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pwykersotz
2016-01-25, 01:15 AM
I've created a crafting system for my players that I feel is fairly straightforward with how our table views fantasy and magic item creation. That said, I am but one man and my players (bless their hearts) are not very good at game design. If anyone is willing, I'd love some feedback. Specifically, any obvious holes or abuses would be good to know about, as well as if you think the restrictions are too heavy. This crafting system is currently designed for permanent magical items, and does not take into account expendable items such as potions or scrolls yet.

Also, this is untested. I haven't even initially tested the system yet, much less stress tested it. Therefore I expect a few of the numbers to need correction. I'm more in the idea phase at the moment, but I'm more than willing to listen to number critiques as well.

Oh, and as far as Astral Diamonds are concerned, yes I took the term from the very valuable currency in previous editions of D&D. Other than that they bear no relation to their predecessors.

So yeah, here it is! (Google doc removed because I'm tinkering)

Stages:

Choose your item to craft
Acquire a base item
Find a catalyst
Spend the requisite gold on reagents
Allocate your Astral Diamonds
(Optional) Lay out the trophies you wish to use
Determine crafting time
Roll to complete your item


First, choose the item you wish to craft. The magic items in the DMG are a good baseline, though you can craft a custom item as well. Make sure you or someone aiding you has proficiency in the tools necessary to craft the item. Imbuing it with magic will cause it to fall apart unless adjustments can be made on the fly.

Next, you must acquire both a base item and a catalyst. The base item merely determines the form of what you are creating it can be crafted at the same time it is imbued if you wish, though this may extend the time it takes to make the magical item. The catalyst must be a plant, creature part, artwork, or anything else that glorifies the purpose of the item. For example, a Red Dragon's heart works as an excellent catalyst for a fire based item. The rarity or challenge rating of the catalyst directly affects the power of the item, as indicated in the table below. Hence the plant Athelas, a curative weed, can make common healing potions. But a powerful healing elixir that restores all ailments might take the horn or tears of a unicorn, and a balm to raise the dead might take a phoenix feather. In certain circumstances, the catalyst and the base item might be one and the same if the item bears enough of a legacy, but beware of turning such an item against its own legacy. It is possible that such an item would bear a terrible curse.

A catalyst has a certain amount of power in its essence, and once depleted it can no longer be used to make an item of the same quality as before. Items whose rarity match the strength of the creature from whom the trophy came deplete this power at once. Items whose rarity is a step below the strength of the creature deplete the power once two items of that strength have been created; trying to make one lower rarity item followed by one matching rarity item will result in the second attempt failing. Items which are two steps in rarity below the creature’s strength deplete so little of its power that they can be made indefinitely, whether or not higher power items are made (as long as you have enough trophies from that creature).




Common
Uncommon
Rare
Very Rare
Legendary
Artifact


CR 1-5
1
-
-
-
-
-


CR 6-10
2
1
-
-
-
-


CR 11-15

2
1
-
-
-


CR 16-20


2
1
-
-


CR 21-25



2
1
-


CR 26-30




2
1



If the creature, artist, etc is still alive when the catalyst is used, they attain an awareness of the object and the power to see through it. Occasionally, they might be able to affect the world through it as well if they try.

Third, you must have the appropriate gold to craft such an item. If the item has a specific price (such as a healing potion), it supersedes the price below. Use 1/2 the price of such an item instead of the listed cost. Otherwise use the table to determine what is needed. The cost covers special ingredients such as oils and incense that aid in binding the magic. This gold cost does not cover the base item.



Successes
Rarity
Cost
CR


1
Common
100gp
1-5


2
Uncommon
200gp
6-10


3
Rare
1000gp
11-15


4
Very Rare
10,000gp
16-20


5
Legendary
100,000gp
21-25


10
Artifact
1,000,000gp
26-30



Fourth, you require Astral Diamonds. They are shards of magic and knowledge that are created over eons as countless souls flow to the Outer Planes. For each Astral Diamond you have, you gain 1d6 to roll to see if you successfully craft the item. A 5-6 is a success.

Optionally, you can also acquire trophies. A trophy is the same as a catalyst, only it does not have to bear a sympathetic resonance to the item, merely be of a worthy power. When used as a focus in the creation process, the trophy turns to dust or is fused into the form of the item. However, each trophy used forces a single die to succeed prior to the roll. Thus, if you were rolling 4d6, you would now roll 3d6 and the extra would automatically count as a success.



