Magic Item Crafting Rules: Difference between revisions
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===Effective Caster Level and the Magic Item Creation Check=== | ===Effective Caster Level and the Magic Item Creation Check=== | ||
* To create magic items, characters must have the [[Creator]] feat. No exceptions! The Creator feat represents the innate talent required to handle magic and infuse it into an object. Creator allows a character to invest time and money in an item's creation. | * To create magic items, characters must have the [[Creator]] feat. No exceptions! The Creator feat represents the innate talent required to handle magic and infuse it into an object. Creator allows a character to invest time and money in an item's creation. During each Interval of this Abstract process the Creator may make a single Skill Roll (using any of Divinity, Naturalism, Reason, Spellcraft, Spycraft, or Warcraft) and bank up to half the Action Dice (usually with the largest numbers of pips) to build up enough Action Pips to finish the item. If there are multiple possible skills which could apply to this roll, the player chooses which skill to make the check with. | ||
* All items list a caster level required. Spellcasters use their own, natural caster level to satisfy this requirement. Non-spellcasters gain an Effective Caster Level based on the number of skill points they have spent on either Divinity, Naturalism, Reason, Spycraft, or Warcraft. This Effective Caster Level can never be higher than the class level of the class which qualifies for the skill they are using for the creation roll. For example, if a Paladin takes the Creator feat at 15th level and has spent seven skill points in Divinity, then for item creation purposes she has an effective caster level of seven. Conversely, if that same Paladin had fifteen ranks in Divinity, her Effective Caster Level is fifteen for item creation. | * All items list a caster level required. Spellcasters use their own, natural caster level to satisfy this requirement. Non-spellcasters gain an Effective Caster Level based on the number of skill points they have spent on either Divinity, Naturalism, Reason, Spycraft, or Warcraft. This Effective Caster Level can never be higher than the class level of the class which qualifies for the skill they are using for the creation roll. For example, if a Paladin takes the Creator feat at 15th level and has spent seven skill points in Divinity, then for item creation purposes she has an effective caster level of seven. Conversely, if that same Paladin had fifteen ranks in Divinity, her Effective Caster Level is fifteen for item creation. | ||
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* While item creation costs are handled in detail in the linked pages above, note that the two primary cost factors are the caster level and the level of the spell (or the allowed substitutions) put into the item. A creator can create an item at a lower caster level than her own, but never lower than the minimum level needed to cast the prerequisite spell. | * While item creation costs are handled in detail in the linked pages above, note that the two primary cost factors are the caster level and the level of the spell (or the allowed substitutions) put into the item. A creator can create an item at a lower caster level than her own, but never lower than the minimum level needed to cast the prerequisite spell. | ||
* The DC to create a magic item is 10 + the | * The DC to create a magic item is 10 + double the Impossible Skill Check number for the CL of the item. Note that you CAN attempt to craft items with a Caster Level higher than your own Effective Caster Level! While possible, this is not recommended. If a spell is required that has a minimum caster level of five (such as a fireball), you could choose to set the caster level to 10, increasing the cost and creation DC, but also increasing the power of the spell when it is cast from the item. | ||
* Using the metamagic feat [[Heighten Spell]] (or the metamagic rod, if you have one), it is also possible to place spells in items at a higher level than normal. The primary reason to do this is to make the saving throw DC higher, though this is only really applicable to offensive spells. | * Using the metamagic feat [[Heighten Spell]] (or the metamagic rod, if you have one), it is also possible to place spells in items at a higher level than normal. The primary reason to do this is to make the saving throw DC higher, though this is only really applicable to offensive spells. | ||
* Failing the magic item creation check means that the item does not function and the materials and | * Failing to expend enough pips on the magic item creation check means that the item does not function and the materials, time, money, and pips are wasted. Failing this check by 5 or less results in a working but cursed item. Yikes! Note that cursed items are almost always subtle, IE, the creator does not know they are cursed. All creation rolls with a chance for a cursed item are made in secret by the GM. Note that is is VERY unlikely that a player character will create a cursed item for their own use, but an NPC just might. Such acts of spite are where many cursed items in the world come from. | ||
* All items have prerequisites in their descriptions. These prerequisites must be met for the item to be created. Most of the time, they take the form of spells that must be known by the item's creator (although access through another magic item or spellcaster is allowed). The DC to create a magic item increases by 5 for each prerequisite the creator does not meet. The only exception to this is the Creator feat, which is mandatory. In addition, you cannot create potions, spell-trigger, or spell-completion magic items without meeting its prerequisites. Note that due to this requirement, it is much easier for a spellcaster to make these items, as seeking substitutes for a potion takes just as long as seeking a substitute for a mighty sword. | * All items have prerequisites in their descriptions. These prerequisites must be met for the item to be created. Most of the time, they take the form of spells that must be known by the item's creator (although access through another magic item or spellcaster is allowed). The DC to create a magic item increases by 5 for each prerequisite the creator does not meet. The only exception to this is the Creator feat, which is mandatory. In addition, you cannot create potions, spell-trigger, or spell-completion magic items without meeting its prerequisites. Note that due to this requirement, it is much easier for a spellcaster to make these items, as seeking substitutes for a potion takes just as long as seeking a substitute for a mighty sword. | ||
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[[Image:Workshop_1.png|484px|right|Where did I put that treatise on Time-Spalled Anguishes?]] | [[Image:Workshop_1.png|484px|right|Where did I put that treatise on Time-Spalled Anguishes?]] | ||
===Workspaces and Time=== | ===Workspaces and Time=== | ||
* The creator also needs an appropriate place in which to work. The nature of such a place can vary wildly. A noisy pugilarium full of hard-training warriors might be ideal for a Brawler to work on his new amulet of natural armor, but it's probably not going to be a good place for a Sorcerer to get anything done. | * The creator also needs an appropriate place in which to work. The nature of such a place can vary wildly. A noisy pugilarium full of hard-training warriors might be ideal for a Brawler to work on his new amulet of natural armor, but it's probably not going to be a good place for a Sorcerer to get anything done. | ||