Can I get an explanation on exactly how the item crafting system works?

[AnonymousPepper]

I've mentioned my artificer more than once here, and I sort of just realized, I dove into it because it seemed like an interesting choice to play without actually knowing how crafting works.

So... can I either get a full explanation of exactly how the system works and the ins and outs of it, or a link to a post that does explain it in detail?

Not just magical, but non-magical items as well.

[Captnq]

Ya-ta-da-ta-da-da-BOOM (http://www.minmaxboards.com/index.php?topic=11953.msg204497#msg204497)!

[AnonymousPepper]

Ya-ta-da-ta-da-da-BOOM (http://www.minmaxboards.com/index.php?topic=11953.msg204497#msg204497)!

You are my hero and so is he. :biggrin:

[AnonymousPepper]

...you know, though, call me dumb but I don't see therein exactly where the crafting system gets explained. :confused:

[Zanos]

Captnq just linked an encyclopedia of various things. I'll try to have a more personal touch.

All items have a prerequisites. If you meet the requirements for creating an item, you can craft it. The caster level listed on an item is not a requirement unless explicitly stated to be, but is the caster level for those items that are generally found in the world.

To create an item, it costs raw materials equal to half the market price of the item, and it costs the creator experience points equal 1/25th of the items base price. It also takes 1 day per 1000gp of the market price of the item.

If the item requires spells to craft, you must either prepare those spells or have them as spells known. Everyday you spend time crafting that item, the required spells become unavailable, or you lose a spell slot of that level.

Example: Let's say you wanted to craft a Headband of Intellect +2.
A HoI +2 has a market price of 4000gp. It has a listed caster level of 8, but since that isn't stated as a prerequisite, we can ignore it. You must possess the craft wondrous item feat.

The market price is 4000gp, the cost for you to craft it is 2000gp(4000/2) and 160xp(4000/25). Since it's a 4000gp item, it takes 4 days for you to craft it. You must also prepare Fox's Cunning each day you work on the item, and the spells becomes consumed as though you cast it each day you spend working on the item. The final caster level of the item is equal to your caster level.

[Kelb_Panthera]

Magic crafting is exceedingly simple.

If you have the cash and meet the item's prerequisites you simply declare that you're crafting the item and when the time is past and resources spent the item is done.

Prices are determined by the item's entry or the DM's discretion using the formulas in ch 7 of the DMG as a guideline. The cost to create is 1/2 of the price in gold and 1/25 of the price in xp. Note that the cost of weapons and armor are -not- figured into the price for enhancing them, but added to it to determine the final market price of the item.

The time required is 1 day per 1000gp; more specifically 8 hours of work on each day of work. Each day need not be consecutive.

For example; a +2 chain shirt has a final market price of 4250gp. 250 of that is the cost of the masterwork chainshirt and does not figure into the cost to magically enhance. The remaining 4000 is the cost for the crafter, which results from the formula in the dmg for armors; X2*1000gp where X is the bonus or bonus equivalent being crafted. This will require 2000gp in raw materials, 160xp, and 4 days.



Mundane crafting is a completely separate matter. An item requires 1/3 of its price in raw materials. The time required is a function of a craft check using whichever of the craft skills is appropriate to the item and the cost of the item. If the item is to be a masterwork item you spend time and money as though the masterwork component were a separate item and the item is not considered complete until both the item and its masterwork component are completed.

Let's use that armor from the example above.

The cost of a chain shirt is 100gp. The crafter will require 33.3gp worth of materials. To determine how long that will take you first convert the price to sp; 1000 in this case; then compare that to the results of the craft (armorsmithing) check multiplied by the DC for the armor; 14 in this case. Let's say that the crafter has a +10 bonus and takes 10 on the check for a result of 20. We multiply those figures; 14 and 20; to get 280sp worth of crafting for the week that check represents. It will take a bit less than 4 weeks to complete a normal chainshirt; 280*4=1120 which puts you over while 280*3=840 which is not enough.

However, this armor is masterwork so it's not yet complete. We must also figure the time for the masterwork component. This is the same as above. 150gp converts to 1500sp. The crafter takes 10 for a result of 20 again. We multiply that by the dc for masterwork equipment; 20. This gets us 4 weeks of work; 20*20=400 and 400 goes into 1500 four times with an extra 100. The cost is an extra 50gp.

With four weeks for the armor and four for it being masterwork the armor takes 8 weeks to complete and, at 33.3 for the armor and 50 for masterwork, costs 83.3gp in raw materials.

A more skilled crafter could finish the armor more quickly by getting higher check results -and- by choosing to voluntarily increase the DC's by increments of 10, as layed out in the craft skill's description.

A crafter may also choose to determine progress by the day. To do so, simply change the values to cp instead of sp and otherwise follow the rules as outlined above. For the above example this gives us a period of 36 days for the armor and 38 days for the masterwork component for a total of 74 days.

While checking by the week tends to run longer in most cases, it also offers fewer opportunities to waste materials if successful checks aren't a certainty. See the craft skill description for details on failed checks and the possibility of wasted materials.

[AnonymousPepper]

How do Dedicated Wrights fit into all of this?

[Just to Browse]

A dedicated wright can perform the daily tasks related to item creation on behalf of its master. The master must meet (or emulate) all the prerequisites to create the desired item normally, and pays the gold and XP cost himself. The only cost a dedicated wright can help with is item. The master spends 1 hour initiating the process, channeling spell prerequisites into the dedicated wright, and paying the XP cot to make the item. He may then leave, allowing the wright to carry the process through to completion.

That's what they wrote on dedicated wrights. It's unclear if that frees up time for you to craft or if you're still stuck on an 8-hour limit. If you're so busy that you can't work, take three days and make one.