My Campaign's Item Creation Feats

[Chroma]

I wasn't really happy with the way magic item creation was broken down in the PHB so I've been tinkering with how to make something that pleases me. It's just been sitting on the back burner for a while, but now it looks like one of my players is thinking of starting creating things, so I've finally codified them. Just thought I'd post them here to get people's feedback, so tell me what you think. (I've also changed the costs on a few things for estimating base price, but I'm not sure how to post a celled document on here.)

Brew Potion and Scribe Scroll remain as in the core rules, but all the other core item creation feats are replace with the following:


Craft Minor Wondrous Item [Item Creation]

Prerequisite: Spellcaster level 5th+.

Benefit: The character can create any permanent magic item (including amulets, armour, rings, rods, and weapons) of base price 8500 gp, or less, whose prerequisites the character meets. Enchanting a miscellaneous magic item takes 1 week for each 1,000 gp in its base price. To enchant a permanent magic item, the spellcaster must spend 1/25 of the item’s price in XP and use up raw materials costing half of this price. The character can also mend a broken miscellaneous magic item if it is one that the character could make. Doing so costs half the XP, half the raw materials, and half the time it would take to enchant that item in the first place.

Note: Some wondrous items incur extra costs in material components or XP as noted in their descriptions. These costs are in addition to those derived from the item’s base price. The character must pay such a cost to create an item or to mend a broken one.

Craft Moderate Wondrous Item [Item Creation]

Prerequisite: Spellcaster level 9th+, Craft Minor Wondrous Item

Benefit: As Craft Minor Wondrous Item, but permanent items of maximum base price 25500 gp can be created.

Craft Major Wondrous Item [Item Creation]

Prerequisite: Spellcaster level 15th+, Craft Moderate Wondrous Item

Benefit: As Craft Minor Wondrous Item, but permanent items of maximum base price 76500 gp can be created.

Craft Master Wondrous Item [Item Creation]

Prerequisite: Spellcaster level 18th+, Craft Major Wondrous Item

Benefit: As Craft Minor Wondrous Item, but permanent items of maximum base price 250000 gp can be created.

Craft Lesser Charged Item [Item Creation]

Prerequisite: Spellcaster level 5th+.

Benefit: The character can create a charged item (including rings, talismans, and wands) holding any single spell of 4th level or lower that the character knows. Crafting a charged item takes 1 day for each 1,000 gp in its base price. The base price of a charged item varies depending on activation method, caster and spell level, and number of charges. To craft a charged, the character must spend 1/25 of this base price in XP and use up raw materials costing half of this base price. Charged items hold a maximum of 50 charges, though they may be crafted with less for a commensurate reduction in base price.
Note: Any charged item that stores a spell with a costly material component or an XP cost also carries a commensurate cost. In addition to the cost derived from the base cost, the character must expend fifty copies of the material component or pay fifty times the XP cost.

Craft Greater Charged Item [Item Creation]

Prerequisite: Spellcaster level 12th+, Craft Lesser Charged Item

Benefit: As Craft Lesser Charged Item, but spells of 5th level or greater may also be used and multiple spells (eg, staves) may be placed in a single charged item.

 

[Bendris Noulg]

Hmmm... Why did you break it down with multiple Feats?

Not against it, mind you, as I also altered the creation rules also... Just trying to relate your goals to mine so as to better compare the end-effect.

 

[silvertable81]

I like it, except that I personally think Lesser Charged and Minor Wondrous would be fine with level 3 prereqs.

 

[Chroma]

Hmmm... Why did you break it down with multiple Feats?

Not against it, mind you, as I also altered the creation rules also... Just trying to relate your goals to mine so as to better compare the end-effect.

Well, I wanted to make a difference between permanent and depletable items, one of my players even suggested placing Potion and Scrolls as "Lesser Charged Items" but requiring a certain number of ranks in Alchemy or Spellcraft to make them. We're still thinking about that one.

As to breaking down the permanent items, I just wanted to have different power levels of items as well as for wizards, some who might dabble in item creation while others might be master artificers.

What did you do to alter the creation rules?

 

[Caliber]

Over all, I think it looks pretty good. You gain a little on the side of versatility (you only need one thing to make weapons, armor, rings, and wonderous items) but you lose some power (you have a GP cap.)

Are the extra GP from things like spell components applied to the cap?

 

[Bendris Noulg]

Well, I wanted to make a difference between permanent and depletable items, one of my players even suggested placing Potion and Scrolls as "Lesser Charged Items" but requiring a certain number of ranks in Alchemy or Spellcraft to make them. We're still thinking about that one.

Okay, I see where you're aiming now.

What did you do to alter the creation rules?

Wow... Y'sure you want me to take over the thread?



Seriously, though... It's rather layered-on like a Banana Split Cake, if you're familiar with the recipe.

First, the Feats are generally unchanged. However, the Feat only represents knowledge of the process. Each item is ranked in its power level equatable to a spell level, which would require research per individual item as if a spell (which includes library and laboratory requirements, or a highly sanctified alter/shrine type environment).

Once the specific method of crafting has been determined, any unusual agreements and components are gathered. This is based more on the item itself. Fireball scroll? Need ash from the heart of an active volcano to fashion the ink. Flaming sword? Tongue of a red wyrm should do the trick.

