Custom Item Creation Rules

[kodarr]

I don't know about anyone else but i don't like how its just simple gold to create items. So I make my PC's go get binding items to bind spells onto weapons and armors to make them magical. My only problem is to think of what CR of creatures to get these bind items from.
as of right now they all want cloaks of displacement. getting money for them isn't hard usually they will try to pillage the city they are in then flee to another kingdom they are all Level 7 characters and are in a poorly equiped kingdom since war has strucken it hard. So they are easily able to get away with this even though 2 out of the 4 of them have bounties on them. They've been quite clever with avoiding the hunters with uses of changeself and disguise checks and the likes.
anyhow i made the bind item for the 50% cloak of displacement a heart of a yuan-ti abomination since i figure thats a decent fight they'd have to put up with just to get one to make thier item.
for a 20% displacement cloak the bind item is a throglodyte throat gland since they are getting ready to enter a troglodyte cult where all the members are grafted with beholder grafts.

Anyhow i'd like some input on these ideas and any ideas on how to make item binding more useful. and some form of way to figure what CR of creatures need killed to get a bind item. of course the gp cost is still there but they need this other item to actually get the spell to be perminately afixed to the weapon or item.
This doesn't apply to scrolls potions or wands though. this is for weaps, armors, wonderous items, and rings mostly.

 

[Sledge]

For more ideas that are story based check 2nd edition monster books. They were chock full of "this creatures (part) can be used in the creation of (magic item)"

 

[pyk]

I don't know about anyone else but i don't like how its just simple gold to create items.

Just in case, did you miss the part where XP is involved? And needing to have the particular spells all prepared or scrolls ready? And the amount of time involved in making items?

It's not just gold involved in the core rules.

That being said, if you wish to make the creation of items that much harder, go ahead. Just be prepared to have magic shops where the PCs are able to purchase all the stuff they will not be able to make to be able to match the monsters you'll throw at them. This is because the CRs of monsters are based on the wealth by level charts in the books, which includes a certain amount of magic item availability.

Don't be fooled by the "I can become rich off of magic item creation" folks. The rules are NOT set up for anyone to open their own merchant shops, and the DM WILL need to make up some economic boundries for the PCs to follow in that case.

 

[Sir Brennen]

Other Ideas

Unearthed Arcana and a recent Dragon magazine article both have Power Component variants (an idea mentioned in a sidebar within the DMG.) This gives suggestions of creature parts that can be used in place of XP costs for items(and gold? I don't have my books with me).

One way to get around the "I can just buy it" mentality you're discussing is to require the power components from these lists rather than just making them an option. In addition, these components only stay "fresh" for a limited amount of time, so shops are unlikely to carry a readily available supply of most components. "Oh, yeah, just got a new batch of Nightmare's hooves' today" I don't think so.

Also, in my campaign, the gold required to make an item represents the purchase of some pretty exotic materials; those materials may or may not be available, even if the characters have the gold.

For instance, all magic items crafted by arcane casters are required to be either made from or decorated with gems and/or metal from a moon which crashed into the world eons ago.

However, these materials are no longer at the moon's crash site; they flow through the planet like blood through veins, and "mines" are temporary and short-lived enterprises. Also, it takes some very complex astrological predictions and divinations to know where the next good mining site will appear.

The dwarves of the world have a small fleet of ships that can actually sail on land, to help them get to sites quickly before they disappear, but only a small elven House has the skill to predict where a site will appear next, requiring the two unfriendly groups to grudgingly co-operate.

Obviously, you can see how it could turn into an adventure just for PCs to get material to make items, from needing to negotiate between the elves and dwarves, to helping a dwarven ship travel through dangerous territory on the way to their next claim.

 

[kodarr]

ok i need to elaborate a little more.

I don't mean to disinclude xp cost i have that as well but it just isn't magical if someone can say ok i'm paying this much gold and xp now i have this item. Know what I mean?

Plus a full party with 50% displacement at level 7 seems a little ridiculous to me.

