Do you ever use item creation feats?

[boredgremlin]

My party members make magic items. But i use the rules from AD&D. Players have to cough up a point of CON for a permanent item and they actually learn from making magic items and gain xp. I allways thought paying xp was stupid.

 

[Slife]

Do you make them lose con for rezzies too?

 

[kigmatzomat]

Downtime not an issue for you (surprisingly somewhat numerous) yes folks? My campaigns certainly don't need players stopping to work on magic for months at a time.

I think the issue here is thinking "not being in a dungeon" is "down" time. Non-combat time is not "down" time IMC. The bard needs city time to do some networking, the cleric has to report in to the head office, the fighters and rogues are managing their investments, and the wizard is scribing spells.

Additionally, the the cleric, druid, and wizard do item crafting at the same time other magic items are being commissioned. If the fighter wants to turn a large chunk of platinum into a weapon+4 he either pays a party caster or comissions it from an outside agency. (Magic shops? What are those?) In both cases it takes time, time that the PC casters use.

The phrase "I'll catch up" is quite accurate to most PC casters at the higher levels. Sure, the mage can't teleport to the unseen Fortress of Mu but if the players bring along their normal, distinctive traveling pavilion tent and set it up at night he can teleport there. That tactic was used recently when the fighter commissioned a custom Sunblade (based on a scimitar/falchion instead of short sword/bastard sword) and the wizard stayed behind to make it. A high enough level cleric will do the same thing with a touch of Miracle and druids can cover immense amounts of ground with Tree Stride or just wildshape.

Many item creation tasks can be delayed or scheduled. Most years my party spend winters relaxing and handling routine tasks (magic item crafting, scribing memoirs, handling their investments, managing their lands, planning new construction, responding to the correspondence that has been piling up while they were on "up" time, etc.)

 

[Glyfair]

There's not really an option for me on the poll.

"I don't often play characters geared in that direction, but when I do, I use them frequently."

Indeed, I wonder how many people who said never actually never play characters who can use item creation feats.

I suspect it depends somewhat on how accessable magic items are in the campaign. If you can go to the local "magic mart" and buy whatever magic item you want, then they are less useful (money savings vs. an experience cost & time expenditure). If magic items you can purchase are restricted, then they are much, much more attractive (depending on how restricted they are).

Item creation feats probably played about a 50% weight in my spell choices in my first 3rd edition wizard. My current one isn't that focused on them right now (waiting for 5th level) because I'm focusing on the Dragonmarks in an Eberron game. As it is, I'm weighing taking Craft Wand or Craft Wonderous Item as my 5th level feat. When I get it, I'll be using it as often as possible.

I've found the experience cost is negligable compared to the ability to choose the magic items you carry, rather than just using what you happen to find. Also, I've never missed a "level up" because of my experience, either (of course, I was the only player not to have missed a session, too).

 

[Abraxas]

Well, I know I said never because in the group I've been gaming with for the past 15 years we never get downtime, ever, so no one ever tries to craft items or research spells.

In fact the current campaign has us in the middle of something once again and we have about 75K in resources that we can't use because we have no downtime and can't look for specific items (to purchase or quest for) - and we're in the Forgotten Realms.

Its been bugging me mightily lately.

 

[Saeviomagy]

I think a big thing here is that most people don't actually understand the cost of an item creation feat.

Let's make, for instance, a +2 sword. Normally this thing will cost you 8000gp.

If the wizard crafts it, it costs 4000gp, 8 days (not a month, not multiple months - 8 days) and 320xp. Since the guy is level 6, he's currently got at least 15320xp, and it will take him 6000xp to get to level 7. That's less than 1/10th of a level's worth. Experience award for a night of playing are liable to be in the thousands. In fact, by crafting that sword, the wizard may end up with MORE experience than his party mates (if he happens to be level 6 when they're level 7 and a big chunk of experience is handed out for instance).

That's for a +2 sword. A +2 sword is a pretty big item to have at level 6.

 

[Saeviomagy]

Well, I know I said never because in the group I've been gaming with for the past 15 years we never get downtime, ever, so no one ever tries to craft items or research spells.

Unless you can find or create a plane that has different time, you can't really fix this one.

In fact the current campaign has us in the middle of something once again and we have about 75K in resources that we can't use because we have no downtime and can't look for specific items (to purchase or quest for) - and we're in the Forgotten Realms.

Its been bugging me mightily lately.

My suggestion would be to summon something or create something to go shopping for you. A simulacrum of the party bard, or a neat little planar contract with a celestial would both work just fine.

Alternately, call in a mercane and get stuff from him.

 

[Abraxas]

My suggestion would be to summon something or create something to go shopping for you. A simulacrum of the party bard, or a neat little planar contract with a celestial would both work just fine.

Alternately, call in a mercane and get stuff from him.

Well that would work if we could actually purchase items other than wands of cure light wounds and standard potions. And, just recently we were told that it will be nearly impossible to quest for any specific item - we should be happy with what items the DM places (which is why we have 5 different items geared for underwater adventuring but have had only one adventure underwater in 9 levels)

 

[Glyfair]

My suggestion would be to summon something or create something to go shopping for you. A simulacrum of the party bard, or a neat little planar contract with a celestial would both work just fine.

Nice thing about the Eberron Dedicated Wright is you can get things "started" and leave him to do the work. Unfortunately, you still need at least some "downtime" to make the Dedicated Wright.

 

[Starglim]

Scrolls, often. I haven't played in a campaign of high enough level to make much use of the others but certainly intend to go in that direction with my wizard.