As far as I can tell it'd just be:
Spell level x Caster level x 2000 x relevant modifiers.
Enlarge person is a 1st level spell, capable of being cast by a levle 1 caster. Enlarge person has a duration of minutes/level so the cost is multiplied by 2.
So if he just happens upon such an item at the market, it'll cost him:
1x1x2000x2 = 4000 gp
However, since the caster level is 1, this item works for 1 minute at a time. Once 10 rounds have passed, he returns to his normal size, and has to spend a standard action activating his bracers again.
Alternatively it can be a continuous effect, in which case he counts as a Large creature when wearing the bracers and have to squeeze through dungeons and some houses.
If he wants to have this item commissioned for him he'd have to pay 4000gp + the caster's fee for services rendered. This would be spell level x caster level x 10 gp.
So if he has the item crafted for him by Simon the Wizard (wizard 1) then it'd be a fee of 1x1x10gp = 10gp plus + a fee for Simon spending 16 hours working on his item (8 hours for 2 days). But remember, Simon the Wizard is only level 1 and may muck up the item creation.
If he wants Glordak the mighty (wizard 8) to create his item, the cost for spellcasting services incease, since Glordak is a mighty wizard indeed, and he requires a higher fee for his services. The chance of Glordak the mighty screwing up the creation of the bracers, however, is marginal to non-existing.
-Nearyn
EDIT: Simon has to be 3rd level to have Craft Wondrous items, so take the example with a grain of salt :P
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Rule 1 of custom magic item is base the price on what it does FIRST. Do NOT use the formula unless you like breaking your game. Enlarge person is a powerful effect to be able to do at will. The juggernaut pauldrons gives you enlarge person at will with a few other bonuses and that costs 40k.
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As far as I can tell it'd just be:
Spell level x Caster level x 2000 x relevant modifiers.
The rules make it abundantly clear this is never where you start.
juggernaut pauldrons gives you enlarge person at will with a few other bonuses and that costs 40k.
That also gives deadly juggernaut, which will be a chunk of the value. The CMD bonus will also be 2,000 to 8,000 gp approx.
In 3.5 world, Enlarge Person 3/day (not at will) was 12,000 to 18,000 gp. I imagine the price should be similar in Pathfinder.
As Cold Napalm says, item prices are always about what the item does. Imagine it like a free market where the item is priced such that most people would choose to buy something else. If you were given a choice of 2,000 gp for a item of at will Enlarge Person vs a belt of +2 STR for 4,000 gp. Which would you buy? At 8,000 gp and 4,000 it would still be the Enlarge Person item right? At 12,000 gp vs 4,000 gp you might opt to go with the belt.
Pricing custom items is more an art than a science, and this should probably be under Advise and not Rules. Anyway, it should be somewhat more expensive than having a permanent enlarge person cast on you, so I think the standard formula (SLxCLx2000xrelevant modifiers) works and 4000gp sounds about right.
Pricing custom items is more an art than a science, and this should probably be under Advise and not Rules. Anyway, it should be somewhat more expensive than having a permanent enlarge person cast on you, so I think the standard formula (SLxCLx2000xrelevant modifiers) works and 4000gp sounds about right.
More expensive than a permanent enlarge person? How? Granted, magic items are less vulnerable to dispel magic, but dispel magic doesn't come up that often, the bracers are vulnerable to sundering, and permanent enlarge person doesn't take up an item slot.
"Use Activated" is often misunderstood. This term should only be applied to an item that you actually have to use. Magical lockpicks that only work when you use them to pick locks. That kind of thing. If you make a pair of bracers that are "use activated" by wearing them, then this item is really "continuous". Nobody actually uses bracers (except maybe Wonder Woman) so the mere act of putting them on is not using them - it is simply the act of putting on a "continuous" magical item.
The rules are pretty clear on this. The bracers should cost 4,000gp base price for a continuous item. I suppose he could create it with a daily use limitation that requires him to remove them and put them back on to "use" the item, but that would be a bit odd for an item like this. If the GM allows it, the price would be 2,000gp for an item that works 5 times/day (or unlimited times per days since it's the same price). Better might be to make them "Command Word" activated so he doesn't need to mess with removing them and putting them back on, and it's cheaper at only 1,800gp for either five or unlimited daily uses.
