I have confusion over a "permission to purchase" question

[Romaq]

A player of mine, level 1, would like to purchase a "Composite Longbow, Str +2".

I apologize for being so terribly new at this as a GM, but I want to confirm she should be able to in Absalom. She does have the gold, and I know about the +100 GP for each +1 Str. I know a composite longbow is in the core rule-book.

So I just want to confirm that +2 STR @ 100GP each extra is not a problem for her to add while she remains in Absalom.

[Starglim]

Absalom is a settlement of over 5000 residents (well over) so she can purchase anything that's Always Available or for which she has the required Fame. A non-magical bow is Always Available.

[Romaq]

Thank you. I'm still trying to get a feel for how all of this works.

[Bbauzh ap Aghauzh]

She cannot add it to her existing bow. She will gave to sell it for half price, then rebuy the bow as she wants. I also believe a strength bow above +0 needs to be masterwork

[El Baron de los Banditos]

Andrew Christian wrote:

She cannot add it to her existing bow. She will gave to sell it for half price, then rebuy the bow as she wants. I also believe a strength bow above +0 needs to be masterwork

I don't think it has to be MW, just composite. It's just a really bad purchase (especially pre-Masterwork Transormation Clause) since there's a hoop to jump through to make it magic.

[kinevon]

Her best option, really, would probably to just go the extra step and spend 2 PP to get a Darkwood masterwork composite longbow (Str +2). That would come to 630 gp, and be ready for magical enhancement when she gets that far.

And, if she ever decides to raise her Strength, getting the Adaptive enhancement from UE is only 1,000 gp, and is available at fairly low Fame levels.

@Andrew: Didn't look, from the original post, that it was referring to adding Str +2 to an already owned longbow, but buying a new one. And Str bows need to be composite, but masterwork, while a good idea, is not a prerequisite.

[Zauron13]

I think my math checks out on the following bow for 2 PP.

A MW composite longbow( Str +2) made of greenwood is exactly 750gp.

[Patrick Harris @ SD]

You can get just about anything in Absalom.

[Romaq]

Nope, she would be selling a composite shortbow and buying a new 'better' bow. She likes to conserve her cash, but if the MWK flag needs to be bought up-front, that's what we do.

And if possessing the UE book 'at some point in the near future' allows her to add Adaptive Enhancement to that existing bow, perhaps this player (my wife actually) will allow in the budget for us to get the book earlier rather than later. :)

So... she wants to sell the old 'n00b' comp. short-bow bow in exchange for an appropriate ranged weapon. She is working on a half-elf female "Legolas" style character for PFS.

It sounds like flipping the MWK flag is an easy pick, Darkwood would be a good investment, and you say Adaptive Enhancement for $1k depends on fame, but can be added later?

She is sitting on cash to do this, and she does want to bring the damage to the table, but we are both very new at this and unsure a) what is advisable, and b) what is *legal* for PFS.

[Don Walker]

That book is only $10 in PDF form.

[Akerlof]

Romaq wrote:

It sounds like flipping the MWK flag is an easy pick, Darkwood would be a good investment, and you say Adaptive Enhancement for $1k depends on fame, but can be added later?

She will need to upgrade the bow to +1 first, which has no fame requirements since +1 magic weapons are always available. Then she can add Adaptive.

She will need the fame to allow her to purchase something up to the total cost of the bow: 1,000 for Adaptive + 2,000 for +1 + 600 or 700 for the bow itself. So she will have to wait for 18 fame (5,250gp cap) before she can add the adaptive enchant because the total cost of the weapon at that point will be greater than the 3,000gp limit that 13 fame allows.

She'll only have to pay for the new enchant, but she has to have enough fame to allow her to theoretically get a new weapon from scratch.

[Romaq]

That is her complaint: $10 here, $10 there, and it is quickly adding up.

But as we are all starting out low-level, we'll do the best we can with what we have for the moment in the core rule set. :)

[Romaq]

I *also* have to match the material with Hero Lab since we are maintaining our stuff using it as well.

[anthonydido]

I just want to add in that, at level 1, according to the retrain rules, you can sell back the original bow at full price and then buy the new one.

[Romaq]

Thank you, AnthonyDido... hrm...

I looked at Page 10 of the Pathfinder Guide. My interpretation is that she is not 'retraining', she is simply making a straight-forward upgrade of a shortbow to a tricked-out longbow. If it were anyone *else* I would have them get me a print-out from a VC/VL that in this case it is acceptable. I'm reluctant to invoke that for my wife, and the resale value is relatively trivial. Certainly not worth any appearance of impropriety.

If a VC/VL drops in here and says, "This is ok" just before I bump her to Level 2, I'll do it, but I'll also have public record. Beyond that, I'd prefer to sell the old equipment 1/2 price per the standard. That's also why I wanted to confirm the 'buffs' on the composite longbow would be acceptable for her.

Thank everyone for their patience while I learn the practical side of doing the GM job. :)