Master crafter

Another go at the imbue item puzzle.
I cooked up the following spells. This is another try to keep things somewhat simple by reducing the number of spells involved and not crossing spells over form other spelllists.
If and when these spells are finished i'll convert them to psionic powers as well.

I divided enhancements in three groups for weapons and three groups for armor.
I'm unsure about the levels of the spells and duration. I threw in a priced material component for both flavor and balance.
These aren't the final writeups but contain all the important data (i think).

Comments are very much welcome!

Imbue weapon, lesser
Transmutation [see text]
Level: 2
Components: V, S, M
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Touch
Target: Weapon touched or fifty projectiles (all of which must be in contact with each other at the time of casting)
Duration: 1 minute./level
Saving Throw: Will negates (harmless, object)
Spell Resistance: Yes (harmless, object)

Imbue a weapon with one of the following abilities:
Energy (1d6)
Sure striking (as keen, applicable on all types of weapons)
Align
Ghost touch
+2 enchantment bonus

Material component: a miniature iron ignot worth 5 gp

Imbue weapon
As Imbue weapon, lesser except the following:
Level: 4
Imbue a weapon with one of the following abilities:
Energy (2d6)
(Un)Holy
Bane
Wounding
+3 enchantment bonus

Material component: a miniature steel ignot worth 25 gp

Imbue weapon, greater
As Imbue weapon, lesser except the following:
Level: 6
Imbue a weapon with one of the following abilities:
Energy (3d6)
Speed
Disruption
Brilliant energy
+4 enchantment bonus

Material component: a miniature adamantine ignot worth 100 gp

Imbue weapon, lesser, mass
As imbue weapon, lesser except the following:
Level: 6
Range: 30 feet radius
Target: 1 weapon or 50 projectiles (where up to 50 projectiles held in a single container count as one weapon) per 3 levels.
All weapons must be imbued with the same ability.


Imbue weapon, mass
As imbue weapon, lesser except the following:
Level: 8
Range: 30 feet radius
Target: 1 weapon (where up to 50 projectiles held in a single container count as one weapon) per 3 levels.
All weapons must be imbued with the same ability.

Imbue armor, lesser
Transmutation [see text]
Level: 1
Components: V, S, M
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Touch
Target: One piece of armor
Duration: 1 minute/level
Saving Throw: Will negates (harmless, object)
Spell Resistance: Yes (harmless, object)

Imbue a piece or armor with one of the following abilities:
Resiliant (energy resistance 10)
Light fortification
Invulnerability (dr 5/magic)
spell resistance 13
Silent moves
Glamered
+2 enchantment bonus

Material component: a miniature iron ignot worth 5 gp

Imbue armor
As Imbue armor, lesser except the following:
Level: 3
Imbue a piece or armor with one of the following abilities:
Resiliant (energy resistance 20)
Medium fortification
Invulnerability (dr 10/magic)
Spell resistance 15
Ghost touch
+3 enchantment bonus

Material component: a miniature steel ignot worth 25 gp

Imbue armor, greater
As Imbue armor, lesser except the following:
Level: 5
Imbue a piece or armor with one of the following abilities:
Resiliant (energy resistance 30)
Heavy fortification
Invulnerability (dr 15/magic)
Spell resistance 17
+4 enchantment bonus

Material component: a miniature adamantine ignot worth 100 gp

Imbue armor, lesser, mass
As imbue armor, lesser except the following:
Level: 5
Range: 30 feet radius
Target: 1 piece of armor per 3 levels.
All armors must be imbued with the same ability

Imbue armor, mass
As imbue armor except the following:
Level: 7
Range: 30 feet radius
Target: 1 piece of armor per 3 levels.
All armors must be imbued with the same ability

Imbue armor, greater, mass
As imbue armor, greater except the following:
Level: 9
Range: 30 feet radius
Target: 1 piece of armor per 3 levels.
All armors must be imbued with the same ability

Any love for the MC?

