craft wand or craft wonderous item?

[fl8m]

thanks very much for all the imput, I've decided i will pick up craft wonderous item at 5th level because i've found my character is unconcious after almost every battle and the monk is struggling to survive on his own. so i'll use the many items i can create to both protect me and enhance his combat abilities.

also i'll take craft staff sometime after 12th level after looking at the costs and description it's like craft wand just a bigger stick and no spell level limitations.

 

[Storm Raven]

Wands. A lot of the wonderous items have high prereqs to make. I'd get craft wonderous later when you have most of those prereqs

You mean high prerequisites like Resistance (Cantrip) for a Cloak of Resistance, Mage Armor (1st Level) for Bracers of Armor, Endurance (2nd level) for a Belt of Endurance, Cat's Grace (2nd Level) for Gloves of Dexterity, and Secret Page (3rd Level) for Boccob's Blessed Book?

Sure, some Wonderous Items have high prerequisites, but lots of highly useful items are easily made by a 5th level caster.

 

[Shard O'Glase]

another reason to go with wonderous is that wands is a slightly better version of a bundle of 50 scrolls, and you get scribe scroll for free as a wizard.(yeah spell completion vs spell trigger. cost etc) But overall the benefit you get for having wands when you can already make scrolls is much smaller than the benefit you get from gaining wonderous items a totally new item creation effect.

 

[Kraedin]

Craft Wondrous Item is hands-down the best creation feat in the game.

If your DM allows you to create new wondrous items willy-nilly, it's flat out broken. (It can theroretically duplicate the effect of every other item creation feat, with the possible exception of Craft Magic Arms and Armor.)

 

[Plane Sailing]

I'd say take Craft Wondrous Item if your DM allows it, since it is a TGTBT feat

In my campaign I broke it down into

Craft Minor Item (value less than 7,500gp)
Craft Major Item (value 7500 - 29,000gp)
Craft Legendary Item (value 30,000gp+ )

Each one is a prereq for the next.

Otherwise, frankly, why limit create staff and forge ring to 12th+ level when you can create more powerful items with a feat you can take easily at 3rd?

Cheers

 

[dcollins]

Otherwise, frankly, why limit create staff and forge ring to 12th+ level when you can create more powerful items with a feat you can take easily at 3rd?

It makes sense and is balanced as long as DMs stick to the core items detailed in the rulebooks. If the only way to get an item with a deflection AC bonus (more than 1), energy resistance, or a wish, is in a ring, then Forge Ring looks pretty nice. That's the way the rules were balanced in the first place.

 

[Marshall]

Take CWI at 5th
Make yourself an <Item> of Charisma
Take Leadership at 6th....

 

[Shard O'Glase]

I'd say take Craft Wondrous Item if your DM allows it, since it is a TGTBT feat

In my campaign I broke it down into

Craft Minor Item (value less than 7,500gp)
Craft Major Item (value 7500 - 29,000gp)
Craft Legendary Item (value 30,000gp+ )

Each one is a prereq for the next.

Otherwise, frankly, why limit create staff and forge ring to 12th+ level when you can create more powerful items with a feat you can take easily at 3rd?

Cheers

Did the same but broke it into 5 feats.

Trivial 2,000gp or less(mostly scrolls potions etc)
minor 10,0000 gp or less
just craft item no prefix 50,000gp or less
major 100,000 or less
Massive(I'm gona change it to legendary since it sounds much better) 100,000 or more.

 

[Shard O'Glase]

It makes sense and is balanced as long as DMs stick to the core items detailed in the rulebooks. If the only way to get an item with a deflection AC bonus (more than 1), energy resistance, or a wish, is in a ring, then Forge Ring looks pretty nice. That's the way the rules were balanced in the first place.

I disagree even using the core rules craft wondeorus creates a more varied list and items and of equal power to any other craft feat and it has a pre-req of 3rd level. Rings and staves provide a wide range in power but a much smaller range in diversity and require 12th level. It neither makes sense now is it balanced. Even sticking to the core items I rarely see people take those craft feats it's just not worth it to them.

 

[Berk]

You can make a Headband of Intellect, Cloak of Resistance and Bracers of Armor right off the bat, and improve any of those items you alrady have, all at half cost. Boccob's Blessed Book is another highly desirable item craftable with the Craft Wondreous Item feat.

A 5th level wizard with craft wondrous item can only make +2 bracers of armor, not really worth it when he can just cast mage armor and get +4.

He isn't going to be making headbands of intellect until level 13 or so because he will need to know legend lore.

A 5th level wizard is only gonna be able to make a cloak of resistance +1 since you need 3 caster levels per +.

Boccobs is nice and all though so I will give you that one.

If you can find a source to cast Barkskin for you, you can make a Amulet of Natural Armor. Failing that, a Periapt of Wisdom or one of the other amulets are great choices. A Belt of Endurance will give you extra hit points. Gloves of Dexterity will give you higher AC and make your ranged attack rolls better. Craft Wonderous Item has such a wide array of uses it should be on the short list of possible feats for almost any wizard.

As for the amulet of natural armor, see the cloak of resistance above and to actually find a willing druid to sit with you for a few days and have that spell prepared and then having to pay them for their time and all barely makes it worth it, least at low levels.

An amulet of health, sure if the wizard knows endurance and all I'll give you that one cuz an extra 5hp or so is always good.

As for the other ability enhancing items, I don't really see the point at such a low level for only a +2 to the ability score. The higher bonus ones are just too expensive to create at such a low level.

And this doesn't even begin to get into items you craft for your companions. Offer to make items for them now and then for a discount of some sort and you can turn a profit (to fund your own Crafting efforts) and your fighters will be stronger, your rogues more charismatic, and your clerics wiser.

Let's not forget that crafting items takes money and time and experience. Yes I know 1/25 and half price and all that isn't bad but hey, those 40exp and 500gp for those 1000gp items add up, and that's only if you are making small items.

I would disagree. Craft Wonderous Item allows the creation of many of the bread and butter items of a wizard's accourement.

I would agree also, but as the person stated in the original post they were just wondering which feat to get now at 5th level, craft wand or wondrous item. They also stated that they would most likely be picking the other feat up also at a later date. Craft wand is a much better feat for a 5th level wizard then craft wondrous item is because of what you are limited to making with craft wondrous item at a low level.