Fighter uses own XP to help craft magic item!

[Heinrich_Uberlich]

OK just threw in the newpaper style headline to get people's attention. I don't know if these has been raised before but one of my players wants to sacrifice his own fighter character's XP so a wizard can make some magic items for him at a reduced cost.
Is there any official rules for this?
If there isn't should it be allowed?
If you think its OK then how much of a discount should the character get on cost?
Any help would be appreciated.
Heinrich Uberlich

 

[Mahali]

The rules state that the one with the creation feat spends the Exp. If its a duel project (like a mage and cleric) and they both have the required feats then they can choose who spends it.

We created an NPC prestige class that had the ability to use others Exp and reduced exp cost for item creation. The last ability was the potentional to use unwilling victoms exp.

I personally don't have a problem with it... I might give a 2-3 GP/exp reduction in price.

 

[RuminDange]

The closest thing I have seen to allowing something like this by the rules is in the Unearthed Arcana in the Craft Points variant rule. However, even it states that only the primary crafter pays the XP cost.

You could also work something out that allows it. Some kind of power component variant that saves the mage from using XP.

The biggest thing to think about is do you want this kind of practice a normal or possible event in the campaign world. I'd probably work something IMC, but that is only because it is a high magic world to begin with and it would just make sense.


RD

 

[Delemental]

As Mahali said, in the rules as written the person with the item creation feat pays the XP cost. In our own game, we have a house rule that a person making an item can take xp from another willing person to pay for creation costs, but the creator must pay at least half him- or herself.

(Actually, you can take xp from unwilling subjects with the right rituals as well, which sets up those 'BBEG drains life force of innocents to make Item of Power (TM)' scenarios.)

As to whether or not you should allow it, it depends on how prevalent you want magic items to be. The XP cost is the big limiter on item creation that keeps PC's from cranking them out like a Play-Doh Factory. Allowing them to share this cost will increase the number of items a player will be able to make. So if you're running a game with a lot of magic, then it's probably okay to allow sharing. If you want magic to be rare, then I wouldn't.

 

[Lord Pendragon]

As Mahali said, in the rules as written the person with the item creation feat pays the XP cost.

Actually, I do not think this is quite accurate. In a cooperative item creation project, the person who expends the xp is considered "the creator" for purposes of the item's Caster Level, and any creator-specific prerequisites (such as "creator must have 5 ranks in Jump"). But any of the co-creators can supply the feat, so long as one of them does.

The problem with the fighter lies in the fact that he doesn't have a Caster Level. Therefore he cannot provide the xp for an item, since that would make him "the creator" and give the item a Caster Level of 0 (or " - " depending on how you interpret it), which is too low for any kind of item creation at all.

If you as the DM want to allow this, then I'd suggest you allow the fighter to purchase/find/obtain an item that allows him to transfer some of his own xp into a "pool" which the wizard can then use for item creation. To prevent abuse, the provider of the xp needs to be willing, and I'd cap the amount of xp that can be "pooled" for later use.

For instance, you might let the fighter hear a rumor of a Bottle of Essence, being offered by a merchant in a nearby village. Anyone who breaths into the bottle can (if willing) offer up some of their life force (up to [some amount] xp), which is captured in the bottle. A wizard with at least 5 ranks in Spellcraft and Knowledge (Arcana) can then use this stored essence to fulfill the xp requirement in the creation of magic items.

Let the fighter get the bottle (perhaps in exchange for some favor to the merchant, never pass up a good plot hook. ) and then have the wizard pay the standard costs for item creation, but use the fighter's xp instead of his own, if the fighter so wishes.

 

[Heinrich_Uberlich]

Thanks guys, you've all been a great help. I think I'll give the idea a miss.
Thanks for the suggestions
HEINRICH

 

[Shadowdweller]

OK just threw in the newpaper style headline to get people's attention. I don't know if these has been raised before but one of my players wants to sacrifice his own fighter character's XP so a wizard can make some magic items for him at a reduced cost.

I, for one, generally house rule that one does NOT in fact need to be a caster to craft magic weapons or armor provided that one still has the necessary feats (mythology is full of such things anyway). Instead, I generally require some sort of "story component." To make a flaming sword, for instance, a smith might be forced to quench the blade in the gizzard of a red or gold dragon.

 

[Rath the Brown]

Well, my party uses this variant rule from the Epic Level Handbook, but that is for one PC making items for another PC.

...For this reason, the DM may choose to allow the creator's allies to contribute their own experience points toward this cost.

Such a contribution must be made willingly and without any form of coercion (magical or otherwise). The XP can only come from other PCs, not from NPCs. Even cohorts or other loyal comrades won't contribute experience points in this way.

The creator of the item must contribute at least one-quarter of the item's total experience point cost, regardless of the number of allies who also contribute. For example, if an item requires an expenditure of 40,000 XP, the item's creator (the character with the requisite item creation feats) must contribute at least 10,000 XP.

 

[RuminDange]

If you as the DM want to allow this, then I'd suggest you allow the fighter to purchase/find/obtain an item that allows him to transfer some of his own xp into a "pool" which the wizard can then use for item creation. To prevent abuse, the provider of the xp needs to be willing, and I'd cap the amount of xp that can be "pooled" for later use.

For instance, you might let the fighter hear a rumor of a Bottle of Essence, being offered by a merchant in a nearby village. Anyone who breaths into the bottle can (if willing) offer up some of their life force (up to [some amount] xp), which is captured in the bottle. A wizard with at least 5 ranks in Spellcraft and Knowledge (Arcana) can then use this stored essence to fulfill the xp requirement in the creation of magic items.

There is an item in the Book of Eldritch Might called the Pipes of Power that allow this kind of XP storage. Limited to 100xp/person/week.

Almost forgot about that, Pendragon's post reminded me of it.

RD

 

[JoeGKushner]

Have him take the Item Familiar Feat from Unearthed Arcana if you want to get technical.

Otherwise have the wizard have to use some type of necromantic component and cause temporary ability damage to the Fighter to represent the 'draining' effect.

The important thing is the xp and gp values are paid in my opinion. It's more of a rpg thing than anything else. Heck, the DMG even has rules to void the xp cost with power components.