Where to find XPs for item creation?

[cmanos]

Epic-level handbook has a suggestion to allow other willing characters to share the XP cost with you. But the actual creator (i.e., you) must pay at least 1/4 of the cost himself.

This is how we rule in the game I run and in the game I play in. Everyone kicks in like 10% of gained experience into a pool.

 

[Kast]

Talk to your DM about it. If he or she can't help you, I'd just stop making items for the rest of the group. IMC, if the item creator doesn't want to spend xp, they can instead use special components which are rare and of limited supply as a substitute to "personal power".

 

[Trainz]

Rules of the Game, Magic Items, Part 7:

http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/rg/20050118a

A Completely Unofficial Rule: Cooperative Item Creation

As noted back in Part One, more than one character can cooperate in the creation of an item, with each participant providing one or more of the prerequisites. According to the rules, however, XP costs cannot be shared. One character must shoulder the XP burden alone.

If players in your game are avid magic item creators, you might want to experiment with shared XP costs. You can allow characters who work together on a magic item to divide up the XP cost any way they like. To share the cost, a character must provide at least one of the item's prerequisites. Any division of the XP cost is possible, provided that all the creators agree to the scheme.

If you have the kind of campaign in which some of your players pester the others to make magic items for them, you might want to allow any character to share the XP cost to make an item. An XP donor must be present each day during the item's creation (or at least when work begins on the item each day). Allow the XP donation to be strictly voluntary -- it doesn't work if the donor is magically charmed or compelled, or if the donor is bullied or intimidated into contributing. On the other hand, allowing evil spellcasters to force XP from unwilling victims might just add the right touch of nastiness to dark fantasy campaigns.

That's what we do in our campaigns. Whoever benefits from the item pays the full XP and gp cost.

 

[Tarril Wolfeye]

I appreciate your help, people, I really do, but I posted this question originally to check if there was in existence a spell or item that would allow me go get XPs elsewhere (maybe out of useless magic items).

That's why I posted this question to General before it was moved to Rules.

Well I did not sit idle and found these possibilities:

- Artificer class (Eberron), 5th lvl: retain essence
- Master Arcane Artisan prestige class (Epic level magic Web-article), 10th lvl: Cannibalize magic items
- Sacrifice (BoVD): dark craft XPs, needs Knowledge (religion)
- XP sharing would solve the problem, but unfortunately it's not possible.
- a friend told me there's something found in the Dungeon about the Githyanki, anybody know about that?

As I don't want to spend 5 levels in multiclass and I am not near epic level, I just hope the Dungeon about Githyanki has something useable.

 

[Darkness]

- a friend told me there's something found in the Dungeon about the Githyanki, anybody know about that?

The lich queen's crown of corruption (a major artifact) grants you an energy drain attack and three options of what should happen with corpses of creatures you kill with the attack.
The third option is the relevant one. (The other two allow you to create special undead.) It allows you to change the corpse into a substance useful for magic item creation or spellcasting. Each corpse provides 100xHD XP for these purposes.

I suspect acquiring the crown is probably not a realistic option unless you are very powerful, though.

 

[Tarril Wolfeye]

The lich queen's crown of corruption (a major artifact) [...] allows you to change the corpse into a substance useful for magic item creation or spellcasting. Each corpse provides 100xHD XP for these purposes.

A major artifact, eh? Well, as it sounds quite evil it's out of the question anyway, thank you.

The thought bottle of Complete Arcane almost works, but my DM ruled that spending XP is not the same thing as losing them (and I agree).

Now an item anyone can put some of his XP into to be used by another one would be the right thing.
What would such an item cost? I'm at a loss here.

 

[Darkness]

Well... Exactly how would it work?

I'd say it's Necromancy effect, which suggests some prerequisites. Or maybe you'll need to research a new spell first.
I'm assuming donors must be willing.
How long does it take to donate the XP?
How many XP can it store?
Can the XP only be used for item creation or also to pay the XP cost of spellcasting?

 

[aco175]

My campaign has used a feat that allows the creator to take some of the XP from a willing person, forgot the name of it though. Another thing that we have done is to allow XP to be taken from other magic items. It allows 1/2 or 1/4 the original cost and it is one way to help get rid of some of the items that may be in excess around the campaign.

 

[ARandomGod]

A major artifact, eh? Well, as it sounds quite evil it's out of the question anyway, thank you.

The thought bottle of Complete Arcane almost works, but my DM ruled that spending XP is not the same thing as losing them (and I agree).

Now an item anyone can put some of his XP into to be used by another one would be the right thing.
What would such an item cost? I'm at a loss here.

I did it simple. Cost 2500 and NO xp. (It would normally cost 100 XP) The item is designed to be XP hungry, and you need to make a will save DC1 or it will take 100 XP from you every round you hold it (you can, of course, choose not to make the save). It can hold up to 1000 XP before it's "full", although it will still attempt to siphon off XP, because the 100 XP hole you made in the gem never gets filled.

Increase the cost for increased XP holding. And the XP can only be used for item creation, not spell casting. Scribe scroll is technically item creation. Anyone holding it will know that it's attempting to suck at their life force. Etcetera.

You can also increase the cost to increase the save DC> Thereby opening the path to evil items.