Magic Item Crafting Rules
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Who Can Create Magic Items?
In Epic Path, any character who has the skills, talents, and resources may create magic items.
- The Paladin praying before an altar, literally sweating blood from the force of her faithful devotion? She's making that amulet with her Divinity.
- The Fighter crisping at an anvil as he welds honest steel to dragon claws in a fire fueled by an elemental? He can use his Warcraft for this job.
- The Ranger standing in a forgotten grotto, singing as she weaves a cloak out of dryad hair and assassin-vines? She's using Naturalism.
- The Rogue hiding in a bell tower, stealing chimes from the Great Bell to power her new Chime of Opening? That's Spycraft she's using to steal that magic.
- The Monk meditating under a waterfall, infusing his Gauntlets with the pounding might of the plunging river? He's using his Reason to capture that power.
- And yes, that Wizard casting spells in his tower as he labors over dusty tomes of lore? He's using boring old Spellcraft to get the job done.
They're ALL making things, and there's nothing any more or less magical about any of these methods of production.
Keep reading to see how this all works.
Magic Item Creation
- To create magic items, characters must have the Creator feat. No exceptions!
- All items list a caster level required. Spellcasters use their own, natural caster level to satisfy this requirement. Non-spellcasters (who have the Creator feat) 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 (not ten). Conversely, if that same Paladin had fifteen ranks in Divinity, her Effective Caster Level is fifteen for item creation, even though her class skill bonus gives her effectively eighteen ranks of Divinity. Although, the extra ranks do make the item Creation roll easier(see below).
- 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. At the end of this process, the character must make a single skill check (using any of Divinity, Naturalism, Reason, Spellcraft, Spycraft, or Warcraft) to finish the item. If an item type has multiple possible skills, you choose which skill to make the check with. The DC to create a magic item is 5 + the caster level for the item. Failing this check means that the item does not function and the materials and time are wasted. Failing this check by 5 or more results in a cursed item. Note that cursed items are almost always created by NPC's.
- 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. It should be stated clearly that the prerequisites are NOT set in stone. Substitutions are allowed and encouraged. Instead of a scroll of fireball to empower an item with magic, a barbarian might go and get breathed on by a red dragon while holding it. Instead of a Jump spell, a Monk might leap off a cliff while wearing the item to be empowered. Creativity is allowed and encouraged. In only the most prosaic of cases should hiring an NPC to cast a spell be the preferred method. How boring such a solution is.
- While item creation costs are handled in detail below, note that normally the two primary factors are the caster level of the creator and the level of the spell or spells (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 needed spell.
- Using metamagic feats, a caster can place spells in items at a higher level than normal. Similarly, if a spell is required that has a minimum caster level of five (such as a fireball) and you substitute a CR16 Dragon's breath for it, then the caster level of that substitution should be caster level 16. In all cases, the GM adjudicates and has the final say on substitutions. If a player tries to substitute a fire beetles blast for a meteor swarm, referee's are encouraged to be cruel.
- Material costs for items are always half of the base price in gp. For many items, the market price equals the base price. Armor, shields, weapons, and items with value independent of their magically enhanced properties add their item cost to the market price. The item cost does not influence the base price (which determines the cost of magic supplies), but it does increase the final market price.
- In addition, some items cast or replicate spells with costly material components. For these items, the market price equals the base price plus an extra price for the spell component costs. The cost to create these items is the magic supplies cost plus the costs for the components. Descriptions of these items include an entry that gives the total cost of creating the item.
- 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 fighters 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.
- For users of Spellcraft, any place suitable for preparing spells is suitable for making items.
- Warcraft works best in forges and smithies and training halls.
- Spycraft works best in hidden spyholes full of small secretive nooks and hidden tools.
- Naturalism works great in grottoes and caves and glades.
- Divinity works in temples and crypts and ossuaries.
- Reason works in libraries and meditation halls, dojos and saunas.
- Once you have a good work place, creating any item requires at least one day (eight hours of uninterrupted work) for every caster level the item has. The minimum time to create any item is seven days of work, no matter how low the caster level is.
- If the conditions are not good, then work can still progress on a magic item, but all times are tripled. It is really a good idea to find a good place to work.
- If the item being made is not one that naturally 'fits' with the skill being used, then all creation times are tripled. It's a bad idea for a Wizard to try and make a suit of armor using Spellcraft, just like its a bad idea for a Prowler to try to make wand using Warcraft. Note that many items are just weird (like Wondrous items) and such items should not be penalized unduly by this rule. GM's are encouraged to be merciful.
- These time penalties DO NOT stack! If you're going to use Spycraft to make a great axe, you might as well not worry about finding a proper hole to work in, it's not going to get any slower.
- For example: If a Warlord uses Warcraft and a forge to make a magic breastplate, then the time is as above. If that same warlord then tries to make a magical staff with that same forge, they certainly may do so, but the time for such a deed should be tripled at a minimum. Similarly, if a Wizard seeks to make a wand of fire in his study, such a feat is done in the time laid out above. If that same Wizard wants to make a flaming sword in his study, then the time required should be tripled. Note that simply changing workplaces has no effect on this process: The Warlord in the study makes the staff no more quickly, and the Wizard in the forge doesn't fare any better with the sword either. In all cases, they can both make the items they want, but it would be much quicker and easier if they made each others item, and simply swapped for them.
