Hi everyone,
so the deal is the following:
Our druid has a Giant Owl companion, which grew to large size with her last level-up.
She now wonderes what ways exist to shrink it back to medium (or even small) size, for when the need arises (e.g. in small caverns, taverns, cities with stricter laws and so on).
Of course there is the spell Reduce Animal, which would shrink it down to medium size for some hours.
Otherwise there would be the spell Carry Companion, but that would basically completly remove the companion for the duration.
She wondered if there might be some magic items which would accomplish the same thing without having to cast a spell over and over.
A custom item according to the magic item creation rules would result in the following:
Collar of Reduce Animal
2 (Spell-Level) x 3 (Caster-Level) x 2.000gp (continous) = 12.000gp
The result would be a magic collar (using the neck slot), that once affixed to the companion would have the effect of Reduce Animal on it, until it gets removed again.
On the other hand, our hunter recently acquiered a Dire Collar.
This item basically does the opposite (enlarging the companion) for a duration of 1 minute per day as Enlarge Person, ignoring the normal trageting restrictions.
Reverse, continous Dire Collar
Using this as a reference one could argue, that a Reducing Collar could be priced the same way, thus costing 1.000gp to shrink the companion for 1 minute as per Reduce Person. If so, one could further argue to get an continous version of it, you would simply multiply the cost with 2 since the effect would be normally 1 minute/level, resulting in a pricetag of only 2.000gp.
Collar of Reduce Person
Using the Dire Collar as a mere guideline to create a new item using Reduce Person, while ignoring the targeting restrictions it could also be priced as follow:
1 (Spell Level) x 1 (Caster Level) x 2.000gp (Continuous) x 2 (Duration of Reduce Person 1 Minute/Level) = 4.000gp
How would you price it? Why? Any other suggestions? Preferably official content, but if there are some viable 3rd-party options, I don't mind considering those as well.
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Relatively cheap way to do what you want: 1 Wand of Reduce animal. 4,500 gp for 50 uses of the spell. In an average campaign, it is enough.
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Having to physically remove the collar to end the effect has an action cost (a standard, probably), so I wouldn't price it as "use activated", pricing it instead as a "command word" item. That would have it priced at 10,800 gp.
You feel that the 10,000 gp price tag is too much, but how many times you will probably want to cast Reduce animal during an adventure in a cramped dungeon?
Consider each casting as equivalent to a 2nd level Pearl of power.
How many Pearls of power each worth 4,000 gp to get the intended effect?
To me, it seems that the minimum would be 1 Reduce animal memorized (so a 2nd level slot used up) and 2 Pearls of power, for a total value of 12,000 gp (but an expense of only 8,000 gp).
As the pearls have alternative uses when you aren't in cramped spaces there is an advantage in paying for them instead of buying an item that does a single thing, even if you end up spending a spell slot for Reduce animal.
What our druid was considering, is that they are right now at character level 7. Meaning if for example they would be staying at an inn, and the townsfolk wouldn't apreciate a large owl flying around (maybe fearing it would eat some cattle) and the druid would cast reduce animal, than it would last for 7 hours. This would mean, that while they get their 8 hours of rest, the owl would pop back to large size (eventually IN a small room in said inn or other inappropriate location). So the druid would have to wake up, cast reduce animal again (either having reduce animal left over from the previous day, or using it from the new day, not sure) what would interrupt his rest, and therefore add another hour to it.
While I know that as they gain more levels, this would be less of an issue, but since she asked if there are any ways to get said effect on a permanent basis (for example if the need to stay for some days inside a dungeon/castle/whatever) without having to use up spells for the needed duration.
Using one action to affix the collar when needed and another action to remove when needed, seems less of an commitment, than having to cast the spell over and over again.
Especially since the existence of the dire collar and its pricetag, our druid asked if there was an item in a similar price range (which than would run cheaper than a wand or 2nd level pearls of power) for basically an infinite use without spell commitment.
I calculated with use-activated/continous, since with activating it as an action (via command word) would mean it would trigger the effect for a duration x, after which it would have to be activated again and thus not beeing permanent till removed.
