Hey everyone,
A friend of mine wants to create a magic item. He's playing an Alchemist and has Craft Wondrous Item, and wants to create a head slot item, kind of like the Greater Hat of Disguise, but with a higher level spell. For those of you who are unfamiliar with that item, the Greater Hat of Disguise gives the user at-will Alter Self, which is a 2nd level spell. My friend wants to create a similar item that gives the user at-will Monstrous Physique I, which is a 3rd level spell (Caster level 7).
What would such an item cost if he crafted it, and what would the crafting DC be? Also, can you show me the math behind the cost as well? I want to get more familiar with the crafting rules. Thanks all!
Keep in mind that when a PC proposes a custom Magic Item, that you compare it with other similar Magic Items (such as a constant Mage Armor item compared to Bracers of Armor +4).
In this case, you cited a Greater Hat of Disguise as being the most similar, and it costs 12,000 gold, to provide an otherwise permanent +2 Strength or Dexterity that stacks with everything else. (I can't believe I didn't see this before, but since it's from an AP, and not Core, I don't think many players would know about it by name.)
The big things of note is that Monstrous Physique I is a spell level higher, and offers some more powerful benefits, usually Natural Armor and some miscellaneous benefits depending on form. The big thing is that it also provides you the ability to transform into anything that Monstrous Physique allows, and not just a specific form like many other shapeshifting items provide.
At this point, it ultimately depends on how much you want to price the item. To that end, I would raise the price to 36,000 at the least.
The price calculated for the Greater Hat of Disguise is a 2nd level spell times 3rd level caster times 2,000 gold for being a constant or use-activated item. In short, it is 2 X 3 X 2,000 gold, resulting in 12,000 gold, which is the price of the item.
If we did a direct conversion, Monstrous Physique would equate to 3 X 5 X 2,000, resulting in 30,000 gold. However, this would be simply increasing the Caster Level and Spell Level, meaning if there was some greater Alter Self (which this basically amounts to), then the price would be 30,000 gold.
But, because of the varied nature you can acquire with this item, and the factor that the increased Natural Armor and miscellaneous benefits (such as Darkvision, Scent, et. al.), an increase of 6,000 gold isn't unfair or unprecedented, since the item can give you constant Darkvision (8,000 gold item), or constant Scent (a thousands of gold item), Natural Armor (2,000-8,000 gold), etc. In fact, based on the factor that you can have those on at any time, 36,000 gold would be a steal in my book, so I'd suggest increasing it to 45,000 gold, or perhaps higher.
Thank you, that was a great answer. Much appreciated!