Crafting items in unique ways and improving them later.

[Ngatha]

Hello. I find myself in need of advice and clarification. Now, for simplicity, when I look at an item's crafting requirements I stick to that list and have it be nothing more that the description written in the book. I have recently started reading about rods and came up with an idea I need some direction for:
Take for instance any rod whose stats say something like "...as a +2 heavy mace..." (Rod of the Viper).
- it uses both craft rod and Magic arms and armor. Has spells applied like other Magic items.

My questions are:
-can a rod that acts like a +_ weapon be improved with more rod like abilities?
-can a rod's bonus be increased?
-can I (as a gm or player) find rules for combining effects of multiple rods?
-can I take a rod which has no weapon stats and give it them if I have craft Magic arms and armor (let's say a metamagic rod)?
-can a weapon be given for abilities (if it were a made of some sort)?
-if a rod has an DC and I make it from scratch, does the DC take my own scores?

regards,
~Ngatha~

[GM Rednal]

Quote:

Adding New Abilities

Sometimes, lack of funds or time make it impossible for a magic item crafter to create the desired item from scratch. Fortunately, it is possible to enhance or build upon an existing magic item. Only time, gold, and the various prerequisites required of the new ability to be added to the magic item restrict the type of additional powers one can place.

The cost to add additional abilities to an item is the same as if the item was not magical, less the value of the original item. Thus, a +1 longsword can be made into a +2 vorpal longsword, with the cost to create it being equal to that of a +2 vorpal sword minus the cost of a +1 longsword.

If the item is one that occupies a specific place on a character's body, the cost of adding any additional ability to that item increases by 50%. For example, if a character adds the power to confer invisibility to her ring of protection +2, the cost of adding this ability is the same as for creating a ring of invisibility multiplied by 1.5.

That actually covers quite a lot of stuff. XD Ultimately, of course, you'll have to ask your GM. That said, adding additional powers to items is definitely core-legal, and when there's some sense to doing so (i.e. a rod that's also a club, especially when canon examples exist), I'd allow it.

[Kaboogy]

But notice that although it doesn't take a slot, a multipurpose rode is significantly stronger than it's parts, so for the purpose of the rode abilities you should probably apply the 50% increase (only for the rod abilities, not weapon properties).

[Weirdo]

Held items should in general be priced like slotted items, because like slotted items held items have a limit on how many you can use at once.

Ngatha wrote:

-if a rod has an DC and I make it from scratch, does the DC take my own scores?

Nope, item DCs are standardized (usually using the minimum stat to cast the spell).

[Cevah]

Ngatha wrote:

Hello. I find myself in need of advice and clarification. Now, for simplicity, when I look at an item's crafting requirements I stick to that list and have it be nothing more that the description written in the book. I have recently started reading about rods and came up with an idea I need some direction for:

Take for instance any rod whose stats say something like "...as a +2 heavy mace..." (Rod of the Viper).
- it uses both craft rod and Magic arms and armor. Has spells applied like other Magic items.

My questions are:
-can a rod that acts like a +_ weapon be improved with more rod like abilities?
-can a rod's bonus be increased?

I have calculated staves that are staff+weapon, and they usually are cost(staff)+cost(weapon) with no +50%

I would suggest trying to determine the formulas for several weapon-rods and see what rules they follow.

Ngatha wrote:

-can I (as a gm or player) find rules for combining effects of multiple rods?

Staves share charges and use 100%,75%,50%,50%,50%,50%,...

Other stuff does not share charges and use 100%,150%,150%,150%,...
Go with +150%

Ngatha wrote:

-can I take a rod which has no weapon stats and give it them if I have craft Magic arms and armor (let's say a metamagic rod)?

Don't see why not. Use rule found above.

Ngatha wrote:

-can a weapon be given for abilities (if it were a made of some sort)?

Not sure what you are asking.

Ngatha wrote:

-if a rod has an DC and I make it from scratch, does the DC take my own scores?

3.0 Epic has a feat for that. PF does not have any way to do this. Staves have the feature that uses the users casting modifier if better.

/cevah