Abuses of a class that can re-arrange their WBL?

[The Vagabond]

This is just something I'm wondering- what could someone be able to do if their class allowed them to re-arrange their WBL? Assuming that it grants you most crafting feats beside scribe scroll (Which rearranging your WBL doesn't affect (AKA, you can make wands, but not Scrolls)), and, as a move action, you can break down a pre-exsisting items to re-craft half your WBL as a move action. How much can you abuse this? Is this over or under-powered?

TL;DR: What could you do with the ability to re-shape your WBL at will with a move action?

[Vizzerdrix]

Quite abuseable depending on specifics. What are the limits on what can and can't be broken down in this manner?

[SinsI]

Since crafting takes quite a bit of time, it is not abusable at all - it is no different from visiting your nearest big city and trading away your unnecessary items.
Exception: you have some item that has something like 1 use per year that you break down and re-create anew after using.

[Extra Anchovies]

The first thing that comes to mind is abusing the Bane weapon property and the Bane Blind armor property, because those could be reshaped to match whatever enemies were currently being faced.

Also, anything with uses/day can be broken by being reworked into something else, which is then reworked back into the original item.

[The Vagabond]

Quite abuseable depending on specifics. What are the limits on what can and can't be broken down in this manner?
Here's the breakdown of the ability I'm working on (A very rough draft, with minimal fluff)

Crafting Cash: You can transform items into a pool of floating creation (Maximum your WBL)- Crafting using Floating Creation does not use EXP, and you can craft up to half your WBL as a move action, and de-craft stuff as a free action if you re-craft it with a move action. Otherwise, it's a swift or move action. You cannot transform items into a pool of floating creation if the person who owns the item does not consent. You'll gain almost every crafting feat in the game (Besides Scribe Scroll) at some point- with an option between Craft Construct and Craft Wand at level 4. Any re-charging item used removes the ability to use that portion of your Floating Creation until it re-charges. If it's a single-use item, you can only recover that portion of your EXP by expending 1/25th of the Floating Creation used in EXP. This can be done once per week or level, whichever comes first. You can create a magic item even if he does not have access to the spells that are prerequisites for the item. The ___ must make a successful Use Magic Device check (DC 20 + caster level) to emulate the spells normally required to create the item.

Basically, what I'm trying to get at, you can re-create half your WBL as a move action, with no EXP used, unless you use a non-recharging item. (So, if you use the floating creation to make a wand, you must use EXP to recover the gold spent. You should only be able to do this every 48 hours.) You're basically a infusion-less artificer who can re-craft your weapon in half a round.

[GilesTheCleric]

I don't think changing your weapon is the best use of this ability. Having a maxed skill bonus to whatever skill you're using, a crystal ball at the beginning of the day, cycling through healing items until you're all fully healed between encounters, and making niche items that you typically wouldn't purchase. Wouldn't it be nice to always have the benefits of things like the mattock of the titans, the lyre of building, the dwarven hammer sphere, daern's instant fortress, ever soaking sponge, or any other niche item that's cool but never worth purchasing over eg a cowl of warding.

Edit: how would this work with things like grafts, or items that change their state but don't have charges (Boccob's blessed book, bag of holding, ever soaking sponge)?

[Vizzerdrix]

Get the local ruler to sign over all legal rights to the BBEG lair and turn it into a pile of clubs and quarterstaves.

Might want to toss in a no living animal clause too. Chickens to troll slaves and what not.

[GilesTheCleric]

Get the local ruler to sign over all legal rights to the BBEG lair and turn it into a pile of clubs and quarterstaves.

Might want to toss in a no living animal clause too. Chickens to troll slaves and what not.

Oooh, using this offensively by changing your foes' weapons is pretty devious. It's like being an Oracle from PF (that's the one that can break items on touch, right?), except that it doesn't go back to normal when you let go.

I also just noticed that the umd check included in this item doesn't actually make any difference. As long as you make it a single time, you can then always include a component that is +x to UMD, and thus never fail the check from that point on.

[The Vagabond]

I don't think changing your weapon is the best use of this ability. Having a maxed skill bonus to whatever skill you're using, a crystal ball at the beginning of the day, cycling through healing items until you're all fully healed between encounters, and making niche items that you typically wouldn't purchase. Wouldn't it be nice to always have the benefits of things like the mattock of the titans, the lyre of building, the dwarven hammer sphere, daern's instant fortress, ever soaking sponge, or any other niche item that's cool but never worth purchasing over eg a cowl of warding.

