MAGIC ITEMS (CREATING MAGIC ITEMS)

CREATING MAGIC ITEMS

A creator can create an item at a lower caster level than his or her own, but never lower than the minimum level needed to cast the needed spell. Using metamagic feats, a caster can place spells in items at a higher level than normal.

Base creation costs for items are always half of the base price in gp and 1/25 of the base price in XP. For most items, the market price equals the base price.

Some items, however, cast or replicate spells with costly material components or with XP components. For these items, the market price equals the base price plus an extra price for the components. (Each XP in the components adds 5 gp to the market price.) The cost to create these items is the base raw material cost and the base XP cost (both determined by the base price) plus the costs for the components.

The creator also needs a fairly quiet, comfortable, and well-lit place in which to work. Any place suitable for preparing spells is suitable for making items. Creating an item requires one day per 1,000 gp in the item’s base price, with a minimum of at least one day. Potions are an exception to this rule; they always take just one day to brew. The caster is assumed to work for 8 hours each day. The character cannot rush the process by working longer. A character can only work on one item at a time. The character can do nothing else while working. During rest periods, the character can engage in light activity such as talking or walking but cannot fight, cast spells, use magic items, conduct research, or perform any other physically or mentally demanding task. The caster can take a short break from working (for naps and the like) as often as he or she likes, so long as the character spends at least 8 hours out of every 24 working on the item. The character cannot take a day off: Once the process has started, the character must see it through to the end or admit defeat. If the caster is disturbed while making the item, or spends less than 8 hours working in any period of 24 hours, the process is ruined. All materials used and XP spent are wasted.

Table: Calculating Magic Item Gold Piece Values

Masterwork Items

Masterwork items are extraordinarily well-made items. They are more expensive, but they benefit the user with improved quality. They are not magical in any way. However, only masterwork items may be enchanted to become magic armor and weapons. (Items that are not weapons or armor may or may not be masterwork items.)

Special Materials

In addition to magic items enchanted with spells, some substances have innate special properties. While only three such materials are presented here, other special materials may exist in a given campaign.

Adamantine: Found only in meteorites and the rarest of veins in magical areas, this ultrahard metal adds to the quality of a weapon or suit of armor based on how much of the material is used. Weapons fashioned from adamantine have a natural enhancement bonus to attack and damage. Armor fashioned from adamantine has a natural enhancement bonus to AC. These bonuses do not stack with any other enhancement bonuses. Weapons and armor fashioned from adamantine are treated as masterwork items with regard to creation times, but the masterwork quality does not affect the enhancement bonus of weapons or the armor check penalty of armor.

Adamantine has a hardness of 20 and 40 hit points per inch of thickness.

Mithral: Mithral is a very rare silvery, glistening metal that is lighter than iron but just as hard. When worked like steel, it becomes a wonderful material from which to create armor and is occasionally used for other items as well. Most mithral armors are one category lighter than normal for purposes of movement and other limitations. Heavy armors are treated as medium, and medium armors are treated as light, but light armors are still treated as light. Spell failure chances for armors and shields made from mithral are decreased by 10%, maximum Dexterity bonus is increased by 2, and armor check penalties are decreased by 3. Nonarmor or nonshield items made from mithral weigh half as much as the same item made from other metals. Note that items not primarily of metal are not meaningfully affected.

Weapons or armors fashioned from mithral are treated as masterwork items with regard to creation times, but the masterwork quality does not affect the enhancement bonus of weapons or the armor check penalty of armor.

Mithral has a hardness of 15 and 30 hit points per inch of thickness.

Darkwood: This rare magic wood is as hard as normal wood but very light. Any wooden or mostly wooden item made from darkwood is considered a masterwork item and weighs only half as much as a normal wooden item of that type. Items not normally made of wood or only partially of wood either cannot be made from darkwood or do not gain any special benefit from being made of darkwood. Armor check penalties for darkwood shields are reduced by 2. To determine the price of darkwood items, use the original weight but add +10 gp per pound to the price of a masterwork version of that item.

Darkwood has a hardness of 5 and 10 hit points per inch of thickness.

CREATING ARMOR

Armor to be enchanted must be masterwork armor, and its cost is added to the total enchantment cost to determine final market value. Additional costs for the materials are subsumed in the cost for creating the magic armor-half the market value presented in the tables in this chapter.

Creating magic armor has a special prerequisite: The creator’s caster level must be at least three times the enhancement bonus of the armor. If an item has both an enhancement bonus and a special ability, the higher of the two caster level requirements must be met.

Magic armor or a magic shield must have at least a +1 enhancement bonus to have any of the abilities listed on Table: Armor Special Abilities and Table: Shield Special Abilities.

