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Yora
2010-05-19, 06:26 AM
Preparing for an e6 game, I looked for ways to increase the amount of magic items that could possibly be created by 6th level characters.

Maybe you noticed it before: A flaming weapon has Caster Level 10th, but a shock or frost weapon has only Caster Level 8th. Bracers of Armor or Gloves of Dexterity are always CL 7th or 8th, no matter what their bonus is.

If you look in the DMG or SRD, you will find under "caster level for weapons":

The caster level of a weapon with a special ability is given in the item description. For an item with only an enhancement bonus and no other abilities, 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.
I, and from everything I've heard and read in the last eight years, everyone else as well, assumed this means you have to have caster level 10th to create a flaming weapon.
After all, the description for flaming weapon says:

Moderate evocation; CL 10th; Craft Magic Arms and Armor and flame blade, flame strike, or fireball; Price +1 bonus.
But there's one tiny, but vital detail, that is easily overlooked.

Moderate evocation; CL 10th; Craft Magic Arms and Armor and flame blade, flame strike, or fireball; Price +1 bonus.
It's a semicolon, not a comma. Which means the CL 10th is not part of the enchantments prerequisites.
BAM!

So a 5th level druid or wizard with the Craft Arms and Armor feat can create a +1 flaming weapon.

I found this tiny detail on the site of Sean K. Reynolds (http://www.seankreynolds.com/rpgfiles/misc/magicitemcreation.htm), whom I would consider to be a credible scource.

Why did nobody ever tell me that before? Did really nobody notice this earlier?

Biffoniacus_Furiou
2010-05-19, 06:36 AM
See the DMG Errata (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/er/20040125a):

Caster Level
Dungeon Master’s Guide, page 215
Problem: The last two sentences in the section on Caster
Level are ambiguous and potentially misleading.
Solution: Replace with this text: For other magic items, the
caster level is determined by the creator. The minimum caster
level is that which is needed to meet the prerequisites given.
Old wording:
For other magic items, the caster level is determined by the item itself. In this case, the creator's caster level must be as high as the item's caster level (and prerequisites may effectively put a higher minimum on the creator's level).

Originally you did need to have a minimum caster level equal to that of the item to be created, due to their poor choice of words. They changed that a mere eight months after the book was originally published, and this has been the case since then. Sadly, many people don't realize that this has been addressed in the errata and they continue to force an unintentionally difficult prerequisite on item creation.