Intelligent Items upgrading and limits on the host of powers.

[Quintus E Deveron]

Could a intelligent Staff of Fire have 3 "Item can cast a 3rd-level spell 3/day +18,000 gp cost +2 ego" to cast 9 Fireballs a day?

Can a character with the appropriate creation feats/spells upgrade a Intelligent Item Ability Scores, Senses, Communication and Powers?

Could they just keep adding Powers to cast more spells 3/day?
http://legacy.aonprd.com/ultimateEquipment/artifactsAndOthers/intelligentIt ems.html

[LordKailas]

When it comes to custom magic items it's heavily dependent upon your DM what is and isn't allowed.

For example, you could have an intelligent item whose special purpose "Defend a particular race or kind of creature" and pick whatever race your character is. Then give it the dedicated ability to cast the spell Heal at will to carry out its purpose.

This is all well within the rules that are laid out for intelligent magic items. But it would be incredibly OP to get a free Heal every time your character gets injured as the item tries to "defend" you.

[Meirril]

Intelligent items are non-standard. As such, everything made using that section of the rules needs heavy amounts of GM scrutiny. Nothing in there is fine for players to use without GM approval. Lots of things that can be done are incredibly imbalanced.

Also intelligent items are effectively NPCs. The GM controls their actions if he wishes. That can get rather annoying for everybody involved.

What they can, and can't do, are entirely up to the GM. By RAW if you paid for an intelligent item to have a special ability to cast Fireball, it could do it all day long. As its own action. At its own discretion. I hope your weapon gets along with your party. A bad conversion could lead to a TPW.

[Quintus E Deveron]

"I hope your weapon gets along with your party"
I was thinking of making a evil intelligent item (maybe a artifact like Crenshinibon) that dominates wizards to keep improving it.
The PCs goal should be to lock it away or destroy it.

[Lelomenia]

Staves can’t be Intelligent Items by rule, as they have charges. I’m guessing you are more looking for advice than rules, in which case the intelligent staves issue should be ignored, but this is the rules forum.

[Diego Rossi]

LordKailas wrote:

When it comes to custom magic items it's heavily dependent upon your DM what is and isn't allowed.

For example, you could have an intelligent item whose special purpose "Defend a particular race or kind of creature" and pick whatever race your character is. Then give it the dedicated ability to cast the spell Heal at will to carry out its purpose.

This is all well within the rules that are laid out for intelligent magic items. But it would be incredibly OP to get a free Heal every time your character gets injured as the item tries to "defend" you.

A single individual isn't a race. For me, the heal power would work only if the guy carrying the item is doing something that helps the race.

It can be something as limited as saving a village of the "race" from marauders of other races to as big as trying to thwart a monster that will eat the world.
In the first instance, the heal would be available only during the battle, for the second it would be available for most of the quest.
But in both instances, the item is intelligent and has its own goal. It is possible that it will ask to be handed over to a more powerful defender of the race or refuse to damage a member of the race turned enemy, witholding all its bonuses.

[Cevah]

Sirfith wrote:

Could a intelligent Staff of Fire have 3 "Item can cast a 3rd-level spell 3/day +18,000 gp cost +2 ego" to cast 9 Fireballs a day?

Can a character with the appropriate creation feats/spells upgrade a Intelligent Item Ability Scores, Senses, Communication and Powers?

Could they just keep adding Powers to cast more spells 3/day?
Intelligent Items

Linkified

Answers: Yes, Yes, and Yes.

A Staff of Fire is 18,950 gp.
This is a permanent magic item with charges. It does not recharge. Unlike some items that have 3 charges per day. As such the GM may say it cannot be an Intelligent Item.

So add a +1 Enhancement as a weapon for 2,300 gp. Now it is a staff that doubles as a weapon.

Next add 500 gp for the minimum intelligent item.

As a GM, I would require a Chr of 14 to cast Wall of Fire that the item should be able to cast. This adds 1,000 gp and 2 ego.

Adding Fly 9/day (as 3*3/day) adds 54,000 gp and 6 ego.

Sirfith wrote:

I was thinking of making a evil intelligent item (maybe a artifact like Crenshinibon) that dominates wizards to keep improving it.

This sounds like a special purpose, but is not one in the list. It also has no special purpose power. So lets say this adds no gp but 1 ego.

Total Price is: 76,750 gp which makes the base ego +6.
Final ego is: 15

Since any caster that can improve the staff will need Craft Staff, that means they are 11th level. This likely means that can cast 6th level spells, and thus have a decent will save. [Wizard 11 has +7, and likely a Cloak +3 for a base save of 10 or better.] The staff can dominate on a Will save DC = ego = 15 above. Against the crafter, that is DC 15 vs 10+1d20 for a save (=80% save). When it succeeds, and adds stuff, its ego can improve, making the save less likely.

/cevah