Several questions here so I figured I'd some to the experts.
Let's say that my Bonded Item is a ring.
If I want to upgrade it to a Ring of Protection +1, I pay 1,000 gp or half of the normal cost of that item.
If I later want to upgrade it to a Ring of Protection +2, does it cost me:
3,000 gp (the difference between half the price of +1 and half the price of +2)
4,000 gp (half the price of +2)
6,000 gp (the difference between full price +1 and full price +2)
7,000 gp (the difference between half-price +1 and full price +2)
8,000 gp (the price of +2)
Another situation - what if I want to upgrade it to a Ring of Protection +1 that also functions as a Ring of Feather Falling? Does it cost me:
1,100 gp (half the price of a Ring of Feather Falling)
2,200 gp (full price of a Ring of Feather Falling)
1,100 gp + 550 gp (half price +50%)
2,200 gp + 1,100 gp (full price +50%)
And would I then have to add half of the ring's existing ability(ies)'s cost as well as that of the new ability?
Presumably I'm going to want to keep adding abilities to it, specifically to make it a Ring of Protection that increases as I level as well as a Ring of Feather Falling, Ring of Swimming and Ring of Invisibility, possibly even a Ring of Freedom of Movement as well. I'm trying to get a sense of how much of my wealth by level to set aside for these upgrades.
Also, if the spells required to upgrade a ring aren't on my spell list, can I buy a scroll and sue Read Magic to 'fake it'?
Are there any required crafting checks for upgrading a Bonded Item or is it automatic (i.e. do I need to invest in Spellcraft)?
Finally, if the Bonded Item was acquired by a spontaneous caster, how does the bonus spell work - does it allow you to cast an additional spell from your list of spells known or from your spell list overall?
Thanks in advance - my searches have generated some confusing results.
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The rules are, technically silent on the ability to upgrade magic items, let alone the proper costs for doing so. Magic Item creation is largely in the 'Ask your GM' territory.
Assuming you can upgrade (rather then get a new bonded item) your ring, 3,000gp is the most logical option. But your GM might disagree.
Adding abilities makes things even more 'Ask your GM' territory. IN the end, the rule of thumb would be you would value the item at full value, then figure your 50% crafted cost, then deduct your previous item cost.
Sorry about that.
Unless you are asking for PFS, then I can give a more solid answer.
The rules are, technically silent on the ability to upgrade magic items, let alone the proper costs for doing so. Magic Item creation is largely in the 'Ask your GM' territory.
Assuming you can upgrade (rather then get a new bonded item) your ring, 3,000gp is the most logical option. But your GM might disagree.
Adding abilities makes things even more 'Ask your GM' territory. IN the end, the rule of thumb would be you would value the item at full value, then figure your 50% crafted cost, then deduct your previous item cost.
Sorry about that.
Unless you are asking for PFS, then I can give a more solid answer.
Anything definitive is appreciated - this isn't for a PFS game, but the clarified rules they often use can serve as an effective default. On the other hand, they also disallow a lot of options that I might otherwise be keen on taking...
The cost of upgrading a ring of protection +1 to be a ring of protection +2 is the difference between the costs to make each from scratch: .5 * (8000 - 2000) = 3000 gp.
Going by strict RAW, the cost to add feather falling functionality is 1.5 * the cost of a ring of feather falling by itself = 1650 gp.
However, most home GMs rule that the cost to make an item that does both A and B is the cost of the more expensive one plus 1.5 the cost of the less expensive one, regardless of the order in which you add them. Under that house rule, adding feather falling to protection +1 costs 1.0 * 1100 + 1.5 * 1000 = 1600, saving you 50 gp. But if you then upgrade that to protection +2, the cost of the full item would be 1.0 * 4000 + 1.5 * 1100 = 5650, so the cost of the upgrade is 5650-1600 = 4050 gp. Be sure to ask your GM how they do it (unless this is PFS, then I assume it's strictly RAW).
Also, if the spells required to upgrade a ring aren't on my spell list, can I buy a scroll and sue Read Magic to 'fake it'?
Yes, but you need to fake it every day of the crafting, i.e. you'll need one scroll per 1,000 gp in the price (not cost!) of the upgrade. It would be cheaper to hire an NPC to provide the spells for you, assuming you're not crafting while adventuring.
Finally, are there any required crafting checks for upgrading a Bonded Item or is it automatic?
You still have to do everything you'd need to do normally (including crafting check at the end of each upgrade), you just don't need to have the Forge Ring feat.
This is actually all RAW, except for the bit where I said it wasn't.
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.
Now making custom magic items, that aren't just straight combos of existing ones, that's all GM territory.
This is actually all RAW, except for the bit where I said it wasn't.
Now making custom magic items, that aren't just straight combos of existing ones, that's all GM territory.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 was all very helpful, thank you!
Also, if the spells required to upgrade a ring aren't on my spell list, can I buy a scroll and sue Read Magic to 'fake it'?Yes, but you need to fake it every day of the crafting, i.e. you'll need one scroll per 1,000 gp in the price (not cost!) of the upgrade. It would be cheaper to hire an NPC to provide the spells for you, assuming you're not crafting while adventuring.
Finally, are there any required crafting checks for upgrading a Bonded Item or is it automatic?You still have to do everything you'd need to do normally (including crafting check at the end of each upgrade), you just don't need to have the Forge Ring feat.
The spell is cast as part of the creation. I don't know if you need a scroll every day but I'm fairly certain you must use UMD if the scroll isn't on your spell list, you can't use read magic to fudge it.
Alternately you can get someone else to cast it.