They don't worry about the gold or xp cost that's why questing is the way i like to make them create the items. Not to mention that i wrote up tables for crafting so they can make masterwork items and make up thier own magic items by spell combinations.

My worlds balanced out with a lower number of magical items than normal making the encounters a little harder for the PC's. Since my world fits under survival horror a little more than the basic forgotten realms type setting this suffices. As well as my 4 new classes I have for PC's to choose from as well.

So in creating magical items i'm trying to come up with some form of chart of creature parts or rarities that will be needed for the creation. Or at least what CR to make a creature for finding the creatures for different effects.

So to sum it up to create a cloak of 50% displacement the PC's will need:
piece of leather from a displacer beast (focus item for displacement) Blur spell, Displacement spell, Gold and XP costs (need to look them up and vary them slightly since other items are needed), a heart of a Yuan-ti abomination (it's about the right CR for the item and the yuan-ti are known for thier horrid magic in my world.), and a binding ritual of class illusion.

Binding rituals are done by a specialist wizard that picks up the prestige class Binder. They then can perform binding rituals and dependent on thier power depends how powerful of items they can bind. (meaning the total levels of spells on the item.) Binder is mostly an NPC prestige class in my world but if a player really wanted to be one they can pick it up. However they don't get any combat benefits they are more or less magical crafters.

Some ideas i had for bind items are:
+1 bonus on ability, AC, hit, or damage = CR 3
+2 bonus on ability, AC, hit, or damage = CR 6
+3 bonus on ability, AC, hit, or damage = CR 8
+4 bonus on ability, AC, hit, or damage = CR 11
+5 bonus on ability, AC, hit, or damage = CR 14
+6 bonus on ability, AC, hit, or damage = CR 16
+7 bonus on ability, AC, hit, or damage = CR 18
+8 bonus on ability, AC, hit, or damage = CR 20
+9 bonus on ability, AC, hit, or damage = CR 23
+10 bonus on ability, AC, hit, or damage = CR 25
increase CR by 3 here after for each +1
(basically over 5 is very rare to ever find one)
+1 bonus to skill = CR 1
+2 bonus to skill = CR 1
+3 bonus to skill = CR 2
+4 bonus to skill = CR 2
+5 bonus to skill = CR 3
+6 bonus to skill = CR 4
+7 bonus to skill = CR 4
+8 bonus to skill = CR 5
+9 bonus to skill = CR 5
+10 bonus to skill = CR 6
+11 bonus to skill = CR 7
+12 bonus to skill = CR 7
Each time hits a multiple of 3 it goes to next number not repeating it however all other numbers for CR are repeated once. As above.

I need to finish my page up and i'll post the whole Binding item creation guides up that i have. They are still in the works but suggestions to make this all easier on people is welcome.
If we all get these fine tuned then it will help us all. At least if you think the same way i do about nothing should be simple when it comes to creating magic.

 

[Sledge]

I would suggest that rarity might be better measure than CR. If the characters are likely to be able to gain more than one of the item at once or in a short period of time, then it's useless. Since the items in question are only for "binding" and not the specific magic involved, perhaps make a list (DM's eyes only) of magical binding substances. Pick a power value for the substances and set freshness times. This way the players won't always be looking for Yuanti. Even rare plants and minerals could occassionally be binding items.

 

[kodarr]

Well the CR is just a guideline for what level of creature it's more for the effect that a magic item takes more than just money and expirience.
The items do need to be fresh they can last 5 days but even 10 days
Magic also needs to be involved with the spells these items just bind the magic on the item. DM always has last say in the items. I just don't like how vague the item creation is in the DMG.

i don't know if this makes it as clear as i'd like to explain it.

 

[der_kluge]

Have you checked out the Artificer's Handbook, by Mystic Eye Games?

It covers some of the very concepts you're talking about.

There is also an old thread on here that describes what components can be garnered from various creatures. Ask around for it. I'm sure someone on here has the link to it. It's a good thread.

 

[jaker2003]

Graft

they are getting ready to enter a troglodyte cult where all the members are grafted with beholder grafts.

Ok, what is this whole graft thing? Do the troglodytes have beholder eyes all over them or something?