D&D 5E What do you want out of crafting rules?

[Maxperson]

I think that is how most players thinking. Crafting rules are for those you think differently?

Me too. I don't generally have magic shops in my settings. Magic items are rare and wonderous things that can't generally be bought and sold in most of my games.

Yeah. I made a change during late 3.5. That edition expected a party of 4 to by level 4 have something like a +1 sword, +1 armor, ring of charming(making stuff up), and like 8 other items. Magic items were a dime a dozen, almost literally(2000g for a magic sword?!).

I stopped handing out items by the handful and started making Beguiler, a +1 sword, Defender(+1 AC) that can attempt to charm an enemy 2x day. Instead of 5 little items each, they got 1 awesome item each over those 4 levels. Magic items were rarer to find and much more prized when found. Overnight my players became excited about magic items again. Instead of, "Eh, you take that one, I'll take this one, we'll give 1 to the NPC and sell the last.", it was, "Wow!" and multiple players all wanted it. The players broke out the percentile dice and rolled with the highest winning the item. I hadn't heard that happen since 2e.

 

[Maxperson]

Very interesting and quite a monumental task. I think something like this would find a decent market on teh DMsGuild. I do have on suggestion:
It is stated that failing by 5 or more ruins the cloak. I think that seems a bit harsh, conversely, I don't see a drawback for simply failing. If you want degrees of failure, maybe something like this:

• Failed check: increase time required by 50% (+25 days in this case)
• Failed check by 5-9: double time & 2x cost (+50 days & +2000gp)
• Fail by 10 or more: ruined

Thus, on a failure it can be recovered, but it may not be worth it (financially and time) to do so. It gives the player some agency and if you want to through in additional check, it is a gamble too.

I wouldn't ruin it in any case. It's already a massive in game time investment to get the recipe and track down the ingredients, spend the gold and then take 50 days.

I think that a critical failure should give the player the item, but with a drawback or curse also attached. Maybe the item only works every other round. Maybe it takes 3 rounds to turn back on after a hit. Maybe it works as advertised, but give disadvantage to social interactions as people become irritated with the wearer due to their subconscious mind trying to track the PC in two different spots at once.

 

[hopeless]

I agree, but my recent experience with 5e suggests it would be a cold day in hell before an item I'd actually want my cleric to have for example would turn up.

When my DM got me to make Arcana checks for brewing healing potions when Arcana is NOT a skill I'm proficient in as even Xanathar's Guide I don't see why that should be an Arcana check when Herbalist Kit literally screams a Nature check!

When I run my 5e game I was worried about dropping too many items by going by Xanathar's Guide.

In my campaign the Paladin has a +1 Longsword that does +1d6 lightning damage to non-fey targets and a suit of what is effectively masterwork Plate.
The Cleric has a Figuring of Wondrous Power that summons a Lantern Archon, he also has a +1 Mace and if he picked up the heavy armor proficiency as his feat at 4th level he also has a suit of Plate Mail +1.
The Shadow Sorceror has a Cape of Commanding (a vestige item that increases in power as he increases in level but has some One Ring sinister sentience along with it!), a Ring of Shielding (a ring version of the brooch).
The Rogue has a +1 Rapier and a Lantern of Revealing.
There's also two spell books thats probably in the Sorceror's possession despite them intended for the Arcane Trickster Rogue.

In my former DMs campaign
Swashbuckler has what I assume is his Hexblade and a Periapt of Wound Closure
The Pyromaniac Half elven Wizard has some Gloves of Missile Snaring and a Dagger of Venom the Swashbuckler gave her as my character refused to use a poisoned weapon.
The Gnome Transmuter has an Alchemy Jug and a Circlet of Blasting
My character the Cleric has a Periapt of Health and I wasn't bothered about that!

You can see why I thought I was giving away too many items when compared to his campaign!

Would like a bit more detail to the crafting side even if it applies to mundane items!

 

[CleverNickName]

Here's my stab at it.

CRAFT AN ITEM
Crafting an item is a downtime activity. If your character has access to the proper tools and materials, and if they have a suitable place to work (a laboratory, a forge, a workshop), they can craft an item with a successful ability (artisan's tools) check. The amount of time, cost and type of materials required, and the difficulty class of the ability check are all set by the DM on a case-by-case basis.