Now the item must be crafted. The corner-stone of Aedon Item Creation is a sympathetic relationship between the spellcaster and the item being created. This means that the item must be crafted, by hand, by the spell caster herself. Scribing a scroll? Gotta make the ink (each spell with its own formula). Enchanting a sword? Grab the hammer and tongs, cause it's time to sweat.

During this crafting process, the spellcaster must "charge" the materials every day with the spell power that is intended to be part of the enhancement. This ties up casting ability, but doesn't require components or Experience Points. The caster may take time off from this crafting, but this empowerment must be done every day regardless.

The final step is a True Ritual (per Relics & Rituals), which is when the actual spell casting occurs (along with incuring Experience Point and Material Component costs).

Well, that's a general summary. I was about to give this topic a second run of development on the Aedon Forums... Want a link?

 

[Technik4]

Time on their hands?

To create permanent items in your world, would be a lifetime of work. For instance, to craft something with a price of 250,000 gold would take 250 weeks, or 5 years of going out there and banging away. Doesn't sound like something my 18th level spell-casters want to be doing....

My constructive criticism would be to leave your feats as is, and make dedicated permanent item makers take another feat, or alter your feats where the more of them you have, the faster you can make items. IE- 1 Item feat = 1 week/1,000 gold, 2 = 5 days/1,000 gold, 3 = 3days/1,000 gold, and finally all 4 = 1 day/1,000 gold. This gives 2 benefits to taking those upper level item feats, as well.

Technik

 

[Bendris Noulg]

Re: Time on their hands?

To create permanent items in your world, would be a lifetime of work. For instance, to craft something with a price of 250,000 gold would take 250 weeks, or 5 years of going out there and banging away. Doesn't sound like something my 18th level spell-casters want to be doing...

I'm assuming this is to me...

The problem here is that you are mistaken about what's being crafted in the "crafting" part. The item doesn't become worth 250K until after enhancement. The matter is one of crafting a masterwork longsword to enhance the blade, or fashioning a masterwork sack to enhance a bag of holding.

That doesn't take 5 years, although it may take 5 years of searching for ancient lore and questing for rare components to prepare for it. And, of course, the Skill Point expenditure to do the task correctly; Even Taking 10 or Taking 20, there's still a roll made to check for Critical Failure, which can happen to even the best of people, thus wasting the post-research effort. And there's always a chance of failing the Ritual Casting check, also wasting the post-research effort as well as applicable spell components and Experience Points.

Which is, consequently, the point of it all.

 

[Technik4]

Sorry, it seems like we're talking about 2 different things. In your feat descriptions, it says "Enchanting a miscellaneous magic item takes 1 week for each 1,000 gp in its base price". I'm also not talking about the masterwork bag or longsword, I think those are fine ideas, but youre essentially raising the time it takes to enchant something by 7, quite a hefty raise.

So, an item costing 250,000 gp, which is the max (I assume) on your final item feat, takes approx 250 weeks, or 5 years. Unfortunately, this does NOT take the amount of time necesary to come up with ancient lore, find weird parts, etc because thats NOT when you are enchanting, thats before.

So, I think my point is valid, unless I've interpreted incorrectly.

Incidentally, I think its rather shortsighted to require the spell-caster to mix his own ink, forge his own weapons, and make his own robes which he will then use for the purpose of enchanting. Most wizards are rather eccentric and egotistical because of their high intellect, and from an intellectual standpoint its far better to let the dwarf weaponsmith make the weapons, the alchemist to mix his inks, and the people working the looms make his robes. Now forcing the wizard to go on a quest to get the requisite materials, I agree with that, and if a wizard (or more likely a sorceror) wants to make his own base item, thats cool too. I don't think all item enchanters are necessarily item crafters.

Technik

 

[Chroma]

Mix and match!

So, an item costing 250,000 gp, which is the max (I assume) on your final item feat, takes approx 250 weeks, or 5 years. Unfortunately, this does NOT take the amount of time necesary to come up with ancient lore, find weird parts, etc because thats NOT when you are enchanting, thats before.

So, I think my point is valid, unless I've interpreted incorrectly.

Technik

Ah, I think you got mine and Bendris's ideas mixed together. For permanent magic items I think it should take a long time to craft extremely powerful items. I think the highest price in the DMG is 200,000gp for a weapon with a total +10 enchantment. I don't think you should be able to whip up something that may be one of the most powerful mortal weapons in existence in just a couple of months.

I allow feats similar to Magical Artisan from FR to help reduce the "costs", as well, I may take Technik4's suggestion into account to allow the higher level Feats to lessen the time. Remember, something like a Staff of Power (200,000gp) is a Greater Charged Item and doesn't take as long to make. Also I'm experimenting with the idea of "power components" that enable you to bypass some of the costs and time requirements but require actual adventures to go get them, instead of just sitting in the lab all day, similar to Bendris's ideas. Lastly, I think it should be a "lifetime's" work to create extremely powerful items, it must be what the Elves are all up to in their "golden" centuries.

Of course, none of this has been playtested, as my current PCs are only 5th. *laugh* It's just something I've been working on for future use.