Magic item creation - this one seems wrong...

[Ravellion]

Alright...

Pet Peeve Alert

The caster level listed in the DMG for items is NOT a requisite. Ask any of the designers, or just read the DMG more carefully. It is there so you can calculate Saving throws for the item, and so that randomly generated items have a DC for surpressing the magic via "Dispel Magic".

 

[Spatzimaus]

The caster level listed in the DMG for items is NOT a requisite.

Didn't say it was. Caster level for items in the DMG, for the most part, only has to be high enough to cast any spells needed.
But, there ARE some items (weapons and armor being the obvious ones, although a few others like Bracers of Armor exist) that have explicit level limits. These are requirements, not recommendations.
IMC we expanded that list to include the stat-boosting items, and also said that items can't be made with a caster level less than what was needed to get the appropriate Feat.

This isn't a House Rule, it's just a personal preference on how I, as a DM (and the rest of my group, when they DM) apply the DMG item creation GUIDELINES.

 

[Pbartender]

Alright...

Pet Peeve Alert

The caster level listed in the DMG for items is NOT a requisite. Ask any of the designers, or just read the DMG more carefully. It is there so you can calculate Saving throws for the item, and so that randomly generated items have a DC for surpressing the magic via "Dispel Magic".

That, my friend, depends on who you ask and when you ask them... On one occasion I got two different answers from the same "Sage".

It also depends on your DM... Some rule it one way, some the other. And to tell the truth, the opinion of your DM is the only one that really matters.

It's a shame the FAQ doesn't address this.

Personally, I got used to seeing them as pre-reqs, because that's how our last DM used them.

 

[smetzger]

That, my friend, depends on who you ask and when you ask them... On one occasion I got two different answers from the same "Sage".

Notice he didn't include 'Sage' he said 'designers'.

One off answers from the sage via email are notoriously contradictory.

 

[CRGreathouse]

Notice he didn't include 'Sage' he said 'designers'.

One off answers from the sage via email are notoriously contradictory.

Wouldn't you call Skip "The Sage" Williams one of the designers? He was one of the core 3 design team, of course, and has his name in large print in the PH, DMG, and MM (his baby).

 

[Shard O'Glase]

Re: Re: Magic item creation - this one seems wrong...

As previous posters have indicated, the DMG price-estimation guidelines for "new items" are for DMs, not players. Here's more information -- www.superdan.net/dndfaq3.html

The pricing guidelines are for DMs, but new item creation is for both players and DMs.

 

[DreamChaser]

Re: Re: Re: Magic item creation - this one seems wrong...

The pricing guidelines are for DMs, but new item creation is for both players and DMs.

If this were the case, then there would be guildlines in the PB for designing new magical items. Since there are no guidelines in a book that players are expected to read, it can be safely inferred that the designers never intended players to have free access to designing new items.

I think that it is up to each DM as to how much control/access they give their players. But by the same token, a player should never assume.

DC

 

[niteshade6]

Well I think the main reason it's in the DMG is because essentialy there are no rules for making items. There are some guidelines if the DM want to house rule in his own items, but there are no official rules or anything like that. Since house rules are the DM's decision, it's in the DMG not the PHB.

 

[dcollins]

The caster level listed in the DMG for items is NOT a requisite. Ask any of the designers, or just read the DMG more carefully.

Like on DMG p. 178, where it says (for non-potions/scrolls/wands) "the caster level is determined by the item itself. In this case, the creator's caster level must be as high as the item's caster level (and prerequisites may effectively put a higher minimum on the creator's level)."

www.superdan.net/dndfaq2.html

 

[niteshade6]

I know in the official living campaigns, item caster level is a requirement for making the items as well. Given this and the quote Dcollins showed us, I'd say you certainly do have to be the apropriate level listed on the item.