So the PCs found some of these. As my PCs always seem to do, they are rushing to sell them for the XP. So know I have to come up with what they are worth so here goes:
Custom Spell - Environmental Protection - Immunity to all environmental effects (40 points) - self only (.75), restricts spell use (.7), duration 3 turns (x1.2), damaged by peircing or slashing atttack (.7) = 18 = level 2 spell
So level 2 spell permanent effect = 50,000 gp, 200 days to make.
So, that seems too expensive for what is light armour that protects vs airborne and splash effects.
It does not say it protects vs cold or fire, so it’s not a space suit.
So does it get cheaper if you lower its effects?
I would flip it on it’s head, it’s also worth it’s weight in parts, 2 parts to be precise. That’s 200gp.
Yes I’m a tight gm. The problem is with alien artifices most people don’t know how to use them nor would they trust them. So finding a buyer would be difficult.
So my understanding is Alien devices wouldn’t move on a market making it interesting loot.
I considered the parts solution myself, but I wasn't happy with it. All you can do with parts is use them to fix another device, but an intact environment suit can be used for that and can do considerably more, so presumably it should be worth more.
Besides, Magic items provide effects that are impossible to get by other means: Armour without encumberance, attacks using fire and lighting, invisibility... Advanced technological items can provide the same benefits as magic items, are just as hard to obtain, are just as dubious in origin, and are indisitunguishable from magic to the untrained eye. It seems weird that they'd only have their parts value.
I'm o.k. with the high value as I am anxious for the PCs to get into the domain level game. I'm totally o.k. with reducing how much they get due to unreliability, even more than the ACKS core, which is 1/2 value for recovered magic items.
After almost a group wipe from spell casting fungi, and lakes of azoth, I can't believe the group wants to sell them. The other group of PCs found another set of suits and they were thrilled to keep them.