Hmm. I'd argue that by the book item creation in 4e is too costly in terms of money -- you can't make an item for less than list price, which then requires a bit of hand-waving to figure out how anyone makes money on it. If I were running a 4e game, I'd probably rule that the Enchant Magic Item ritual is a 'field expedient' ritual that's faster and more costly than what artificers normally use for item creation; if you have a staff and full lab, you can create items for substantially less than cost (but it takes a lot more than 1 hour).
D&D 5E Magic Item Creation in 5E
The answer could be....people don't make magic items to make money.
4e's model is fine imo if there was more customization in magic items. For the cost of learning a ritual (which was pretty cheap to begin with) a player can forge the exact magic item they want. That is a pretty nice benefit, even if they get no monetary advantage from it.
tuxgeo
Adventurer
New Magic Item Creation idea:
In third edition, magic spells had "components": Focus, Material, Somatic, and/or Verbal components, with the list of requirements varying from one magic spell to another.
I think WotC should eventually consider adding a comparable component for fourth edition, namely the "Quest" component, specifically for the "Enchant Magic Item" ritual and for the "Transfer Enchantment" ritual. (It might be argued that the "Disenchant Magic Item" ritual would also need this; but I personally doubt that it would.)
Such quests wouldn't have to be anything as extreme as climbing to the summit of Mt. Everest without magic, or swimming across open ocean from Cuba to Florida; but each magical attribute of a newly-crafted magic item should require the caster to successfully perform a specific quest each time the ritual is used, with the results of each quest having a subtle yet pervasive effect on the caster's soul that would help to flavor the performance of the creation ritual and enable its success.
(Re-enchanting items that are already magic would only need quests performed that are suitable for the changes being made, not for each existing attribute of the item.)
This could replace the XP cost of 3E, and perhaps some of the GP cost of 4E, as a way to prevent PCs from spamming favorite rituals.
(Of course, in order to do that, each specific quest would have to be performed afresh prior to each separate casting of the ritual that required it.)
In third edition, magic spells had "components": Focus, Material, Somatic, and/or Verbal components, with the list of requirements varying from one magic spell to another.
I think WotC should eventually consider adding a comparable component for fourth edition, namely the "Quest" component, specifically for the "Enchant Magic Item" ritual and for the "Transfer Enchantment" ritual. (It might be argued that the "Disenchant Magic Item" ritual would also need this; but I personally doubt that it would.)
Such quests wouldn't have to be anything as extreme as climbing to the summit of Mt. Everest without magic, or swimming across open ocean from Cuba to Florida; but each magical attribute of a newly-crafted magic item should require the caster to successfully perform a specific quest each time the ritual is used, with the results of each quest having a subtle yet pervasive effect on the caster's soul that would help to flavor the performance of the creation ritual and enable its success.
(Re-enchanting items that are already magic would only need quests performed that are suitable for the changes being made, not for each existing attribute of the item.)
This could replace the XP cost of 3E, and perhaps some of the GP cost of 4E, as a way to prevent PCs from spamming favorite rituals.
(Of course, in order to do that, each specific quest would have to be performed afresh prior to each separate casting of the ritual that required it.)
I should have specified 3e
. As for 4e, I don't the costs as I don't play it.I like the spell slot system for 3e that appeared in the Artificer's Handbook (Mystic Eye Games) and the revised version that the lead developer, Curtis posted on these boards. A link to the revised version can be found here in the third post
Doesn't matter. No one would sell an item for less than production cost + at least some markup unless they were trying to get rid of it or didn't know what it did.
Except that while you create magic items of up to your level, you can expect to find magic items of up to your level + 4.
Lanefan
Victoria Rules
Goal: to get the PCs to spend their time in the field finding items rather than in the lab building them.
Way to achieve goal: make creation of any item other than a simple potion or scroll take time counted in large numbers of months if not years. Most PCs won't want to take that long of a break, particularly if the rest of the party keeps going and-or the plot runs amok while the party waits. That said, if a PC wants to commission the construction of an item now and come back for it in 6 months or a year or whatever, that's fine.
Goal: to allow some buying-selling-trading of magic items without having Wal-Magics in every town.
Way to achieve goal: assume that most items for sale are coming from other parties just like yours who have - like you - found something they don't need and-or can't use. (though temples and MU guilds might have a few potions to sell.) Barter or sales are usually carried out at guildhouses, meeting halls, pubs, etc., rather than in a streetfront store. What is available to purchase at any given time is almost completely random.