- Potions and scrolls are an exception to these rules; they can take as little as 2 hours to create (if their base price is 250 gp or less). Scrolls and potions whose base price is more than 250 gp, but less than 1,000 gp, take 8 hours to create, just like any other magic item. The character must spend the gold at the beginning of the construction process. Regardless of the time needed for construction, a creator can create no more than one magic item per day. This process can be accelerated to 4 hours of work per 1,000 gp in the item's base price (or fraction thereof) by increasing the DC to create the item by 5.
- A creator can work for up to 8 hours each day in a proper setting and fulfill one day of the creation time.
- A creator cannot rush the process by working longer each day. Working sixteen hours in a single day does nothing but make you tired.
- The days spent to create an item need not be consecutive. Partially finished magic items stored so as to preserve their value keep indefinitely.
- A creator can allocate his time as he sees fit. Since magic items in progress keep indefinitely, he may schedule time to work on one as he wishes.
- If the creator is out adventuring and wants to make progress on an item even as he's busy swinging his sword, he can devote up to 3 hours each day to item creation, although he nets only 1 hours' worth of useful progress. This time is not spent in one continuous period, but rather during lunch, morning preparation, and during watches at night. If time is dedicated to creation while afield, it may be spent only in uninterrupted 4-hour blocks. This work is generally done in a controlled environment, where distractions are at a minimum, such as a well secured dungeon room, a laboratory with guards, or a shrine. Note that an appropriate workspace must still be found or prepared for the skill being used, or progress is divided by three.
- Work that is performed in a distracting, inappropriate, or dangerous environment nets only one third the amount of progress. See above.
- A character can work on only one item at a time. If a character starts work on a new item, all progress and materials used on the previous item are lost. So don't do that.
Adding New Abilities
Sometimes, lack of funds or time make it impossible for a magic item crafter to create the desired item from scratch. Fortunately, it is possible to enhance or build upon an existing magic item. Only time, gold, and the various prerequisites required of the new ability to be added to the magic item restrict the type of additional powers one can place.
The cost to add additional abilities to an item is the same as if the item was not magical, less the value of the original item. Thus, a +1 longsword can be made into a +2 vorpal longsword, with the cost to create it being equal to that of a +2 vorpal sword minus the cost of a +1 longsword.
If the item is one that occupies a specific place on a character's body, the cost of adding any additional ability to that item increases by 50%. For example, if a character adds the power to confer invisibility to her ring of protection 2, the cost of adding this ability is the same as for creating a ring of invisibility multiplied by 1.5.
Magic Item Gold Piece Values
Many factors must be considered when determining the price of new magic items. The easiest way to come up with a price is to compare the new item to an item that is already priced, using that price as a guide. Otherwise, use the guidelines summarized on Table: Estimating Magic Item Gold Piece Values.
The correct way to price an item is by comparing its abilities to similar items (see Magic Item Gold Piece Values), and only if there are no similar items should you use the pricing formulas to determine an approximate price for the item. If you discover a loophole that allows an item to have an ability for a much lower price than is given for a comparable item, the GM should require using the price of the item, as that is the standard cost for such an effect. Most of these loopholes stem from trying to get unlimited uses per day of a spell effect from the "command word" or "use-activated or continuous" lines of Table: Estimating Magic Item Gold Piece Values.
- Example: Rob's cleric wants to create a heavy mace with a continuous true strike ability, granting its wielder a +20 insight bonus on attack rolls. The formula for a continuous spell effect is spell level × caster level × 2,000 gp, for a total of 2,000 gp (spell level 1, caster level 1). Jessica, the GM, points out that a +5 enhancement bonus on a weapon costs 50,000 gp, and the +20 bonus from true strike is much better than the +5 bonus from standard weapon enhancement, and suggests a price of 200,000 gp for the mace. Rob agrees that using the formula in this way is unreasonable and decides to craft a +1 heavy mace using the standard weapon pricing rules instead.
- Example: Patrick's wizard wants to create bracers with a continuous mage armor ability, granting the wearer a +4 armor bonus to AC. The formula indicates this would cost 2,000 gp (spell level 1, caster level 1). Jessica reminds him that bracers of armor +4 are priced at 16,000 gp and Patrick's bracers should have that price as well. Patrick agrees, and because he only has 2,000 gp to spend, he decides to spend 1,000 gp of that to craft bracers of armor +1 using the standard bracer prices.
Some new items are really existing magic items with a different weapon or armor type, such as a dagger of venom that is a rapier instead of a dagger or a lion's shield that's a wooden shield instead of a metal shield. For these items, just replace the price of the non-magical masterwork item with the cost of the new type of item. For example, a rapier of venom has a price of 8,320 gp instead of the dagger of venom's price of 8,302 gp.
