Arcane Bonded item Crafting / construction

[Count Palamancer]

I do not believe that the Replacement Bonded Item must be the exact same type as the previous item. If a Wizard where to loose his Bonded Item which was a Staff, but recover a Magical Ring in the treasure from the adventure - she would undergo the ritual (and pay the costs) to make her new Replacement Bonded Item out of the Magical Ring (which would retain it's former Magical abilities). If she decided to instead use this finely made (Masterwork) broach she already owns (has paid for) into her Bonded Item, she undergoes the ritual (pays the cost in gold and time) and now has a Masterwork Broach (as yet unenhanced/non-magical) as her Bonded Item.

At least that is the way I read that section of the rules. How is this wrong?

[KingOfAnything]

Some first-time player picks a quarterstaff as their bonded object at first level. That gets sundered quickly once the enemies figure out what it is. He learned his lesson and decides to replace it with a masterwork amulet instead.

That should work.

[Murdock Mudeater]

Count Palamancer wrote:

I do not believe that the Replacement Bonded Item must be the exact same type as the previous item. If a Wizard where to loose his Bonded Item which was a Staff, but recover a Magical Ring in the treasure from the adventure - she would undergo the ritual (and pay the costs) to make her new Replacement Bonded Item out of the Magical Ring (which would retain it's former Magical abilities). If she decided to instead use this finely made (Masterwork) broach she already owns (has paid for) into her Bonded Item, she undergoes the ritual (pays the cost in gold and time) and now has a Masterwork Broach (as yet unenhanced/non-magical) as her Bonded Item.

I think, thematically, that's probably what they were trying to say with arcane bond rules. I really think those rules need an overhaul, because they really don't clearly say what, I suspect, they were trying to say.

That said, it doesn't say you get a new item, it just replaces the old one.

I suppose, it boils down to how you regard the concept of "replacing." Are you replacing the "bond" or are you replacing the "bonded item"? I read it as replacing the entire "bonded item," but sounds you read it as just replacing the "bond."

If the ritual isn't replacing the bonded item, and is just tranfering the bond from one item to another, then yeah, I think you are right. That said, I don't think it says this. I think you are replacing the entire item via the ritual, with the gold costs representing material components (not a new item).

[Murdock Mudeater]

KingOfAnything wrote:

Some first-time player picks a quarterstaff as their bonded object at first level. That gets sundered quickly once the enemies figure out what it is.

In PFS? Additionally, how are they determining the item is bonded(no in-game options to detect item bonds, as far as I know)?

[Jeff Morse]

same reason i have players disarming the wizards wand or staff, they are just guessing it could be. sucks when they are right.

[Murdock Mudeater]

Jeff Morse wrote:

same reason i have players disarming the wizards wand or staff, they are just guessing it could be. sucks when they are right.

That's an option and certainly something PCs would do, but I find sunder/disarm to be uncommon GM tactics for PFS. Not that they can't, but just that it is sort of regarded as bad form, unless the PCs do it first or if the specific scenario mentions it withing their written tactics.

Then again, if they are disarming/sundering your wizard, instead of directly attacking them, the wizard does become more survivable. I mean, if you don't die, but you do lose the weapon, is that really so bad? Sucks losing the weapon, but if the choice is that or death, I'd gladly give up the weapon.

Regarding disarm, you could look into a locked gauntlet. Adds +10 vs disarm. Definitely worth consideration on a wizard's arcane bond, if it is a weapon bonded object.