Sharing Item Creation Costs: Good or Bad?

[maddman75]

Heck, I've been contemplating getting rid of XP and gold costs altogether.

Before you call me crazy, here's what I'm thinking. In standard D&D, players kill things and take their stuff. Or if they're stealthy, they sneak past them and steal their stuff. Or if they're charismatic, they convince things to give them their stuff. Either way, they get stuff.

Now most of the stuff they can't use or don't want. So they spend gold/xp to turn it into other stuff. So why can't we cut out the middleman?

Let's say that magic weapons and armor don't have a fixed value. They reflect the power that their weilder has, and become attuned to him. This is the bare bones of the system I have in mind.

When you find a new magic weapon or piece of armor, it's basically Masterwork. If you're 3rd level and have had it for at least most of a level, then it becomes +1. Every three levels you can add another +1, either in an actual bonus or a weapon property. I may add other minor abilities as well, such as cantrips or low level spells or skill bonuses, just to keep things interesting.

Now I don't have to give out a ton of stuff just so that the PCs can keep up with the Jones's. Anything with a scaling factor could work like this. Other items work as normal. I'd have to allow for several items in all likelyhood. Maybe actually give them a bonus every level past 3rd, but you have to use them on different items. You can save them, but even if you have bonuses 'saved' you still have to have the item for most of a level (at it's lowest potential) before you can add any onto it.

It will make magical items much less valuable - they are personal things that have to be developed over time, not an instant bonus.

Sorry for potentially dragging this into house rules. I'll probably post something on that forum when I get time to flesh out the idea a little more.

 

[clark411]

I think it's a bad idea in general. While it's not necessarily a given, it's well within the expectations of any group or designer, that a spellcaster with an item creation feat may be making items for other members of the party. No variant (save that in the ELH for Epic level items) allowing normal xp splitting implies a balance achieved by having one player decide whether or not to spend for the group.

Personally, as someone who is playing a item creation caster, I gotta say that:

A) the feats I have taken as a cleric (Craft Wondrous, Scribe Scroll) are extremely powerful, and

B) if I was able to share the XP costs with the entire group, we would all be decked out from head to toe in magic items and scrolls.

Really, when the experience costs can be split 4 ways, you are opening up the possibility for 4 times more magic items in the party than you would with the normal feat.

 

[Oni]

One of the spells I've been thinking about asking the DM if I can research would be something like that.

I was thinking willing (non magically compulsed) person could give sacrifice xp toward creating and item. Maybe store it in an expensive gemstone which would be burned out when it was used, and there would be a small xp cost associated with storing it like 200xp for the wizard casting that way it woudn't be used all the time for every little thing. Just something to keep the demands on the item creator a little less demanding.

 

[anon]

House rule

Sharing the XP Burden
Others may share the XP cost of creation, following the general formula:

caster cost = normal cost ÷ number of participants
each participant's cost = 2 x normal cost ÷ number of participants.

So, the caster may cut their XP cost in half if another accepts the full XP cost, or to 1/3 if there are three participants. For example, with one additional participant, an item that would normally cost 600XP, would only cost the caster 300XP, and would cost 600XP for the participant. A third person would cut the caster's cost to 200XP (1/3 of normal) and each additional participant 400XP (2/3 normal). A fourth participant: caster 150XP (1/4), others 300XP (2/4).

Giving up experience must be completely voluntary. There can be no element of compulsion or even expectation. There must be very little power differential between the caster and the additional person(s), otherwise it is considered to be non-voluntary and does not work. Due to this requirement it is impossible to get hirelings, servants or slaves to give up their XP in order to make your magic items.

 

[Trainz]

That's what I do IMC.

Anyone can pay up to 75% of the X.P. cost of an item creation, but has to be present at the time of creation.

It didn't create situations where the party was over-boosted, like Frank is mentioning.

In fact, when PC's are "shopping" around for a certain item, sometimes they HAVE to pay the XP cost. Meaning, the party actually spends more XP for items than in regular campaigns. The PC is then facing the decision of either paying the XP (and gold) for the item, or wait until he can find an XP free version. Most of the time, my PC's spend the XP, because they want the item RIGHT AWAY.

I have a system I created for availability of items and cost, depending on rarity of item and locale in which the inquiry is made. It is based on 3 skills: Gather Information, Knowledge Arcana, and Knowledge Religion. PC's tend to boost these skills if only to have better access to rare items.

It is quite cool IMC.