Price for a Ring of Forcefangs with the spell affected by metamagic

[Zsar]

Concise: One of my players wants to acquire a Ring of Forcefangs (8000 gp) which casts Empowered Maximised Magic Missiles with individual missile damage of constant 7.
I am alright with this - but how do I calculate a price for this thing?

Looking at the base item, it is already obvious that I cannot use Table: Estimating Magic Item Gold Piece Values to reproduce its whole price - because the ability to absorb force damage for charges is neither a spell (as far as I know) nor a non-spell ability listed in that table.
However, just as obviously, the cost for the spell part of the item has to be less than the total.

Spell level 1 times caster level 9 times command word activation 1800 makes 16200 - more than twice the full price.
Assuming charges were non-replaceable, multiply with 0,09 to arrive at 1458, which is ~18% of the full price.
Assuming Multiple different abilities, multiply with 1,5 to arrive at 2187 or ~27% of the full price.

Does that appear reasonable? If so, the modified item would have a price of:

- 5813 * 1,5 = 8719,5 gp price of absorptive ability
- (1 + 3 + 2) spell level * 11 caster level (assuming Wizard) * 1800 (command word) * 0,09 = 10692 gp price of magic missile
In total 19411,5 gp.

I am not sure whether this is still reasonable. It might be. Or mayhap not. Input appreciated.

I am also not sure how to use the table properly, assume e.g. an item with 6 charges per day - it is more expensive than one usable at will!? Yet nothing about that in the FAQ and nothing in the errata.
- This is relevant insofar, as that I tried to apply any seemingly cost-reducing effect to the magic missile, including this one (as rechargable charges - even though present in EVERY SINGLE staff - are unmentioned for reasons unknown) - but with 9 charges, the price would RISE: dividing by 5/9 is equal to multiplying with 9/5, which is larger than 1.
Again, input much appreciated.

[Aelryinth]

If it's usable more then 4t/day, you just make it usable at will, is what the rules are telling you.

Secondly, guaranteed 35 dmg is far more valuable then variable 17.5 avg dmg. 'Charging' the ring is the equivalent of spending spell levels to get single magic missiles, so we can actually assume the defensive part of it remains constant.

Your adjudication comes in how much is the damage part of it worth.

Technically, going from 3.5 avg dmg to 7 avg dmg is worth a cost multiplier of x6 (the cost of the metamagic levels). Likewise, minimum caster level goes up 2.

I would simply price it as a staff. The base price for the magic missile on the staff would be 3600 gp, meaning the absorption ability is fixed at 5400 gp...which is right around the ballpark for an absorption ability limited to force spells and just a few spell levels.

So go with 400 gp x CL 11 x 6th level spell, +5400 gp. 31,800 gp. If you think that is excessive, 35 hp dmg AFTER eating a force spell up to 9th level is a very good way to waste someone's concentration check.

If they want to back that down to a mere maximize, that would be 400 x 9th * 4th level, or a mere 14,400 + 5400, or about 20k.

Look at it this way: if he gets hit with a maximized Magic missile, he can retaliate with a magic missile doing the SAME AMOUNT OF DAMAGE, i.e. he's retaliating with a 4th level spell effect.

If he got hit with a Maximized Empowered MM for 6 charges, he can actually hit back with the same spell for 'only' 5 charges, making it actually CHEAPER to do this.
===================================================================

The proper way to address this is probably to go this route: For an extra 2 charges, he can Empower each magic missile: For an extra 3 charges, he can Maximize each magic missile.

This would allow him to actually use up to all 9 charges at one time if he likes, but he wouldn't get the 'full effect' of double unless he increases the charges to 10 and CL to 10.

I would price the +2 and +3 charge abilities at +4000 and +6000 each, and not let him exceed 9 charges on the ring, insuring that a spell of the same level is 'always' better then using the Ring of Forcefangs. So he could upgrade to a Ring of Empowered Forcefangs, as an option, and then a Ring of potentially Maximized Forcefangs. He could also do both, but only get 4 missiles, and blow 9 charges while he's at it.

This also removes a caster level and spell level headache for you, and works seamlessly with the existing metamagic rules.

==Aelryinth