Create Wonderous Items

[zlorf]

Hi,

This still confuses me, it just seems to easy to make stuff once you get the feat.

Can someone tell me what caster level do you need to be to make Gauntlets of Ogre Power?

The dmg mentions CL=6, but apparently as long as you can cast 2nd level spells , ie Bulls Strength, you would only need to be a 3rd lvl caster.

But thens there's this from Rules of the Game :
http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/rg/20050104a

Creating Wondrous Items

A wondrous item can have any kind of magical powers, but in general, creating a wondrous item is just like creating a magic ring or rod.

Prerequisites: To make a wondrous item, you need the Craft Wondrous item creation feat. (The feat itself has a caster level of 3rd as a prerequisite.) The creator also must have a caster level at least equal to the item's caster level and must meet any other prerequisites noted in the item's description. Anyone creating an entirely new wondrous item must include a list of prerequisites along with the new item description.

Caster Level: A wondrous item's caster level is fixed -- the creator cannot adjust it as she can for a scroll, potion, wand, or staff.


So does that mean they can create Gauntlets of Ogre Power, but at Caster Level 3, which is then used for determining things such saving throws against dispell magic?

Cheers
Zlorf

 

[Legildur]

CL 6th. No options there. But it could be Bard 6 or even Paladin 6.

 

[Thanee]

Yes, you can make the gauntlets at 3rd caster level. The item then has a caster level of 3rd, which is enough to fulfill all spell prerequisites, and since your caster level is as high as that of the item you can make it.

I have no idea why they have set arbitrarily high caster levels on some items.

Bye
Thanee

 

[ElectricDragon]

This business of the creator's CL needing to be equal or higher than the item's CL is not in the SRD that I can find. The CL of the item is not a prerequisite; it is instead listed before the prerequisites and denotes the relative power of the finished item.

Here are the revelant sections:

A magic item’s saving throw bonus equals 2 + one-half its caster level (round down).

• Caster Level: The next item in a notational entry gives the caster level of the item, indicating its relative power. The caster level determines the item’s saving throw bonus, as well as range or other level-dependent aspects of the powers of the item (if variable). It also determines the level that must be contended with should the item come under the effect of a dispel magic spell or similar situation. This information is given in the form “CL x,” where “CL” is an abbreviation for caster level and “x” is an ordinal number representing the caster level itself.
For potions, scrolls, and wands, the creator can set the caster level of an item at any number high enough to cast the stored spell and not higher than her own caster level. For other magic items, the caster level is determined by the creator. The minimum caster level is that which is needed to meet the prerequisites given.

While item creation costs are handled in detail below, note that normally the two primary factors are the caster level of the creator and the level of the spell or spells put into the item. A creator can create an item at a lower caster level than her own, but never lower than the minimum level needed to cast the needed spell. Using metamagic feats, a caster can place spells in items at a higher level than normal.

This is clearly another case of the Rules of the Game trying to add to the Core Rules with its own interpretation. IMHO, this makes it House Rules not Core. DMs are free to follow these rules, but they are not Core Rules or errata.

Ciao
Dave

 

[TheGogmagog]

I believe all the relevant quotes, except the SRD section on prerequisites are listed. WOTC has been consistent that caster level is a prerequisite, ie you can't make the gauntlets or belts at caster level 3. I remember Monte Cook saying that it wasn't intended to be a prerequisite, just a default caster level for found items, but I recall him being opposed to it being a prerequisite either. From how I read the phb, it seems to me that it is indeed a prerequisite.

As Electric Dragon mentioned, the RAW says crafted items match the crafters caster level. This would still be subject to the minimum caster level, but would have no upper limit. This produces some small problems, asigning caster levels on found items, tracking what caster level items were crafted at, and how do higher caster levels affect the price? These arn't impossible to overcome, but it is much easier (and apparently the RotG writers house rule) to fix the caster level to the minimum.

 

[Brother MacLaren]

I think it's intended to be a "default caster level."
In a FEW cases, a caster level is explicitly called out as a prerequisite: magic weapons, Amulet of Mighty Fists, Amulet of Natural Armor, Bracers of Armor, Cloak of Resistance, Golem Manuals, and Pearl of Power. This suggests that where it is NOT spelled out as a prerequisite, it is not intended to be a prerequisite.

Ioun Stones and Scarab of Protection make reference to creator's level, not creator's caster level, which is odd.

 

[Christian]

CL 6th. No options there. But it could be Bard 6 or even Paladin 6.

Paladin 12, actually ...

 

[pawsplay]

Paladin 12, actually ...

Paladin 6... they have several spell-like abilities, and therefore qualify.

 

[Legildur]

I actually meant Pal12 as in Pal (caster level) 6. But Pawsplay raises an interesting possibility.

 

[Delta]

Can someone tell me what caster level do you need to be to make Gauntlets of Ogre Power?

WOTC sources keep going back and forth about it. I prefer saying 6th for simplicity.