# of Dice
Common - 1
Uncommon - 2
Rare - 3
Very Rare - 4
Legendary - 5


Exact
33.33%
11.11%
3.7%
1.23%
0.41%


Double
55.55%
40.74%
31.96%
25.86%
21.31%


Triple
70.37%
64.88%
62.28%
60.69%
59.59%


Quadruple
80.24%
80.49%
81.88%
83.40%
84.84%


Quintuple
86.83%
89.59%
92.06%
93.95%
95.37%



Using trophys is both useful and dangerous. When a trophy is used, it gains a property as if created or intended to be used by the type of creature the trophy is from. Refer to DMG 142. If multiple trophies are used, choose one at random to be dominant, though visually the item looks to be a hodgepodge of all types. In addition, roll 1d20 for each trophy used. On a 13 or higher, nothing happens. On a 1-12, match the number against the Quirk’s table on DMG 143. The item gains that quirk.

If your creation fails, you can choose one of three options. The first is to let it fail which lets you get half (rounded down) of your spent Astral Diamonds back. The second is to make the item anyway but with a curse. The curse might be of the GM's design, or it might be a minor or major detrimental effect per the DMG. The final option is to roll your die pool again, but lower the quality of the item by one step. For this third option, the item you choose must still fit the criteria of the catalyst and use the base item. If you fail this third option and you opt to get your astral diamonds back, you instead acquire one quarter of those you spend. Then one eighth if you decreased in quality again, and so on.

Crafting takes time, roll 1d6 for each level of rarity the item is. That roll represents a single day. Remove all fives and sixes rolled and roll again until all dice are gone to determine the number of days needed.

Upgrading an Item
You might choose to upgrade or transform an existing magical item instead of creating one anew. To do so takes one success for each rank you wish to improve, plus one. So to increase a Rare item to Legendary, you would need three successes. You pay the difference in cost between the two ranks, and otherwise all other conditions must be the same, including a new catalyst of sufficient power (assuming the current one is not enough). The current magical item takes the place of the base item in this case, meaning the form will be the same.

Dismantling an Item
You can break down existing items into raw magical energy that gets you Astral Diamonds. It is an imperfect method, returning to you one less Astral Diamond than it took successes to create the item in the first place. This process does not work on Legendary items or Artifacts. You must spend the same amount of time it takes to create an item of equal quality (using the dice pool method above) and spend the same amount of money it would take to create such an item to properly break it down. If destroyed, the item cannot yield Astral Diamonds.

Formulas
If you wish to spend your energy mastering how to craft a magic item endlessly, you need a formula. A formula is of a rarity one step above the item it creates that involves attuning to the astral diamonds and scribbling on scrolls in an incense filled room for days on end. Once a formula is made, you can reproduce the item following the crafting guidelines in the DMG 128-129. Legendary Items and Artifacts have no formulas. This is a slower but safer process.

Artifacts
If you seek the ultimate magical item, you can craft a custom artifact. Crafting an artifact requires you to be level 17 or higher. You require ten successes to complete the item. Please inform the DM before starting down this path.

Willingly Given
Sometimes a creature will willingly give a catalyst or trophy to be used in the creation of an item. Such a gift can never be given under magical influence, duress, or extortion, and is especially valuable. Such a gift still requires the use of the normal number of Astral Diamonds, but they are all considered successes on an expanded range of 3-6. In addition to this valuable property, the creature (if alive) is more likely to be kind when viewing through or influencing the item. On the other hand, the creature can also stipulate a rarity of the item to be made so it does not deplete its essence. Typically the creature will tell the recipient of the gift about this limitation.

In addition, a few creatures are capable of giving already enchanted gifts. These gifts typically reflect their nature in some way. Such an item can be upgraded, but it can never be used as a catalyst for a more powerful item, the limit of the power already having been shared.

Forges
Around the worlds and planes, there are very rare places that resonate with powerful magic that are called forges. These places allow for the crafting of magical items without any need for Astral Diamonds. Such places are considered extremely valuable, not only for their power and rarity, but because they are often limited in use. It is often impossible to tell how much power a forge has; it might be good only for a single common item before it vanishes from existence, or it might hold the power to forge many artifacts. It might even only allow items of a certain power to be made, even if it has more than enough power to make greater ones. Even more limiting is the forges tendency to only allow certain items to be crafted. For example, a forge on the Plane of Fire might only allow items of its element to be made, and a Dwarven forge might only allow its creations to be used by the Dwarves themselves. Typically such secrets can be discovered ahead of time with proper research.

A forge sometimes has a smith, a powerful creature who can control the forge. Sometimes the smith is overt, advertising his presence. Other times he tries to remain hidden, and often can do so without much difficulty. Only a smith can tell for certain what the properties of a forge are, and trying to use a forge when the smith does not wish it is dangerous to the extreme, for the smith can cause a curse to take hold without your knowledge.

In practical terms, access to a forge is typically a reward for finishing a great quest or campaign, or else the reason to start one. Even if the goal is to seek one out, there is likely to be peril and difficulty along the way. Adventurers who come across a forge are wise to be wary and verify what they can before simply using it.

