Recharging Magic Items

[Scott]

What guidelines do you use when players want to recharge wands or other items?

[GRWelsh]

I pulled this from ENWorld:

"There's no allowance for it in the core rules.

There's a sidebar in Unearthed Arcana (p. 158) suggesting the following. Meet all prerequisites. Pay 10% of item's base price up front; plus percentage of item's charges expended times base price. Pay time and XP as normal on this expenditure."

I don't have a consistent set of guidelines, other than assuming a few basic things:

1. Recharging is not so simple as casting the relevant spell on the item to be recharged -- you can't just cast fireball at a wand of fire, for example -- the item has to be prepped in some way. There is some research involved, maybe consultation of a sage, and the person doing the recharging must have a safe and appropriate place to do it, and no interruptions.

2. The Enchant An Item spell, though it is specific to creating new magic items, might be adapted to prep magic items to be recharged, as well, with the equivalent sort of ritual for other classes (DMG p. 116-118), but perhaps with half the required time. The person attempting the recharging must be of a sufficient level to make magic items (12th level m-u, or 11th level cleric, druid or illusionist).

3. Recharging magic items can be expensive, but generally not as expensive as creating a new magic item from scratch or the gp value of the magic item in the DMG. The costs might be some weird variable.

4. The person doing the recharging cannot choose the amount of charges to put into an item. There is no "Here, let me put five lightning bolts into your wand in exchange for 1000 gp." Recharging is an attempt to restore an item to full power. It is almost never 100% successful. Thus, even an optimal recharging of a wand will bring it up to (generally) 81 to 100 charges (per the DMG p. 132). Rarely (5% of the time), the attempt to recharge an item will drain some or all charges and possibly turn the item into powder.

5. Magic items are fundamentally inscrutable and mysterious in their workings, because otherwise they would just be the equivalent of ray guns and jet packs and high tech devices.

[Scott]

That must be the 3.0 or 3.5 UA. The 1E UA doesn't have that many pages.
Recharging should cost less than creating. Creating should be less than the sale price.
Say you had a wand of fire, sale price listed at 25,000. It's down to 10 charges. What do you think would be a fair cost to fully recharge it?

[GRWelsh]

I'd say in the 5,000 to 15,000 gp range.

***

"I have more important things to do than recharging objets magique for ignorant adventurers," the stooped old wizard said. Then a golden-orange flash caught his eye.

"But for that oriental topaz on your neck, I will attempt the rechargement."

[Scott]

How much would you say it costs to MAKE a wand of fire?

[GRWelsh]

The only really complete example we have for how much it should cost to make a magic item is from the DMG, p. 118. A wizard making a ring of spell storing must pay a platinum-smith 5,000 gp for materials and labor. Then the wizard has to cast enchant an item on the ring, and select a scroll that has all of the spells the ring is intended to store. He casts permanency on the scroll, and finally uses a wish to merge it with the ring.

This is a magic item that has a sale value of 22,500 gp.

Other examples given don't specify cost, but rather the materials that may be difficult to attain, like multiple displacer beast hides, dragon blood, meterorites and horn of a ki-rin (PH, p. 84).

EGG seems to have ommitted a set formula for the cost of making magic items. The impression I get is that he provided a few examples so that each DM could have a general idea of how it worked, but would have to come up with specifics unique to each magic item. Also, it implies a DM could use this as an opportunity for an adventure.

In the case of a wand of fire, no permanency spell would be required. It would require at the very least the spells of enchant an item, burning hands, pyrotechnics, fireball and wall of fire. The raw materials would be a well-crafted stick (the wand, which can only be made of certain kinds of wood), flint, phosphorous, sulfur, bat guano, powdered obsidian, jacinth and fire opal. So, I'd say 8,000 gp minimum. And that doesn't count the possible cost of consulting a sage (which may be required) or some oddball ingredient like salamander scales or fire elemental phlogiston...

[geneweigel]

I thought about this and magic pricing not only has an always severe penchant to degrade as a trend they are probably the hands down worst treatment of a game element in D&D history.

There is always an atmosphere of the schoolmarm (adhering to arbitrary rules) as if life and death hinge upon keeping the price of magic illogical and only available to those of the spellcasting vocation.

Gygax's rules on the subject (DRAGON #62 JUNE 1982) reprinted in UA's DMG section:

Cost of magic-user/illusionist spell casting
While the cost of having a cleric cast needed spells is reasonably
well detailed in the Dungeon Masters Guide, the cost of
magic-user or illusionist spell casting was neglected. Rather
than give an extensive list of spell costs, the following set of
guidelines will enable the DM to determine a “reasonable” fee
for any spell.
Basic costs: A willing magic-user or illusionist will typically
work for a fee of 200 gold pieces per spell level. Double the
material component(s), or material components of at least such
value as substitutions, is also considered to be a part of the
basic fee.
Additional costs: Failure to furnish the material component(
s) of a spell which has ordinary sort will incur a surcharge
of 10% or three times the value of the component(s), whichever
is greater. Any extraordinary component(s) bring a 100% surcharge
or three times such value, whichever is greater. Spells
which place the caster in danger (including such castings as
Identify, which causes a temporary drop in constitution of the
caster) require at least a double fee, and guarantees will be
required as well. Spells which age the caster will be cast only if a
counter to such aging is awarded prior to spell casting, or else
the aging is insignificant to the caster. (A young elf will not be
overly concerned about five years, although a ten times normal
fee might be charged!)
Magic item payment: A magic-user or illusionist will generally
accept some item of magic in lieu of cash or like valuables. In
such cases, the sale value of the item, adjusted downward by
the general reaction of the spell caster to the individual requesting
his or her services, is to be considered the base value of the
item. The character and behavior of the NPC encountered will
always be the purview of the DM. Such character or behavior
will, naturally, often affect costs and fees.
Hostile spell casters: In general, a hostile spell caster will
either charge at least double normal fees, or else he or she will
simply refuse to cast any spell whatsoever — unless possibly
bribed to do so with some magic item. Any spell caster of good
alignment is quite unlikely to cast any spell for a character of
evil alignment in any event. Again, adjudication of such events
is the realm of the DM.
Spell casting under duress: Use the rules in the Dungeon
Masters Guide for all magic-user and illusionist spell casting
under threat, magical influence, etc.

