# Magic Ammunition Costs



## wolff96 (Apr 11, 2003)

This is somewhat of a stupid question, but...

When making magical arrows, how do you price them?

Making a weapon into a +1 item is 2,000gp plus the cost of the masterwork base item. However, you can make arrows in batches of 20 using the craft skill.

So is a +1 Arrow 2,301 gp or are a batch of 20 +1 Arrows 2,301 gp? 

I was trying to look this up, but I couldn't find any place where it was stated definitively. So could someone point out a page reference or SRD link where it says one way or the other?


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## hammymchamham (Apr 11, 2003)

IIRC the cost of 50 +1 Arrows is 2000 for the +1, 300 for the masterwork, and 50 for the arrows.

In the PHB, it has the price of 7gp for a single Masterwork Arrow. 7*50 = 350


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## Murrdox (Apr 11, 2003)

As far as I know, making magical ammunition is in lots of 50.  So you calculate how much 50 masterwork arrows cost, and if you're enchanting them to +1, you add 2000 gp for the +1 modifier, and you end up with 50 +1 arrows for 2300 or somewhere close to there.

If you only wanted to make 25 +1 arrows, you could cut that cost in half easily enough, and if you only wanted 20, you could figure that exact cost as well.


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## mystraschosen (Apr 11, 2003)

Give a big clap to the ham....scourge of trivial questions


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## wolff96 (Apr 11, 2003)

Thanks!


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## Christian (Apr 12, 2003)

I will refrain from restating the perfectly correct answers above, and direct the reader's attention to the footnote to table 8-10 on p. 184 of the DMG, as well as to table 8-14 on p. 185. In case anyone didn't just want to take their word for it.


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## Caredoc (Apr 13, 2003)

Forgive the silly question from somebody who can't find his rulebook, but...


Do these pricing rules apply to javelins, as well?

How about something like bolas?


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## Crothian (Apr 13, 2003)

Javelins and bolas are single items, only things like arrows, bolts, sling bullets are determinjed in groups.


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## Caredoc (Apr 13, 2003)

So it's only things that you launch out of another device?


Seems kinda odd that you could make 50 magic arrows for one price, but only one magic dart.


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## Crothian (Apr 13, 2003)

Darts are can be used over and over, arrows eventual break.


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## Caredoc (Apr 13, 2003)

A dart, as described in D&D, is basically just a tiny arrow. I don't see why it would be any more durable.

Same for javelins -- they're going to break pretty quickly, too.


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## maybeso (Apr 13, 2003)

Caredoc said:
			
		

> *Do these pricing rules apply to javelins, as well?
> 
> How about something like bolas? *




As far as I can tell, no. The * line under table 8-10 says "arrows, crossbow bolts, or sling bullets."

look here: http://www.opengamingfoundation.org/srd/srdmagicitemsweapons.rtf

for the SRD magic weapon section. The first table is table 8-10, it just isn't labelled.

the good news is that javelins and bolas are not on this list:
SRD//
Magic Ammunition and Breakage
When a magic arrow, crossbow bolt, or sling bullet misses its target, there is a 50% chance it breaks or otherwise is rendered useless. A magic arrow, bolt, or bullet that hits is destroyed
//SRD

so they are reusable unless their description says otherwise, like the javelins of lightning which say "It is consumed in the attack".

On the other hand it would stink to have the BBEG pull your screaming, flaming, keen javelin out of his chest and, err, give it back to  you...


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## Caredoc (Apr 13, 2003)

maybeso said:
			
		

> *
> On the other hand it would stink to have the BBEG pull your screaming, flaming, keen javelin out of his chest and, err, give it back to  you... *





There's only one solution: make it a screaming, flaming, keen, _returning_ javelin.


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## Caredoc (Apr 13, 2003)

Also: I retract what I said about darts and javelins breaking. Silly me, I was confusing d20 with reality.


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## Staffan (Apr 13, 2003)

Javelins and darts are basically smaller spears, not arrows. They're supposedly reasonably sturdy, at least compared to arrows.


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## Robbert Raets (Apr 15, 2003)

Query: Could one launch a dart with a crossbow or regular ol' bow? I think it wouldn't be a stretch for an archer to have one or two *unbreakable* magic arrows for, er, 'special occasions'.

Hmm?


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## kreynolds (Apr 15, 2003)

Robbert Raets said:
			
		

> *Query: Could one launch a dart with a crossbow or regular ol' bow? *




In real life? Maybe. In D&D? No. Crossbows fire bolts, not darts.


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## Murrdox (Apr 15, 2003)

A gnomish artificer could create a magical Javalin or Dart launching device!  Then they'd be ammunition!

Still wouldn't break though!


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## Robbert Raets (Apr 15, 2003)

You sure mr. Dox?


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## Murrdox (Apr 15, 2003)

Robbert Raets said:
			
		

> *You sure mr. Dox? *




Sure thing.  Just look at the Gnome Artificer prestige class in Magic of Faerun.  Create a device which duplicates the effect of the "Launch Item" spell, also included in that book.  Load your "Weapon" with Javalins, and boom, you've got a Javalin launcher.


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## InvaderSquoosh (Apr 16, 2003)

Cost in terms of *money* is one thing, but in *time* it is a completely different story. Recently, in a game I'm playing in, we took a close look at the Craft skill and discovered that creating *expensive* items, including masterwork arrows, takes a *lot of time*! (As compared to creating the magical item itself, which takes considerably less time.)

Let's take the batch of 50 masterwork arrows. Since the base cost of 50 arrows is negligible, let's focus on the masterwork part. To make an arrow masterwork is 7gp, so the batch would cost 350gp as noted before. Now, according to the Craft skill, the DC to create masterwork items is 20. Each week, the crafter progresses his skill check times this DC in *silver pieces* towards the list price, and that's only if he makes the DC check! Silver pieces folks! (If the crafter fails the check for one week, that week is wasted and no progress is made.)

I wrote a little script to help compute the time (and cost) of making items under the Craft skill algorithm. Here's what it spat out timewise:

Assumptions:

Crafter: 3rd level expert with INT 15(+2), maxed ranks and skill focus (+2) in Craft: Weaponsmith, and masterwork tools (+2). Total bonus: +12
Aiders: Assume 5 1st level Expert apprentices who _aid another_ to help speed up the work. Same setup as master crafter except the tools. Total bonus: +8
Goal is a batch of 50 Mwk arrows (DC 20), list price 350 GP.

(These guys are followers of my current character, as per Leadership.)

Results: 5 weeks to create the batch! The results for just a suit of full plate (DC 18) with the same setup is 26 weeks! In terms of time, we're better off finding and buying equipment from a merchant than making them ourselves!


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