So, instead of imbue points giving an imbued ability which lasts for 24 hours, you have a list of new spells which give a variety of (admittedly impressive) imbued abilities which last for 1 min/level?

And to achieve this, you give up two spellcasting levels in a 5 level PrC.

This means that to cast Imbue Weapon, Mass, the PC has to be at least 17th level (an 8th level spell, which is delayed because of the 2 lost spellcasting levels). And Imbue Armor, Greater, Mass is only available once the PC hits 19th level - and only if every level is either MC or a (single) spellcaster.

And there's currently no difference (except level of spell) between Imbue Armor, Mass and Imbue Armor, Greater, Mass.

I think this is a backwards step - and one which lacks the interesting character of the class with Imbue.

So as it stands, no love for the MC at all.

Irf you look at it like that, you have a point.
The spells still give the MC some flexibility though as he can choose the ability granted to the weapon or armor on the fly (withing the possibilities of the spells).
Maybe 1 min/lvl is indeed too short but would a longer duration still be in order for a spell of this level?

With this downgrade of imbue item i feel that the decreased caster level progression could be tuned down to only 1 or even 0.

This all does reduce the amount of flavour and uniqueness(is that a word?) of the class but while it sounds attractactive to create unique and new mechanics for a PrC, it also raises many objections from those who fear it will become too complicated..
All in all i liked the imbue item ability better as well but this raised so many objections that i thought it to be more fruitfull to find another way of representing this ability.

p.s. fixed the mass imbue armor spells.

I has trouble editing the first post so I reposted the latest version with addition of the spell list. I'm going to flesh out this version, the one with the spells, as my final proposal. If that doesn't get support i'm going to call it..

v0.6
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Master Crafter

Hit Dice: d6

Requirements:
Feats: any item creation feat
Skills: craft (any 2): 8 ranks.
Special: must be accepted by the guild counsel.


Skill points: 4+int per level
Skills: appraise, craft, concentration, profession, knowledge (arcana),
knowledge (architecture and engineering), knowledge (psionics), use magic device, use psionic device.

Class features:
All of the following are Class features of the Master Crafter prestige class.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency.
A Master crafter gains no new weapon or armor proficiencies.

+1 caster level.
When a master crafter level is gained, the character gains new spells or powers per day as if he had also gained a level in any one spellcasting or psionic class he belonged to before he added the prestige class he belonged to previously. He does not, however, gain any other benefit a character of that class would have gained. This essentially means that he adds the level of master crafter to the level of whatever other spellcasting or psionic class the character has, then determines spells/power points per day and caster level accordingly. If a character had more than one spellcasting or psionic class before he became a master crafter, he must decide to which class he adds each level of master crafter for the purpose of determining spells/power points per day.

Guild member.
A first level master crafter is considered an Aspirant.
The master crafter must be accepted by the guild counsel before he can acquire a class level after the first (and accepted as full guild member). In order to be accepted, the guild member must create an item of at least 2000 gp (base)value which he presents to the counsel (he gets to keep the item himself afterwards). His personal behavior will also be evaluated (through the Aspirant's mentor).
NOTE: in effect it may occur that a character is in an adventure when he has earned enough xp to acquire his second master crafter level and circumstances prevent him from going through this approval process. The character may apply more levels of the master crafter class but he does not gain the benefits of the guild member ability. As soon as the character is able he must start the approval process (usually directly after the adventure).

After approval, the master crafter can use the resources of the guild. This results in a 10% discount (of the material cost, not the base price) for crafting items and creation of magical items. He also receives a +2 circumstance bonus to appraise and knowledge checks related to magical items.
A master crafter can also acquire crafting orders through the guild. Effectively, a master crafter can work for the guild as per the job system. These benefits only apply when the member can make use of the guild house’s resources (in Orussus or Medibaria).
A master crafter gains a +2 circumstance bonus to any charisma based social check when dealing with fellow guild members.
A guild member must donate 1% of all his income gained from crafting (either mundane or magical) to the guild. This includes selling self crafted items.

