I want to create a custom magic item that functions as a magic jar, but with unlimited duration. I also want it to have the caveat that when you die while wearing it, your spirit becomes permanently trapped within the magic jar, essentially making it into an intelligent item with your character stats. After your mortal life ends, your only ability to thereafter affect the outside world would be through the bodies of others (as per magic jar). Only by destroying the magic jar (which will be deliberately difficult) can you well and truly be destroyed.
How much would you have such a wondrous item cost to make? How much on the market? Would you consider such a thing balanced? Or wholly broken?
EDIT: This idea is heavily influenced by the witch Kharla from the RECORD OF LODOSS WAR manga and anime.
Why not just become a ghost?
Why not just become a ghost?
Not as cool I think.
IF I was to try and make Kharla from record of lodoss war what I would... ah hell what I DID do:
I made an intelligent magical circlet. Then I gave it wizard levels with a special ability of dominate person 1/day. Outfit it with blindsight and a fly speed (both are available for intelligent magical items in pathfinder) and a purpose of stopping rulers and empires from forming or gaining domination.
For the circlets powers... I would really just use a headband of intelligence + 6 (and allow the headband to use this power to boost its own Int as well).
IF I was to try and make Kharla from record of lodoss war what I would... ah hell what I DID do:
I made an intelligent magical circlet. Then I gave it wizard levels with a special ability of dominate person 1/day. Outfit it with blindsight and a fly speed (both are available for intelligent magical items in pathfinder) and a purpose of stopping rulers and empires from forming or gaining domination.
For the circlets powers... I would really just use a headband of intelligence + 6 (and allow the headband to use this power to boost its own Int as well).
That's all well and good I suppose, but I am looking for something more PC friendly.
In that case:
A continuous magic jar would cost 90,000 gp minimum, with a caster level of 9 and a DC of 17. If you heighten it then we get the following:
6th level (CL 11 DC 19) cost: 132,000 gp
7th level (CL 13 DC 20) cost: 182,000 gp
8th level (CL 15 DC 22) cost: 240,000 gp
9th level (CL 17 DC 23) cost: 306,000 gp
I think that's not too insane of prices for what you get honestly especially since your DC is going to be low.
I would suggest that if you want to keep your soul in the item permanently (as in the item is treated as your body instead of your actual body) then you'd want to include a Trap the Soul spell to permanently wield yourself to the item in question (this is a slightly different use of the spell but I would suggest well within magic item design specs) which would add a lot more to the cost -- 50 x 1,000 x your hit dice (just for the material components) + the cost of adding in the trap the soul spell (caster level 15 x 8th level spell x 2,000 = 240,000gp / 2 (duration longer than 24 hours) for 120,000 gp! The DM would be the person to talk to about this more though
Since you have the trap the soul in it I would probably heighten the magic jar to 8th level so everything matches and allowing for 20 hit dice would mean 2,000,000 in material components for the trap the soul spell and 120,000 gp for the spell + 240,000 gp for the magic jar spell...
I would probably give a discount on the material components for the trap the soul spell since it's being used to latch one soul instead of being cast at will.
Understand I'm using the expensive options for this just to hit the high water mark -- we can usually back things down from that point after we know what it is.
Why not a phylactery guide lines with the continous magic jar effect with increasec cost of 50% being an extra ability. I'd also increase the price by the minimum required to make the item intelligent to simulate the fact that it can be a sort of intelligent item with the wielder soul inside.
Then need some extra stuff to make it harder to break, undetectable alignment, magic aura hiding, etc. All of that activable a few times per day as the soul needs it to not make an outrageous price?