Magic item creation for a lower magic setting.

[MarauderX]

Below is a more arduous process for item creation to prevent the setting from becoming flooded with magic items. The ideal is for the characters to quest or create the items, not collect them after each encounter to sell later. Everyone knows the 4E rules; there is little need for comparison here. Please post as though you were a player interested in using the rules to your benefit. Keep in mind that BBEGs get the same benefits and drawbacks as the players. And thanks in advance for you considerate input.
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Magic item creation in Correl is a long, arduous process that is sometimes dangerous and often fruitless. Fashioning works beyond a character's merit is certainly possible, and can be achieved through careful planning, finding the best of components, and overwhelming force of will.

A character may create or enhance an item of his level or lower without incurring any risk. Resizing armor costs nothing, and takes 1 hour per change in size to ensure no loss of magical fidelity.

Crafting a magic item at the character's level or below poses no risk. For each level above the character's own, there is a 25% risk of failure. A character cannot create an item 7 levels above their own. A character does not know whether they have succeed or failed until the time and money have been spent. A failure may yield dangerous results, including loss of life, limb, destruction of remaining materials, and/or decimation of everything in a radius of 10 squares per level.

An item takes one full day of labor (12 hours, no traveling or other tasks) for each level of the item. Upgrading an item still takes one day per level, and does not subtract the time for previous work. Should the workplace be sabotaged, pillaged or otherwise tampered with, circumstance bonuses will apply. Extra time may be spent to increase the likelihood of success. Doubling the amount of time required adds +25% for success. Interruptions incur further chances of failure, adding -10% each occurrence. Should the interruption take longer than the creation time, the item creation is considered a failure and must be started over. One half of the components are lost due to deterioration of herbs and other special items during this time.

The component cost to create an item remains. Should a failure occur, only half of the component cost is spent unless a catastrophic failure destroys it all. It may be possible to increase the quality of components used in fashioning the item to have a better chance of success. A character can spend twice as much to create the item to increase the chance of success by 25%. In the same way, a character can spend less than required to fashion an item. Should a character spend half as much as required, the character will incur a penalty of -25%, no matter the level of the item.

Others with the skills to fashion the magic item can assist with the creation of the item. Each character aiding the first must have the proper skills (trained in Arcana, Religion, etc.). Up to 5 assistants can help, and each adds a bonus of +5% to the creation.

Example: Shireen, an 7th level wizard, decides to create a Handy Haversack, a 10th level item. The item is 3 levels above her own, and thus she runs the risk of 75% chance of failure. She decides to take her time to create the item, spending 20 days instead of the normal 10 to gain a bonus of +25%. She also takes a 5,000 gold piece loan from her fighter friend to gather the best components money can buy, pointing out that he would no longer have to carry her heavy things. She is able to spend twice the normal amount, 10,000 gold pieces, to gain another bonus of +25%. Shireen will still have a 25% chance of failure, but she is willing to accept that risk. Shireen rolls a 22, resulting in failure. Cursing her luck, Shireen gathers her remaining components, worth 5,000 gold, and prepares to try once more. She again takes the extra time, but this time she has a 50% chance of failure since she does not have twice the amount of gold to replace the lost improved components. She makes a deal with two local wizards to aid her, gaining a +10% bonus. She decides 40% is an acceptable risk and begins creating the item. Shireen is interrupted to deal with an nuisance troll for a week, and when she returns she faces an -10% penalty, for a total failure chance of 50%. Knowing that she would lose half of her components if she stopped again anyway, Shireen risks pressing on to complete her project. Rolling a 54, she cheers and thanks her fellow aides for their much-needed help.

Level of item - caster level
Maximum Level Penalty -150%
Max Time Bonus 25%
Max Cost Bonus 25%
Max Help Bonus 25%
Max Failure Possible 75%

 

[Holy Bovine]

I'm curious as to why go with a % chance of failure rather than making a skill challenge type of test. Maybe with increasingly higher Dcs as the toll of making the item begins to wear on the creator. I like the idea behind this but the % chance of success/failure leaves me cold.

 

[jabberwocky]

So, are you changing regular item creation (your level or lower) to be 1 day/level rather than 1 hour total? That's a pretty major change.

I like having rules to create items above your level, but I don't think I would be doing this as a player - the risk and the cost is too high. If you wanted to create an item 5 levels above your level, thats a -25% chance of success, taking all the possibilities to improve success, that's a 50% chance of success.

So a 6th level character trying to make a 11th level item would require 22 days and 18,000 gold for a 50% chance of success. That costs as much as ten 6th level items. Failure wastes 9,000 gold. That's the cost of buying a 11th level item, or five 6th level items. I can't imagine ever spending that much money on one item when instead you could equip a large portion of the party. For that, matter, I can't imagine a party would ever have that much money. You would need to sell fifty! 6th level items to get the gold to create one 11th level item, and run a 50% chance of losing half that for no benefit.

The only way I would do this is to take the 2x time, assistance from 5 others, and create an item 2 levels above the caster's level. It's a 100% chance of success, and costs no more than it would otherwise. It's still very expensive for a standard party, but it might be worth it to get an extra + on one of the major three item slots.

 

[MarauderX]

I'm curious as to why go with a % chance of failure rather than making a skill challenge type of test. Maybe with increasingly higher Dcs as the toll of making the item begins to wear on the creator. I like the idea behind this but the % chance of success/failure leaves me cold.

Thanks for the input. I was trying to steer clear of the skill check DC, as it can be even more unreasonably hard or easy depending on the character build. I think I'll look a little deeper into using a skill challenge.

 

[MarauderX]

So, are you changing regular item creation (your level or lower) to be 1 day/level rather than 1 hour total? That's a pretty major change.

It is as compared to 4E, but not so much as with 3.5. The idea of the longer period of creation is so that characters will have to invest time as well as materials. This is better suited for a campaign feel instead of pausing in the midst of an adventure to bump up a few weapons.

I like having rules to create items above your level, but I don't think I would be doing this as a player - the risk and the cost is too high. If you wanted to create an item 5 levels above your level, thats a -25% chance of success, taking all the possibilities to improve success, that's a 50% chance of success.

So a 6th level character trying to make a 11th level item would require 22 days and 18,000 gold for a 50% chance of success. That costs as much as ten 6th level items. Failure wastes 9,000 gold. That's the cost of buying a 11th level item, or five 6th level items. I can't imagine ever spending that much money on one item when instead you could equip a large portion of the party. For that, matter, I can't imagine a party would ever have that much money. You would need to sell fifty! 6th level items to get the gold to create one 11th level item, and run a 50% chance of losing half that for no benefit.

The only way I would do this is to take the 2x time, assistance from 5 others, and create an item 2 levels above the caster's level. It's a 100% chance of success, and costs no more than it would otherwise. It's still very expensive for a standard party, but it might be worth it to get an extra + on one of the major three item slots.

I also like the ability of characters to craft above their level, but with that comes the risk to match the reward. It is not terribly prohibitive, as there are three avenues to reduce the risk. At the higher levels it will be more feasible to craft an item above their level and to have 1 or 2 really good items in addition to a 'golf bag' of decent items at the character's level and lower. A character of 25th level may just wish to take a shot at creating a Vorpal weapon for the sake of the party.

I am looking into a skill challenge method, but this may increase the need to min-max the prime ability score to get the needed results at higher levels.

 

[Drunken Master]

As a player in this campaign - who plays a wizard! - this sounds fine to me. The 1day/item level creation time is fine. But I can pretty much guarantee that I won't be creating any items beyond my wizard's level. I don't want to risk the failure chance, and the mighty Valchymax doesn't appreciate wasting his time and resources!