is worth ten times the same weight of gold.
That said, it is also known that the quality of gemstones can vary, and logic also dictates that the value may vary from place to place based on supply and demand. Given that there are caravans, merchant ships, mines and the like, it should also be taken as a given that not all kingdoms are self sufficient and produce an abundance of everything you could possibly want to buy. Value has to vary for some items or the world does not make sense.
This situation is further complicated by spells such as Animate Dead and Simulacrum requiring a certain value of onyx gemstones and powdered rubies respectively with no reference to the possibility of a variable market and its effect on what’s needed for magic. There’s also some question of whether the rubies are worth that value before or after the powdering, and the situation is further complicated by Instant Summons requiring a sapphire which shatters, leaving powder, which might still conceivably have some use or value.
However, since the sapphire used for Instant Summons is a material component, and material components are supposed to be utterly consumed, any sapphire dust left should be taken as merely a special effect and thus valueless. On the other hand, the black sapphire used for Soul Bind is a focus, so if shattered by an unsuccessful casting or to release a trapped soul, the gem fragments remain, and may be theoretically reassembled via Make Whole, thus restoring the focus. Contrawise, the gem used in Trap the Soul is a material component and thus utterly destroyed when the gem is crushed, releasing the second portion of the spell.
Though it’s unspecified how large any given gemstone is, the price guide on p. 400 lists the various types and their typical values. Assume that this is for a 1 carat gemstone of the appropriate type, but there is obviously room for variation. A freshwater pearl is 10 GP while a regular pearl is 100 GP, but obviously seed pearls would be closer to 10 GP while an exceptionally large and beautiful biwa pearl could be worth as much as a 500 GP black pearl or more. Likewise, though unspecified, assume that the ruby dust needed for a Simulacrum is 1 carat worth per HD, made from chips left from gemcutting, and this is sold by weight rather than the original quality of the crushed stone. Also assume that, with the exception of pearls, most gems are cut stones which have been masterfully cut at DC 25. Raw stones are somewhat larger, and while worth only one third as much, can be brought up to their full potential by proper cutting, tripling their value. Of course, not all jewelers are masters, so it’s entirely possible to find gems somewhere between uncut and masterfully cut with a corresponding range of values.
This doesn’t even get into the vagaries of fashion, legality or import charges. It is entirely conceivable that black onyx, known for its use in necromancy, would become banned, thus increasing its price on the black market. But if the suitability for magic is entirely dependent on sale price rather than actual value, this would end up helping the necromancers, requiring less actual onyx to animate the dead. Instead, judge such things as legality and fashion to be separate from the actual value of the gemstones needed to cast the spell.
A DC 25 Appraise check is needed to know the value of a gem, and a DC 25 Knowledge check of the appropriate to the subject’s creature type is needed to know the approximate HD of a subject and thereby whether any given gem is sufficient for a particular spell. (cf. Soul Bind, p. 345). Reasonably, other skills beyond Appraise should apply in certain circumstances for finding buyers who might pay more for a particular item, or to explain why an item that an item that appraised for more isn’t selling for as much. Similarly, items may vary in quality and other factors may make them worth more or less than what is listed in the main book.
Trade goods tend to vary in price based on quality, based on scarcity, and based on their source. A bolt of cloth brought by caravan will trade for more than one locally made of the same quality, and similarly, fresh herbs are generally worth more than dried, and a prize ram is worth more than any random sheep. Similarly, artfully preserved meat will sell for more than fresh.
Trade Goods
Price: -1 to 100% No Change +1 to 100% +100 to 1000% Skill
Quality: Low Medium High Grand Appraise
Scarcity: Omnipresent Common Uncommon Rare Knowledge Nature
Source: Local Semi-Local Foreign Exotic Knowledge Geography
Price: -50% No Change +50% +100% Skill
Livestock: Young Live Dressed Preserved Knowledge Nature
Herbs/Spices: Old Dried Fresh Potted Knowledge Nature
Some items have additional value inobvious to even a master appraiser without access to other skills and knowledges. How does one tell the difference between a jar of eye ointment intended as a material component for True Seeing (and thus worth 250 GP) and a jar of cosmetics used to treat a noblewoman’s puffy eyes (and probably not costing more that 25 GP)? How does one tell the difference between a bottle of fine wine and a bottle of sacramental wine, even if the later is in a bottle marked with the priestly seal of a particular religion? And having appraised an item, how does one know if it’s legal for sale in a particular kingdom, taxed, regulated, or outright banned but consequently selling for a higher price on the black market?