Extra spells.
At each level, the Master crafter add new spells to the spell list of one of his previous spellcasting classes.
The choice to which spell list these spells are added must be made at the first level in the master crafter class that is gained. This cannot be changed afterwards and must remain the same for each master crafter level.
A spontaineous caster adds these spells to his spell list and not automaticly to his spells known.

The following table shows which spells are added to the character's spell list at each master crafter level:
Level: Spells:
1 imbue weapon, lesser(1); imbue armor, lesser(2); imbue armor(3)
2 imbue weapon(4)
3 imbue armor, greater(5); imbue armor, lesser, mass(5)
4 imbue weapon, greater(6); imbue armor, mass(7)
5 imbue weapon, mass (8); imbue armor, greater, mass(9)


Master craftsman.
A master crafter gains a competence bonus on any craft check equal to his master crafter level. He also receives a competence bonus to his effective caster level to meet requirements for crafting magical items (such as the caster level requirement for crafting magical weapons and armor). This does not influence the caster level of spells cast or powers manifested for creating a magical item.

Bonus Feat.
At second and fourth level the master crafter can pick a feat from the following list:
Skill focus (any craft), any item creation feat, talented crafter;

Resourceful crafter.
A resourceful crafter can create marvelous items with great ease.
Along with the right materials, suppliers and experience, a master crafter of third level or higher can create items at reduced cost and in less time then normally required. When crafting, all costs are reduced by 10% (this includes gold costs (raw materials), time (craft points) and xp costs). This does not reduce the cost for material components (either in gold or xp) required for spells that are cast in the process of creating the item. This bonus stacks with the 10% discount received form the Guild member ability.

Eldritch crafter.
A master crafter of this level can attempt to emulate spells that he can use to create magic items.
In order to use this ability the Master crafter must have at least one magical item creation feat (opposed to a psionic item creation feat).
By using a Use Magic Device check (DC 20 + spell level) he can cast the spell in order to create a magical item. This ability can only be used to create magic items. Any material components and XP costs required by the spell must still be paid. If the master crafter has the spell on his spell list, he get's a +4 bonus on this check. The required caster level of the spell cast through this ability may not be higher than the master crafter's character level.
Failing the checks result in the loss of some of the raw materials. The master crafter must pay an extra 10% of the base price of the item. Discounts from the guild member and resourceful crafter abilities do not ably to these extra costs. If he cannot afford this he must stop crafting and all raw materials are lost.

Cerebral crafter.
A master crafter of this level can attempt to emulate psionic powers that he can use to create magic items.
In order to use this ability the Master crafter must have at least one psionic item creation feat (opposed to a 'magic' item creation feat).
By using a Use Psionic Device check (DC 20 + power level) he can cast power in order to create a psionic item. This ability can only be used to create psionic items. Any material components and XP costs required by the power must still be paid. If the master crafter has the power on his power list, he get's a +4 bonus on this check. The required manifester level of the power manifested through this ability may not be higher than the master crafter's character level.
Failing the checks result in the loss of some of the raw materials. The master crafter must pay an extra 10% of the base price of the item. Discounts from the guild member and resourceful crafter abilities do not ably to these extra costs. If he cannot afford this he must stop crafting and all raw materials are lost.

Ex Master Crafters.
A master crafter can be expelled form the guild by decision of the guildmaster. Such occasions are extremely rare in the history of the guild. Reasons for such a decision can be: (long-term) refusal to donate 1% of crafting income to the guild, undertaking actions which can harm the guild or the Chromatic Order, criminal behavior, unapproved crafting of powerful items and researching artifacts.
An ex master crafter loses the following benefits: guild member, resourceful crafter. He cannot gain more levels in the master crafter prestige class. He can attempt to clear his name and plea to the counsel and guildmaster for renewal of his membership. All counsel members and the guild master must unanimously agree for reaccepting an ex member. An ex member suffers a -4 penalty to all charisma based social checks with guild members. An ex master crafter also cannot attain any work for (any) guilds in a city where a guild house is present (Medibaria and Orussus),