| Effect | Base Price | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Ability bonus (enhancement) | Bonus squared x 1,000 gp | Belt of incredible dexterity 2 |
| Armor bonus (enhancement) | Bonus squared x 1,000 gp | +1 chainmail |
| Bonus spell | Spell level squared x 1,000 gp | Pearl of power |
| AC bonus (deflection) | Bonus squared x 2,000 gp | Ring of protection 3 |
| AC bonus (other)1 | Bonus squared x 2,500 gp | Ioun stone (dusty rose prism) |
| Natural armor bonus (enhancement) | Bonus squared x 2,000 gp | Amulet of natural armor 1 |
| Save bonus (resistance) | Bonus squared x 1,000 gp | Cloak of resistance 5 |
| Save bonus (other)1 | Bonus squared x 2,000 gp | Stone of good luck |
| Skill bonus (competence) | Bonus squared x 100 gp | Cloak of elvenkind |
| Spell resistance | 10,000 gp per point over SR 12; SR 13 minimum | Mantle of spell resistance |
| Weapon bonus (enhancement) | Bonus squared x 2,000 gp | +1 longsword |
| Spell Effect | Base Price | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Single use, spell completion | Spell level x caster level x 25 gp | Scroll of haste |
| Single use, use-activated | Spell level x caster level x 50 gp | Potion of cure light wounds |
| 50 charges, spell trigger | Spell level x caster level x 750 gp | Wand of fireball |
| Command word | Spell level x caster level x 1,800 gp | Cape of the mountebank |
| Use-activated or continuous | Spell level x caster level x 2,000 gp2 | Lantern of revealing |
| Special | Base Price | Adjustment Example |
|---|---|---|
| Charges per day | Divide by (5 divided by charges per day) | Boots of teleportation |
| No space limitation3 | Multiply entire cost by 2 | Ioun stone |
| Multiple different abilities | Multiply lower item cost by 1.5 | Helm of brilliance |
| Charged (50 charges) | 1/2 unlimited use base price | Ring of the ram |
| Component | Extra Cost | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Armor, shield, or weapon | Add cost of masterwork item | +1 composite longbow |
| Spell has material component cost | Add directly into price of item per charge4 | Wand of stoneskin |
- Spell Level: A 0-level spell is half the value of a 1st-level spell for determining price.
- 1 Such as a luck, insight, sacred, or profane bonus.
- 2 If a continuous item has an effect based on a spell with a duration measured in rounds, multiply the cost by 4. If the duration of the spell is 1 minute/level, multiply the cost by 2, and if the duration is 10 minutes/level, multiply the cost by 1.5. If the spell has a 24-hour duration or greater, divide the cost in half.
- 3 An item that does not take up one of the spaces on a body costs double.
- 4 If item is continuous or unlimited, not charged, determine cost as if it had 100 charges. If it has some daily limit, determine as if it had 50 charges.
Multiple Similar Abilities: For items with multiple similar abilities that don't take up space on a character's body, use the following formula: Calculate the price of the single most costly ability, then add 75% of the value of the next most costly ability, plus 1/2 the value of any other abilities.
Multiple Different Abilities: Abilities such as an attack roll bonus or saving throw bonus and a spell-like function are not similar, and their values are simply added together to determine the cost. For items that take up a space on a character's body, each additional power not only has no discount but instead has a 50% increase in price.
0-Level Spells: When multiplying spell levels to determine value, 0-level spells should be treated as 1/2 level.
Other Considerations: Once you have a cost figure, reduce that number if either of the following conditions applies:
Item Requires Skill to Use: Some items require a specific skill to get them to function. This factor should reduce the cost about 10%.
Item Requires Specific Class or Alignment to Use: Even more restrictive than requiring a skill, this limitation cuts the price by 30%.
Prices presented in the magic item descriptions (the gold piece value following the item's slot) are the market value, which is generally twice what it costs the creator to make the item.
Since different classes get access to certain spells at different levels, the prices for two characters to make the same item might actually be different. An item is only worth two times what the caster of the lowest possible level can make it for. Calculate the market price based on the lowest possible level caster, no matter who makes the item.
Not all items adhere to these formulas. First and foremost, these few formulas aren't enough to truly gauge the exact differences between items. The price of a magic item may be modified based on its actual worth. The formulas only provide a starting point. The pricing of scrolls assumes that, whenever possible, a wizard or cleric created it. Potions and wands follow the formulas exactly. Staves follow the formulas closely, and other items require at least some judgment calls.
Cooperative Crafting
If you need another character to supply one of an item's requirements (such as if you're a wizard creating an item with a divine spell), both you and the other character must be present for the entire duration of the crafting process. If the GM is using the downtime system, both you and the other character must use downtime at the same time for this purpose. Only you make the skill check to complete the item — or, if there is a chance of creating a cursed item, the GM makes the check in secret.
If the second character is providing a spell effect, that character's spell is expended for the day, just as if you were using one of your own spells for a requirement. If the second character is a hired NPC, you must pay for the NPC's spellcasting service for each day of the item creation.
Creating Magic Armor
To create magic armor, a character needs a heat source and some iron, wood, or leatherworking tools. He also needs a supply of materials, the most obvious being the armor or the pieces of the armor to be assembled. Armor to be made into magic armor must be masterwork armor, and the masterwork cost is added to the base price to determine final market value. Additional magic supply costs for the materials are subsumed in the cost for creating the magic armor—half the base price of the item.
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 armor or 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. 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 caster's currently prepared spells, just as if they had been cast.)
Creating some armor may entail other prerequisites beyond or other than spellcasting. See the individual descriptions for details.
- Time Required Crafting magic armor requires one day for each 1,000 gp value of the base price.
- Feat(s) Required: Craft Magic Arms and Armor.
- Skill(s) Required: Spellcraft or Craft (armor).