There are also some items which, if used as material components for spells, give markedly better results than the standard. Others are untested, and while they might work, they also might not. Likewise there are other items that might violate tenets of a particular faith, or be required by it.
These usually include, but are not limited to, the following: Poisons, Drugs, Intoxicants, Perfumes, Unguents & Alchemical Items
Price: -1 to 100% No Change +1 to 100% +100 to 1000% Skill
Legality: Subsidized Legal Taxed Controlled Knowledge Local
Mysticality: Untested Mundane Propitious Superlative Knowledge Arcana
Sanctity: Profane Neutral Sacred Divine Knowledge Religion
Finally, there is Jewelry and Art Objects. These can be of mystic or religious significance (and consequently be worth more or less to the right parties) and can sometimes be subject to legalities. Mostly these are sumptuary laws, with certain gems or colors reserved for the nobility, but jewelry and art objects can also running afoul of laws regulating gemstones suitable for material components for illegal spells. A necklace of onyx beads can be viewed as a fashion accessory or as a tool for raising an undead army. But most Jewelry and Art Objects will simply be accessories and decorator items for the nobility and similarly wealthy.
In the case of previously owned jewelry and art objects, aside from the value of the precious metals and jewels, there are a few other factors that affect price, notably age, condition, craftsmanship, fashion, and finally taste. Note that the perception of these can vary from individual to individual. A necklace that a human would consider a vintage piece is something an elf would consider merely second-hand, if not something they still have in their jewelry box that they bought when it was new.
As a rule of thumb, each race will consider Second-Hand items to be ones that are newer than the span that marks their races span of adulthood (for example, 19 years for humans, but 61 years for elves), while Antique items are those that are older than their race’s maximum lifespan (110 years for human, 750 for elves), with Vintage anything falling between the two spans. Ancient items are anything older than ten generations, so 1100 years for humans and 7500 for elves..
Price: -1 to 100% No Change +1 to 100% +100 to 1000% Skill
Age: Second-Hand Vintage Antique Ancient Knowledge History
Condition: Blemished Sound Fine Unblemished Appraise
Craftsmanship: Primitive Typical High Quality Superior appropriate Craft or Perform skill
Style: Unfashionable Basic Fashionable Tres Chic Knowledge Local
Taste: Poor Average Good Exquisite Knowledge Nobility
How much for the old grey mare or the riding dog puppy?
The base price of mounts is set for healthy well trained adult specimens. Of course, this is not always the case. To calculate variations, use the following:
Mounts
Price: -50% No Change +50% +100% Skill
Training Untamed Tame Combat Trained Trick Handle Animal
Price: -50% No Change -25% -50% -75% Skill
Age: Young Adult Middle Aged Old Venerable Knowledge Nature
Price: No Change -25% -50% -75% -50% -95% Skill
Health: Healthy Injured Lame Crippled Ill Diseased Heal
A riding dog is listed as 150 GP, but this is for one that is combat trained. One that has not been combat trained will go for 75 GP. A riding dog puppy–young and untamed–will sell for one quarter that price, 18 GP, 7 SP, and 5 CP, or simply 19 or 20 GP rounding up. An old riding horse is worth half of 75 GP, so 37 GP 5 SP. A “Trick” animal is a particularly intelligent specimen who can know more than one set of tricks at a time, such as a pony trained for both combat and performance. (CF. Handle Animal).
Similarly, an animal that is injured or is ill is worth less than one that is healthy. An injured animal will heal at the normal rate or may be immediately healed with magical healing with no ill effects. A lame animal is one that has suffered a serious injury and taken temporary ability damage. It will heal this eventually, but slowly, or may be healed with magic. A crippled animal has suffered permanent ability damage or even lost a limb. Neither will heal without powerful magic. An ill animal is one that has some illness which is not transmissible to humanoids. It can be treated without risk. A diseased animal is something like a riding dog with rabies. These are only sold by unwitting or unscrupulous vendors, but there are unfortunately plenty of both.
And I can see all tabs were stripped out of the original post. Oh well, hopefully the modifier charts still make some sense.