XP cost for Item creation

[Artos]

How do I determine the XP cost for creating a magic item? I'm looking for scrolls in particular.

I.E. If I have a lvl 1 artificer creating a Repair Light Wounds scroll, what is the xp cost for creation and for that matter, what is the gp cost?

I think I understand the GP cost, but I'm not certain, and want to check. Anyone who answers, thanks!

-Chris

 

[rurbonas]

From pages 99-100 in the PHB:

The base price of a scroll is its spell level X its caster level X 25gp. To scribe a scroll, you must spend 1/25 of this base price in XP and use up raw materials costing one-half of this base price.

So, for example, a scroll of a 1st level spell scribed by a 1st level caster would have a base price of 1 X 1 X 25 = 25gp. The character scribing it would need to pay 12gp 5sp and expend 1XP.

Page 88 of the PHB has at least one decent example of the costs involved in creating a magic item. I don't have time to go check the SRD right now, but it should be in there at the beginning of the feats section.

 

[Keeper of Secrets]

All the formulas and costs would be great to be laid out in one small area, like a DM's screen or something.

 

[Dr_Rictus]

All the formulas and costs would be great to be laid out in one small area, like a DM's screen or something.

Only wands, scrolls, and potions are strictly subject to formulas, and they're all basically the same formula with different scale factors.

Arms and armor mostly are mostly subject to a formula. Rods, staves, most rings, and most wondrous items aren't. There are formulas for those things, but they're only design guidelines, not rules. Only a few of them are common and consistently-used enough to be worth learning.

The formulas, for the cases that generally adhere to formulas, are these:

Wands, scrolls, potions
spell level * caster level * X
wands: X=750
potions: X=50
scrolls: X=25

Arms: (Or ammunition, crafted in lots of 50)
2,000 * (bonus squared), plus cost of masterwork weapon
Non-formulaic costs for weapons without a bonus equivalent.

Armor
1,000 * (bonus squared), plus cost of masterwork armor
Non-formulaic costs for armor without a bonus equivalent.

XP
All of the above are gp costs. XP costs are 1/25 as much, as previously mentioned.

 

[rurbonas]

...And let's not forget about pages 282-288 in the DMG that has a number of tables breaking down the process and costs of creating magic items by spell level.

 

[Dinkeldog]

And since this is all about Rules, it's going to that forum...

 

[dcollins]

...And let's not forget about pages 282-288 in the DMG that has a number of tables breaking down the process and costs of creating magic items by spell level.

As previous poster said, they're guidelines, not rules. When the DM invents new items they're first supposed to compare to an existing item. Only if that is fruitless should the table be used to get a base estimation.

 

[UltimaGabe]

I'm currently playing two characters (in different campaigns) that specialize in magic item creation. Since all of the formulas can often be confusing (especially when you've got the Artisan feats from the ECSB), I usually take an hour or so to write out how much each level scroll, potion, wand, and arms & armor costs to make- so I end up with a page of paper with the amounts of GP and XP it costs me to make 0-level through 9th-level scrolls, 0-level through 3rd-level potions, 0-level through 4th-level wands, and how much a +1 through +10 weapon costs, and the same for armor. Work out all of the formulas on a sheet of scrap paper, and then keep the paper with the costs with your Character Sheet.

 

[Treebore]

I find creation of scrolls and potions to be easy. I look at their list price, divide by 2 (creation cost) then divide that by 25 to get the xp cost.

 

[Artos]

One Additional question:

I'm creating this as an NPC who is a Fighter 2/Artificer 5/ Warforged Jugernaut 5. He has the artisan feat which decreases the gold cost for items, so at 12th level he has 88k gold. Additionally, however, I'm wondering how much in the way of starting equipment he should start with. I'm under the impression that if he created these items (which is cheaper than buying them) I should be calculating his possessions as if he made them (assuming he's capable of doing so). Am I correct? Or should I be basing the equipment cost off of the market price? Any answers again appreciated.

-Chris