Slot item, multiple skill bonus effects

[Kelemvor187]

Hi,

my search for a similar thread was unsuccessfull, so i thought i ask away.

What is the formular for calculating the costs for the following item:

Goggles or an amulet which provides a diplomacy and sense motive bonus?

What is a "similar" ability? And what are the costs for slotted items with multiple, similar abilities?

Multiple Similar Abilities: For items with multiple similar abilities that don't take up space on a character's body, use the following formula: Calculate the price of the single most costly ability, then add 75% of the value of the next most costly ability, plus 1/2 the value of any other abilities.

Multiple Different Abilities: Abilities such as an attack roll bonus or saving throw bonus and a spell-like function are not similar, and their values are simply added together to determine the cost. For items that take up a space on a character's body, each additional power not only has no discount but instead has a 50% increase in price.

After reading these two paragraphs my interpretation would be, that two skill bonus are "similar" abilities. Does the last bold sentence mean, that it is of no consequence if an ability is similar or not, if the item fills a slot?

Your opinions and rule knowledge is, as always, most appreciated :)

Thanks!

[blahpers]

Firstly, I'll assume that you've already looked for existing items with similar abilities before consulting the charts for pricing rules. ; )

From Ultimate Campaign

Upgrading Items wrote:

The multiple similar abilities rule is specifically for items that don't use a magic item slot (such as staves), and can't be used for items that do use a magic item slot. The existing staves in the Core Rulebook all use this rule for pricing the cost of their spells. When adding abilities to these items, remember that they're priced with the highest-level spell at 100% of the normal cost, the next-highest at 75%, and all others at 50%, which means that adding a new spell that's between the lowest and highest spell level can alter the cost of the other abilities in the item. Increasing the number of charges required for an ability also affects the cost of that ability (see Creating Staves). Because staff pricing is so complex, a GM might want to forbid adding new abilities to staves, or limit new abilities to the lowest-level spell already present in the item.

TL;DR: Use the Multiple Different Abilities rule for your two-skill amulet and almost everything else. Use the Multiple Similar Abilities rule for staves and other unequippable, shared resource pool items.

The design principle involved here is that slots are precious and doubling up abilities on a slot should cost something above and beyond the sum of the ability costs.

[Cevah]

There are a number of multi-skill booster items. These nearly all follow the +50% rule. The main exception is the Circlet of Persuasion which gives plusses to 8-9 skills at the same time, but not for +50% each. If you use to 1st @ 100%, 2nd @ 75%, and rest at 50%, you get much closer for the +3 to each cha skill.

I think that if you have multiple abilities that cannot be used at the same time and use the same pool of magic, then you use staff rule.

/cevah

[Kelemvor187]

Thank you!

[Claxon]

Take a look at this item.

It's not exactly what you want, but it's close.

Ask if you can change the item slot, but otherwise leave the price alone.