Metamagic rod question

[jyster]

So if a metamagic rod has empower and maximize, does it take a standard action to activate or do you need to spend multiple actions to use it, because it has 2 abilities?

[ithuriel]

Generally items with more than one ability require you to activate them separately. I can't think of any exceptions although I'm sure there are plenty. This shouldn't be one of them. It will be super expensive and if your GM allows you to craft one that activates both metamagics at once he or she should should increase the cost exponentially.

78,375 gp for one rod that uses the two as separate actions.

[Flashohol]

Metamagic rods do not requrie activation, however because you would normally only be able to use 1 rod a time you would have to choose if this new rod allowed you to use 1 or both abilities, as this would affect the overall price of the item.

[jyster]

Anyone else have any ideas?

[jyster]

Any others

[Grick]

Metamagic rods are use-activated. You just have to be holding it when you cast the spell.

You're asking about a custom magic item, so if your GM lets you have that custom magic item, then he should also let you know any other restrictions or action costs he's assigned to it.

[ryric]

It's a custom item. If it is just a Maximize Rod glued to an Empower Rod it would be able to use either metamagic feat, one at a time, 3/day each. The cost would be that of a Maximize Rod + 1.5*cost of an Enpower Rod, so:27,500gp, 102,750gp, or 231,000gp for a lesser, normal, and greater rod, respectively, assuming default prices for a custom "combo" item. Must be approved by the GM, of course. Note the greater rod likely falls into the realm of a lesser artifact.

Now, a rod that maximize and empowers at the same time 3/day is effectively a +5 level metamagic effect - we have no hard and fast pricing guidelines for such a thing. Eyeballing the progression for +1-4 level metamagics, I'd estimate about 50,000gp/110,000gp/250,000gp for lesser/normal/greater. It would certainly be more expensive than a Quicken rod. Same comment on the greater rod.

The price would go even higher if you wanted to be able to use either or both metamagic feats 3/day each, combining them if you wanted, but not always requiring them to be combined.

As always, any custom item requires GM oversight.

[Gauss]

ryric

The 1.5x multiplier only applies to slotted items. The Rod is not a slotted item. With that said, I might still charge a player a little bit due to the action economy and weight savings. But that charge would not be an extra 50%.

- Gauss

[ryric]

While it isn't strictly a slotted item, it does use up a limited body-space resource (a hand) so I think it's fair to price it as if slotted. It's not slotless in the sense of an item that works while in your pocket or hovering near you. I think the 50% is fair, but this is entirely a GM call.

I'm not saying Gauss' interpretation is wrong either. This is just the variance you should expect when building custom items.

[Adamantine Dragon]

I think there would be some thought by the GM if you COULD activate two metamagic effects from the same rod. The rod descriptions themselves say that you can't use two rods on the same spell. Allowing two simultaneous metamagic effects from the same rod is an extremely powerful ability, much more powerful than just being able to have two effects from one device.