Mundane Items:
Example: a shield, a dagger, a crowbar, a clay pot
Time: 1-7 days of downtime, depending on size and complexity of the item.
Cost: Crafting the item requires raw materials, blueprints, etc. that are worth the purchase price of the item.
Ability Check: Varies (Artisan's Tools) DC 10-15, depending on the size and complexity of the item. You will also need access to the proper tools and workspace, such as a forge for a dagger or a kiln for a clay pot.

Alchemical Items:
Example: alchemist's fire, acid, healing potion, poison
Time: 1-3 days, at the DM's discretion this may be done over a long rest
Cost: Crafting the item requires raw materials, recipes, formulae, etc. worth the purchase price of the item.
Ability Check: Intelligence (Alchemist's Tools) DC 12. You will also need access to a laboratory and a set of alchemist's tools.

Magical Items, Single-Use
Example: potion of greater healing, scroll of protection, Keoghtom's Ointment
Time: 1-3 days, at the DM's discretion
Cost: Crafting the item requires raw materials, recipes, and formulae. The cost of these items are set by the DM, using the magic item values listed in the DMG as a guide for "single use items." They may also require certain rare ingredients that cannot be purchased at any price, and must be collected or recovered personally. The DM will provide the details.
Ability Check: Varies (Artisan's Tools, Arcana) DC 15 and up, depending on the item's rarity and power. You will also need access to the proper tools and workspace, such as a laboratory or writing desk.

Magical Items, Unlimited Use
Example: dagger +1, bag of holding, cloak of protection
Time: 1-5 weeks of downtime, at the DM's discretion
Cost: Crafting the item requires raw materials, recipes, and formulae. The cost of these items are set by the DM, using the magic item values listed in the DMG as a guide. It must also require one or more rare ingredients that cannot be purchased at any price, and must be collected or recovered personally. The DM will provide the details as needed.
Ability Check: Varies (Artisan's Tools, Arcana) DC 15 and up, depending on the item's rarity and power. You will also need access to the proper tools and workspace, such as a forge, kiln, loom, or carpentry shop.

 

[tetrasodium]

I'm going to agree with pretty much everything @Ruin Explorer wrote about that @6ENow!, my initial thoughts were to suggest a sidebar somewhere talking about how alignments of the planes & various other fantasy treknobabble meant that ingredients tend to vary, but the "this is how one crafter made it" is probably a better tact. The skill checks don't really add anything though actually detract from the process. I used a home cheesemaking example for times earlier so will stick with that, I may not be up to the point where I could crank out something on par with the 2019 world cheese award grand prize winning "organic, cave-aged blue cheese that is wrapped in Syrah grape leaves that are soaked in pear spirits", but I made blue cheese & more than one kind of wine soaked cheese at some point after learning the basics of cheesemaking & feel like I would probably have a100% chance of making something that could be called "organic, cave-aged blue cheese that is wrapped in Syrah grape leaves that are soaked in pear spirits" if I had the leaves & hit totalwine for pear spirits as I'm proficient at cheesemaking & no individual step is actually difficult to reach a level that could be qualified as successful.

 

[Asisreo]

Here is an example of what I am working on:
View attachment 133527
I'm not sure if this is what many people want (I haven't had time to read through the thread), I am really doing it for my own groups and my goal is to do all the magic items in the DMG.

This is quite beautiful and kudos for attempting the entire Magic Item DMG.

Usually, I do the same as you but I mostly improvise and they aren't nearly as detailed or cool as this. Its usually put on looseleaf paper.

 

[el-remmen]

I haven't paid much attention to the mundane crafting rules, but just yesterday I worked on my first "recipe" for a magical item which will appear in the marginalia of a necromancer's spellbook they found).

