Item Creation Feats - Alternative Rules

[Sparafucile]

Al right, this is my first post about changing D&D's rules. I've been thinking about this for awhile, but I woudl liek some feedback. Thanks.

For Item Creation Feats, I'm experiemtning with a whole new system, based on the Eberron Artificer. This is meant to alleve frustration from both teh Player and the DM.

1. Making items take the original GP. This doesn't change.

2. Making Items only take 1/hour per 1,000gp's worth of items. There is also no limit to the number of items you can make in a single day.

3. Making Items burns NO XP.

4. There are no level resitrctions on when a caster can take a feat. Casters can take Forge Ring at 1st level, if they want.

However, Here are the limitations (you need the Eberron Handbook to refer to this):

1. Each craft reserve feat is desginated Arcane or Divine, and applies to a single class in which the caster has levels. Class levels from a single class, and not character level, are used to calculate new craft reserve points (see #2 below). Presige classes stack if the prestige class also allows the caster to gain a level of spellcasting ability.

2. The Artificer chart contains a "craft reserve" number on pg. 30 of the Eberron Handbook. When a PC gains an Item Creation feat, they also gain ONE THIRD of the number listed for the caster level on the chart (rounded up). Once a character has used up this amount (for example, at 6th level they would get 50 craft points, capable of making them up to 1,250 gp worth of that Feat's items), they cannot make any more items with that Feat for that level. Period.

3. Every new level, each Craft Feat posessed by the PC gains the alloted number of Craft Reserve Points for that level (based on the artificer craft reserve chart on pg. 30 of the Eberron Handbook for the caster level/3), and loses the remaining craft points from the previous level. Each feat gains it's own number of points, and they cannot be swapped out or shared with other Item Creation Feats. For example, a sixth level character has 20 craft points left for Brew Potion when he gains 7th level. Thes points are lost, and the character gain 67 craft points for that level (capable of making up to 1,675 gp worth of potions). If he also has Scribe Scroll, he also gains 67 craft points for use for up to 1,675gp worth of scrolls. Once those points are used, they feats cannot be used until the character reaches 8th level.

4. Each Craft Item feat stacks with itself. You can take a single Craft Feat multiple times, and the craft reserve points you get per level stack with each other. A 15th level character with a single Forge Ring feat can create one ring worth up to 12,500gp (500 craft reserve points) that level. However, if he has taken the feat 4 times, he can create a ring worth 50,000 gp, or two rings worth 25,000 gp each, and so on. If the caster is 20th level, he'd only need the Forge Ring feat once (2,500 craft reserve points = 62,500 gp worth of rings).

5. Repeat: Once the craft reserve points are gone, the PC can't use the feat again, until they gain another level. If a character wants to make more powerful, or more plentiful, items at lower levels, it requires taking the feat multiple times. Otherwise, the craft reserve numbers support more powerful items at higher levels.

I know all this seems complicated, but it feels pretty clear in my mind. What do you think?

My goal is to stop the frustraion from Players having to forego their Item Creation feats for the sake of adventuring. With this system, they can do what they need to do on the road, as long as they have the masterwork materials handy. From the DM's side, it doesn't bog down too much game time, and it also prevents the character from going "hog wild" with the feat, or creating too powerful, uber items or hundreds of little ones. Of course, if they focus all their Item Creation feats on one particular type of item, then this might change. Of course, if a player takes that meany of the same feat, they probly deserve to create what they want. This mechanic also explains how powerful items with high costs can still be made, given the craft reserve limitations).

I'm just experiementing with this right now. Any criticisms, refinments, tweaks, etc. would be welcome. I'm looking to refine this.

 

[Nail]

This is "House Rules Thread" material, methinks.

 

[Sparafucile]

Rats. How do I fix that? I'm new to these forums.

 

[Rel]

Rats. How do I fix that? I'm new to these forums.

An incredibly kind and handsome moderator will move it for you.

 

[Michael Silverbane]

An incredibly kind and handsome moderator will move it for you.

Must... refrain... from making... smartalec... remark!

Where can we find one of those?

Back to the topic at hand:

I feel your pain, as regards magic item creation, feat expenditure, and the lack of players taking those feats (and thus making their own magic items).

Your solution may be too much work for too little result (I couldn't say for sure whether or not yur players would take advantage of such a system or not, but I am pretty sure that mine wouldn't).

What I did in the past was this: You don't need an item creation feat to make a magic item. If you fulfil the prerequisites and have the resources to burn, you can make whatever standard magic item floats your boat. If you take a magic item creation feat, you can do one of four things when creating magic items of that type. 1: Cut the creation time in half. 2: Cut the material expense in half. 3: Cut the XP cost in half. 4: Design new and fabulous magic items (with DM input and approval) to create, which require the full cost in time, materials, and xp.

Later
silver

 

[Stalker0]

Let me make sure I understand:

With your system, I take a feat, and now I get a certain number of points a level that will basically let me cut in half the gold cost of items, plus allow me to customize my equipment to get exactly what I want. The crafting time isn't that long, so I can usually find some time to do it. And the points are renewed every level.

Its the most powerful feat in the game...maybe.

Your putting in 1/3 of the cost does greatly limit what you can do with the feat per level. The question is though, how does the benefit you gain from those magic items compare to the benefit you would get from other feats. As far as I can tell, even at 1/3 the amount, you can still make enough magic to give you far more benefit than any other feat, and every level you get even more.

 

[Sparafucile]

Let me make sure I understand:

With your system, I take a feat, and now I get a certain number of points a level that will basically let me cut in half the gold cost of items, plus allow me to customize my equipment to get exactly what I want. The crafting time isn't that long, so I can usually find some time to do it. And the points are renewed every level.

Yeah, it may be too good. Except for the gold part. The GP cost to make an item stays the same. The other factors (XP and time) are either reduced or eliminated.

I was hoping that the limitation on the number and potency of the items per level would balance out the power. Maybe it doesn't. We're still playing around with it.

 

[Nail]

I know this suggestion is from left field, but:

I don't like the 3.xe magic item system either.....*because* it costs gp. In my view, wealth should be irrelevant when crafting and using magic items. The richest man in the world should not - IMO - be able to use a +5 Vorpal dagger; only the most experienced and hardy soul should be able to.

If your system could do that, I'd buy it.

 

[Michael Silverbane]

I know this suggestion is from left field, but:

I don't like the 3.xe magic item system either.....*because* it costs gp. In my view, wealth should be irrelevant when crafting and using magic items. The richest man in the world should not - IMO - be able to use a +5 Vorpal dagger; only the most experienced and hardy soul should be able to.

If your system could do that, I'd buy it.

That's another thing that I have recently started doing (although making magic items still costs gp) in my games. The wealth by level 'guidelines' have become a hard and fast rule for how much magic a character can wield. That is, a character can gain the benefits of magic items whose value totals less than or equal to their 'wealth by level'. Items in excess of that amount are nonfunctional (from the lowest value). Further, any single item that is worth more than 25% of the wealth by level is nonfunctional.

In implementing this rule, I've done away with disposable items, such as potions, scrolls, wands, staves, and other items that become less useful upon their discharging. I've created a ew new types of items to replace wands and staves, but no single use item replacements.

Later
silver