Item Creation w/o XP

[Eltern]

Name says it all. I've heard some people mention that they have house rules systems for magic item creation without burning XP, so what are they? I have set up with lots of low-level characters using magic item creation as their career, sort of a factory/merchant guild thing. But with the XP system, only those who are constantly adventuring are able to continue making magic items without losing levels, even if they're 4th level and just making Scrolls of Sleep.

So, anybody got a system to throw at me? Thanks for the help!

 

[Treebore]

Mine is simple. It does not cost any xp's to make anything until its value goes over 15,000 GP. Then it costs the "normal" amounts, including the first 15,000 GP. My "rational" for this is that the XP costs are life force, and that a persons body easily recoups this spent life force until it hits the plateau of 15,000 GP. Then the loss causes permanent life force damage that can only be repaired/compensated for by adventuring.

The other thing I do. Using XP NEVER lowers your class level. You can be a 16th level spell caster and make enough items to lower your XP's to the 14th level range, but you still function as a 16th level caster. So I have my players keep track of xp's spent on item creation and they have to earn these back before they can truly advance towards the next level. This way we can also keep track of negative levels as a separate kind of damage.

 

[Caeleddin]

Treebore - That will actually penalise the players as they no longer are subject to the "moderating influence of XP gain of different level PCs iin a party".


Eltern - I think you can't spend XP that will make you drop a level. You CAN not want to go up a level to use the XP to create stuff, but you can't spend until your level drops, IIRC.

 

[der_kluge]

Check out Artificer's Handbook, by Mystic Eye Games. There are a couple of methods of item creation that involve no XP cost. You can read the reviews of it here.

 

[Nerax]

In the campains I have been in we house ruled that is a character creats a magic item for another character there is a special ceremony where the one that is recieving the item takes the xp loss. The other thing we do is have special components that the PC's have to quest for so that when they create a magic item with the quested component they have no xp loss. The special component has to be at least 3x the xp cost in gold piece worth or be a special item like a dragon heart or Balor tusk.

Nerax

 

[Treebore]

Treebore - That will actually penalise the players as they no longer are subject to the "moderating influence of XP gain of different level PCs iin a party".


Eltern - I think you can't spend XP that will make you drop a level. You CAN not want to go up a level to use the XP to create stuff, but you can't spend until your level drops, IIRC.

Actually, yes they are still effected by it. Their fellow party members will make 17th, maybe even 18th level well before they do. So those xp rules still come into play.

Level loss isn't by the rules, but since I do not award magical treasure that is custom made for the players PC's, I allow them to spend their xp's, even if it would technically drop their level, but their level doesn't drop in my games. It just takes them that much longer to make the next level. But they have their perfectly designed magic item, so they are happy.

 

[ChrisHaines]

You might check out my first post here on EN World:
http://www.enworld.org/showthread.php?t=132193

It describes a mechanic for making magic items without XPs. Of course it relies on a system with no XPs at all, but I think it can be adapted to a game with XPs.