Intelligent Magic Carpet

[SmiloDan]

Please tell me if I'm doing this right.

A normal 5 by 5 magic carpet of flying costs 20,000 gp. Does it only cost 500 gp to add empathic intelligence to it? 10 Int, 10 Wis, 10 Cha? And an additional 1000 gp to increase its senses to 120 feet.

[Jezai]

I thought it was 0 to add empathy. See here

[Bane Wraith]

Jezai wrote:

I thought it was 0 to add empathy. See here

"An intelligent magic item has a base price increase of 500 gp."

I think that's what SmiloDan is referring to?

...Everything seems to add up perfectly to me.

[SmiloDan]

Wow! It seems pretty cheap to make Intelligent items. Neat.

[Aelryinth]

That's because the flying carpet might decide to one day fly away without you. It's an NPC, remember, own motivations...not a henchman, not a hireling.

So, making an intelligent item can easily be a double-edged sword.

==Aelryinth

[SmiloDan]

Aelryinth wrote:

That's because the flying carpet might decide to one day fly away without you. It's an NPC, remember, own motivations...not a henchman, not a hireling.

So, making an intelligent item can easily be a double-edged sword.

==Aelryinth

My guy has a 22 Charisma and +30 to Diplomacy, so he's good at making friends!

[Lurk3r]

Aelryinth wrote:

That's because the flying carpet might decide to one day fly away without you. It's an NPC, remember, own motivations...not a henchman, not a hireling.

So, making an intelligent item can easily be a double-edged sword.

==Aelryinth

Even more so, it might try to take control of your your mind! Because of its high base cost, the magic carpet will have an ego score of 3, even though empathy and extended senses don't give ego. One bad will save and poof, the carpet is now riding the party barbarian instead of the other way around! (of course, you'd need to roll a 1, but if the carpet tries frequently enough...)

You also need to give the carpet a Brooklyn cabbie accent.

[Mr Whos]

You should make the flying carpet a chicken s$+* and is scared to fly!! So instead it walks kinda how aladins carpet would walk lol.

[MLHagan]

Not sure why, but people seem to overlook one of the requirements

“Intelligent items must have an alignment, mental ability scores, languages, senses, and at least one other special ability.”-CRB 532 (Designing An Intelligent Item)

Aside from the price of the magic item to be made intelligent there is a base price increase of 500gp, alignment is free, the base stats of 10 for Int, Wis & Cha is free, they get common for free, senses (30ft) with empathy only is also free however “at least one other special ability” is not free and not included in the base 500gp. The lowest costing item power is 1,000gp and gives the ability to cast 1 0-level spell at will (I suggest mend so the item can repair itself as needed, note that “at will” dose not reduce the casting time it only refers to the number of times the spell can be cast per day).

Anyways the brings the min price for an intelligent item 1,500gp. Increasing its senses dose not full fill the “one other special ability” minimum needed. Add speech for 500gp and you are looking at a similar cost to crafting a Homunculus (Bestiary 176). All in all I think Piazo has done a great job at pricing intelligent items and these rules for their costing.

I personally would have changed (or add a house rule) limiting the special purpose side of intelligent items and thus the dedicated powers as well as that is where the slippery slope to over powered begins, I would have also put in limitations on powers selection limiting how many times each power can be selected so players could not have their carpet able to cast 48 2nd level spells per day at CL10. I understand that it would increase the cost by 115k gp to add such capabilities, it just seems a bit over powered in my book.

Keep it within reason, fallow all the rules and clear it with the GM and you should be good to go. Personally I love the concept of intelligent items, there akin to familiars, followers, henchmen, animal companions and or constructs… Which brings up a second issue I suppose, intelligent items get jealous.

“No intelligent item wants to share its wielder with others.” – CRB 536

It seems to me that would include familiars, followers, henchmen, animal companions and or constructs. Even if it didn’t it still limits a player to 1 intelligent item at any given time and would also lend to conflict with other intelligent items in the group. Something to keep in mind should the flying carpet ever need to transport another intelligent item, it would probably flat out refuse to do so based on principal.

[David Thomassen]

I do so love people that partial quote to boost their argument No intelligent item wants to share its wielder with others. turns into "All magic items with personalities desire to play an important role in whatever activity is under way, particularly combat. Such items are natural rivals, even with others of the same alignment. No intelligent item wants to share its wielder with others. An intelligent item is aware of the presence of any other intelligent item within 60 feet, and most intelligent items try their best to mislead or distract their host so that she ignores or destroys the rival. Of course, alignment might change this sort of behavior."
So the paragraph carries on to talk about Intelligent items not minions of the wielder, but it does support the 1 character 1 Intelligent Magic Item desire of all Intelligent Magic Items.

[SmiloDan]

The one the GM had available for me to buy is CG like me, and can do longstrider 3/day.

[MLHagan]

Sorry, trying to avoid the tl;dr issues with quoting the full paragraph or section from the book, that’s why book name and page numbers where given so the full information could be reviewed with ease as desired.

Anyways from what I have seen here on the message boards people seam to be worried that intelligent items are OP or at the risk of being so. A simple solution to that would be to enforce the possessiveness of the item. It stands to reason that only 1 intelligent item per player (or even group if the DM wants to take it that far) but intelligent items may clash with other items at times, I refer to a wizards bonded item for instance. After all why would an intelligent ring accept the players other ring if that other ring was also a bonded item? The more ego or OP the intelligent item was the more likely that it would be to try and vi for the welders favor. Extend this idea to familiars or animal companions and it would explain why intelligent items are so rare in the first place.

The point being that GM’s already have some very nice tools in place to keep such items in check.

PS. Congrazt on the longstrider carpet, sounds like a well thought out and solid intelligent item, it also sound like you got a solid GM as well, congratz on that too.