If it can be done what sides can be altered?
What is the plus on the ability side.
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I'm not the best at breaking down magic item costs, but let's see if we can figure this one out together.
Aura moderate evocation; CL 10th
Slot none; Price 50,335 gp; Weight 2 lbs.
DESCRIPTION
This sword is the size of a bastard sword. However, a sun blade is wielded as if it were a short sword with respect to weight and ease of use. In other words, the weapon appears to all viewers to be a bastard sword, and deals bastard sword damage, but the wielder feels and reacts as if the weapon were a short sword. Any individual able to use either a bastard sword or a short sword with proficiency is proficient in the use of a sun blade. Likewise, Weapon Focus and Weapon Specialization in short sword and bastard sword apply equally, but the benefits of those feats do not stack.In normal combat, the glowing golden blade of the weapon is equal to a +2 bastard sword. Against evil creatures, its enhancement bonus is +4. Against Negative Energy Plane creatures or undead creatures, the sword deals double damage (and ×3 on a critical hit instead of the usual ×2).
The blade also has a special sunlight power. Once per day, the wielder can swing the blade vigorously above his head while speaking a command word. The sun blade then sheds a bright yellow radiance that acts like bright light and affects creatures susceptible to light as if it were natural sunlight. The radiance begins shining in a 10-foot radius around the sword wielder and extends outward at 5 feet per round for 10 rounds thereafter, to create a globe of light with a 60-foot radius. When the wielder stops swinging, the radiance fades to a dim glow that persists for another minute before disappearing entirely. All sun blades are of good alignment, and any evil creature attempting to wield one gains one negative level. The negative level remains as long as the sword is in hand and disappears when the sword is no longer wielded. This negative level cannot be overcome in any way (including by restoration spells) while the sword is wielded.
CONSTRUCTION
Requirements Craft Magic Arms and Armor, daylight, creator must be good; Cost 25,335 gp
So, we know it's a Bastard Sword (35 gp), with a Short Sword's weight (2 lbs), and it's a +2 Weapon (8300 gp).
Normally there is a fixed cost associated with having a 1/day spell-like ability such as Daylight, but this seems to function differently, with a different radius effect, so I'd say other than the 8335 gp we've already determined, the 42000 gp left over would be considered "extra" (as in, if you already had a +2 Bastard Sword, turning it into a Sun Blade would cost you an additional 42000 gp).
So, if you want to make your Sun Blade into a +3 version, I think it would just cost an additional 10000 gp, the same difference between a regular +2 and +3 weapon. If you wanted to make one out of Mithral, it would just be an additional 1000 gp. Adamantine? 3000 gp.
But I will defer to the next person who has more experience crafting magic items.
I was actually more curious about the other side , the abilities.
Say adding keen or impact.
Would the spell use and short sword style wielding only be considered a monetary bonus and not a enhancement bonus?
But the break down was very well done, thanks nefteet
Though the cheese factor is high adding impact to a sun blade sized for a huge creature
Would be awesome for a vital strike build for a medium sized creature but you would take a -4 attack penalty for size.
Plus that imagery would make even a dragon blink.
Especially in undead dragon.
Lol
Throw in a potion of enlarge person and whirlwind attack...
Awesome
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Keen costs the same as a +1 enhancement, so if my breakdown above was correct, adding Keen to a Sun Blade would only cost you 10000 gp.
Impact presents us with a different problem. Impact cannot be put on light weapons. Although the Sun Blade does not call itself out specifically as a light weapon, it says that "a sun blade is wielded as if it were a short sword with respect to weight and ease of use", and a Short Sword is a light weapon.
If your GM is fine with treating it as a one-handed weapon instead, then adding Impact would cost 24000 gp. Adding Keen and Impact would cost 42000 gp.
EDIT: hrmm... that final cost analysis makes me wonder if the Sun Blade is just considered to be the equivalent of a +5 weapon. Inquiring minds may never know.
It does have a lot of bells and whistles so i figured that most of the abilities side was used up but i have never tried to break down the prebuilt weapons before this.
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If you decide to rule that a Sun Blade is the equivalent of a +5 weapon, then it would be +2 in enhancement and +3 in abilities.
So you could still enhance it +3 more, and toss on +2 more in abilities (like Impact), to make it a +10 equivalent weapon.
Or just talk to your GM and see what he/she says.
Anyone else want to try to crack at it?
With the addition of the effortless ribbon to the Pathfinder rules i find this to be worth another look.
A sunsword sized for a huge creature with a effortless ribbon attached to it is wielded as a two handed weapon for a -2 to your attack roll for 4d8 damage add a enlarge person potion for 6d8 (i think?) And a casting of lead blades for 8d8 (i hope). Now you vital strike for 16d8, improved vital strike for 24d8, or greater vital strike for 32d8.
Then furious finish for 128, 198, or 256 points of raw weapon damage.
Damage reduction. whatever lol
Officially it isn't allowed in PFS.
As a named item it is priced for balance for its specific abilities. Adding to it, can cause it to skew power wise. The sum of abilities added with given prices combined could be more powerful than the total price depending on the abilities. And to be honest this is why most people look into doing it.
It is either a +2 with a flat cost addition, or +2 with additional pluses and a flat cost. A price of 50,355gp matches +5 masterwork broadsword with no flat cost, i.e. +2 Enh & +3 abilities.
If it is +2 and flat cost:
adding +1 --> add 10,000gp
adding +2 --> add 24,000gp
adding +3 --> add 42,000gp
if it is +2 and +3 bonus:
adding +1 --> add 22,000gp
adding +2 --> add 48,000gp
adding +3 --> add 78,000gp
Difference is:
22,000gp-10,000gp=12,000gp
48,000gp-24,000gp=24,000gp
78,000gp-42,000gp=36,000gp
That is, for each plus, 12,000gp more if it is +5 equivalent.
Given how exactly it matches +5, I would assume it is +5 equivalent.
While you might try to argue it as a flat cost, you will have a happy GM if you use the +3 bonus instead. Then it becomes easy to get a GM to approve, since you choose the more expensive option.
/cevah
Before I read what Cevah wrote, I was leaning in the same direction.
Well the only way to do it RAW (Rules as written) is Rule 0, which is "get the okay from the GM, and ask how much it will be" which moves into house rules and leaves the general purview of RAW as there are no written rules or tabled prices for those specific abilities.
The magic item write up states specifically some items don't follow the "guidelines" and when trying to figure out prices. How can you use items that don't follow the guidelines to reverse engineer due to the fact they don't actually follow the same rules. It is all guess work, possibilities and "undefined" for a reason (which is explained). You "make up" a price by subtracting what you know from the total, but it isn't actually RAW to do so. That ability doesn't exist except for that one instance.
Mainly because that is what the OP was asking originally.