Twelvetrees
2016-01-28, 01:48 PM
# of Dice
Common - 1
Uncommon - 2
Rare - 3
Very Rare - 4
Legendary - 5


Exact
33.33%
11.11%
3.7%
1.23%
0.41%


Double
55.55%
40.74%
31.96%
25.86%
21.31%


Triple
70.37%
64.88%
62.28%
60.69%
59.59%


Quadruple
80.24%
80.49%
81.88%
83.40%
84.84%


Quintuple
86.83%
89.59%
92.06%
93.95%
95.37%





Can you explain this table more clearly? From what I can tell, you need one success for a Common item and an additional success for each increase in scarcity, up to five successes for a Legendary item. What is the rest of the table supposed to signify (Exact, Double, Triple, etc.)?

pwykersotz
2016-01-28, 02:25 PM
Can you explain this table more clearly? From what I can tell, you need one success for a Common item and an additional success for each increase in scarcity, up to five successes for a Legendary item. What is the rest of the table supposed to signify (Exact, Double, Triple, etc.)?

You can spend more Astral Diamonds than needed to get more rolls and a higher chance of success. For a common item, spending one diamond gives you a 33% chance of success. Spending double that (2 diamonds) gives you a 55% chance to succeed. Basically the table explains how much to overspend to maximize your odds.

Twelvetrees
2016-01-28, 02:53 PM
So if I've got this right, to create a Common magic item you would need a catalyst of any CR, 100 gp, and one Astral Diamond. In order to determine if the crafting was successful, I'd roll 1d6 from having one Astral Diamond, and if it came up 5 or 6, I would succeed.

The time to craft the item would be determined by rolling 1d6. I would roll that 1d6 until it came up 5 or 6 and each time I rolled it would represent one day of work.


Another example:

I'm trying to create a Rare magic item. I need a catalyst of CR 11, 1000 gp, and one Astral Diamond. In order to determine in the crafting was successful, I'd roll 1d6 from having one Astral Diamond but I'd have to roll it three times because the item is a Rare item. If all three times, it came up a 5 or 6, I would succeed.

I would roll 3d6 and remove each die that came up a 5 or 6 to determine how many days it took to construct the magic item.


Side note: How are catalyst's CRs determined? If you fight a monster and harvest something from it, I assume whatever you harvested has the same CR as the monster. What if you don't fight something? DM's jurisdiction?

Also, where would Astral Diamonds be found? (More specifically than in the Astral Sea) How would the players gain access to them?

pwykersotz
2016-01-30, 08:32 PM
So if I've got this right, to create a Common magic item you would need a catalyst of any CR, 100 gp, and one Astral Diamond. In order to determine if the crafting was successful, I'd roll 1d6 from having one Astral Diamond, and if it came up 5 or 6, I would succeed.

The time to craft the item would be determined by rolling 1d6. I would roll that 1d6 until it came up 5 or 6 and each time I rolled it would represent one day of work.


Another example:

I'm trying to create a Rare magic item. I need a catalyst of CR 11, 1000 gp, and one Astral Diamond. In order to determine in the crafting was successful, I'd roll 1d6 from having one Astral Diamond but I'd have to roll it three times because the item is a Rare item. If all three times, it came up a 5 or 6, I would succeed.

I would roll 3d6 and remove each die that came up a 5 or 6 to determine how many days it took to construct the magic item.


Side note: How are catalyst's CRs determined? If you fight a monster and harvest something from it, I assume whatever you harvested has the same CR as the monster. What if you don't fight something? DM's jurisdiction?

Also, where would Astral Diamonds be found? (More specifically than in the Astral Sea) How would the players gain access to them?

I'm sorry I took so long to reply. Crazy couple days.

The first example is correct. The second example is mostly correct. For a rare magic item you'd need three Astral Diamonds.

For the catalyst CR's, you're correct, it's the CR of the creature it was taken from. Otherwise, the GM determines the rarity which follows the same scale as the items themselves. An item of Legendary rarity would make a Legendary item.

Astral Diamonds are sometimes found at magical sites such as a node or leyline, or as you noted in the Astral Sea. Players will presumably get them as loot drops or from dismantling magic items that have been acquired through normal means.

*****

Side note, I'm thinking the gold costs are way too high given the potential failure chance. I'm still considering what values to use.

Twelvetrees
2016-01-31, 01:12 AM
Follow up question:

Let's use the example of the Rare magic item again. I've got three Astral Diamonds. I try to craft the item.

Do I: Roll 3d6 and need 5-6 on all three? Or roll 3d6 three times and need three successes?

Or is it something else entirely?

pwykersotz
2016-01-31, 12:18 PM
Follow up question:

Let's use the example of the Rare magic item again. I've got three Astral Diamonds. I try to craft the item.

Do I: Roll 3d6 and need 5-6 on all three? Or roll 3d6 three times and need three successes?

Or is it something else entirely?

You'd need a 5-6 on all three. Hence the table of odds for using more Astral Diamonds and therefore getting more dice.