Magic Arms Armor
Magic weapons and armor carry enhancement bonuses that improve their fundamental combat function — attack and damage for weapons, AC for armor — and may also carry special abilities that grant additional powers. Both require the item to first be masterwork quality.
Magic Weapons
A magic weapon's enhancement bonus (ranging from +1 to +5) applies to both attack rolls and damage rolls. All magic weapons are also masterwork, but the masterwork bonus to attack does not stack with the enhancement bonus.
Some weapons can function as both melee and ranged — the enhancement bonus applies to both modes. Creating a double-headed weapon is treated as creating two separate weapons for cost and time.
Weapon Pricing
| Enhancement Bonus | Market Price Modifier | Ammunition (per 50) |
|---|---|---|
| +1 | +2,000 gp | +2,000 gp |
| +2 | +8,000 gp | +8,000 gp |
| +3 | +18,000 gp | +18,000 gp |
| +4 | +32,000 gp | +32,000 gp |
| +5 | +50,000 gp | +50,000 gp |
Magic Armor & Shields
A magic armor's enhancement bonus (ranging from +1 to +5) applies to Armor Class. It stacks with the armor's base AC bonus but does not stack with other enhancement bonuses of the same type (e.g., two magic armor pieces). All magic armor is also masterwork, reducing its armor check penalty by 1.
A shield's enhancement bonus stacks with the armor's enhancement bonus. Shield enhancements do not apply on attack or damage rolls when the shield is used in a bash — unless the bashing special ability is present.
Armor & Shield Pricing
| Enhancement Bonus | Market Price Modifier |
|---|---|
| +1 | +1,000 gp |
| +2 | +4,000 gp |
| +3 | +9,000 gp |
| +4 | +16,000 gp |
| +5 | +25,000 gp |
Special Abilities
In addition to an enhancement bonus, a weapon or suit of armor may have special abilities. Each ability is rated as a bonus equivalent (+1 through +5). The combined effective bonus (enhancement bonus + all ability equivalents) cannot exceed +10. Any item with a special ability must have at least a +1 enhancement bonus.
Ability bonus equivalent² × 2,000 gp
Example: flaming (+1 equiv.) adds 2,000 gp. Vorpal (+5 equiv.) adds 50,000 gp.
Ability bonus equivalent² × 1,000 gp
Example: fire resistance (+3 equiv.) adds 9,000 gp. Invulnerability (+3 equiv.) adds 9,000 gp.
Key Rules
- A weapon or armor cannot have the same special ability twice.
- The effective bonus for cost purposes is the enhancement bonus plus all ability equivalents — a +2 flaming burst sword has an effective bonus of +4 for pricing.
- Caster level for an item with only an enhancement bonus is 3 × bonus. With a special ability, it's 3 × the higher of the two requirements.
- Crafting requires 1 day per 1,000 gp of base price. Feat required: Craft Magic Arms and Armor.
Pricing Calculator
Activation
A character benefits from magic armor simply by wearing it. If an armor or shield has a special ability that must be activated, the wearer usually speaks a command word (a standard action, no AoO). Magic weapons function automatically when used in combat — the enhancement bonus applies to every attack.
At creation, the crafter chooses whether the weapon glows. This cosmetic decision does not affect price or creation time, but is permanent once made.