I am running a game and one of my players wants a custom magic item to use I just wanted to test the waters and see what others think of it.
Efficient Scrollbook
Aura: Feint Transmutation; CL 7
Slot: None; Price 1800; Weight 2 Lbs
This finely crafter leather bound book comes complete with a motif of an open scroll on the front cover, and each page is guilt edged, the book always looks as though it has 100 pages. Any written work placed into the book automatically transforms into a series of consecutive pages. This is primarily used for storing scrolls in a convenient protected storage. By grasping one or more pages and pulling firmly, the original material can be removed from the book unharmed (in the exact form it was in when it was placed into the book). When used to store magic scrolls, the second main ability of the book comes into play. By holding the book and concentrating on the name of the spell as a swift action; the scroll appears between the two ends of the motif, allowing the owner to cast the spell without having to find or remove it from the book. The scroll can then be cast (as usual for casting a spell from a scroll). The pages used for a spell scroll stay after the spell is used so that they can be used again. The book can store up to 6000 pages in this fashion, and always weighs 2 lbs.
When created the book starts with 50 pages. If the book is found as random treasure it can have spell scrolls inside it, but these scrolls must be separate treasures from the book.
Creation: Craft Wondrous Items, Secret Page, Secret Chest; Cost 900
Alternates:
When pricing the magic item (and slightly re-writing it's abilities to function closer to existing magic items), one or two additional abilities could probably be added to the book without making it too much of a stretch:
(1) The book is capable of recording spoken communication. The book only records what is stated by its current owner, and writes in the current language the owner is speaking. This does not confer the ability for the owner to understand what is written if he is speaking in a language he does not actually know, this fills 600 words a page. This adds Arcane Mark to the list of spells required. Additional crafting cost 100
(2) The book can impart both Arcane and Divine knowledge to the user. When a spellcaster uses this book to cast a spell of 4th level or lower that is not from his or her class, he or she can give up an unused spell or spell slot to cast the spell as if it was on his or her list. The spellcaster may still needto make caster level checks if his or her caster level is lower than the scrolls (using her primary caster level for this check). This modification adds 11375 gold to the crafting cost of the book, and adds Limited Wish to the list of spells required. Additonal crafting price of 12275 Gold. Aura: Strong Transmutation; CL 15
(3) This leather-bound tome automatically records the events and activities that occur within 60 feet of itself. While the information provided in the book is 100% accurate, it is written in a sarcastic tone that may be lost on the reader. The book is actually able to see a short distance into the future in order to record the information within, however it will not actually show the information to the reader until after the fact. In addition to providing a record of the books travels, it can also be used to gain some insight into the current path. If a reader spends one hour studying the tome, and then succeeds a DC 25 Linguistics Check, he or she can gain the benefits of an Augury spell. This Augury will never give a response of 'nothing', but will always give a cryptic or sarcastic response instead. This does not impact the 6000 page limit of the book. Rquires the addition of Augury and Arcane Mark. Additional crafting cost 3000
Note: Option 1 and 3 do not stack, if you add both you must pay 3100 in crafting cost.
Reasoning:
This book functions predominately as an extra-dimensional space such as a Handy Haversack or a Bag of Holding. 6000 pages is approximately 2 cubic feet of paper (or equivalent to one of the smaller pouches in the Handy Haversack), and weights approximately 60 lbs under normal conditions. Using the Bag of Holding as a template for storage capacity and weight comparisons, this would cause an approximate cost at around 500 gold. The masterwork component in permanent magic items tends to run at 150 gold, equal to that of a shield. Adding the ability to sort the documents automatically becomes tricky to price. As this ability closely resembles the approximate power of a feat (equivalent quick draw, but scrolls only), this would place the approximate price at 250 gold. This would validate the cost at 900 gold to craft. Purchase price is consistent at double crafting price, and is thusly 1800 gold.
Cost for option (2) explanation:
Limited Wish is a 7th level spell capable of several different effects. As a 7th level spell, it has a minimum caster level of 13. Limited Wish also uses a material component worth 1500 gold. By requiring the caster to sacrifice a spell slot of equal level to the spell we are casting, we can remove the cost of the material component. The cost of a spell slot averages out to a weighted average of approximately 4425 gold, thus being more than enough to remove the material component itself. The power of Limited Wish is further reduced by 2 additional points. First, the spell is not treated as a 7th level spell for the purposes of dispelling or saving throws (as it would if actually cast through Limited wish). Secondly, casting the spell still uses up the scroll. These reduce the effectiveness of the spell, allowing the cost of the adding the ability to amount to 11375 gold (crafting cost).
So, just tell me what you all think about it and if I should allow it.
I like it.
Minor points: gilt not guilt; you haven't explained what you mean by 'between the two ends of the motif'.
The swift action to get the right scroll seems OK to me, since you'd already need to be holding the book, and you still need to actually cast the scroll.
The limited wish part looks unbalanced at first, but works quite well since it is limited to 4th level spells or lower. I'd watch out for munchkins trying to push the meaning of 'as if it was on his or her list' to activate other effects/wands/etc but that would be easy to police.
The Augury effect seems cool, but might be better off without it - it has the feel of being an arcane item, and that's a divine effect.
No, this isn't okay not even a little bit. But only because of the part about the scroll not being used up that bothers me.
Ditch that, and it's basically an efficient quiver for scrolls. Which I would be okay with. It's not terribly overpowered and really just makes using a bunch of scrolls in combat an option, which I'm okay with.
Alternate 1 seems fine. Alternate 2 I would say no. Alternate 3 also seems fine.
I think the base book is fine. I think options 1 and 3 are too cheaply prized because of the immense narrative power of those abilities. I think option 3 should be faaaar more expensive. It can work as a 50x page of spell knowledge (level 4) which would cost800 000. Granted, by the pricing guidelines (though just guidelines) at will limited wish is around 200 000 so far cheaper, but anything below 100000 is just far too cheap.
So yrah to me, the 2nd ability is far too cheap.
No, this isn't okay not even a little bit. But only because of the part about the scroll not being used up that bothers me.
Ditch that, and it's basically an efficient quiver for scrolls. Which I would be okay with. It's not terribly overpowered and really just makes using a bunch of scrolls in combat an option, which I'm okay with.
Alternate 1 seems fine. Alternate 2 I would say no. Alternate 3 also seems fine.
Unless I've misread/misunderstood it, the spell on the scroll does get used up; the physical pages stay for re-use. Otherwise, I'd agree with you. No infinite scrolls!
Unless I've misread/misunderstood it, the spell on the scroll does get used up; the physical pages stay for re-use. Otherwise, I'd agree with you. No infinite scrolls!No, this isn't okay not even a little bit. But only because of the part about the scroll not being used up that bothers me.
Ditch that, and it's basically an efficient quiver for scrolls. Which I would be okay with. It's not terribly overpowered and really just makes using a bunch of scrolls in combat an option, which I'm okay with.
Alternate 1 seems fine. Alternate 2 I would say no. Alternate 3 also seems fine.
In re-reading it, I think you're right I just misunderstood. If that's the case then the base item is absolutely fine. It's priced as an efficient quiver and works pretty similarly for scrolls instead of arrows/bow/etc.
Thank you for the extra set of eyes on this.