Total price calculation of multi-purpose items
The three-year-old child's lemma applies:
In other words, the most expensive items scales up by the largest factor.
Thus, Torin's example of Prot+Invi is 38,000gp and Toot's idea about the headband of Int with skill would be at least 6,100gp (unless you can convince me that Int and language are "multiple similar abilities") but see below.
Of Intelligent Animals and Speech
The rule "no creature with an Intelligence score of 3 or higher can be an animal" suggests that you can cast
Fox's Cunning on the enemy's animal (druid, ranger, even paladin's warhorse) and thus break the bond between the no-longer-animal and its master. Another possible interpretation is that the spell simply doesn't have an effect. Still, I'd say that the spell has an effect and the animal remains an animal Thus, Toot's findings about PF familiars is something I can accept but this is for this purpose only and not as generic stuff about granting skill points without restrictions. Remember though that Boo must wear the item continuously and you must teach him how to speak.
Speak Languages is a skill that grants you one language
per rank and not per skill point spent, let alone competence bonus granted, and this latter thing is what skill items do. So sorry, no item will grant you a
rank in a skill and as such, no language: Boo has to learn it, one skill point with every HD increase. And guess what; bears don't treat this skill as class skill, and, actually, only bards and some prestige classes (like thaumaturgists and loremasters) do. So Toot may also need to revise the skill points spent on those languages...
The Circlet of Speaking sounds like an interesting item and it appears as a gauntlet in Crichton's
Congo. The prerequisite of using that item is actually the ability to use
sign language which happens to be a rank already spent on
speak language for that matter...
But getting back to conferring skills to any human being; I'm not convinced that any skill can be magically conferred to any being. Like, imagine +20 climb on an animated teflon-coated orb (read: zero friction on any surface).
Of Retail Prices and Shoplifting
Wands with partial charges are randomly found, not sold, at least not in "this" shop. You may find some on the market but without warranties. Both the spell and the number of charges will be random.
Upgrading wondrous items works but takes time, e.g. PoW +2 to +4 costs 12k. The immediate solution is to sell yours and buy a new one, costs 14k.
RoB lasts for 7 rounds since item CL is 7.
Adjusting Portho's shield for Lugar's use needs to be reversed if Portho wants to use it again, even if in animated form. That reversal will cost another 20gp of course.
Arcane marks are free to be put on anything,
EXCEPT nobody would buy an
arcane marked item.
Of Ridiculously High Armor Class
A note on Toot's +9 AC. I'm guessing it comes from:
- Wis increase 23 to 24 on level 8
- Ioun stone grants +2 for a total of 26
- Thus, monk's belt grants 8+1
The bad news is that both the stone and Toot's current PoW grant
enhancement bonuses and as such they don't stack. So maybe some other place to put your 8,000gp?