Magic armor and shields have three types of improvements that may be applied to them:
- Enhancements
Magical enhancements range from +1 to +9. As a firm rule, the maximum enhancement an armor or shield may have is equal to one quarter of the campaign level, round up. This maximum Enhancement Bonus cap must not be exceeded at normal play levels to maintain balance. Any attempt to wear armor or wield a shield more magically enchanted than this results in the character taking a non-proficiency penalty, with the possibility of even more dire consequences (such as insanity, or becoming dominated by the armor's will). At level 36 and higher all restrictions are lifted, and armor and shields may be enchanted in any way the characters can afford.
While armor and sheild enhancement bonuses are nearly always used to increase the AC bonus, some armors contain innate properties from special materials, which may also be increased via the enhancement bonus. An example of this is the adamantine armor's DR 3/- property. Players may dedicate enhancement bonuses to increasing these innate properties instead of the armor's AC bonus. However, the armor's total enhancement bonus is always the sum of any of these, and no armor or shield may ever have an enhancement bonus greater than +9. For details on special material innate properties, and the effects of using enhancement bonuses to increase them, see the Dweomermetals And Other Special Materials page. Enhancement bonuses may never be used to apply a property that the armor does not already have innately from its special materials.
- Properties
Magic Item Properties are additional traits, bonuses or effects the magic armor or shields grant or perform on top of the normal functionality of that armor or shield. Armor and sheilds must have at least a +1 enhancement bonus before any magic armor properties may be added to them. The limit to the total value of all armor properties that may be added to a suit of armor or shield is one quarter of the campaign level, rounded up. This maximum Magical Properties cap must not be exceeded at normal play levels to maintain balance. At level 36 and higher all restrictions are lifted, and armor and shields may be enchanted in any way the characters can afford.
- Absolute Bonus
By adding together the plus values of the Enhancement Bonus and Magical Properties of a suit of armor or a shield, you determine the armor's Absolute Bonus. For example, a +2 Expeditious Plate Mail has a +4 Absolute Bonus, since the Expeditious property has a +2 cost associated with it. The Absolute Bonus plus the special material costs (if any) determine the total magic item cost of the item. The maximum possible Absolute Bonus of any magic weapon, armor or shield is +18, though the maximum allowed in a given campaign varies by the campaign's current player level (See the tables below for details). At level 36, all restrictions are lifted, and weapons, armors and shields may be enchanted in any way the characters can afford.
- Materials
Mundane armors are assumed to be made of forged iron or crude leathers and furs. Fragile armors are usually made of crude iron, untreated hides, or bone. Masterwork armors are assumed to be made of high quality steel, similar to historical Damascus or Wootz (forging good steel was often a happy accident before the chemistry was fully understood). Armor and shields made from fantastic materials are possible as well, such as the classic mithril and adamantine. A list of special materials and their properties can be found on the Dweomermetals And Other Special Materials page. In all cases, only ONE material may be used in the construction of a single suit of armor or a single shield, even after the Apotheosis. Unless the referee allows it, of course.
Table: Magic Armor Enhancement Limitations
| Campaign Level | Max Enhancement Bonus | Max Magic Properties | Absolute Bonus | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 - 4 | +1 | no properties | +1 | 1,000 |
| +1 worth of properties | +2 | 4,000 | ||
| 5 - 8 | +2 | no properties | +2 | 4,000 |
| +1 worth of properties | +3 | 9,000 | ||
| +2 worth of properties | +4 | 16,000 | ||
| 9 - 12 | +3 | no properties | +3 | 9,000 |
| +1 worth of properties | +4 | 16,000 | ||
| +2 worth of properties | +5 | 25,000 | ||
| +3 worth of properties | +6 | 36,000 | ||
| 13 - 16 | +4 | no properties | +4 | 16,000 |
| +1 worth of properties | +5 | 25,000 | ||
| +2 worth of properties | +6 | 36,000 | ||
| +3 worth of properties | +7 | 49,000 | ||
| +4 worth of properties | +8 | 64,000 | ||
| 17 - 20 | +5 | no properties | +5 | 25,000 |
| +1 worth of properties | +6 | 36,000 | ||
| +2 worth of properties | +7 | 49,000 | ||
| +3 worth of properties | +8 | 64,000 | ||
| +4 worth of properties | +9 | 81,000 | ||
| +5 worth of properties | +10 | 100,000 |
Table: Epic Magic Armor Enhancement Limitations
| Campaign Level | Max Enhancement Bonus | Max Magic Properties (Note: +5 is the minimum allowed for Epic) | Absolute Bonus | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 - 24 | +6 | +5 worth of properties | +11 | 200,000 |
| +6 worth of properties | +12 | 400,000 | ||
| 25 - 28 | +7 | +5 worth of properties | +12 | 400,000 |
| +6 worth of properties | +13 | 800,000 | ||
| +7 worth of properties | +14 | 1,500,000 | ||
| 29 - 32 | +8 | +5 worth of properties | +13 | 800,000 |
| +6 worth of properties | +14 | 1,500,000 | ||
| +7 worth of properties | +15 | 2,500,000 | ||
| +8 worth of properties | +16 | 4,500,000 | ||
| 33 - 35 | +9 | +5 worth of properties | +14 | 1,500,000 |
| +6 worth of properties | +15 | 2,500,000 | ||
| +7 worth of properties | +16 | 4,500,000 | ||
| +8 worth of properties | +17 | 7,500,000 | ||
| +9 worth of properties | +18 | 11,500,000 | ||
| Apotheosis! | unlimited | unlimited | unlimited | impossibly expensive |
Armor is always created so that if the type of armor comes with a pair of boots, a helm, or a set of gauntlets, these pieces can be exchanged for other magic boots, helms, or gauntlets.
