Creating magical items in a rare magic world

[Moff_Tarkin]

This might belong in house rules but I am hoping to find a solution that should work with the set rules.

Our DM is running a low magic game. You cant have arcane levels higher than half your total level, and magical items cost twice to four times as much. Well, I did the smart thing and played a cleric with a bunch of magic item creation feats. But someone mentioned a minor problem with that. Like I said, this is a world were magic is very rare, so magic items cost anywhere from double to quadruple the cost. Some players think this means that the cost for materials should raise to match the prices. I dont believe that makes sense. A masterwork weapon or armor costs normal price in this world. I am not buying magical items, I am buying mundane items and using my magical skills to enchant them. Magic items are expensive becouse magic is rare, should that raise the cost for the mundane components used to make them? One former DM liked to double the cost of every purchased item so materials would be double in his game. However, he ruled that since the cost was doubled the xp should be as well. I know that is a load of BS. Just becouse the local merchant was realy greedy doesnt mean creating your magical items takes more of your life force.

 

[Li Shenron]

What you are talking about is IMHO very DM's stuff. If the setting is such that those components cost that much, that's it. You are just going to have much less magic items in this campaign.

 

[Thanee]

It's actually quite reasonable that the components cost that much under this premise, since they will likewise be rare.

Bye
Thanee

 

[Moff_Tarkin]

Well, the real problem I have here is that the rules (as far as I know) dont say what the components are. Of course you need a masterwork weapon to make a magic weapon, and a cloak to make a cloak of resistance. Aside from that, it does not explain what the materials are. If they are non magical they should not increase in price as magical items do. The DM has stated that everything else in his game including alchemy items, like tunderstones, and special metals, like mitral and adamantium, are at base book cost. So even if the components for making a magic item are alchemical or speical in nature, they should not cost more. Of course if you need to buy little magical gems or somthing that might be different.

 

[Moff_Tarkin]

And lets say some of the components are magical, like a little magical gem you use to enchant a sword. Well how did the gem get magical. Someone had to create it so there must be rules for crafting such things. If so I can just start crafting the magical components to make magical items. I would still only be buying mundane things which are at normal cost.

 

[cordell]

This is the DM's prerogative. In his campaign, he has deemed it such that magic is rare, and just because he didn't think of Item Creation feats and tell you in advance, doesn't mean he will change his campaign to suit you. If he decides the materials cost more, then they cost more, *period*. No_amount_of_logic_or_reasoning_will_change_his_mind.

In my opinion, your best bet is to appeal to him, and tell him you would never have taken the item creation feats, if you had known the components would cost 4 times as much, too. Then, maybe, he will let you buy other feats instead, and you can go on enjoying his campaign with the other players, instead of having a character you don't want to play.

 

[Thanee]

Components to build alchemial stuff are common. Alchemical items are common.
Components to build magical stuff are rare. Magic items are rare.
These components (whatever they are) are not the same.
The components for magical stuff are not useful for anything else.

That's the premise, since that is basically what your DM decided it to be.

There's nothing to argue, those are facts for the game world your DM set the campaign in.

Bye
Thanee

 

[CRGreathouse]

And lets say some of the components are magical, like a little magical gem you use to enchant a sword. Well how did the gem get magical. Someone had to create it so there must be rules for crafting such things. If so I can just start crafting the magical components to make magical items. I would still only be buying mundane things which are at normal cost.

It's clear, then, that the mundane components of magical items are the powdered brains of high-level wizards. Since magic is rare, these will be hard to find.

 

[green slime]

Your DM has established that magical items are rare. You try to get around this by taking feats and expect the costs of manufacturing items to remain the same? Then wouldn't every tom, dick and harry do the same? Which in turn would reduce the cost of magical items, because then they would no longer be rare....

If the DM has said the price of magical items is doubled or quadrupled, then I'd assume the same would apply to the cost to manufacture them. At the very least, I would ask before taking the feat.

The feats you have taken are still far from useless, however, as you will still maintain the magic-to-treasure ratio you would've had, had the original cost of the items not increased. Also, I find the value of the Item Creation feats is actually higher in such a campaign, as the ability to custom tailor your items becomes even more important in a campaign where the magical treasure is thin on the ground.

 

[Moff_Tarkin]

I did some thinking and thought the components for magical items should be the same as components for spells, maybe some crushed dimonds, a few pearls, ect. In any case materials wouldent cost more. All non magical items are base cost no matter how rare. Thats why party members are running around with mitrial armor and adamantium weapons. But thats not the point. I may be right but if the DM wants to dramatically raise the cost of magic items and the cost of components as well then that is his call to make and I must respect that. The DM did say we cant have arcane levels higher than half our total level. I just thought that magic was rare becouse there were no wizards out there crafting items.

Just in case it does come up, does everyone agree that upping the cost of magic items due to rarity or greedy merchants should not increase the xp cost to make them. Just becouse I got a good or bad deal on materials doesnt mean it should take more or less life force.

Here is a funny story, though I actually side with the DM on this one. I think the component for stoneskin is 250 gold worth of ruby dust. Anyway, our DM was running a game where everything was double book cost since the people running the kingdom were so greedy. So 250 gold of ruby dust should cost 500. But I just spent 250 saying "I spent 250 gold on this ruby dust so by that very fact it is 250 gold worth of ruby dust"