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I have Craft Wondrous Items feat and want to make item that has 3 times a day Lv1 spell effect? So looking at the Item Creation Chart.....

Use-activated or continuous = Spell level x caster level x 2,000 GP

So Spell: Blade Tutor's Spirit Lv1 x CL 3 x 2000 GP = 6000 GP

Blade Tutor's Spirit reduces penalties to attack rolls by 1 +1 every 5 levels for 1 minute per level.

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Charges per day = Divide by (5 divided by charges per day)

Does this mean if I want the 3x a day use for this thing I divide the total cost by 15 (5 x 3 charges/day) making the over all cost 400 GP (6000 GP / 15 [3x/day]).

Also since this is made by 3rd Level caster, then all level dependent abilities of the spell used is = to the creators CL right?

Meaning this "X" of Blade Tutor's Spirit usable 3x/day, reduces attack penalty by 1 for only 3 minutes per use.

Is there way to calculate any extra cost to make the spell effect scale with the user?

So that the "X" of Blade Tutor's Spirit used by 15th level PC, the attack penalty is reduced by 4 (1 +1/5 Lvs) for a duration of 15 minute per use?

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Does this mean if I want the 3x a day use for this thing I divide the total cost by 15 (5 x 3 charges/day) making the over all cost 400 GP (6000 GP / 15 [3x/day]).

The cost of the item in question would result in the item pricing to 3,600 GP. (6,000 / (5/3)). I believe you may have accidentally multiplied where you should have divided, resulting in a larger divisor.

Also since this is made by 3rd Level caster, then all level dependent abilities of the spell used is = to the creators CL right?

Meaning this "X" of Blade Tutor's Spirit usable 3x/day, reduces attack penalty by 1 for only 3 minutes per use.

This is correct.

Is there way to calculate any extra cost to make the spell effect scale with the user?

So that the "X" of Blade Tutor's Spirit used by 15th level PC, the attack penalty is reduced by 4 (1 +1/5 Lvs) for a duration of 15 minute per use?

I am unaware of methods to create items using spells which automatically update to the current Caster Level of the original item creator - there are a smattering of classes and feats that grant a character a specific item that scales with them, and there are a handful of items and weapons that can become more powerful as its possessor gains power and/or takes appropriate "Relic" or "Legacy" feats.

Typically, this kind of problem is handled by the item creator making a new iteration of the desired magical item whenever he or she reaches a breaking point where the cost of duplicating a slightly better version of the same item is outweighed by its benefit.

However, Weapons of Legacy offers the following, which I present here without bias:

With the DM’s approval, a player might use a momentous event as the necessary catalyst to begin investing her character’s signature item with legacy abilities. She controls the process of imbuing the item with particular abilities as she advances in experience, within the larger context of the campaign’s plots and adventures.

While a Button of Blade Tutor's Spirit by itself might not seem thematically appropriate to be an "Item of Legacy," this at least offers you an avenue to explore with your DM regarding an item that can "scale" upward with your character. Of course, the book isn't correct for the system, and so if your table would not allow Weapons of Legacy (or other 3.5 only material) then the suggestion is moot.

Addendum: Apologies, Pathfinder in fact does have a method for creating scaling magical items. The full rules can be found in the Pathfinder SRD.

The table Value of Scaling Items gives us three categories: bauble, prize, and wonder. For the purpose of pricing this item, I assume bauble. A bauble that can hold abilities or spells which can scale to level 20 costs 44,000 GP Base Price on that table. Next, we add our spell. Referring to the table Spell Prices (One Use per Day), we see that a 1st level spell at 20th Caster Level would add 7,200 GP to that base price. (51, 200 GP) Now we follow the Crafting Scaling Items rule, which tells us to divide that final base price by 2. [51,200/2 = 25,600]. Thus, such a Bauble of Blade Tutor's Spirit, one usable once per day and scaling up to 20th level, would cost 25,600 GP to craft.