Any discussion about whether this price is fair or unfair is a valid and interesting discussion, but not a rules discussion.
Yes, the RAW says that these formulas are not always perfect. Yes, the RAW says the GM should carefully consider item pricing. But there is no further rule for it.
Enlarge Person is one of the most powerful 1st level spells. Other example spells in the RAW, such as True Strike, are called out as being too powerful for the simple pricing formulas. Is Enlarge Person such a spell?
I don't think so. The recipient gets +2 to STR which is nice, but loses -2 to DEX which balances out. He also suffers -1 to hit and -1 to AC. So with Enlarge Person, he will hit just as often (net bonus of +0 to hit) for a little more damage, but he'll also get hit much more often (net penalty of -2 AC). His Initiative, REF saves, ranged attacks, and many skills will all suffer for having reduced DEX too, more negative impact than the positive impact for higher STR. The big advantage is Reach and larger damage dice for his weapon, both of which can be very useful and more than offset the cumulative negatives for the size modifiers.
In my opinion, even though that is a nice net benefit, it doesn't create such an overpowered benefit to justify increasing the price beyond the established formulas, but of course, this judgment call is up to each individual GM.
More expensive than a permanent enlarge person? How? Granted, magic items are less vulnerable to dispel magic, but dispel magic doesn't come up that often, the bracers are vulnerable to sundering, and permanent enlarge person doesn't take up an item slot.
A permanent Enlarge Person is 2,500gp. A permanent (continuous) worn item that grants Enlarge Person while worn is 4,000gp. This is nicely balanced.
The problem with a permanent Enlarge Person is that now you are large but your equipment isn't. Sure, when it is first cast and made permanent, your equipment is large with you. But the first time you take off your armor or set down your battleaxe, they shrink to normal size and you cannot get them back to your size. Also, if you find a nice item, a better magical battleaxe, but it's sized for medium creatures, you cannot simply pick it up and have it increase to large.
However, with a magical item, you could simply remove the item, grasp your new equipment, then put your magical item back on, enlarging yourself and your new equipment. You can do this any time you get new stuff.
That's easily worth the extra 1,500gp.
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First sticky point - use activated in a custom item usually is code for "doesn't take an action to use." Often players want to combine a bunch of use activated effects together so they can get around action economy issues. I'm guessing the "use" in the player's mind is "wearing them" so we're really looking at a continuous enlarge person effect that has the advantage that the PC can turn it off whenever large size would be inconveinent by removing the bracers.
Breaking down what you get:
+2 str, not enhancement - this by itself is worth 8000 gp
-2 Dex
-1 to hit/Ac(size)
+1 CMB/CMD(also size)
-4 stealth(size) - expect this never to come up, item will be removed if sneaking is needed.
reach - this is also a biggie
resizes all the PCs equipment to match new size
The hit/AC/CMB/CMD stuff seems like a wash to me. The stealth penealty is basically inconsequential in most circumstances as the bracers could simply be removed if sneaking is required.
This item is certainly less powerful tha something like a ring of invisibility; I'm thinking our price should be beneath 20000gp, but above 10000gp. Something in the 10k-15k range seems about right.
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4000gp sounds about right.
GM should carefully consider item pricing. But there is no further rule for it.
The formulas only provide a starting point.
If you jump right to the formula, then you should make a Bracer of AC +4 for 2,000 gp by using Mage Armor.
Enlarge Person's +2 to Strength and reach are both valuable.
I'm thinking our price should be beneath 20000gp, but above 10000gp. Something in the 10k-15k range seems about right.
This certainly is more fair than 4,000 gp.
Everyone will have differing opinions on how and how much a custom item should be priced. I just find little justification to price this item much more than a permanent enlarge person. Certainly no one has presented any compelling reasons. 4000gp seems like a fair price considering a permanent enlarge person is only 2500gp.
I have found in another custom item thread that pricing these items can get contentious and people tend to ignore and/or dismiss what they don't agree with. Anyway, like I said before, its more an art than a science.
I agree that there is no such thing as use activated bracers. These would either be continuous enlarge person bracers or unlimited use, which would be a standard action to activate. I would probably double the cost for free action or swift action activation.