- Caster Level for armor and shields
The caster level of a magic shield or magic armor with a special ability is given in the item description. For an item with only an enhancement bonus, the caster level is three times the enhancement bonus. If an item has both an enhancement bonus and a special ability, the higher of the two caster level requirements must be met.
- Shields
Shield enhancement bonuses stack with armor enhancement bonuses. Shield enhancement bonuses do not act as attack or damage bonuses when the shield is used in a shield bash. The bashing special ability, however, does grant a +1 bonus on attack and damage rolls (see the special ability description).
A shield could be built that also acted as a magic weapon, but the cost of the enhancement bonus on attack rolls would need to be added into the cost of the shield and its enhancement bonus to AC.
As with armor, special abilities built into the shield add to the market value in the form of additions to the bonus of the shield, although they do not improve AC. A shield cannot have an absolute bonus (enhancement plus special ability bonus equivalents) higher than +18. A shield with a special ability must also have at least a +1 enhancement bonus.
- Activation
Usually a character benefits from magic armor and shields in exactly the way a character benefits from non-magical armor and shields: by wearing them. If armor or a shield has a special ability that the user needs to activate, then the user usually needs to utter the command word (a standard action).
- Armor for Unusual Creatures
The cost of armor for non-humanoid creatures, as well as for creatures who are neither Small nor Medium, varies. The cost of the masterwork quality and any magical enhancement remains the same.
Creating Magic Weapons
To create a magic weapon, a character needs a heat source and some iron, wood, or leatherworking tools. She also needs a supply of materials, the most obvious being the weapon or the pieces of the weapon to be assembled. Only a masterwork weapon can become a magic weapon, and the masterwork cost is added to the total cost to determine final market value. Additional magic supplies costs for the materials are subsumed in the cost for creating the magic weapon—half the base price of the item based upon the item'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. If an item has both an enhancement bonus and a special ability, the higher of the two caster level requirements must be met. A magic weapon must have at least a 1 enhancement bonus to have any melee or ranged special weapon 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) but need not provide any material components or focuses the spells require. 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 caster'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, and special abilities.
Creating some weapons may entail other prerequisites beyond or other than spellcasting. See the individual descriptions for details.
- Time Required Crafting a magic weapon requires 1 day for each 1,000 gp value of the base price.
- Feat(s) Required: Craft Magic Arms and Armor.
- Skill(s) Required: Spellcraft, Craft (bows) (for magic bows and arrows), or Craft (weapons) (for all other weapons).
A magic weapon is enhanced to strike more accurately and deliver more damage. Magic weapons have three types of improvements that may be applied to them:
- Enhancements
Magical enhancements range from +1 to +9. As a firm rule, the maximum enhancement a weapon may have is equal to one quarter of the campaign level, round up. This maximum Enhancement Bonus cap must not be exceeded at normal play levels to maintain balance. Any attempt to wield a weapon more magically enchanted than this results in the character taking a non-proficiency penalty with the weapon, with the possibility of even more dire consequences (such as insanity, or being controlled by the weapon). At level 36 and higher all restrictions are lifted, and a weapon may be enchanted in any way the characters can afford.
While a weapon's enhancement bonus is nearly always used to increase the weapon's to-hit and damage, some weapons contain innate properties from special materials, which may also be increased via the enhancement bonus. An example of this is an adamantine weapon's ability to ignore hardness. Players may dedicate enhancement bonuses to increasing these innate properties instead of the weapon's to-hit and damage. However, the weapon's total enhancement bonus is always the sum of any of these, and no weapon may ever have an enhancement bonus greater than +9. For details on special material innate properties, and the effects of using enhancement bonuses to increase them, see the Dweomermetals And Other Special Materials page. Enhancement bonuses may never be used to apply a property that the weapon does not already have innately from its special materials.
- Properties
Magic Item Properties are additional traits, bonuses or effects the magic weapon grants or performs on top of the normal functionality of that weapon. A weapon must have at least a +1 enhancement bonus before any magic weapon properties may be added to it. The limit to the total value of all weapon properties that may be added to a weapon is one quarter of the campaign level, rounded up. This maximum Magical Properties cap must not be exceeded at normal play levels to maintain balance. At level 36 and higher all restrictions are lifted, and a weapon may be enchanted in any way the characters can afford.
- Absolute Bonus
By adding together the plus values of the Enhancement Bonus and Magical Properties of a weapon, you determine the weapon's Absolute Bonus. For example, a +2 Keen Longsword has a +3 Absolute Bonus, since the Keen property has a +1 cost associated with it. The Absolute Bonus plus the special material costs (if any) determine the total magic item cost of the item. The maximum possible Absolute Bonus of any magic weapon, armor or shield is +18, though the maximum allowed in a given campaign varies by the campaign's current player level (See the tables below for details). At level 36, all restrictions are lifted, and weapons, armors and shields may be enchanted in any way the characters can afford.
- Materials
Mundane weapons are assumed to be made of forged iron. Fragile weapons are usually made of crude iron, bronze, or bone. Masterwork weapons are assumed to be made of good quality steel, similar to historical Damascus or Wootz (forging good steel was often a happy accident before the chemistry was fully understood). Weapons made from fantastic materials are possible as well, such as the classic mithril and adamantine. A list of special materials and their properties can be found on the Dweomermetals And Other Special Materials page. In all cases, only ONE material may be used in the construction of a single weapon, even after the Apotheosis. Unless the referee allows it, of course.
