Crafting adamantium

[Yig]

Hi,

What would be the DC and cost to make an admantium greatsword ?

Should I assume it's like crafting a masterwork sword except a lot more expensive ?

 

[dcollins]

First, in D&D, it's "adamantine" (from Greek mythology "adamant"). Here are the rules from the current SRD:

Adamantine: ...Adamantine is so costly that weapons and armor made from it are always of masterwork quality; the masterwork cost is included in the prices given below....

Type of Adamantine Item	Item Cost Modifier
Ammunition	+60 gp
Light armor	+5,000 gp
Medium armor	+10,000 gp
Heavy armor	+15,000 gp
Weapon		+3,000 gp

 

[Tatsukun]

Well, you can't make an admantium sword unless you are playing Marvel Superheroes.

/smartass

Now, to make an Adamantine greatsword, you have to pay for . . .

The sword (50 Gp)
and the Adamantine component (3,000 Gp)

Total = 3,050 Gp

You don't have to pay for the masterwork component, because it's included in the price for the Adamantine. The DC to craft it is the same as a normal masterwork greatsword (20).

Just for perspective, let's say you are just making the DC. That is ...

Your check (20) times the DC (20) for a total of 400 Sp / week.

At that rate, it will take you 77 weeks to make the sword. Long story short, no PC can realistically make anything with the craft rules within the timeframe of a normal game in 3.5 DnD.

Sorry!

-Tatsu

 

[Yig]

Well, you can't make an admantium sword unless you are playing Marvel Superheroes.

/smartass

Good one

Now, to make an Adamantine greatsword, you have to pay for . . .

The sword (50 Gp)
and the Adamantine component (3,000 Gp)

Total = 3,050 Gp

You don't have to pay for the masterwork component, because it's included in the price for the Adamantine. The DC to craft it is the same as a normal masterwork greatsword (20).

Just for perspective, let's say you are just making the DC. That is ...

Your check (20) times the DC (20) for a total of 400 Sp / week.

At that rate, it will take you 77 weeks to make the sword. Long story short, no PC can realistically make anything with the craft rules within the timeframe of a normal game in 3.5 DnD.

Sorry!

-Tatsu

That's what I figured but I think you forgot to divide the 3050 by 3 so it would cost only about 1016 gp.

That's still about 25 weeks of bad rolls. Should take a lot less than that in actual play tho. My 4th level dwarf has about +12 in weaponsmith.

Thanks for the confirmation.

 

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

Actually, it's not entirely certain how this works...

Try looking up the thread from a few weeks back on how to craft mithral armor.

Specifically, the way the game rules read is that, in order to make a Masterwork item, you first craft the item normally (which, for a greatsword, is Craft (Armorsmithing) check at a DC of 15).

Your progress is measured in Check Result * DC silver pieces per week, and you are finished whenever you reach the actual cost of the item - not the materials cost! (This is a mistake I made before.)

So, to make a normal greatsword, assuming a +12 Craft (Weaponsmith) bonus and taking 10, you'll make 22 * 15 = 330sp of progress per week. Since a greatsword costs 50gp, it'll take you a little less than two weeks to make a normal greatsword.

*Then* you craft the Masterwork component, which has its own cost and DC (150gp and DC of 20, respectively). After paying 50 additional gp for materials costs, you'll make 22 * 20 = 440sp of progress per week, meaning you'll finish off your masterwork greatsword in just under 5 weeks of work.

Now, the question is where does the extra money for the admantine part of the sword come in? For a sword, that's 3,000gp worth of progress you need to make, of which 150gp is the Masterwork component.

So, is the remaining 2,850gp worth of progress done as part of crafting the sword (in which case the progress is made at 22 * 15 = 330sp per week, taking a total of just over 91 weeks [just shy of two years] to make), or is it part of crafting the Masterwork component (in which case progress is made at 22 * 20 = 440sp per week, taking a total of just over 69.5 weeks to make)?

The rules do not specify in this case.

One thing is certain, however, it is nearly impossible to complete anything made of a special material unless you can easily succeed at a DC 10 higher than is required.

So, before starting on a fancy armor creation binge, you might want to find someone with the Craft Wonderous Item feat, and have them make you some Tongs of the Armorsmith - (+2 Circumstance bonus for being MW artisan's tools, +10 Competence bonus to Craft (Armorsmith) checks, for a rough price of 10,000gp).

In that case, you can reduce the time to just under 38 weeks using the first method, and just under 32 weeks using the second, assuming you don't add another skill point to your Craft skill.

EDIT: Sorry, extra 0 on the Competence bonus item.

 

[jRocket]

Or you could just hire an NPC Wizard to cast the fabricate spell and boom, there it is.

 

[Yig]

So, before starting on a fancy armor creation binge, you might want to find someone with the Craft Wonderous Item feat, and have them make you some Tongs of the Armorsmith - (+2 Circumstance bonus for being MW artisan's tools, +10 Competence bonus to Craft (Armorsmith) checks, for a rough price of 10,000gp).

In that case, you can reduce the time to just under 38 weeks using the first method, and just under 32 weeks using the second, assuming you don't add another skill point to your Craft skill.

EDIT: Sorry, extra 0 on the Competence bonus item.

Good suggestion. I plan on taking Craft Wondrous at level 9 and Craft Weapons at level 6.

Guess I'll wait a bit on the adam sword until I'm level 10 at the very least.

"Okay guys, we'll stop adventuring for a while since I need a year to make a new sword."

Talk about slowing down a campaign.

 

[Yig]

Or you could just hire an NPC Wizard to cast the fabricate spell and boom, there it is.

You stiil need to make a craft check.

Can someone else beside the caster make that check ?

 

[Wolf72]

ick, double post ...

 

[Wolf72]

... Now, the question is where does the extra money for the admantine part of the sword come in? For a sword, that's 3,000gp worth of progress you need to make, of which 150gp is the Masterwork component.

...

I don't think the extra money counts towards creation time ... I remember this topic from when 3e first came out and no higher power really came out and clarified it.

I wouldn't use the extra gp against the creation time, I think it's a bit over the top ... especially when you could create a similiar magic item in a fraction of the time.