A lesser metamagic rod of extend spell is cheap and would offer extra utility, as well as solving the sleeping through the night in one reduce animal issue.
Edit in response to Belafon's edit: in light of your greater detail, explanation, and link I will gladly share the credit for suggesting the extend rod, in spite of my (for once) ninja ways.
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Your Collar of Reduce Animal is the best "by-the-book" pricing.
Slotted, continuous, 1-hour/level spell effect:
Spell level x caster level x 2,000 gp =
2 x 3 x 2000 gp = 12,000 gp
The Dire Collar is not a good reference point. It (presumably) includes the base price adjustment for charges per day. Which is "Divide by (5 divided by charges per day)", so the Dire Collar, with one charge per day, is already divided by 5. Just getting rid of that charge per day discount (not affecting anything else about the Dire Collar) means multiplying by 5. So 5000 gp for an unlimited-use command word item that would last only 1 min per command word usage.
If your druid is OK with memorizing the spell once a day, I recommend a lesser Extend metagmagic rod instead. Only 3000 gp and can be used three times a day. Reduce animal would last 14 hours instead of seven, and can be used on other spells as well. It stays useful even as your level gets higher, since spells like barkskin are only 10 min/lvl.
An animal companion does not have to grow larger when the druid levels up. There is an option for it to remain the same size and increase their DEX and CON by 2 instead. That will mean a significant reduction in its combat ability, but it does solve the size problem.
Look at Hosteling enhancement for your armor.
It (presumably) includes the base price adjustment for charges per day. Which is "Divide by (5 divided by charges per day)", so the Dire Collar, with one charge per day, is already divided by 5. Just getting rid of that charge per day discount (not affecting anything else about the Dire Collar) means multiplying by 5. So 5000 gp for an unlimited-use command word item that would last only 1 min per command word usage.
Ah thats what i forgot. Removing the once per day discount would bring it up to about 5.000gp, which then would lead to 10.000gp if you would double it to go from a duration in 1 minute/level to continous.
That would still be cheaper than the "by-the-book" item, propably because the dire collar has the additional "penalty" of you having to speak a command word and beeing within 30ft of your companion to do so.
I'll talk with her about it and recommend going either with a rod for extended reduce animal or alternativley the hostling enchantement on a shield or armor.
Thanks for all contributions.
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It (presumably) includes the base price adjustment for charges per day. Which is "Divide by (5 divided by charges per day)", so the Dire Collar, with one charge per day, is already divided by 5. Just getting rid of that charge per day discount (not affecting anything else about the Dire Collar) means multiplying by 5. So 5000 gp for an unlimited-use command word item that would last only 1 min per command word usage.Ah thats what i forgot. Removing the once per day discount would bring it up to about 5.000gp, which then would lead to 10.000gp if you would double it to go from a duration in 1 minute/level to continous.
That would still be cheaper than the "by-the-book" item, propably because the dire collar has the additional "penalty" of you having to speak a command word and beeing within 30ft of your companion to do so.
As Sean K Reynolds (one of the original PF1 designers) said many times in the early days of the game system: pricing a magic item is as much art as science.
One of the ways you can apply "art" when designing an item that would be too powerful or far too expensive to otherwise use is to build limiting factors into it. While bracers of continuous true strike would be 8000 gp according to the formulas (and a horrible idea according to common sense, multiple designers' posts, and a section in Ultimate Equipment) the Arrowmaster's Bracers can (along with other benefits) give you a +20 on your next attack roll. But only on a ranged attack, requires a swift action, is an insight (rather than untyped) bonus, and can only be used once per day.
The Dire Collar allows you to do something that you can't otherwise do. There is no "enlarge animal" spell. That's on purpose (see developer commentary). Animal growth is more powerful but is a 5th level spell, which makes it very expensive by default. The Dire Collar "breaks the rules" and lets you use enlarge person on the animal. The once-per-day cap is the limiting factor that makes fall within the established power band.
Which is a long-winded way of saying that just because a 1/day item exists, that does not mean an unlimited-use or continuous item doing the same thing should exist at all, much less for only five times the cost.