If spells are involved in the prerequisites for making the armor, the creator must have prepared the spells to be cast (or must know the spells, in the case of a sorcerer or bard), and must provide any material components or focuses the spells require, and must pay any XP costs required for the spells.

The act of working on the armor triggers the prepared spells, making them unavailable for casting during each day of the armor’s creation. (That is, those spell slots are expended from the character’s currently prepared spells, just as if they had been cast.)

Creating some armor may entail other prerequisites beyond or other than spellcasting.

Crafting magic armor requires one day for each 1,000 gp value of the completed item.

Item Creation Feat Required: Craft Magic Arms and Armor.

CREATING WEAPONS

Only a masterwork weapon can be enchanted to become a magic weapon, and its cost is added to the total enchantment cost to determine final market value. Additional costs for the materials are subsumed in the cost for creating the magic weapon-half the base price listed on Table: Weapons, according to the weapon’s total effective bonus.

Creating a magic weapon has a special prerequisite: The creator’s caster level must be at least three times the enhancement bonus of the weapon.

A magic weapon must have at least a +1 enhancement bonus to have any of the abilities listed on Table: Weapon Special Abilities.

If spells are involved in the prerequisites for making the weapon, the creator must have prepared the spells to be cast (or must know the spells, in the case of a sorcerer or bard), and must provide any material components or focuses the spells require, and must pay any XP costs required for the spells.  The act of working on the weapon triggers the prepared spells, making them unavailable for casting during each day of the weapon’s creation. (That is, those spell slots are expended from the character’s currently prepared spells, just as if they had been cast.)

At the time of creation, the creator must decide if the weapon glows or not as a side-effect of the magic imbued within it. This decision does not affect the price or the creation time, but once the item is finished, the decision is binding.

Creating magic double-headed weapons is treated as creating two weapons when determining cost, time, XP, and special abilities.

Creating some weapons may entail other prerequisites beyond or other than spellcasting.

Crafting a magic weapon requires one day for each 1,000 gp value of the completed weapon.

Item Creation Feat Required: Craft Magic Arms and Armor.

CREATING POTIONS

The costs for materials and ingredients are subsumed in the cost for brewing the potion - 25 gp per level of the spell times the level of the caster. All ingredients and materials used to brew a potion must be fresh and unused. The character must pay the full cost for brewing each potion.

The creator must have prepared the spell to be placed in the potion (or must know the spell, in the case of a sorcerer or bard) and must provide any material components or focuses the spell requires. If casting the spell would reduce the caster’s XP total, the caster pays the XP cost upon beginning the brew in addition to the XP cost for making the potion itself. Material components are consumed when the character begins working, but focuses are not. (A focus used in brewing a potion can be reused.) The act of brewing triggers the prepared spell, making it unavailable for casting until the character has rested and regained spells. (That is, that spell slot is expended from the character’s currently prepared spells, just as if it had been cast.)

Brewing the potion requires one day.

Item Creation Feat Required: Brew Potion.

CREATING RINGS

The cost for the materials is subsumed in the cost for creating the ring. Creating a ring costs half the market value listed.

If spells are involved in the prerequisites for making the ring, the creator must have prepared the spells to be cast (or must know the spells, in the case of a sorcerer or bard), and must provide any material components or focuses the spells require, and must pay any XP costs required for the spells.  The act of working on the ring triggers the prepared spells, making them unavailable for casting during each day of the ring’s creation. (That is, those spell slots are expended from the character’s currently prepared spells, just as if they had been cast.)

Creating some rings may entail other prerequisites beyond or other than spellcasting.

Forging a ring requires one day for each 1,000 gp value of the completed ring.

Item Creation Feat Required: Forge Ring.

CREATING SCROLLS

The character needs a supply of choice writing materials, the cost of which is subsumed in the cost for scribing the scroll - 12.5 gp per level of the spell times the level of the caster. All writing implements and materials used to scribe a scroll must be fresh and unused. The character must pay the full cost for scribing each spell scroll.

The creator must have prepared the spell to be scribed (or must know the spell, in the case of a sorcerer or bard) and must provide any material components or focuses the spell requires. If casting the spell would reduce the caster’s XP total, the character pays the cost upon beginning the scroll in addition to the XP cost for making the scroll itself. Likewise, material components are consumed when the caster begins writing, but focuses are not. (A focus used in scribing a scroll can be reused.) The act of writing triggers the prepared spell, making it unavailable for casting until the character has rested and regained spells. (That is, that spell slot is expended from the character’s currently prepared spells, just as if it had been cast.)

Scribing a scroll requires one day per each 1,000 gp value of the completed scroll.

