how to price weapons / ammunition with spell effects

[Focenspeil]

I am having a hell of a time figuring how to price ammunition for PC in my game. He is looking to buy ammo with spell effects such as hydralic push, fireball, meteor swarm. I did price out a hydralic push round a 2000+ammo price+300 for masterwork. But what would the meteor swarm look like?

[zza ni]

i would advice never to price per ammo. as you get 50~ spells for the price of one (if compered to pricing a weapon). tell him to make it in a weapon if he want that.
-and i would be very restrictive of that as well. there is a reason why arcane archer is a prestige class - fighter type are not meant to throw fireballs, not to mention meteor swarms!!

[Dave Justus]

A one shot 'spell in a can' item that anyone can activate should probably be priced just like a potion. If it doesn't have it's own action cost (as in the case of activation in conjunction with an attack) it should probably be at least double.

[Cevah]

Pricing ammo at 50 per is for weapon bonus on ammo and not for one spell each piece.

The 300 gp masterwork is for 50 pieces of ammo. That is 6 gp each.

Look to the Arrow of Slaying for comparison.

So ammo is:
# [base ammo piece] + 6 [Masterwork] + 40 [+1 Bonus] + # [spell]

Assume low cost ammo, and with +1, and rounded gives: 50 + spell
Standard one shot spells are scrolls and potions.

At potion price you have: 50 + [50 * SL * CL + Material Component], but with a CL=3 limit.
At scroll price you have: 50 + [25 * SL * CL + Material Component], but can go to higher levels.
Default CL is minimum that can cast SL.

SL 1, CL 1: 100 + Material Component or 75 + Material Component
SL 2, CL 3: 350 + Material Component or 200 + Material Component
SL 3, CL 5: 800 + Material Component or 425 + Material Component
SL 4, CL 7: 750 + Material Component
SL 5, CL 9: 1175 + Material Component
SL 6, CL 11: 1700 + Material Component
SL 7, CL 13: 2325 + Material Component
SL 8, CL 15: 3050 + Material Component
SL 9, CL 17: 3875 + Material Component

/cevah

[Zarius]

My advice: Don't. Period. Unless it already exists, and you're letting them basically reapply a named item's enchantment to another item. (The Deck of Slivering Fate comes to my mind as, basically, the one exception/example to/of this rule, but only because it already exists, and you can - by deducting the cost of a +2 weapon - determine the cost of the enchantment. I'd gladly let someone wanting to pay 5k on their bow use it.)

[Meirril]

Cevah wrote:

Assume low cost ammo, and with +1, and rounded gives: 50 + spell
Standard one shot spells are scrolls and potions.

At potion price you have: 50 + [50 * SL * CL + Material Component], but with a CL=3 limit.
At scroll price you have: 50 + [25 * SL * CL + Material Component], but can go to higher levels.
Default CL is minimum that can cast SL.

Basing something that a non-caster can use on a spell completion item isn't representing the item appropriate. This really is a by use item and should be priced as a one-shot, slotless wonderous magic item.

i.e. Bloody expensive.

In general, I don't think this is a good idea. But if you as a GM like the idea throwing out the idea it would be something like this:

(Spell level × caster level × 50 gp + material cost) x2 for slotless and the convenience of not triggering AoO. (foruma taken directly from the chart in Core Rulebook: magic item creation)

Also I would make a list of spells that can be done. I don't think its a good idea to introduce "dispel magic" bullets, or "enchantment breaking" bullets, or "Heal" bullets. Limit this to offensive magic, and only approved offensive magic even since that could get real weird if not controlled. Bullet of "Iron Wall"? "Force Wall" bullet? Heck no!