Pricing horseshoes for a PC?

[Ambrus]

The idea of creating wearable boots based off of the Horseshoes of Speed (3,000 gp; +30 enhancement bonus to speed) and Horseshoes of the Zephyr (6,000 gp; travel normally above any horizontal surface, even over water or lava) is appealing. So anyone ever thought of how to go about pricing such items for PCs?

 

[VanRichten]

Well unless you are a centaur I can't see having these. However if you were to consider the idea of PC's who are not centaurs you already have conceptually items in effect.

Boots of Striding and Springing and Boots of Levitation are the closest idea.

The reasy the items you mentioned are priced the way they are is because they are discounted because they are given to a mount. Giving a PC +30 movement always active is a bit strong in any campaign.

You could modify the Boots of Levitation to allow for walking on any surface, but not protection from the surface and follow the standard rules for creating such an item in the DMG.

As for the +30 movement I would go with Long Strider effect but limit it to a number of times per day say maximum of 3/day.

 

[MarkB]

The idea of creating wearable boots based off of the Horseshoes of Speed (3,000 gp; +30 enhancement bonus to speed) and Horseshoes of the Zephyr (6,000 gp; travel normally above any horizontal surface, even over water or lava) is appealing. So anyone ever thought of how to go about pricing such items for PCs?

Horseshoes of Speed are essentially a variant on Boots of Striding and Springing. As a PC-equipable item, I'd base them upon the BoS&S price, treating each further +10 to speed as equivalent to an additional +1 on a stat-boosting item. So, the first extra +10 quadruples the price to 22,000 gp for +20ft boots, and the second extra +10 increases the base item price by X9 to 49,500 gp for +30ft boots.

Horseshoes of the Zephyr replicate a 5th-level Shadow Hand Stance from Bo9S, Step of the Dancing Moth. Treating that as equivalent to a 5th-level spell would make the cost 90,000 gp by standard guidelines, but given that the stance has an indefinite duration, that could probably be discounted by quite a bit - maybe even 50%, to bring it down to 45,000 gp.

 

[StreamOfTheSky]

Well unless you are a centaur I can't see having these. However if you were to consider the idea of PC's who are not centaurs you already have conceptually items in effect.

Actually, no. The horseshoes of speed only benefit an animal (and the Zephyr ones only a horse), and a centaur is not an animal. And I'd recommend keeping it that way. I've seen Centaurs with those horseshoes (of speed) have base speeds higher than most foes' charging speeds, thus allowing them with Ride-by Attack and Spiritual Charge to maintain a vicious game of keep away. (Yes, you can ready to attack, but a) a single readied attack vs. a spirited charge = lose, every time, and b) if you just stand there, the centaur can assume you're doing this very tactic, laugh and pepper you with ranged fire). With the advent of Strongarm Bracers, a great deal at 6k, any Centaur of mid levels can easily afford to carry a Huge composite longbow to a fight, for a base damage of 3d6 +str mod, allowing for painful attacks even just playing it safe with hit and run tactics with the bow, no ranged feats even required.

Sorry for the rant, but allowing centaurs to use those horse shoes, IME is a very bad decision.

http://www.d20srd.org/srd/magicItems/wondrousItems.htm#horseshoesofSpeed

 

[Will]

For 'boots of running,' very easy. Boots of Expeditious Retreat. +30 land speed.

Base spell is Spell level 1, Caster level 1, 1 min/level, so 'continuous' wondrous item would be 4000 gp.

As for 'boots of the zephyr,' I'd guess at an effect ~ Spell level 2, Caster level 3, 1 min/level, so continuous version of 12,000 gp. This guess is based on Levitate being a 2nd level spell and 1 min/level (but zephyr version is horizontal) and Fly being a 3rd level spell and 1 min/level (so zephyr version is a restricted version of Fly).

Boots of the Swift Zephyr, then, would be 18,000 (+50% cost for the cheaper enchantment).

 

[Ambrus]

As a PC-equipable item, I'd base them upon the BoS&S price, treating each further +10 to speed as equivalent to an additional +1 on a stat-boosting item. So, the first extra +10 quadruples the price to 22,000 gp for +20ft boots, and the second extra +10 increases the base item price by X9 to 49,500 gp for +30ft boots.

An interesting approach, but I believe you're forgetting that Boots of Striding & Springing, valued at 5,500 gp also grant an additional +5 to Jump checks. That extra ability is worth 2,500 gp by itself. That'd reduce the cost of the +10-ft. movement bonus to only 3,000 gp; and that's only if multi-ability cost increase hasn't been factored into the BoS&S cost already. That should probably be factored into your calculations.

For 'boots of running,' very easy. Boots of Expeditious Retreat. +30 land speed. Base spell is Spell level 1, Caster level 1, 1 min/level, so 'continuous' wondrous item would be 4000 gp.

Likewise, an interesting and somewhat simpler approach. Quite a big difference between your 4,000 gp cost and MarkB's 49,500 gp cost though.

Horseshoes of the Zephyr replicate a 5th-level Shadow Hand Stance from Bo9S, Step of the Dancing Moth. Treating that as equivalent to a 5th-level spell would make the cost 90,000 gp by standard guidelines, but given that the stance has an indefinite duration, that could probably be discounted by quite a bit - maybe even 50%, to bring it down to 45,000 gp.

As for 'boots of the zephyr,' I'd guess at an effect ~ Spell level 2, Caster level 3, 1 min/level, so continuous version of 12,000 gp. This guess is based on Levitate being a 2nd level spell and 1 min/level (but zephyr version is horizontal) and Fly being a 3rd level spell and 1 min/level (so zephyr version is a restricted version of Fly).

Again, a big difference between MarkB's 45k and Will's 12k. Any other thoughts on this?

 

[MarkB]

An interesting approach, but I believe you're forgetting that Boots of Striding & Springing, valued at 5,500 gp also grant an additional +5 to Jump checks. That extra ability is worth 2,500 gp by itself. That'd reduce the cost of the +10-ft. movement bonus to only 3,000 gp; and that's only if multi-ability cost increase hasn't been factored into the BoS&S cost already. That should probably be factored into your calculations.

True. A base price of 3,000, making it 12,000 for +20ft and 27,000 for +30ft. wouldn't be too bad.

Likewise, an interesting and somewhat simpler approach. Quite a big difference between your 4,000 gp cost and MarkB's 49,500 gp cost though.Again, a big difference between MarkB's 45k and Will's 12k. Any other thoughts on this?

Well, that's mainly because Levitate doesn't do what the Horseshoes of the Zephyr do. Levitate provides vertical movement only, and once you're up off the floor you have no traction and can't go anywhere.

If there's an actual spell or power that does what the horseshoes do, you could use that as the basis for your calculation (I had some hopes for the Psionic power Skate, but it turns out to be a little too dissimilar), but as far as I know, that Bo9S manoever is the only thing that really comes close.

 

[Allegro]

The horse shoes of the zephyr are most like the cleric/ranger spell Water Walk which allows you to walk over Mud, oil, snow, quicksand, running water, ice, and even lava.

 

[Ambrus]

If there's an actual spell or power that does what the horseshoes do, you could use that as the basis for your calculation (I had some hopes for the Psionic power Skate, but it turns out to be a little too dissimilar), but as far as I know, that Bo9S manoever is the only thing that really comes close.

The Elocater prestige class' Scorn Earth ability does largely the same thing. No indication of what level equivalent that might be however.

 

[Will]

Good suggestion! Water Walk is a 3rd level spell, 10 min/level, and affects multiple targets.

I think, again, the power level of Zephyr would be 'fair' when compared to a 2nd level version, 1 min/level, single target.