D&D 5E What happened to the Playtest lower magic prices?

[fuindordm]

I think there are a few places where the DM and players can tweak magic item creation to their satisfaction:

1. The DMG says that to craft an item you pay the maximum of its price range, but also says that the market value of an item is anywhere in the range. So a rare item is 5,001-50,000 gp. I think it is reasonable for the player interested in crafting and the DM to say that underpowered rare items have a crafting time based on a smaller price in that range. If you do this you are partially decoupling rarity (because no one bothers/remembers how to make them) from rarity (because they're expensive to make).

2. A single person is unlikely to make a very rare item. But a cabal or a research center could do it in a reasonable time. When I was reading that section I asked myself "How long would it take the Circle of Eight to make this item?" "How long would it take the Elves of Gondolin (say about 40 smiths=1000gp progress per day) to make this item?" and came up with reasonable numbers. The elves of Gondolin could make a bane weapon in 50 days, OK. It's probably worth it for them to churn out a couple per year.

3. If DMs want players to be able to craft powerful items individually, there is plenty of design space to support that desire. For example, a feat that adds 1 to Int and doubles the daily progress towards item creation. Or a wizard subclass. Or the artificer class, which I'm sure we'll see eventually.

I'm totally fine with individual players not creating very rare and legendary items. If they want to have a specific one, they have to go questing for it like everyone else. But the point I'm trying to make is that the default rules can still answer the question "Where do these items come from?"

 

[KarinsDad]

I think the key, as it is with most problems people have with 5e, is to get away from 3.x thinking. In 3.x magic items are manufactured regularly and there are magic shops.

This is not true in 5e.

I think of most magic items as having a special story. I don't need to worry about who would spend the time and gold making most of the items. I think most of the items came about through some sort of unique process.

5e works a lot better and makes a lot more sense when you stop trying to fit it into 3.x' philosophy and style.

It's a bit insulting when people state that other people should get away from "that type of thinking".

It has to do with normal thinking. Where do these items come from? Who created them? Why are they just being found in musty old dungeons and typically not found in the hands of NPCs in town? If NPCs could create them, why not PCs?

And finally, is it just possible that many DMs and players LIKE the 3E concept of the players crafting items? It's part of D&D history and better yet, it's FUN for the players. The game is played by players, many of whom enjoy this type of thing. Saying that "this type of thinking" is BadWrongFun isn't very helpful.


A player of mine 30 years ago still reminiscences to this day (he talked about it over the holidays) about his PC who created his own unique magic items (he created two items) and his own magically protected stronghold (using 1E rules). 30 years later, he is still talking about this because it was so much fun.

 

[aramis erak]

Players can still craft magic items, KD. At least as long as their DM allows. Rules for it are in the DMG. The big ones require cults or longevity potions galore.. but they can be made at player direction if the players are willing to RP the raising of a cult or coven...