Table: Magic Weapon Enhancement Limitations
| Campaign Level | Max Enhancement Bonus | Max Magic Properties | Absolute Bonus | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 - 4 | +1 | no properties | +1 | 2,000 |
| +1 worth of properties | +2 | 8,000 | ||
| 5 - 8 | +2 | no properties | +2 | 8,000 |
| +1 worth of properties | +3 | 18,000 | ||
| +2 worth of properties | +4 | 32,000 | ||
| 9 - 12 | +3 | no properties | +3 | 18,000 |
| +1 worth of properties | +4 | 32,000 | ||
| +2 worth of properties | +5 | 50,000 | ||
| +3 worth of properties | +6 | 72,000 | ||
| 13 - 16 | +4 | no properties | +4 | 32,000 |
| +1 worth of properties | +5 | 50,000 | ||
| +2 worth of properties | +6 | 72,000 | ||
| +3 worth of properties | +7 | 98,000 | ||
| +4 worth of properties | +8 | 128,000 | ||
| 17 - 20 | +5 | no properties | +5 | 50,000 |
| +1 worth of properties | +6 | 72,000 | ||
| +2 worth of properties | +7 | 98,000 | ||
| +3 worth of properties | +8 | 128,000 | ||
| +4 worth of properties | +9 | 162,000 | ||
| +5 worth of properties | +10 | 200,000 |
Table: Epic Magic Weapon Enhancement Limitations
| Campaign Level | Max Enhancement Bonus | Max Magic Properties (Note: +5 is the minimum allowed for Epic) | Absolute Bonus | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 - 24 | +6 | +5 worth of properties | +11 | 400,000 |
| +6 worth of properties | +12 | 800,000 | ||
| 25 - 28 | +7 | +5 worth of properties | +12 | 800,000 |
| +6 worth of properties | +13 | 1,600,000 | ||
| +7 worth of properties | +14 | 3,000,000 | ||
| 29 - 32 | +8 | +5 worth of properties | +13 | 1,600,000 |
| +6 worth of properties | +14 | 3,000,000 | ||
| +7 worth of properties | +15 | 5,000,000 | ||
| +8 worth of properties | +16 | 9,000,000 | ||
| 33 - 35 | +9 | +5 worth of properties | +14 | 3,000,000 |
| +6 worth of properties | +15 | 5,000,000 | ||
| +7 worth of properties | +16 | 9,000,000 | ||
| +8 worth of properties | +17 | 15,000,000 | ||
| +9 worth of properties | +18 | 23,000,000 | ||
| Apotheosis! | unlimited | unlimited | unlimited | impossibly expensive |
- Caster Level Required To Make Weapons
The caster level required to make a weapon with a weapon property is given in the description of the property. If a weapon has more than one weapon property, the caster level required to place the weapon properties is the highest of all the properties. For a weapon with only an enhancement bonus and no other abilities, the caster level required to make the weapon is three times the enhancement bonus. Thus, it requires a third level caster to make a +1 weapon, sixth level to make a +2, etc. If a weapon has both an enhancement bonus and a special ability, the higher of the caster level requirements must be met.
- Additional Damage Dice
Some magic weapons deal additional dice of damage. Unlike other modifiers to damage, additional dice of damage are considered bonuses and are not multiplied when the attacker scores a critical hit.
- Additional Base Damage Dice
Some magic weapons gain improved or additional base damage dice. These dice improve with level as normal base damage dice do, and are multiplied when the attacker scores a critical hit.
- Ranged Weapons and Ammunition
The enhancement bonus from a ranged weapon does not stack with the enhancement bonus from ammunition. Only the higher of the two enhancement bonuses applies. Ammunition fired from a projectile weapon with an enhancement bonus of +1 or higher is treated as a magic weapon for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction. Similarly, ammunition fired from a projectile weapon with an alignment gains the alignment of that projectile weapon. Weapon properties of a ranged weapon do not stack with weapon properties of ammunition. If a character is using a ranged weapon with properties and has ammunition with properties, they may choose which properties to use with each shot as a free action. As always, no weapon may ever have the same property twice. If ammunition and a ranged weapon have the same weapon properties, only count the property once.
- Magic Thrown Weapons
Weapons designed for throwing, such as the throwing axe or the careen (but not weapons with the ammunition property, such as skiprocks), gain the Lesser Returning property for free if they have an enhancement bonus or magic property worth an enhancement bonus of at least +1. If they have an enhancement bonus of +2 or greater (or magic properties equivalent to +2 enhancement or greater), thrown weapons gain the Greater Returning magic property for free. These properties cost nothing extra, and never increase the overall cost of additional upgrades, but they do count against the maximum possible enchantments the weapon can have.
- Magic Ammunition and Breakage
Magical ammunition follows the standard rules for recovering expended ammunition. If the attack hits, the arrow, bolt or bullet is expended and not recoverable. If the attack misses, there is a 50% chance that the piece of ammunition is recoverable.
- Light Generation
30% of randomly generated magic weapons shed light equivalent to a light spell. These glowing weapons are quite obviously magical. Such a weapon can't be concealed when drawn, nor can its light be shut off. Some weapons always or never glow, as defined in their descriptions. If a weapon is specially crafted for hire, whether or not it gives off light is chosen by the player.
