Improved Phylactery of Positive Channeling

[Just Pete]

I have a channeling-focused Cleric in my campaign that is now 13th level. He has been using a Phylacter of Positive Channeling to great effect since he first crafted it at 3rd level (the entire party pooled funds to purchase the materials).

He now wishes to increase its effect. He would like to bring it to a +3d6 or +4d6 bonus to his channeling. How much should this cost?

The base item is 11,000gp. Basing the formula for the cost off of that used for magic weapons and armor, I get aaprox bonus^2 *2750. This would make a +3d6 phylactery cost 24,750, or a +4d6 phylactery cost 44,000.

Do these numbers seem about right for the bonus he'll get?

[Bacon666]

Point 1: this isn't covered by the rules, and should therefore be in homebrew forum.

Point 2: as a gm it's your call to say yes or no!

Answer to your question: yes, the prices seem right. I would probably say that 2, 4 & 6D6 are the only options (like stat boosts. Remember the phylactery take the same slot as a headband of wisdom)

[DM Beckett]

I'll take a look at the numbers when I get a chance, but fully expect a lot of different answers on this one. :) at a glance, it looks about right, in my opinion.

Paizo kind of screwed Clerics by making Channeling work the way it does not, (no more Pariapt of Persuasion, and the Phylactery uses the same slot as your Wis & Cha boosting item).

One thing I can suggest would be this item from Undead Slayers. It's one of the few things that I liked in the book.

Ring Of Protected Life:

Price 9,000 GP
Slot ring CL 7th Weight 1 lb.
Aura moderate conjuration
This silver ring features arboreal motifs, and is set with a small
but brilliant sapphire. If the wearer has the channel energy
class feature, the radius of his channeled energy increases
by 5 feet. Additionally, when the wearer channels energy, he
may choose to exempt one creature from the effects of his
channeling. If the wearer has the Selective Channeling feat,
the ring of protected life increases the number of creatures he
may normally exempt by one. Finally, once per day the wearer
may channel energy as a swift action that does not provoke
attacks of opportunity; doing so renders the ring of protected
life inert for 24 hours, during which time it does not confer
any benefits.
Construction Requirements Cost 4,500 GP
Forge Ring, Selective Channeling, creator must have the channel
energy class feature

[CrazyGnomes]

Your calculations seem pretty good and I agree with Bacon666, +2d6/+4d6/+6d6 seem the likely variations, so:

phylactery of positive channeling +2d6 = 11,000 gp

phylactery of positive channeling +4d6 = 44,000 gp

phylactery of positive channeling +6d6 = 99,000 gp

[Dasrak]

It's a very powerful effect, but it does mean your cleric is giving up the chance of a charisma/wisdom headband so a powerful effect is warranted to create a viable alternative. I'd concur that your numbers look accurate.

[Just Pete]

The cleric actually crafted this as a 'Necklace of Positive Channeling', specifically not to interfere with any future headbands he might find; he also made a good argument about it being a "cassock", so I allowed it.

I don't think the limitation on even-numbered iterations makes sense. The only reason for limiting stat increases to +2/+4/+6 is that it takes a two-digit increase to a stat to actually give any benefit; whereas every +1d6 gives a tangible benefit, just as every +1 increase on a magic weapon gives a benefit.

Either way, question asked and answered, thank you. Now to see if he's actually got enough time to do the crafting!

[Majuba]

Given that, the abilities of this item are multiplicative with the headband slot.

I'd suggest that any further increases in it's power apply the +50% cost for an off-slot item.

Quick comparison of value:

Channeling this powerful easily becomes very useful during battle, and 'edging out' the damage vs. healing curve can be exceedingly useful. But at the very lowest level, this can be used for out-of-combat healing, so let's look at that:

I imagine your Cleric has close to 10 channels per day, each of which will probably be used on at least three people. 2d6 additional healing on three people ten times is 210hp of healing, per day, minimum. That's equivalent to 38 charges on a wand of cure light wounds, or about 570gp/day of the cheapest healing available. That would pay for the increase in 58 days, or 29 days if you use craft cost vs. purchase cost (it can be hard to make wands fast enough to use them like that).

15 days if you consider the utility equal to a cure moderate wounds wand, and 4 people healed each time.

8 days if you consider the utility equal to a cure serious wounds wand, and 5 people healed each time.

Overall, cheap for an off-spot, but about right for headband.

[Slacker2010]

CrazyGnomes wrote:

Your calculations seem pretty good and I agree with Bacon666, +2d6/+4d6/+6d6 seem the likely variations, so:

phylactery of positive channeling +2d6 = 11,000 gp

phylactery of positive channeling +4d6 = 44,000 gp

phylactery of positive channeling +6d6 = 99,000 gp

+1

This would be my vote.

[CrazyGnomes]

Just Pete wrote:

The cleric actually crafted this as a 'Necklace of Positive Channeling', specifically not to interfere with any future headbands he might find

From Magic Item Creation: Altering Existing Items:

PRD wrote:

Not All Item Slots Have Equal Value: This is true, even though it isn't expressed monetarily in the rules. Some item slots are very common and are shared by many useful items (boots, belts, rings, and amulets in particular), while some slots are used by only a few items (such as body, chest, and eyes). Allowing a character to alter or craft an item for one of these underused slots is allowing the character to bypass built-in choices between popular items.

Some Abilities Are Assigned to Certain Slots: Some of the magic items in the Core Rulebook are deliberately assigned to specific magic item slots for balance purposes, so that you have to make hard choices about what items to wear. In particular, the magic belts and circlets that give enhancement bonuses to ability scores are in this category—characters who want to enhance multiple physical or mental ability scores must pay extra for combination items like a belt of physical might or headband of mental prowess.

If there is a trend of all Core Rulebook items of a particular type using a particular slot (such as items that grant physical ability score bonuses being belts or items that grant movement bonuses being boots), GMs should be hesitant to allow you to move those abilities to other slots; otherwise, they ignore these deliberate restrictions by cheaply spreading out these items over unused slots.

For the same reason a GM should be hesitant to allow granting mental ability score bonuses to be moved to a slot other than headbands, they should be hesitant to allow another headbands-slot ability to be moved to other slots (like neck) to avoid interfering with "any future headbands he might find."

As a necklace, I'd suggest a 50% cost increases over the headband version:

phylactery of positive channeling +2d6 = 16,500 gp

phylactery of positive channeling +4d6 = 66,000 gp

phylactery of positive channeling +6d6 = 148,500 gp

Or, if you're not sold on the even numbered iterations, perhaps this:

phylactery of positive channeling, lesser (+1d6) = 4,125 gp

phylactery of positive channeling (+2d6) = 16,500 gp

phylactery of positive channeling, greater (+3d6) = 24,750 gp

phylactery of positive channeling, major (+4d6) = 66,000 gp

Just Pete wrote:

he also made a good argument about it being a "cassock", so I allowed it.

Not really relevant, but wouldn't that make more sense as a body slot item?