I wrote it up like this and this is the kind of thing I'd like listed (or at least suggested) for each item:

Creating Bag of Bones (rare) requires:

• a leather bag or satchel of masterwork quality especially made to have the arcane runes for "death" and "spirit" woven on it it (the cost of which is part of the listed cost of the item).
• The bones of 20 soldiers killed in battle and left to rot on the field
• The ashes of a holy text or scroll
• a vial of unholy water
• Be at least 5th level
• Be able to prepare and cast Animate Dead every day of crafting
• 5000 gps in materials

Furthermore, the instructions include guidelines for creating a magical circle for enchanting the item, the ideal times and places for doing this work (the night of the new moon, at midnight, in a graveyard, or ancient battlefield, etc. . )

Lastly, I have increased the GP increment for determining number of days from 25 gps to 100 gps - so it'd take 50 days - but have decided this number of days is modified by your spellcasting ability score modifier for each 1000 in the cost. So, a Wizard with a 16 Intelligence would modify the time by 15 days, doing it in 35. If multiple crafters work on it together only the highest score applies to modifying it, but the total time is halved for each additional person to a minimum of one full day.

In some cases, items have limits as to how many people can work on them at once.

I have made some adjustments to this and posted an example of a spell book holding the "recipe" for this item (among other things) in another thread, if folks are interested.

 

[Tales and Chronicles]

I would prefer if the crafting was more about creating your own custom magic items than recreating those already in the DMG. What if once I created my sling of giant slaying, I want to add a charm effect 1d4 charges per day? There no such item in the guide, so we are back to handwaving and improvising recipes.

That's why I suggest template to add.

ex:

Armor of Wraith Warding
requirements:

• A suit of armor
• rags taken from an creature with the undead type
• 1 pound of grave dust
• 100 gp worth of either smiting material for a metal armor or cured hard leather for armor made of leather or hide.

Preparation roll:
- You first need to consecrate the work station for 3 long rest. Make an Intelligence (religion) check against a DC 11 after you the third rest. On a success, the Creation roll is made with Advantage, while a failure gives disadvantage on the same roll. If the roll fails by 5 or more, you waste half the crafting materials' worth and you cant attempt the same roll until the next dawn.

Creation roll:
- You work on your masterwork for 5 long rest at your workstation. Make a DC 15 Intelligence, Dexterity or Strength check at the end of the fifth rest, adding your proficiency bonus if you are proficient with the Leatherworker's tools or Smith's tools. On a success you craft the armor. Refer to the table to see the result:

Roll	Result
Failure by 10 or more	Cursed: the wearer of the armor has disadvantage against any attempt at possession.
Failure	The item is not enchanted but no material is lost.
Success	The armor gives +1 AC against attack from undeads. The wearer has advantage to resist possession.
Success by 10 or more	The armor gives +1 AC against attack from undeads. The wearer has advantage to resist possession and against charm and fear effect from undeads.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

I don't see any actual upside to the checks existing. I think they're there because some people think everything has to involve checks, rather than because they serve a real purpose. Especially given there's a narrative way the cloak can get ruined too.

I mean, players will pretty much always have Advantage thanks to the Help rules (which makes the whole "leatherworking tools" thing irrelevant). The writer should avoid the temptation to make a special exception to that rule - it would serve no purpose but aggravation. Instead, embrace preparedness. If the players have proficiency in everything involved, and already have instructions on how to make the cloak, I don't think there should be checks at all. If they're not proficient, then I see a point to the checks, because they're trying to do something they don't really know how to.

What should be focused on is obtaining the materials - i.e. actual adventuring - and the flavour and magical-ness of turning them into the cloak, not swearing loudly because you failed an Arcana check by 1 point.

As a player that is very fond of crafting focused characters, I am deeply unsatisfied when there is no rolling of any kind involved in the actual crafting process.

I’m happy to let that rolling determine things other than success or failure, however.

 

[RangerWickett]

I played a blacksmith turned brawler in a Pathfinder "Iron Gods" adventure path campaign, which involved crashed spaceships and sci-fi technology sharing the landscape with high fantasy tropes and Lovecraftian monsters.

I wanted my storyline to be about understanding tech and using it to build fantastic magic items, whereas another PC just wanted to learn to recreate technology as is. So, like, he'd have power armor and a lightning rifle, and I'd make a belt of giant strength by extracting the supernatural essence from the husk of a defeated giant robot, and a sword that could shift into different shapes and gain different powers as needed because I'd extracted the soul of a piece of a holographic AI-clone of myself and imbued it into the blade.

But mechanically, I just used Craft feats and paid money. It was fine, I suppose. I might have enjoyed being rewarded for actively seeking out ingredients, but I just post hoc justified my crafting as using various ingredients we had discovered in our adventures.