The Master Crafter Guild
History
The master crafter is the current day remnant of an old tradition. In earlier times the master crafter guild was created by several members Omega house of the Chromatic Order and some of the best craftsman. By combining their talents they where able to create powerful items of quality the world had not seen before.
Members of the guild where educated in both the art of magic and crafts.
The original goal of the guild was twofold: to research and improve the creation of magical items and to control the creation of (powerful) magical items. Many feared that the fruits of the guild would become too powerful and could fall into the wrong hands.
The Master Craftsman guild was originally under direct control of the Omega House of the Chromatic Order. Over time it attracted members from other disciplines such a psionic manifesters and divine spellcasters.
At the pinnacle of the guild's existence research was being done to unravel secrets of creating artifacts. This caused a political uproar within the order as different factions wanted to increase their control over the guild in order to secure this knowledge.
Guildmaster Gerion, the guildmaster at that time, decided that the (political) survival of the guild was it's foremost priority so he put a halt to the Artifact research before the guild would be torn apart. From that day on any research on the subject was banned. The guild loosened itself from direct control of the tower and moved it's guild house to the new city of Medibaria (aptly named The Gerion House). Later another guild house was opened in Orussus by guildmaster Travelle (The Travelle house).

Today, the master crafter guild is more loosely organized while most of it's members pursue personal goals instead of serving a larger agenda. Although the Chromatic order still has a say in the guild agenda (during the yearly guild meet), they do not have a strong grip on it's individual members.
Some guild traditions still stand today such as the approval process for new members and the annual guild meeting. The guild has two mayor guild houses: one in Medibaria (the first guild house) and one in Orussus. Each year, members of both guild houses meet at the Medibaria guild house to discuss recent developments. On the yearly meeting all members are supposed to be present.

Organization
The guild is organized in three tiers: the guild master, the guild counsel, and the rest of the members.
The guild counsel consists of the five foremost guild members and an emissary from the Chromatic order, who holds five votes. The emissary is usually also a guild member. The guildmaster has a single vote but can veto any decision from the counsel, but rarely does so. The counselors are (re-)elected every year during the guild meeting. The guildmaster is officially (re-)elected every five years. Usually both the counsel members and the guildmaster are re-elected until they decide to retire. It is uncommon for either a sitting counselor or guildmaster to be voted off before he announces his retirement.
The counsel votes on decisions concerning the allocation of funds and crafting of very powerful items.
All members must report their workings (creation of magical items) to the guild. The most powerful works (gp value equal or greater than 25.000 gp) require approval of the counsel. This ruling is a remnant of old times when the Chromatic Order closely regulated the Guild's affairs.

Membership.
Anyone who wishes to join the guild can apply at one of the two guild houses. A new member is an aspirant until his membership is approved by the counsel. He is appointed to a mentor who guides him for his approval. For his approval the aspirant must craft an item which he proposes to the counsel. The counsel will judge the degree of craftsmanship and consult the mentor on the aspirant’s personality. Once approved, the aspirant will be welcomed in the ranks of the guild. If disapproved, the aspirant may not apply for membership again for a period of one year.
A member is supposed to attend the yearly meetings. He can use the recourses of the guild, like the library and buy materials through the network of the guild.

The current Counsel:
Sirrius Dagoden (male dwarf): the current guildmaster
Brunn Hager (male human): counsel member
Fillamar Estram (female elf): counsel member
Ombur Glitterstone (male dwarf): counsel member
William Ander (male human): counsel member
Adrianna Branwen (female human): the current emissary from the Chromatic Order.

[sblock=proposal 5]
The all new and improved proposal:

Added Rea's rewrite of the imbue tem ability.
Added restriction to max. bonus equals 1/2 caster level
Added psionic/magic use of imbue item to the description.
Small changes to background

I think this sounds interesting.

It does, but I abandoned this some time ago because it started to get too complicated to get a good grasp in the special powers. Feel free to take another swing at it, wheter from the things I have already suggested or completely anew.