3E: Crafting Magic Items

[morgramen]

What have you all done about the 3E 'Crating of Magic Items"? I'm curious to see how you have moified it to suit the lower magic availability of Anuire.

It seems to me that the common system (aside for added funky-ness) for all crafting is 1 day/1,000 GP base value.

Now, this seems to be a bit... fast for a birthright campaign IMO, and I was considering changing it to read 1 week/1,000 GP or something similar. Potions might be the exception of course, but even these should not be able to be cranked out like a Labatts brewery.

Since time and RP cost seem to be the 2 biggest elements that would concern a Birthright wizard, I think they should take precedence over simply increasing the base cost of the items. I don't think a wizard could enchant a sword +2 flame tongue (or something) in a single week - it should take at least a standard domain action if not more IMO.

Thoughts?

[Lord Eldred]

If I had my way, I would pretty much eliminate it. Without my way, I think even your adjustment still makes it way too easy. Perhaps times everything by 100 or more?

[Riegan Swordwraith]

As far as a regent goes,in order to create a magical item,he would have to take an Adventure action as well to gather the necessary components.Say the Flametongue needs a piece of the corpse from some Fire subtype creature or something facsimile.True the creator could just hire adventurers to retreive it,but until they return,he could do nothing.

Also I beleive in the Item Creation Feats have to be learned from old tomes or taught by those that have the knowledge.Just because a wizard has reached 5th level does not mean he can pick up Craft Wondrous Item,without ever studying it before-hand.

[Strahd]

Orginally posted by morgramen
.....I don't think a wizard could enchant a sword +2 flame tongue (or something) in a single week - it should take at least a standard domain action if not more IMO.

Thoughts?

You could bypass the problems caused by enforcing the optional training rule; if a player wants to craft a magic item, he should learn the process by an individual who already knows it. I.e. finding one of the 150 known wizards (mentioned in Atlas & BoM) and CONVINCE him to teach him the feat.
However, if you ask for your PBEM... maybe an increase to 1/week per 1000 gp (I think Travis proposes something similar for spellbooks & spells) would "solve" the problem.

--
John

[Lord Eldred]

Even Travis's conversion makes it way too easy to craft magic items in a world where it is suppose to be rare. I do like the idea that you have to convince someone else to train you and why would they want to pass this knowledge on to someone they just met. Could they ever really trust them with the knowledge?

[Chioran]

Orginally posted by Lord Eldred

Even Travis's conversion makes it way too easy to craft magic items in a world where it is suppose to be rare. I do like the idea that you have to convince someone else to train you and why would they want to pass this knowledge on to someone they just met. Could they ever really trust them with the knowledge?

Eldred,

I am having vague recollections of something we had done previously involving prohibitively high DCs and catastrophic failure results.

[Lord Shaene]

another idea could be to set a very low percentage on a successful creation, if say you had a 3% or less chance of making an item. this could be explained by the loss of the knowledge on how to make them over the years. or that one little mistake anywhere during the process could make it fail
also you could give a wizard a chance to increase the percentage 2% if he spent time researching and devolping a specific item but only for that type of item

[Lawgiver]

Orginally posted by Lord Shaene

another idea could be to set a very low percentage on a successful creation, if say you had a 3% or less chance of making an item. this could be explained by the loss of the knowledge on how to make them over the years. or that one little mistake anywhere during the process could make it fail
also you could give a wizard a chance to increase the percentage 2% if he spent time researching and devolping a specific item but only for that type of item

5% chance of success... OUCH! thats a bit stiff don't you think. I would prefer the option of increased time and money. The shear limited number of true wizards to 100ish should be sufficient to limit most items.

Another option would be to require the infusion of a portion of the wizard's bloodline. If you imbue an item with magic it draws the power from the wizard tie to the land. Or perhaps a magical item could draw on the mebhaighl in the realm and temporarily reduce the source level in the province. Sort of like creating a temporary void of magic since large amounts of mebhaighl have been sucked into an item it takes a few months to regain its strength...

Just my two coppers worth.

[Lord Eldred]

I would agree that the limited number of wizards would reduce the number of magic items in the overall world but the ability of the one wizard in your campaign party who is kicking out magic items would unbalance the immediate campaign! 5% chance eliminates that problem.

[Riegan Swordwraith]

I think everyone is still forgetting that in 3E,creation of a magical item also requires an expenditure of xp.Increase the time to around a week per 1000 gp,but also double or even triple xp requirements.