Item creation question

[killianh]

I'm wondering if there are any rules or tricks that would help get around or at least decrease the XP costs for making magic items, or ways to gain extra XP above the rest of the party and use that?

For actually crafting items I would probably use Warlock 12\chameleon 2 for the UMD to create and the floating feat, but I don't want to end up way behind the rest of the party.

Any thoughts would be helpful

[Feytalist]

Getting extra XP for crafting is kinda the artificer's shtick.

For reducing creation cost and XP, some feats do just that. Magical Artisan from PGF is one. I'm sure there are others.

[jara]

would you be able to get extra xp from killing undead you create using the dead walk lesser invocation? it doesn't cost anything if you kill them quickly. of course, then the problem is how low the cr [and therefore xp] of an undead creature as compared to the base creature, but still, free xp? it could keep you on track, or at least not as far behind. also, there's the legendary artisan feat from ECS, which cuts xp costs by 25%, i think.

[Jeff the Green]

would you be able to get extra xp from killing undead you create using the dead walk lesser invocation?

You control the undead you create, so even if it counted as an encounter, any sane DM would say it's effectively EL 0.

A better way to get XP for crafting is to perennially be a level lower than the rest of the party. You get extra XP, which you can then use to craft.

Also check out the feats in the Artificer handbook (http://brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.php?topic=5929.0).

[DarkestKnight]

I found this thread recently, which should give you avenues to pursue. It can be a lot to read at once though.
http://brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.php?topic=7274

[King Atticus]

If you are allowed to use it and not afraid your DM will destroy it and completely wreck your character an Item Familiar gives you +10% xp. If they are reluctant to allow it, you might be able to work with your DM on a compromise...you don't exploit all the Item Familiar cheesiness and it effectively gives you a crafting pool with the extra xp it grants you.

[Duke of URL]

If your DM hates dealing with XP accounting, try and talk him/her into replacing XP costs with extra GP costs at the rate of 5 GP/XP.

[dropdadgbe]

Speaking as a DM who hates XP accounting, I strongly encourage anyone into item crafting to take (or find an NPC who has taken) at least 5 levels of artificer. At that level they get Retain Essence, which is a class ability that lets them destroy items and keep the XP that it took to make the item (for crafting purposes only). The math works out that even without feats or the artificer's own craft reserve, it costs the same in gold that it would take to buy the item at market price as it does to pay half the cost in materials and to sacrifice loot items for XP instead of selling them at half value. With feats it becomes cheaper.

EDIT: I should clarify that specifically BUYING items just to burn for XP results in spending more than the item's market price, but just burning the loot items that you were going to get half value for anyway comes out even. It's a way to let players swap out loot they don't want for loot that they'd actually use without penalizing them for it.