Pistol of the Infinite sky, Celestial Armor, the Sun-sword etc.


Rules Questions


My question is, is there any defined rules regarding putting specific magic item qualities on custom magic items? Can I put the Pistol of the infinite sky property's (other than the +5) on a musket? Can my Sun-sword be a scimitar that is wielded like a sort sword? Can I mke Celestial armor other than +3?

Paizo Employee Organized Play Lead Developer

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Simple Answer: In general you could swap out the base weapon without too much worry, and it's unlikely to change the price much.

More Involved Answer: A lot of those special weapons end in exactly the same price as the base version of the item. That 50,335 gp cost for a sun blade? Well, 335 gp is exactly the cost of a masterwork bastard sword. If you need an exact price for a sun khopesh, subtract the 335 gp and add the 320 gp for a masterwork khopesh.

That said, there are times when the weapon's properties are balanced in part around the base weapon. For example, the mace of smiting is utterly devastating with critical hits, so you might say "Well, why not build a rapier of smiting and crit all day?" The answer's that doing so would break the base item's design expectations and possibly the flavor as well.

As for reverse engineering special abilities that aren't one of the base "+XX" properties, you can kludge a value by subtracting the price of the +XX weapon from the total price. 73,300 minus the 53,300 for a +5 pistol leaves us with 20,000 gp. Is that a perfectly accurate representation of what that benefit should cost? Likely not. These items sometimes subsidize a benefit because it's already part of a much pricier item. Also, as with the rapier of smiting example above, you're getting a far different benefit by changing the base weapon; muskets take longer to reload than pistols, so automatic reloading for the former means a lot more.

As always, check with your GM.


So are there any price keystones upon which to make and Infinite sky musket or a smiting rapier?

Paizo Employee Organized Play Lead Developer

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Not necessarily. As published, those items establish what price is appropriate when you purchase the whole package—pistol, enhancement bonus, and all. For reasons I noted above, many special weapons have abilities whose impact on the price would vary based on the base weapon. It's one of the big reasons that Pathfinder Society Roleplaying Guild doesn't allow modification of special weapons and special armor (though we occasionally include a variant special weapon on a Chronicle sheet after considering the impact it might have).

For a very basic calculation when swapping out a special weapon's base weapon for something notably more advantageous (e.g. a musket of the infinite sky), consider multiplying the non-enhancement bonus part of the price by 150%. That might get you in roughly the right area.

But seriously, above all else, discuss the matter with your GM. So long as everyone agrees on a fair price for the style of game you're playing—and is open to re-assessing the impact if it's clearly blowing the power expectations out of the water—you're doing fine.

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