Edit: how would this work with things like grafts, or items that change their state but don't have charges (Boccob's blessed book, bag of holding, ever soaking sponge)?
I'd say, with Grafts and stuff that replace body parts, if you remove the graft and put it into your Floating Creation pool, you still don't have the original body part. You'll still need to attach it if you use the Graft. With stuff that changes state, anything within the item is expelled into any nearby receptical capable of containing it- Stuff in a bag of holding flies everywhere, the Ever Soaking Sponge releases it's stored water on the floor, and the Spells fly everywhere into the nearest empty spell book.


Oooh, using this offensively by changing your foes' weapons is pretty devious. It's like being an Oracle from PF (that's the one that can break items on touch, right?), except that it doesn't go back to normal when you let go.


I also just noticed that the umd check included in this item doesn't actually make any difference. As long as you make it a single time, you can then always include a component that is +x to UMD, and thus never fail the check from that point on.You actually can't do so, because the owner of the item MUST be willing. They don't have to make a saving throw.

Alright, that's a valid loophole- Let's fill it up- You can only make a +X bonus to checks up to half your level. How does this help?

[SinsI]

You might want to look at existing classes that do similar things:
Shadowsmith PRC from Tome of Magic allows you to craft weapons and armor for yourself out of shadow as a standard action, limited to a total weight in pounds of twice your class level. Specific items require DC 20 Craft check in the appropriate skill. You can also enchant them (+1 to +5 bonus depending on your class level), in that case it'll take a full round action and DC 20 + bonus.
You can only have 2 shadowcraft enchanted items at a time.
At 9th level you can quicken that craft, reducing time to swift action to craft nonmagical items and to standard action for enchanted ones.

Incarnum classes only allow you to re-craft the items they create in the morning (though you can re-arrange Essentia(magic bonus) every round as you see fit), and you are limited in your selection of items you can craft for yourself.

None of them allow you to share your items with others. None allow to craft items with charges.

[GilesTheCleric]

I'd say, with Grafts and stuff that replace body parts, if you remove the graft and put it into your Floating Creation pool, you still don't have the original body part. You'll still need to attach it if you use the Graft. With stuff that changes state, anything within the item is expelled into any nearby receptical capable of containing it- Stuff in a bag of holding flies everywhere, the Ever Soaking Sponge releases it's stored water on the floor, and the Spells fly everywhere into the nearest empty spell book.

You actually can't do so, because the owner of the item MUST be willing. They don't have to make a saving throw.

Alright, that's a valid loophole- Let's fill it up- You can only make a +X bonus to checks up to half your level. How does this help?

That's a good way of fixing it, definitely. Thinking more about it, what is the caster level of magical items that are created? And, if custom magic items are allowed, is metamagic allowed with them (for persisted buffs of every buff spell at the beginning of the day from a continuous-use item). I like how everything flies out of it when it changes; it makes me wonder what flying xp from a thought bottle would look like, or flying souls from a magic jar phylactery or iron flask. Actually, could you create a regular phylactery with this ability?


You might want to look at existing classes that do similar things:
Shadowsmith PRC from Tome of Magic allows you to craft weapons and armor for yourself out of shadow as a standard action, limited to a total weight in pounds of twice your class level. Specific items require DC 20 Craft check in the appropriate skill. You can also enchant them (+1 to +5 bonus depending on your class level), in that case it'll take a full round action and DC 20 + bonus.
You can only have 2 shadowcraft enchanted items at a time.
At 9th level you can quicken that craft, reducing time to swift action to craft nonmagical items and to standard action for enchanted ones.

Incarnum classes only allow you to re-craft the items they create in the morning (though you can re-arrange Essentia(magic bonus) every round as you see fit), and you are limited in your selection of items you can craft for yourself.

None of them allow you to share your items with others. None allow to craft items with charges.

SinsI, you always bring up good points. In this same vein, you've probably already looked at the intelligent item, weapon of legacy, item familiar, and shapesand rules, but I'll mention them for the sake of others reading the thread. Could a character with this ability effectively turn 1/2 of their WBL into their ancestral weapon for even further buffs?