Item Creation Feat Required: Scribe Scroll.

CREATING RODS

The cost for the materials is subsumed in the cost for creating the rod. Creating a rod costs half the market value listed.

If spells are involved in the prerequisites for making the rod, the creator must have prepared the spells to be cast (or must know the spells, in the case of a sorcerer or bard), and must provide any material components or focuses the spells require, and must pay any XP costs required for the spells.  The act of working on the rod triggers the prepared spells, making them unavailable for casting during each day of the rod’s creation. (That is, those spell slots are expended from the character’s currently prepared spells, just as if they had been cast.)

Creating some rods may entail other prerequisites beyond or other than spellcasting.

Crafting a rod requires one day for each 1,000 gp value of the completed rod.

Item Creation Feat Required: Craft Rod.

CREATING STAFFS

The cost for the materials is subsumed in the cost for creating the staff - 375 gp per level of the highest-level spell times the level of the caster, plus 75% of the value of the next most costly ability (281.25 gp per level of the spell times the level of the caster), plus one-half of the value of any other abilities (187.5 gp per level of the spell times the level of the caster). To get the final price, the results can be modified by the DM by up to 20% based on the number and types of spells placed together in the same staff. Staffs are always fully charged (50 charges) when created.

If desired, a spell can be placed into the staff at only half the normal cost, but then activating that particular spell costs 2 charges from the staff. A single function can cost no more than 2 charges. The caster level of all spells in a staff must be the same.

The creator must have prepared the spells to be stored (or must know the spell, in the case of a sorcerer or bard) and must provide any material components or focuses the spells require. Fifty of each needed component are required (one for each charge). If casting the spells would reduce the caster’s XP total, the caster pays the cost (multiplied by 50) upon beginning the staff in addition to the XP cost for making the staff itself. Likewise, material components are consumed when the character begins working, but focuses are not. (A focus used in creating a staff can be reused.) The act of working on the staff triggers the prepared spells, making them unavailable for casting during each day of the staff’s creation. (That is, those spell slots are expended from the character’s currently prepared spells, just as if they had been cast.)

Creating a few staffs may entail other prerequisites beyond spellcasting.

Crafting a staff requires one day for each 1,000 gp value of the completed staff.

Item Creation Feat Required: Craft Staff.

CREATING WANDS

The cost for the materials is subsumed in the cost for creating the wand - 375 gp per level of the spell times the level of the caster. Wands are always fully charged (50 charges) when created.

The creator must have prepared the spell to be stored (or must know the spell, in the case of a sorcerer or bard) and must provide any material components or focuses the spell requires. Fifty of each needed component are required, one for each charge. If casting the spell would reduce the caster’s XP total, the character pays the cost (multiplied by 50) upon beginning the wand in addition to the XP cost for making the wand itself. Likewise, material components are consumed when the character begins working, but focuses are not. (A focus used in creating a wand can be reused.) The act of working on the wand triggers the prepared spell, making it unavailable for casting during each day devoted to the wand’s creation. (That is, that spell slot is expended from the character’s currently prepared spells, just as if it had been cast.)

Crafting a wand requires one day per each 1,000 gp value of the completed wand.

Item Creation Feat Required: Craft Wand.

CREATING WONDEROUS ITEMS

The cost for the materials is subsumed in the cost for creating the item. Creating an item costs half the market value listed.

If spells are involved in the prerequisites for making the item, the creator must have prepared the spells to be cast (or must know the spells, in the case of a sorcerer or bard), and must provide any material components or focuses the spells require, and must pay any XP costs required for the spells. The act of working on the item triggers the prepared spells, making them unavailable for casting during each day of the item’s creation. (That is, those spell slots are expended from the character’s currently prepared spells, just as if they had been cast.)

Creating some items may entail other prerequisites beyond or other than spellcasting.

Crafting a wondrous item requires one day for each 1,000 gp value of the completed item.

Item Creation Feat Required: Craft Wondrous Item.

INTELLIGENT ITEM CREATION

To create an intelligent item the, creator’s caster level must be at least 15th. Time and creation cost are based on the normal item creation rules, with the market price values on Table: Item Intelligence, Wisdom, Charisma, and Capabilities treated as additions to both time, gold piece cost, and XP cost. Determine the item’s Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma randomly. The item’s alignment is the same as its creator’s. Determine other features randomly, following the guidelines in the relevant sections of this chapter.

ADDING NEW ABILITIES

A creator can add new magical abilities to a magic item with no restrictions. The cost to do this is the same as if the item was not magical.

If the item is one that takes up a specific space on a character, any additional power added to that item doubles the cost.