Cost for glowing staff

[zmanerism]

I want to make an oracle and have him have a knarled staff with a white quarts crystal in the roots on the end that can glow a strange color on command. What do you think the cost of this would be. It does not have to be as bright as a light spell but enough to be see like it is a glowing crystal with light going out about 1 foot around it.

Role playing: behold lowly mortal I am Azzim the puzzler (lore oracle) and I will make all known to you. Holds up staff and makes it glows while making a cool statement or comment.

This could be made useable by oracles only or by spell casters. In this case they would already be able to cast light so the spell would just be for role playing fluffish. It could have some cool effects in conjunction with bluff/intimidate checks but would not really add any bonuses. Also what do you think it would cost if it would add some bonus likes lets say +2 to skill check (bluff/intimidate.) Could this item uses the base spell like light or prestidigitation.

[Name Violation]

price it as an everburning torch

[zmanerism]

That would make it pretty cheap but I am trying to get it at first level. I might get my DM to just give it to me as it is pretty much the same as an ever burning torch but one can turn it on and off while the oracle can already cast light unlimited times per day

[Kantrip]

Since you already have "light" as an orison I would think a GM would let you use a version of that to achieve the effect. Or ask that it be a prestidigitation effect, since you're considering reducing the amount of light.

There was a good article in Dragon some years back suggesting such cinematic/fluff effects be allowed, even when using skill checks instead of spells. I had a wizard who would do "search" and tiny red spiders would scurry all over the walls as part of the effect. They didn't do anything other than make it appear the wizard wasn't just squinting closely at the wall looking for the tell-tale crack of a secret door.

With orisons/cantrips castable unlimted times, there's should be any reason not to allow creative players to use them to add more flavor to the game.

[Jeraa]

The everburning torch idea could work. (Or if you have a cleric or wizard in the party, have them cast Continual Flame. Only 50 gold for the same thing.)

If you use prestidigitation or light, a command word activation, it would cost 900 gold. More expensive, but you can turn it on or off. Use light if you want a light source like a torch. While prestidigitation doesn't specify that it can create light, making a glow (similar to a candle) seems inline with the spells other effects. And you get the other effects of a prestidigitation spell too.

As for a possible bonus to bluff and intimidate, a +2 competence bonus to one of those skills would cost 400 gold. So 800 gold for both bluff and intimidate.

[LazarX]

Jeraa wrote:

The everburning torch idea could work. (Or if you have a cleric or wizard in the party, have them cast Continual Flame. Only 50 gold for the same thing.)

If you use prestidigitation or light, a command word activation, it would cost 900 gold.

Or you could not enchant it at all and simply CAST prestidigitation or Light on the tip.

One thing you have to remember, in a world where magic is common, showing up with a glowing staff by itself isn't going to impress the yokels that much.

[zmanerism]

to right, the staff would not be out there. It would basically be a still silent light spell of a weird color cast as a 0 level spell