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Double weapons present some unique challenges when pricing for special materials, especially if both ends of the weapon are not made of the same material. Based on forum discussions of the rules I will detail how these are priced. If any of this is incorrect, I would appreciate a post from a Paizo employee stating any corrections required.
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DOUBLE WEAPONS - SPECIAL MATERIAL SAME ON BOTH ENDS
Adamantine: +3000gp for the entire weapon, and not for each end
Darkwood: +10gp / 1 lb of the entire weapon's base weight
Cold Iron: x2 the base price of the item (prior to applying masterwork costs)
Mithral: +500gp / 1 lb of the base weight for the entire weapon, and not for each end
Silver: +180gp (+90gp for each head of the weapon)
DOUBLE WEAPONS - SPECIAL MATERIAL ONLY ON ONE END
Adamantine: +3000gp for the one end
Darkwood: Half (50%) cost of: +10 gp / 1 lb of the entire weapon's base weight
Cold Iron: x1.5 the base price of the item (prior to applying masterwork costs)
Mithral: +500gp / 1 lb of half (50%) the entire weapon's base weight
Silver: +90gp for one head only
Note: references to "base weight" means to use the weight listed for the weapon in the weapons table, and prior to adjusting for any special material weight modifiers.
Just giving this one quick bump in case anyone has any comments on this.
I know of no official rule, but for enchanting double weapons you treat it as if enchanting two separate weapons - the extra 2k represents the difficulty of enchanting cold iron, that difficulty doesn't go away from one separate weapon because a different separate weapon is enchanted, so it seems the difficulty must be overcome twice, not once.
But that's just me.
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Could use one for enchantment costs. Had a question about enchanting a double weeapon made of cold iron on both ends and if the 2000 extra has to be paid both times, or if the first payment covers both.
I've been searching for any official clarification but can't find it.
They way the rules are written, it would seem (to me at least) you only need to pay the 2000 gold once when enchanting both ends of a cold iron double weapon. The rules for adding magical enhancements indicate those costs are doubled (or rather, treated as separate weapons). The rules also mention you have to pay double the masterwork cost when buying a masterwork double weapon. Unfortunately, the additional 2000 gold is neither of these things, and it does not mention the need for doubling it if a double weapon.
So I'm not sure.
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Why would you think that you only have to pay once? Every feat that talks about double weapons refers to them as working mechanically like two weapons. Double weapons are even treated like 2 different weapons when you go to enchant them. The PRD even states that you can make each end out of different special materials. If you have a double ended cold iron weapon you would need to pay the 2k to make each end magical.
The PRD even states this:
Iron, Cold: This iron, mined deep underground and known for its effectiveness against demons and fey creatures, is forged at a lower temperature to preserve its delicate properties. Weapons made of cold iron cost twice as much to make as their normal counterparts. Also, adding any magical enhancements to a cold iron weapon increases its price by 2,000 gp. This increase is applied the first time the item is enhanced, not once per ability added.
Items without metal parts cannot be made from cold iron. An arrow could be made of cold iron, but a quarterstaff could not. A double weapon with one cold iron half costs 50% more than normal.
The last sentence supports our conclusion that you would need to pay 2k for each end when you make it magical.
I am sorry you want it to work another way, but this is not the way it works. If you do not like the way it works you are free to alter it in your home game, but you are not allowed to do so in PFS and since this discussion came from a PFS end and several knowledgeable rules savvy people have stated as such as such.
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A few observations.
First... the only rules I find all seem to state that you're still paying XP costs, so that implies they're out of date.
Also, when making a weapon out of a special material, like Cold Iron, does not say you have to pay twice if you are making half a weapon cold iron... it in fact says you pay HALF if you are not. That almost implies a halving of cost to only enchant one end, not a doubling.
On the other hand, you're right, traditionally enchanting a weapon on both ends doubles most enchanting costs. So I could see it working that way for that reason. The thing is, there is nothing I see RAW that draws a hard line there, and for all other associated costs, there IS a hard line drawn.
What it comes down to for me, since I play PFS, is that since it COULD go either way, and the old rules need errataed anyway due to having that XP cost bit in there, we should have an offical ruling. No offense to the "knowledgeable, rules-savvy people" out there, but if a cost like this can be left up to table variation, it could be a problem.
If anybody can officially clarify this it would be good. :)
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First off, Spaarky, I'll remind you, as I've reminded others, rules savvy does not equal infallible, and you being rules savvy does not equal you are the only rules savvy people in existence.
Secondly, I agree with you. It should cost an extra 2,000 gp for each end of a double weapon to add magic enchantments. But one of my players raised a question, and so I researched it. I had never heard of anyone buying a magic double cold iron weapon. Seems weird that it has never come up, but it hasn't. So I took a look at the rules instead of just assuming the things I've assumed since 3.5. Here's what I found:
The only place in the rules which treats the ends of a double weapon as two different weapons are the rules for adding magical enhancements/special abilities. The line which states so even calls out those items specifically (as well as XP costs, which is an indicator as to how not-looked-at this section of the rules really is).
The section which covered the additional cost specifically states the 2,000 gp is added to the cost of the weapon, not the enchantment.
Of course, reading that last part really could go either way, but that's my point. The rules don't really make it clear, and there is a case for it to go either way.
That's really the issue. I went looking to make sure my understanding of the rules was correct, and found something ambiguous. I would like it to not be ambiguous. I'd be really happy if it turned out the way I think is right is in fact the right way, if for no other reason that it would make what I've been told is at least three other people they are right too. But I'm not the only person who feels the issue it's as clear as all that. Lone Wolf Development (who produce Hero Lab) thinks you only add the 2,000k once. Granted, they are no greater authority that any of us, but it's evidence this needs to be looked at by someone other than a handful of players with nothing better to do on a Monday night.
Hang on. An adamantine double weapon costs the same if either one or two of its ends are enchanted, but a cold iron weapon does not? I don't think that was the intent; I'm pretty confident that the sentence was added to cold iron then assumed for the rest of the metals. Enchantments are almost certainly completely separate, including the extra cost, as that cost is part of the enchantment cost, not the weapon cost.