- Hardness and Hit Points
Each +1 of a magic weapon’s enhancement bonus adds +2 to its hardness and +10 to its hit points. See also Table: Common Armor, Weapon, and Shield Hardness and Hit Points. Weapon properties usually have no effect on hardness or hit points. Special materials almost always have an effect on a weapon's hardness and hit points.
- Activation
Usually a character benefits from a magic weapon in the same way a character benefits from a mundane weapon—by wielding (attacking with) it. If a weapon has a weapon property that the user needs to activate, then the user usually needs to utter a command word (a standard action). A character can activate the special abilities of 50 pieces of ammunition at the same time, assuming each piece has identical abilities.
- Magic Weapons and Critical Hits
Some weapon properties and some specific weapons have an extra effect on a critical hit. This special effect overcomes immunity to critical bits. Criticals rolled with these weapons function against creatures not normally subject to critical hits. In such instances, on a successful critical roll, apply the magic weapon's special effect, but otherwise resolve damage as though it were a normal hit.
- Weapons for Unusually Sized Creatures
The cost of weapons for creatures who are neither Small nor Medium varies (see Equipment). The cost of the masterwork quality and any magical enhancement remains the same.
Creating Potions
| Spell Level | Cleric, Druid, Wizard | Sorcerer | Bard | Paladin, Ranger* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 25 gp | 25 gp | 25 gp | — |
| 1st | 50 gp | 50 gp | 50 gp | 50 gp |
| 2nd | 300 gp | 400 gp | 400 gp | 400 gp |
| 3rd | 750 gp | 900 gp | 1,050 gp | 1,050 gp |
- * Caster level is equal to class level –3.
- Prices assume that the potion was made at the minimum caster level. The cost to create a potion is half the base price.
The creator of a potion needs a level working surface and at least a few containers in which to mix liquids, as well as a source of heat to boil the brew. In addition, he needs ingredients. The costs for materials and ingredients are subsumed in the cost for brewing the potion: 25 gp × the level of the spell × 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. (Economies of scale do not apply.)
The imbiber of the potion is both the caster and the target. Spells with a range of personal cannot be made into potions.
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 component or focus the spell requires.
Material components are consumed when he begins working, but a focus is 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 caster's currently prepared spells, just as if it had been cast.)
- Time Required Brewing a potion requires 1 day.
- Feat(s) Required: Brew Potion.
- Skill(s) Required: Spellcraft or Craft (alchemy)
Creating Rings
To create a magic ring, a character needs a heat source. He also needs a supply of materials, the most obvious being a ring or the pieces of the ring to be assembled. The cost for the materials is subsumed in the cost for creating the ring. Ring costs are difficult to determine. Refer to Table: Estimating Magic Item Gold Piece Values and use the ring prices in the ring descriptions as a guideline. Creating a ring generally costs half the ring's market price.
Rings that duplicate spells with costly material components add in the value of 50 × the spell's component cost. Having a spell with a costly component as a prerequisite does not automatically incur this cost. 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 caster's currently prepared spells, just as if they had been cast.)
Creating some rings may entail other prerequisites beyond or other than spellcasting. See the individual descriptions for details.
- Time Required Forging a ring requires 1 day for each 1,000 gp of the base price.
- Feat(s) Required: Forge Ring.
- Skill(s) Required: Spellcraft or Craft (jewelry).
Creating Rods
To create a magic rod, a character needs a supply of materials, the most obvious being a rod or the pieces of the rod to be assembled. The cost for the materials is subsumed in the cost for creating the rod. Rod costs are difficult to determine. Refer to Table: Estimating Magic Item Gold Piece Values and use the rod prices in the rod descriptions as a guideline. 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) but need not provide any material components or focuses the spells require. 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 caster's currently prepared spells, just as if they had been cast.)
Creating some rods may entail other prerequisites beyond or other than spellcasting. See the individual descriptions for details.
- Time Required Crafting a rod requires 1 day for each 1,000 gp of the base price.
- Feat(s) Required: Craft Rod.
- Skill(s) Required: Spellcraft, Craft (jewelry), Craft (sculptures), or Craft (weapons).
Creating Scrolls
| Spell Level | Cleric, Druid, Wizard | Sorcerer | Bard | Paladin, Ranger* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 12 gp 5 sp | 12 gp 5 sp | 12 gp 5 sp | — |
| 1st | 25 gp | 25 gp | 25 gp | 25 gp |
| 2nd | 150 gp | 200 gp | 200 gp | 200 gp |
| 3rd | 375 gp | 450 gp | 525 gp | 525 gp |
| 4th | 700 gp | 800 gp | 1,000 gp | 1,000 gp |
| 5th | 1,125 gp | 1,250 gp | 1,625 gp | — |
| 6th | 1,650 gp | 1,800 gp | 2,400 gp | — |
| 7th | 2,275 gp | 2,450 gp | — | — |
| 8th | 3,000 gp | 3,200 gp | — | — |
| 9th | 3,825 gp | 4,050 gp | — | — |
- * Caster level is equal to class level –3.
- Prices assume that the scroll was made at the minimum caster level. The cost to create a scroll is half the base price.
To create a scroll, a character needs a supply of choice writing materials, the cost of which is subsumed in the cost for scribing the scroll: 12.5 gp × the level of the spell × the level of the caster.
