D&D 4E Crafting Magic Items in 4E - How Would YOU Do It?

[bgaesop]

Personally I don't like this idea. Why should somebody know who knows how to craft a potion also know how to enchant a suit of armor just because they are higher level.

Why would a person who knows how to shoot magic missiles also know how to shoot a fireball just because they are higher level?

 

[Simon Marks]

I would like the forging of items to be ... separated from Spellcasting.

Forging a magic sword should be the province of a Master Smith with the correct (and rare) elements. Not a wizard.

 

[The Ubbergeek]

I would like the forging of items to be ... separated from Spellcasting.

Forging a magic sword should be the province of a Master Smith with the correct (and rare) elements. Not a wizard.

but what if the smith is also a mage?

 

[Thornir Alekeg]

Why would a person who knows how to shoot magic missiles also know how to shoot a fireball just because they are higher level?

It is still the manipulation of arcane energies just manifested differently. Besides it is a class feature, it doesn't have to make sense

Making an enchantment take in a sheet of steel seems to me to be very different than in an liquid. Yes, you could say you learn both in a talent tree, but my preference would be for there to be individual choices rather than a single tree.

 

[frankthedm]

Note on frank's system: it basically works the same as implied in the current rules: you sell two items at half price and then buy the one you want at full price.

With a fair amount of forced downtime

 

[Stilvan]

My goals would be to

a) return the wonder to magic items
b) significantly reduce the number of magic items; particularly at the high power level.

I've always liked the idea of a wizard who gains his power by having a number of arcane tools on his person - a staff, a few noxious powders, a familiar, a carved bone etc.. So I'm not opposed to the idea of wizards creating magic items. But these should be relatively minor items principally of use to the wizard - minor spell enhancement, defensive aid, concentration bonus. These items would float at around the same level of power as a healing potion appropriate to the wizard's level. Creating anything more substantial should be a major ritual with a significant cost in materials and time. So - no legions outfitted entirely with magical swords that are so common they are referred to (in game terms) simply as '+1 swords'. Yet, the cost shouldn't be so prohibitive that these items would never exist, just enough to discourage their production unless the need is dire. Basically, the 9th level Ranger can still carry a sword with a +2 bonus, it's just that the sword should come with a name, a history and say a whole lot about that Ranger's deeds.

I'd also like to see a system where magic items acquire their 'magic' through usage - along the lines of 'the sword of the great hero x spilt so much orc blood it acquired a taste for it' producing a sword with an enhanced bonus versus Orcs. Magic item creation rules give a manufactured flavor to magic items, this system would try and bring back some of the mystery.

Edit: I also really like the idea of smiths being able to forge these items, under special circumstances with rare components (like say, the heart of a dragon)

 

[bgaesop]

I really don't see how this:

It is still the manipulation of arcane energies just manifested differently. Besides it is a class feature, it doesn't have to make sense

doesn't apply to this:

Making an enchantment take in a sheet of steel seems to me to be very different than in an liquid. Yes, you could say you learn both in a talent tree, but my preference would be for there to be individual choices rather than a single tree.

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

I would also like a system where a "mundane" smith can create a magical sword. It's powers should depend on his own skill (maybe the "+") and the time invested into it (other enhancements like Flaming or Vorpal). The process of creating a magical item should probably involve some kind of special components and rituals (chanting while forging a sword, the smith has to refine the metal himself or what else you can come up with). I think it might be okay if a "real" spellcaster can do things faster, but the basic process should be similar. In 3.x, I'd prefer if the crafter would need less feats and more skills. (Maybe just one or three item creation feats, a few spells to make it easier, and the rest is purely done by a Craft skill).

 

[Clavis]

I personally think creating a magic item should involve a long, difficult and dangerous ritual. Each item should be created by its own unique ritual. There shouldn't be any magic item creation feats at all. If a PC wants to create a flaming sword, they must first track down the only known copy of the ritual. Then they have to find the unique materials specified by the ritual, perhaps something like the heart of a red dragon killed under a full moon, hair from a priest of the Fire Goddess, and blood drawn from a virgin on a Friday. Then they have to perform the ritual, which may involve chanting over the sword as it is forged from meteoritic steel, and then summoning a fire elemental whose spirit will be bound into the weapon. The creation of the sword should be an adventure in itself, not something that simply occurs in downtime. Also, there may be faster ways to create some items, but they would involve massive blood sacrifice (and perhaps even less savory activities).

 

[Sir Brennen]

1. I would like all magic item creation feats to be combined into a single talent tree. A character who chooses this talent tree would be able to make anything from potions to ioun stones, so long as (s)he meets the required caster level.

(Using ranks in Craft always made more sense to me than using feats, anyway. But since skills are getting quite an overhaul, I'm not sure how this could be done.)

From the ENWorld 4E News Page, there's already some info on magic items:

To the question of whether XP will be required to make magic items Andy Collins replied, "No, Hell No." How magic items will be made in character wasn't discussed beyond a vague statement that you wouldn't be burning a feat on it, and out of character the structure of magic item creation will become more loosened.

So if feats aren't required, I don't see a talent tree being in the cards either.