SYSTEM REFERENCE DOCUMENT 3.5 |
CREATING MAGIC ITEMS
To create magic items, spellcasters use special feats. They invest time, money, and their own personal energy (in the form of experience points) in an item’s creation.
Note that 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).
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 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.
Magic supplies for items are always half of the base price in gp and 1/25 of the base price in XP. For many items, the market price equals the base price.
Armor, shields, weapons, and items with a 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 and the experience point cost), but it does increase the final market price.
In addition, some items 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 spell component costs. Each XP in the component costs adds 5 gp to the market price. The cost to create these items is the magic supplies cost and the base XP cost (both determined by the base price) 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 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 character must spend the gold and XP at the beginning of the construction process.
The caster works for 8 hours each day. He cannot rush the process by working longer each day. But the days need not be consecutive, and the caster can use the rest of his time as he sees fit.
A character can work on only one item at a time. If a character starts work on a new item, all materials used and XP spent on the under-construction item are wasted.
The secrets of creating artifacts are long lost.
Table: Summary of Magic Item Creation Costs |
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Spell Component Costs |
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Magic Item |
Feat |
Item Cost |
Material2 |
XP3 |
Magic Supplies Cost |
Base Price4 |
Armor |
Masterwork armor |
Cost x 50 (usually none) |
x 50 (usually none) x 5 gp |
1/2 the value on Table: Armor and Shields |
Value on Table: Armor and Shields |
|
Shield |
Masterwork shield |
x 50 (usually none) |
x 50 (usually none) x 5 gp |
1/2 the value on Table: Armor and Shields |
Value on Table: Armor and Shields |
|
Weapon |
Masterwork weapon |
x 50 (usually none) |
x 50 (usually none) x 5 gp |
1/2 the value on Table: Weapons |
Value on Table: Weapons |
|
Potion |
— |
Cost (usually none) |
Cost (usually none) |
1/2 x 25 x level of spell x level of caster |
25 x level of spell x level of caster |
|
Ring |
— |
x 50 |
x 50 x 5 gp |
Special, see Table: Estimating Magic Item Gold Price Values, below |
Special, see Table: Estimating Magic Item Gold Price Values, below |
|
Rod |
1 |
x 50 (often none) |
x 50 (often none) |
Special, see Table: Estimating Magic Item Gold Price Values, below |
Special, see Table: Estimating Magic Item Gold Price Values, below |
|
Scroll |
— |
Cost (usually none) |
Cost (usually none) |
1/2 x 12.5 x level of spell x level of caster |
12.5 x level of spell x level of caster |
|
Staff |
Masterwork quarterstaff (300 gp) |
x 50 / (# of charges used to activate spell) |
x 50 x 5 gp / (# of charges used to activate spell) |
See Creating Staffs, below |
See Creating Staffs, below |
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Wand |
— |
x 50 |
x 50 x 5 gp |
1/2 x 375 x level of spell x level of caster |
375 x level of spell x level of caster |
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Wondrous Item |
5 |
x 50 (usually none) |
x 50 (usually none) x 5 gp |
Special, see Table: Estimating Magic Item Gold Price Values, below |
Special, see Table: Estimating Magic Item Gold Price Values, below |
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1 Rods usable as weapons must include the masterwork weapon cost. |
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2 This cost is only for spells activated by the item that have material or XP components. Having a spell with a costly component as a prerequisite does not automatically incur this cost if the item doesn’t actually cast the spell. |
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3 If purchasing a staff, the buyer pays 5 x the XP value in gold pieces. |
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4 A character creating an item pays 1/25 the base price in experience points. |
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5 Some items have additional value from a masterwork item component. |
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An item’s market price is the sum of the item cost, spell component costs, and the base price. |