A way to get magic items?

[Socko525]

So I was casually reading through the Monster Manual last night, when I stumbled across the Azer and read it's information. A particular passage caught my eye and the gears started turning:
"When azers are called by magic to the Material Plane, it is typically to help forge an elaborate magic item or work of art, for it is said that their skill in such craft knows no equal."

So we know there's no way to buy/sell magic items, but based on the Azer's entry, what about binding one and then having it make an item for you? Or perhaps binding it long enough to have it instruct you on the process of how to make a particular item, or maybe where to find items it has crafted in the past?

Just toying around with some ideas, since without the DMG I feel the rarity of the various magic items is useless (there's really no way of knowing how uncommon, an uncommon item really is).

Anyway, let me know what you think!

[Nargrakhan]

Just toying around with some ideas, since without the DMG I feel the rarity of the various magic items is useless (there's really no way of knowing how uncommon, an uncommon item really is).

Just a minor aside...

In no way does the mechanics of 5e suggest magic items have to be everyday and everywhere... or super rare and one of a kind. You can have a magic store rich environment if that makes everyone happy. What 5e DOES allow for, is making it possible to win an entire campaign WITHOUT magic weapons at all. Now the system isn't entirely foolproof or without flaws, but it certainly does a much better job at it than 3.x could hope for.

Magic weapons make a campaign EASIER in 5e -- that's the principal the system is designed around. Not that they have to be rare or common or whatever. Different campaign settings may have tons of magic items or none at all. 5e works for all of them.

[Eslin]

So I was casually reading through the Monster Manual last night, when I stumbled across the Azer and read it's information. A particular passage caught my eye and the gears started turning:
"When azers are called by magic to the Material Plane, it is typically to help forge an elaborate magic item or work of art, for it is said that their skill in such craft knows no equal."

So we know there's no way to buy/sell magic items, but based on the Azer's entry, what about binding one and then having it make an item for you? Or perhaps binding it long enough to have it instruct you on the process of how to make a particular item, or maybe where to find items it has crafted in the past?

Just toying around with some ideas, since without the DMG I feel the rarity of the various magic items is useless (there's really no way of knowing how uncommon, an uncommon item really is).

Anyway, let me know what you think!

If you want a quick way of getting magic items, true polymorph can turn a creature into an item, and unlike every other spell with similar abilities it doesn't have an 'except magical items' clause. Just keep in mind you'll need a live target (ants work nicely) and the resulting item will be vulnerable to dispelling.

[pwykersotz]

I'd say an excellent way to model this is to allow the Azer to create an item more efficiently, or else to allow added perks for a similar crafting time.

The first method would just be to allow the Azer to make 10gp per day of crafting, scale up or down as you like.

The second would be to say "You conscripted the Azer to make a +1 Sword, but you provided obsidian from the Plane of Fire. He draws out the innate power, and now the sword deals an extra 1d6 fire damage as well. This extra benefit took no extra time or gold, it is merely an extension of the Azer's power and craft.

[MaxWilson]

Just toying around with some ideas, since without the DMG I feel the rarity of the various magic items is useless (there's really no way of knowing how uncommon, an uncommon item really is).

Useless no more. Per the DMG, uncommon items cost 500 gp to make, rare items cost 5000 gp, and very rare items cost 50,000 gp. Each 25gp of value requires 1 day of crafting to forge, so 20 days for an uncommon item. In addition, you need to be able to cast any spells that it will cast (e.g. Fireball for Wand of Fireballs), and you also need a "formula" and possibly some rare, DM-decided ingredients (no details given but presumably this lets you turn crafting into an adventure as desired, e.g. hunting spider venom).

[GiantOctopodes]

Useless no more. Per the DMG, uncommon items cost 500 gp to make, rare items cost 5000 gp, and very rare items cost 50,000 gp. Each 25gp of value requires 1 day of crafting to forge, so 20 days for an uncommon item. In addition, you need to be able to cast any spells that it will cast (e.g. Fireball for Wand of Fireballs), and you also need a "formula" and possibly some rare, DM-decided ingredients (no details given but presumably this lets you turn crafting into an adventure as desired, e.g. hunting spider venom).

Seems a bit strange that an uncommon item costs barely more than a suit of plate to make, and takes significantly less time.

[MaxWilson]

Seems a bit strange that an uncommon item costs barely more than a suit of plate to make, and takes significantly less time.

