Caster lvl feats and Crafting

[Idares]

So I am a lvl 8 caster, I have an Orb of Storms (DMG)

I also have Primal Caster, Storm Magic and Frozen Magic feats (all from Frostburn) and craft wondrous item and Scribe Scroll.

Can I:

1) Make another Orb of Storms by using my current Orb of Storms to cast Control Weather

2) At what max level would Scrolls be that I scribe?

[dextercorvia]

1) No.


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, nor are any XP costs inherent in a prerequisite spell incurred in the creation of the item. 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 his currently prepared spells, just as if they had been cast.)

2) What is your Caster Level?

[Diarmuid]

I always assumed that it would allow per this section (my bolding for emphasis):



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).

But in the Creating Wondrous Items section it specifically states the section you quoted. I had thought the rules allowed for even another caster to help creating an item. Is that in a later book or errata somewhere or have I been mistaken this entire time.

[ace rooster]

Feats like improved caster level generally start with the provision "for the purposes of spells", or words to that effect. As far as I am aware there are no feats that increase your caster level for things other than spells, such as crafting. I expect there will be an obscure one somewhere though.

Getting the control weather out of the orb is fine, but even assuming the DM will let you work 1 day a month on an item and that you are prepared to give up the storm of vengence ability every month, it would still take you 4 years because you need 48 casting of storm of vengence. A larger problem is the caster level anyway though.

[Idares]

2) What is your Caster Level?


So I am a lvl 8 caster, I have an Orb of Storms (DMG)


I too never realised that part of crafting, always thought the spell can come form anywhere. Lets say I can cast the spell, would the caster lvl requirement be met though?

As Ace rooster pointed out, I think not.

[dextercorvia]

A level 8 caster can have quite a range of Caster Levels.

Do note that the CL listed for the item is not one of the prereqs for creating the item. This is clarified elsewhere in the Magic Item Description tab. That is also where you can find the rules for cooperating to make an item.


Prerequisites

Certain requirements must be met in order for a character to create a magic item. These include feats, spells, and miscellaneous requirements such as level, alignment, and race or kind. The prerequisites for creation of an item are given immediately following the item’s caster level.

A spell prerequisite may be provided by a character who has prepared the spell (or who knows the spell, in the case of a sorcerer or bard), or through the use of a spell completion or spell trigger magic item or a spell-like ability that produces the desired spell effect. For each day that passes in the creation process, the creator must expend one spell completion item or one charge from a spell trigger item if either of those objects is used to supply a prerequisite.

It is possible for more than one character to cooperate in the creation of an item, with each participant providing one or more of the prerequisites. In some cases, cooperation may even be necessary.