Crafting costs off?

[frumple]

Is it just me, but does the magic item/weapon crafting cost seem off? It looks like HL is taking 1/2 of the total cost when it should be taking 1/2 of the cost not including the masterwork + item cost.

For example, Disarming Blade from Ultimate equipment. Has the following cost breakdown:

Total cost: 17,820 gp

masterwork weapon price: 320 gp
magic price: 17,500 gp

So the cost to create should be

(1/2) (17,500) + 320 = 9,070 gp (which is what is listed in the book)

However, HL calculates a crafting cost of 8,910 gp which is 1/2 the total cost of the item. It is halving the cost of the masterwork weapon that is the basis of the magic item.

 

[Aaron]

As I understand it, nonmagic crafting requires a different ratio of raw materials than magic (1/3 for nonmagic vs. 1/2 for magic), so I am guessing that's where the disparity lies.

 

[Silveras]

Aaron, Frumple is saying that HeroLab's calculations do not match with the manually-calculated costs printed in the rulebook.

If I read him correctly, he is saying that even if it is trying to do what you suggest, it is coming up with the wrong value still (1/2 instead of 1/3).

20 +300 (masterwork) /3 = 106.67 gp for the crafting masterwork weapon
+ 8,750 for the enchantment
= 8,856.67 total

not 8,910 as HeroLab is currently calculating.

The listed cost in the rulebook presumes purchasing or otherwise providing a masterwork weapon at full price (320 gp), not crafting it (106.67 gp). If I read his post right, he is saying HeroLab is treating it as 160 gp (neither 320 nor 106.67).

 

[Aaron]

The listed cost in the rulebook presumes purchasing or otherwise providing a masterwork weapon at full price (320 gp), not crafting it (106.67 gp). If I read his post right, he is saying HeroLab is treating it as 160 gp (neither 320 nor 106.67).

Is there anywhere that is spelled out as the assumption in the rules? I've seen quite varied results spread throughout books, and anyway I don't think there is any way we can realistically add a toggle for whether you bought the base mwk thing and upgraded from there or not.

 

[frumple]

What Silveras is saying is correct. When I am entering an item its crafting cost as listed in the source is not the same as what HL calculates. The isuue is that there are three different kinds of costs that make up a magic item.

1) B - item cost that changes with size
2) Mw - masterwork cost flat fee
3) M - magic cost (which is halved for crafting cost)

A magic item's crafting cost should be

(1/2) M + (Mw + B)

or

(1/2) M + (1/3) (Mw + B)

If you are making the mwk base item instead of using it.

Hero Lab is calculating rafting cost for magic items as

(1/2) (M + Mw * B)

 

[Farling]

To quote the PRD: "Only a masterwork weapon can become a magic weapon, and the masterwork cost is added to the total cost to determine final market value. Additional magic supplies costs for the materials are subsumed in the cost for creating the magic weapon—half the base price of the item based upon the item's total effective bonus."

For armour, it is "Armor to be made into magic armor must be masterwork armor, and the masterwork cost is added to the base price to determine final market value. Additional magic supply costs for the materials are subsumed in the cost for creating the magic armor—half the base price of the item."

So, does this mean that the weapon + masterwork bonus all make up part of the cost that is halved? (masterwork cost is added to the "base" price; and half the base price is used)

This seems to imply that even if you start with a masterwork item, there is some extra cost above just the magic bonuses (so increasing the cost of weapon + masterwork from 1/3 to 1/2; effectively adding 1/6 if you are starting with a masterwork weapon).

 

[Silveras]

Is there anywhere that is spelled out as the assumption in the rules? I've seen quite varied results spread throughout books, and anyway I don't think there is any way we can realistically add a toggle for whether you bought the base mwk thing and upgraded from there or not.

I am most familiar with it from 'reverse engineering' the costs listed in the rulebooks.

An easy example is the "Assassin's Dagger"
Ultimate Equipment lists the Price as 10,302 gp, while the Cost is listed as 5,302 .. the 302 portion is not halved, and happens to be the cost of a Masterwork dagger (2 for a base dagger + 300 for masterwork).

Another is the "Blade of Binding" .. Price is 12,350, Cost is 6,350 .. and 350 is the cost of a Masterwork Greatsword.

At least from these, it is pretty clear that the full price of the masterwork weapon is part of the Cost, and only the enchantment costs applied to that are halved.