It's not really that strange when you remember that:

1.) Plate is crazy expensive,
2.) An elephant only costs 200 gp.
3.) Your 1st level adventurer's starting gear of 120 gp (longbow, chain mail, sword) or so is his life savings.

I think of 1 gp as roughly equivalent to $50-100 in real life.

That being said, the magic item creation does scale pretty weirdly, with each step above uncommon increasing time/cost by 10x. That's why I'm focused on the uncommon options instead of rares. And as a DM, it's the uncommons that I'd be likely to increase in price, while leaving rares alone. Maybe something like 2000 gp uncommon, 5000 gp rare.

[Inevitability]

2.) An elephant only costs 200 gp.

And don't forget 5 classes can start with that amount...

Naked crazy cleric of nature on an elephant, here I come!

[MaxWilson]

And don't forget 5 classes can start with that amount...

Naked crazy cleric of nature on an elephant, here I come!

Theoretically at least. In practice only 1 in (4^5=1024) clerics actually has enough cash to start with a pet elephant. I like the visual though. :)

[Dalebert]

Theoretically at least. In practice only 1 in (4^5=1024) clerics actually has enough cash to start with a pet elephant. I like the visual though. :)

Guidance cantrip on starting money! Sidenote: My DM called my it my cheese cantrip and he's right. I was using the crap out of this last night. I honestly think it needs to just go away but as long as it's around, people should use it like crazy.

Anyhoo, it always bugged me that a magic sword was just a nice sword with spells cast on it. I imagine the magic being in their forging process. Imagine a sword that is so hard and so sharp, it penetrates armor more easily, possibly even like butter. Remember the magic sword in Clash of the Titans that casually split stone? 3.5 just had masterwork--the end. Boring! I tend to imagine a +1 sword in 5e as being the equivalent of MW in 3.5. +2 or +3 are just degrees of that with a small fraction of smiths even being capable of it given the right materials and considerable time. It wasn't that you somehow swung it any better than you otherwise would have. Maybe high level melee types could have the potential to develop such skill taking a little more focus off of the casters.

You could imagine a sword that let's you swing it better, and that would actually make more sense to be made by spells than it's craftsmanship, but then we're talking something like a boost to your proficiency which might also logically mean a cap. Or what if it raised your strength but only with respect to how you swing the sword? Also capped.

I intend to make +2 or sword extremely rare and +3 swords will be like artifacts or relics. "By the Gods!"

[Socko525]

Guidance cantrip on starting money! Sidenote: My DM called my it my cheese cantrip and he's right. I was using the crap out of this last night. I honestly think it needs to just go away but as long as it's around, people should use it like crazy.

Anyhoo, it always bugged me that a magic sword was just a nice sword with spells cast on it. I imagine the magic being in their forging process. Imagine a sword that is so hard and so sharp, it penetrates armor more easily, possibly even like butter. Remember the magic sword in Clash of the Titans that casually split stone? 3.5 just had masterwork--the end. Boring! I tend to imagine a +1 sword in 5e as being the equivalent of MW in 3.5. +2 or +3 are just degrees of that with a small fraction of smiths even being capable of it given the right materials and considerable time. It wasn't that you somehow swung it any better than you otherwise would have. Maybe high level melee types could have the potential to develop such skill taking a little more focus off of the casters.

You could imagine a sword that let's you swing it better, and that would actually make more sense to be made by spells than it's craftsmanship, but then we're talking something like a boost to your proficiency which might also logically mean a cap. Or what if it raised your strength but only with respect to how you swing the sword? Also capped.

I intend to make +2 or sword extremely rare and +3 swords will be like artifacts or relics. "By the Gods!"

Have you seen the history/trait/quirk tables for magic items? It essentially adds a history and something unique to a given magic item i.e. forged by dwarves, as a fiend bane weapon so fiends automatically identify the wielder as an enemy, them a trait like it can never break or it emits the light of a torch or keeps the bearer warm in cold conditions, and a quirk like it makes you confident or covetous of material wealth or when faced with a moral dilemma it tries to force you one way or the other (not sentient by any means, but more like how the One Ring corrupts someone)

You obviously don't have to use these rules, but I personally love them for older pre-existing weapons. I'm not sure it would make sense for player crafted items

[Inevitability]

Theoretically at least. In practice only 1 in (4^5=1024) clerics actually has enough cash to start with a pet elephant. I like the visual though. :)

Max Starting Wealth games are quite common, aren't they?