Upgrading Items in Pathfinder Society 2nd edition

[FLite]

Weapon and Armor runes can be upgraded simply by paying the difference in the cost. Can Shields, Staves, and other items be similarly upgraded? What about alchemical items and consumables?

It seems pretty harsh to make someone who is basing their character around a shield pay the full price for each level of shield.

[Gary Bush]

I think the answer is it depends on the item.

For staves, I can see just paying the difference in price for a higher version of the same type of staff.

For shields, those are pretty specific. It does not make sense that a character could upgrade from a buckler to to steel shield by just paying the 1gp. They are different items completely.

Since the CRB is silent (as far as I can find) on this question, right now we have to assume that a character has to pay to upgrade a shield or staff.

As for consumables, well, they are consumables....

[FLite]

Gary Bush wrote:

For shields, those are pretty specific. It does not make sense that a character could upgrade from a buckler to to steel shield by just paying the 1gp. They are different items completely.

I meant (for example) "Minor sturdy shield" to "Lesser sturdy shield" or "Floating Shield" to "Greater floating shield"

[Gary Bush]

Oh. I hope that is something that will be allowed. It makes sense.

I seem to remember this question being asked before....

[andreww]

Nothing in the rules currently allows for this beyond runes for weapons and armour. I wouldnt expect to see this allowed, the system is very similar to Starfinder which doesnt allow such upgrades (outside of stat items).

[Gary Bush]

True but Starfinder doesn't have similarly named items that has a descriptor in front like the ones that Jared mentioned.

Well... Maybe in some weapons...

[FLite]

Gary Bush wrote:

Oh. I hope that is something that will be allowed. It makes sense.

I seem to remember this question being asked before....

It was asked and answered before for PFS 1.

The difference with starfinder is that starfinder does not allow upgrading because it is meant to represent a post scarcity, highly automated, economy where you don't upgrade stuff because it is simply easier to just go buy a new X.

That is also why selling items in starfinder is 10% value rather than 50% value.

[Ascalaphus]

Jared Thaler wrote:

Weapon and Armor runes can be upgraded simply by paying the difference in the cost. Can Shields, Staves, and other items be similarly upgraded? What about alchemical items and consumables?

It seems pretty harsh to make someone who is basing their character around a shield pay the full price for each level of shield.

The CRB says nothing about upgrading them. Just like it says nothing about upgrading them in Starfinder (where it's indeed not intended). Whereas PF1 has several bits talking about the process of further upgrading magic items.

So I'm coming to a "RAW no" reading.

I don't think it's unduly harsh - I suspect they've been priced with impermanence in mind. WBL is set up knowing you're going to be replacing some of this stuff. If you could upgrade them, then the higher-grade versions of the items would probably have been more expensive.

[Nefreet]

The Core Rulebook tells us that you just pay the difference when upgrading runes.

There is no language anywhere else for upgrading other equipment.