Cut through all this shit in the DMG:

I. MAP OR MAGIC DETERMINATION
07-10 = MapTable (11.)
1 1-00 = Magic Items Table (Ill.) 90% chance of Magic item

If the treasure in a monster's lair indicates that maps or magic are there, you will often have to determine which are present by random number generation with percentile dice. This is simple and the table shows which tables to use to determine the result. This system can be used for monsters you place on the outdoor map as well as for monsters randomly encountered by a party exploring in the wilderness. In any event, you will have to make a number of additional dice rolls to find exactly what is within the treasure trove.

1I.C. COMBINED HOARD
Dice Result*
01 -20 1-2 Monetary Treasure and 1-5 Magic Treasure
21 -40 6-10 Monetary Treasure and 1-5 Magic Treasure
41 -55 3-5 & 6-10 Monetary Treasure and 1-5 & 15-18Magic Treasure
56-65 6-10, 11-12 & 16-17 Monetary Treasure and 1-5 & 9-12 Magic Treasure
66-75 6-10 & 11-12 Monetary Treasure and 6-8 & 15-18 Magic Treasure
76-80 3-5, 6-10,11-12 & 16&17 Monetary Treasure and1-5 & 9-12 Magic Treasure
81-85 20 Monetary Treasure and map to 1-5 Magic Treasure
86-90 20 Monetary Treasure and map to 19 Magic Treasure
91 -96 Map to 1-2 & 3-5 Monetary Treasure, 20 Magic Treasure on hand
97-00 Map to 11-12 8 13-15 Monetary Treasure plus 15-18 Magic Treasure, 20 Magic Treasure on hand

* Key the results to the proper listings from the prior two tables.
These are the real finds, which can satisfy even the most avaricious
dwarf's greed. Note that when it says "1-2 Monetary Treasure", for
instance, it means the treasure indicated by a die result of 1 or 2 on the MONETARY TREASURE sub-table. Combined hoards should be hidden, trapped and guarded! They should be located in distant places too!

II.B. MAGIC TREASURE
Dice Result
1-5 Any item rolled on Magic ltem Table, plus 4 Potions
6-8 Any 2 items rolled on Magic ltem Table
9-12 1 Sword, 1 Armor or Shield, 1 Miscellaneous Weapon (CHANCE OF SCROLL IS ON ALL BUT THIS ONE)
19 Any 4 items, 1 is a Ring, 1 is a Rod
20 Any 5 items, 1 is a Rod, 1 is Miscellaneous Magic

This random determination table needs no explanation. Because of its weighting, and the weighting of the MAGIC ITEMS table, most treasures will have magic potions, scrolls, armor and weapons. This is carefully planned so as to prevent imbalance in the game. Keep potent magic items rare. (Increase scarcity by destroying or stealing what is found!)

III. MAGIC ITEMS
DICE RESULT
01-20 Potions (A)
21-35 Scrolls (B) 15%
36·40 Rings (C)
41-45 Rods, Staves & Wands (D.)
46-48 Miscellaneous Magic (E. I.)
49·51 Miscellaneous Magic (E.2.)
52-54 Miscellaneous Magic (E.3.)
55-.57 Miscellaneous Magic (E.4.)
58-60 Miscellaneous Magic (E.5.)
61 -75 Armor I Shield1 (F.)
76-86 Swords (G.)
87--00 Miscellaneous Weapons (H.)

As mentioned previously, the MAGIC ITEMS table is weighted towards results which balance the game. Potions, scrolls, armor and arms are plentiful. Rings, rods and miscellaneous items of magic represent only a 25% occurrence on the table. This is so done in order to keep magic-users from totally dominating play. They are sufficiently powerful characters without adding piles of supplementary goodies. What they gain from the table will typically be used up and discarded. When determination of a magic item is needed simply roll percentile dice and consult table III. Complete explanations of each category follow, but as many items duplicate or closely resemble the effects of various magic spells, you will need a copy of ADVANCED DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, PLAYERS HANDBOOK for reference. The suggested experience point (X.P.) values are for characters who keep the items. Gold piece sale values ore the usual sums which characters will be paid for magic items, and if so sold, the x.p. award should be based on the selling price of the items, not the x.p. value. Also remember that a character is assumed to retain an item, thus getting the low x.p. value for it, if he or she sells it to another player character. (See EXPERIENCE.) Note: Many magical items are of an expendable nature, where their power is depleted with each use and eventually used up. The Dungeon Master can use his discretion in setting such limitations on other particular items, if he wishes.

Scrolls as "bullets loaded back in town" are the override. So is spellcasting in combat projected as something last resort and dangerous and with this in mind recharge should always be free but jumped through the "trade in the scrolls" hoop for it.