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  • \$\begingroup\$ I've upvoted this because I was unaware of the Scaling Magic Item rules. Thank you for bringing those to my attention. However, I'm not sure how much mileage a Pathfinder player is going to get from Weapons of Legacy for D&D 3.5e. (It's also definitely worth mentioning that Weapons is designed for that system rather than Pathfinder proper.) \$\endgroup\$ Commented Sep 24, 2017 at 9:51
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    \$\begingroup\$ (You should totally add those computations to your answer.) If you'd use Weapons in your Pathfinder campaign then you should totally include it in your answer… and say so. However, be aware that often any suggestion of actually employing Weapons of Legacy as written is met with either laughter, distrust, or outright anger at the book's betrayal. ;-) \$\endgroup\$ Commented Sep 24, 2017 at 9:58
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    \$\begingroup\$ You're welcome. You're doing great, man. Keep up the good work. \$\endgroup\$ Commented Sep 24, 2017 at 10:12
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    \$\begingroup\$ Potential error, the CL does not HAVE to equal character CL, it can be a lower level. So if those extra 2 minutes aren't needed(bonuses don't increase until level 5), it can be made at CL=1 for (1x1x2000/(5/3)) or 1,200 gold \$\endgroup\$
    – spade
    Commented Sep 24, 2017 at 12:19
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    \$\begingroup\$ @NFeutz I think my main issue is that if this is the first q&a someone see's regarding magic item creation the might draw some false assumptions from that part. While overall the answer is great, I believe it important to correct the false assumption of the OP regarding the basis of item creation, possibly with a link to one of the SE questions covering that specific issue., \$\endgroup\$
    – spade
    Commented Sep 29, 2017 at 7:48
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First, get the GM's approval that custom items will be allowed in the campaign. Then propose the custom item: You want a custom item that, upon uttering a command word, casts on the bearer the 1st-level spell blade tutor's spirit at maximum efficacy… for these purposes, let's agree that's caster level 20.

(Ideally, you'd rather not do the whole caster level 20 thing, and, instead, have the magic item automatically scale with your level. You and just about everybody else would like that, too, because then folks wouldn't have to go shopping as much, and everybody's stuff's always—in theory—level-appropriate. But that doesn't typically happen with magic items, and in all likelihood attempts to convince the GM that this is a great idea will probably fail. However, as NFeutz's fine answer points out, Pathfinder's got your back if that's your dream as there are optional rules for Scaling Magic Items from Pathfinder Unchained. They are even more complicated than regular magic item estimates and won't be used at many tables, but they're out there.)

Anyway, using Table: Estimating Magic Item Gold Piece Values, that item has a starting price of 1,800 gp for a command word activated item (therefore taking the bearer a standard action to activate) ×1 for a 1st-level spell ×20 for the spell's caster level. That's 36,000 gp, but that's the price of the custom item if it can be activated any number of times per day. If the custom item can be activated 5 times per day, this price is unchanged, but if it can be activated only 4 times per day, the price is reduced to 4/5 this price; 3 times per day to 3/5; 2 times 2/5; and 1 time 1/5.

Hence a custom item of command word activated blade tutor's spirit at caster level 20 that's usable 3/day has an estimated price of 21,600 gp. This assumes the custom item also occupies a magic item slot like an amulet or a vest; double this price if it doesn't (being, essentially, slotless).

Then submit this custom item to the GM. The GM compares this item's price and effect to items having a similar effects. This may include comparing it—like the Table: Estimating Magic Item Gold Piece Values says—to a weapon's +5 enhancement bonus that costs 50,000 as this, in essence, combines with that for a cumulative effect. So the GM could rule that a fairer price considering the effect is 30,000 for the custom magic item or the GM could find the price of your submitted item reasonable. Either way, if the GM approves the magic item, you'll end up with a magic amulet that, essentially, allows the wearer to take a standard action 3/day to for 20 min. reduce by up to 5 any voluntary penalties on attack rolls that the wearer opts to suffer.

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