All writing implements and materials used to scribe a scroll must be fresh and unused. A character must pay the full cost for scribing each spell scroll no matter how many times she previously has scribed the same spell.
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 component or focus the spell requires. A material component is consumed when she begins writing, but a focus is 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 caster's currently prepared spells, just as if it had been cast.)
- Time Required Scribing a scroll requires 1 day per 1,000 gp of the base price. Although an individual scroll might contain more than one spell, each spell must be scribed as a separate effort, meaning that no more than 1 spell can be scribed in a day.
- Feat(s) Required: Scribe Scroll.
- Skill(s) Required: Spellcraft, Craft (calligraphy), or Profession (scribe).
Creating Staves
To create a magic staff, a character needs a supply of materials, the most obvious being a staff or the pieces of the staff to be assembled.
The materials cost is subsumed in the cost of creation: 400 gp × the level of the highest-level spell × the level of the caster, plus 75% of the value of the next most costly ability (300 gp × the level of the spell × the level of the caster), plus 1/2 the value of any other abilities (200 gp × the level of the spell × the level of the caster). Staves are always fully charged (10 charges) when created.
If desired, a spell can be placed into the staff at less than the normal cost, but then activating that particular spell drains additional charges from the staff. Divide the cost of the spell by the number of charges it consumes to determine its final price. Note that this does not change the order in which the spells are priced (the highest level spell is still priced first, even if it requires more than one charge to activate). The caster level of all spells in a staff must be the same, and no staff can have a caster level of less than 8th, even if all the spells in the staff are low-level spells.
The creator must have prepared the spells to be stored (or must know the spells, in the case of a sorcerer or bard) and must provide any focus the spells require as well as material component costs sufficient to activate the spell 50 times (divide this amount by the number of charges one use of the spell expends). Material components are consumed when he 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 caster's currently prepared spells, just as if they had been cast.)
Creating a few staves may entail other prerequisites beyond spellcasting. See the individual descriptions for details.
- Time Required Crafting a staff requires 1 day for each 1,000 gp of the base price.
- Feat(s) Required: Craft Staff.
- Skill(s) Required: Spellcraft, Craft (jewelry), Craft (sculptures), or Profession (woodcutter).
Creating Runes
To create a rune, a character needs a supply of arcane inks and scar-inducing irritants. The cost for the materials is subsumed in the cost for creating the rune. Rune costs are difficult to determine. Refer to Table: Estimating Magic Item Gold Piece Values use the item prices in the item descriptions as a guideline. Creating a rune costs half the market value listed.
If spells are involved in the prerequisites for making the rune, the creator must have prepared the spells to be cast (or must know the spells, in the case of a sorcerer or bard) but need not provide any material components or focuses the spells require. The act of working on the rune triggers the prepared spells, making them unavailable for casting during each day of the rune's creation. (That is, those spell slots are expended from the caster's currently prepared spells, just as if they had been cast.)
Creating some rune may entail other prerequisites beyond or other than spellcasting. See the individual descriptions for details.
- Time Required Crafting a rune requires 1 day for each 1,000 gp of the base price.
- Feat(s) Required: Inscribe Rune.
- Skill(s) Required: Spellcraft or an applicable Craft or Profession skill check.
Creating Wands
| Spell Level | Cleric, Druid, Wizard | Sorcerer | Bard | Paladin, Ranger* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 375 gp | 375 gp | 375 gp | — |
| 1st | 750 gp | 750 gp | 750 gp | 750 gp |
| 2nd | 4,500 gp | 6,000 gp | 6,000 gp | 6,000 gp |
| 3rd | 11,250 gp | 13,500 gp | 15,750 gp | 15,750 gp |
| 4th | 21,000 gp | 24,000 gp | 30,000 gp | 30,000 gp |
- * Caster level is equal to class level –3.
- Prices assume that the wand was made at the minimum caster level. The cost to create a wand is half the base price.
To create a magic wand, a character needs a small supply of materials, the most obvious being a baton or the pieces of the wand to be assembled. The cost for the materials is subsumed in the cost for creating the wand: 375 gp × the level of the spell × 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 focuses the spell requires. Fifty of each needed material component are required (one for each charge). Material components are consumed when work begins, 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 caster's currently prepared spells, just as if it had been cast.)
- Time Required Crafting a wand requires 1 day per each 1,000 gp of the base price.
- Feat(s) Required: Craft Wand.
- Skill(s) Required: Spellcraft, Craft (jewelry), Craft (sculptures), or Profession (woodcutter).
Creating Wondrous Items
To create a wondrous item, a character usually needs some sort of equipment or tools to work on the item. She also needs a supply of materials, the most obvious being the item itself or the pieces of the item to be assembled. The cost for the materials is subsumed in the cost for creating the item. Wondrous item costs are difficult to determine. Refer to Table: Estimating Magic Item Gold Piece Values and use the item prices in the item descriptions as a guideline. 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) but need not provide any material components or focuses the spells require. 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 caster's currently prepared spells, just as if they had been cast.)
Creating some items may entail other prerequisites beyond or other than spellcasting. See the individual descriptions for details.
- Time Required Crafting a wondrous item requires 1 day for each 1,000 gp of the base price.
- Feat(s) Required: Craft Wondrous Item.
- Skill(s) Required: Spellcraft or an applicable Craft or Profession skill check.