Lanefan
Way to achieve goal: make creation of any item other than a simple potion or scroll take time counted in large numbers of months if not years. Most PCs won't want to take that long of a break, particularly if the rest of the party keeps going and-or the plot runs amok while the party waits. That said, if a PC wants to commission the construction of an item now and come back for it in 6 months or a year or whatever, that's fine.
Goal: to allow some buying-selling-trading of magic items without having Wal-Magics in every town.
Way to achieve goal: assume that most items for sale are coming from other parties just like yours who have - like you - found something they don't need and-or can't use. (though temples and MU guilds might have a few potions to sell.) Barter or sales are usually carried out at guildhouses, meeting halls, pubs, etc., rather than in a streetfront store. What is available to purchase at any given time is almost completely random.
Lanefan
Tallifer
Hero
I like these ideas very much.
Permanent magicks should involve elaborate rituals and lengthy research in spooky towers. Magical treasure should be gotten from loot or from other great heroes (inheritance, quests, gifts).
(However I suppose there are some player sand dungeon masters who want Ye Olde Magick Shoppe from Harry Potter. Make that one of the optional modules, I pray.)
FireLance
Legend
This is probably one of the more "out there" ideas, but how about a series of modules around the theme of creating some really powerful magic items? Presumably, there should be some "recommended level" - commensurate to the level of challenge, the power of the item, and the level the PCs ought to be before they attempt to create it.
So, if the paladin really wants his holy avenger, the DM can pull out the module and run the party through the adventure leading to its creation. Same goes if the wizard wants his robe of the archmagi and the bard his ollamh harp.
So, if the paladin really wants his holy avenger, the DM can pull out the module and run the party through the adventure leading to its creation. Same goes if the wizard wants his robe of the archmagi and the bard his ollamh harp.
Summer-Knight925
First Post
I would like to see them moved to the DMG and even then, creating them should be a challenge.
I also would like to see the magic item based on the character's level, so it gets more powerful with him or her as he or she advances.
Potions, scrolls and even wands should be easy to make, granted wands need a special component (like a healing potion needs a strand of hair from a unicorn's mane...willingly)
Arms and Armor should be rare, but also powerful.
I like the idea of damage reduction personally, and having 'damage reduction Magic" be scary again.
I think the special abilities added to weapons should (if they can be made) require a quest or something challenging, like a flaming sword needing to be dipped in a volcano or breathed on by a dragon meanwhile a holy sword would need to be blessed by a celestial being (or something similar depending on their religion/deity)
I think armor should be similar, or crafted on magical forges what are ALWAYS guarded by mean nasties who love to not stay dead.
Rings should be in circulation, but few should know they are magical (detect magic goes out the window for rings) meanwhile staffs should always look cool, and just by looking at them you should know what they do.
Wondrous items should have their wonder back.
Cursed items should be a much larger fear.
Intelligent items should be more common, and thus have draw backs.
All items should be unique (no more "+1 keen longswords"
Try +1 keen longsword that can detect poison 2/day, it is named "Kingsfriend"
Hope this all makes sense
I also would like to see the magic item based on the character's level, so it gets more powerful with him or her as he or she advances.
Potions, scrolls and even wands should be easy to make, granted wands need a special component (like a healing potion needs a strand of hair from a unicorn's mane...willingly)
Arms and Armor should be rare, but also powerful.
I like the idea of damage reduction personally, and having 'damage reduction Magic" be scary again.
I think the special abilities added to weapons should (if they can be made) require a quest or something challenging, like a flaming sword needing to be dipped in a volcano or breathed on by a dragon meanwhile a holy sword would need to be blessed by a celestial being (or something similar depending on their religion/deity)
I think armor should be similar, or crafted on magical forges what are ALWAYS guarded by mean nasties who love to not stay dead.
Rings should be in circulation, but few should know they are magical (detect magic goes out the window for rings) meanwhile staffs should always look cool, and just by looking at them you should know what they do.
Wondrous items should have their wonder back.
Cursed items should be a much larger fear.
Intelligent items should be more common, and thus have draw backs.
All items should be unique (no more "+1 keen longswords"
Try +1 keen longsword that can detect poison 2/day, it is named "Kingsfriend"
Hope this all makes sense
kitsune9
Adventurer
I played a crafting wizard in 3.5 and didn't want to craft magic items for the PC's. 1) they thought they were entitled to my efforts at half price even though I was getting hit on the XP, 2) I didn't want my XP being used up to give them crap they wanted, but what I wanted. It adds up when doing wands, staves, and wondrous items.
I got the requests to make Excalibur, but I said, "Screw that." and was wanting to make powerful wands and staves.
