Do you allow custom items?

[gogogome]

Just curious. For the price of crafting 2 wands, you can create an unlimited item, so you can get like at-will CL 9 magic missile or at-will Gate with unlimited uses per day.

[Kelb_Panthera]

I do, but on a case by case basis. Unlimited use magic missile? Sure, go nuts. Unlimited use gate? Heh, no.

[AvatarVecna]

If I do, it's generally on a case-by-case basis, and a big consideration is how dependent the build is on having such an item. Monk with continuous Greater Mighty Wallop, or Wraithstrike? Sure, monks could use the help. A Game Paladin with continuous Favored Of The Martyr and at-will Celerity? That's gonna be pretty iffy even in higher-op games. Epic caster with continuous Choose Destiny? It's useful, but not brokenly so. Epic caster with at-will Time Stop? Only if basically every enemy in the game has it, and Time Stop becomes subject to SR/Saves, or is balanced in some other way.

[Gildedragon]

Depends on the item; depends on the effect. I generally ask them to tell me what they want to do and I figure out if possible and the costs.

[OldTrees1]

I do allow custom magic items but the guidelines are not rules.


As far as unlimited uses per day for unlimited days wands, look up Eternal Wands. They use the custom magic item guidelines and result is 2 daily charges for roughly the same cost as a normal 50 charge wand.

Spell level * Caster level * 1800 (command word) * 2 / 5 ( 2 charges per day) + 100 (for the crystal rod).
So I am extremely suspicious of your claim about unlimited daily charges for cheaper than 2 normal wands.

[gogogome]

So I am extremely suspicious of your claim about unlimited daily charges for cheaper than 2 normal wands.

According to the guidelines, an unlimited charged item with no daily restrictions is equivalent to an item with 100 charges. I didn't say cheaper, I said it's about the same.

[Honest Tiefling]

Yes, especially if the item is for roleplaying purposes more then mechanical ones, or is very thematically appropriate.


I do allow custom magic items but the guidelines are not rules.

Oh god yes. If something looks a bit leery, I am very reluctant to add it in case it bonkers up balance of the game. That can be hard to fix...

[gadren]

I also allow it but every item is subject GM ruling.
Most of the guidelines are fine being treated as rules, pretty much the only one that really requires intense scrutiny is at-will use of a spell. The given price formula just doesn't cut it; it doesn't take all the different types of spells into account.

[Theobod]

I personally do, but as stated before, I use them as guidelines and personally audit every suggestion.
Custom Skill items? Like +3 or +20, sure, that's just scaling
Custom Stat items? +1 or+5, sure, its more specifically tailored than even numbers but works fine
The spell lvl*CL*1800 for infinite use interpretation I rarely ever use, instead ruling this as 5/day and subdivide accordingly.
Constant effect items also get carefully scrutinised, 8k for constant true strike? Well as true strike ends on effect sure, I would rule that it takes 24hrs to reset after use, so for 8k wondrous item or 12k on a weapon (1.5 as always secondary to +1) the first swing of the day probably hits barring natural one or extreme CR difference.
Constant effect Entropic Shield for 4k (6k on armor) for 20% miss chance on arrows, rays etc.... a bit powerful, often allow in e6 though.
Also remember to price based on what the spell actually DOES, so Divine Power for instance gives full bab, extra HP per lvl and +6 enhancement bonus to strength, so price accordingly
4*7*2000*4 for the spells unique effect, the setting to full bab (224k, so epic already) then add in the HP (bout half the effects of a+2 con so 2k) and the strength at 36k, both of these are secondary effects but because of emulating a spell the DM may rule are related so 75% of the strength and half the HP for a total of 252k if not using ELH, 2.52 mil if they are.

TLDR: Yes, always, but everything is allowed or disallowed on a case by case basis, never give players free reign as they are guidelines only, not hard rules.

[OldTrees1]

According to the guidelines, an unlimited charged item with no daily restrictions is equivalent to an item with 100 charges. I didn't say cheaper, I said it's about the same.
Well in that case:
I do allow custom magic items but the guidelines are not rules. Doubly so for unlimited daily charges. Although I would accept the Ray of Frost at will glove from the MiC as precedent for spells of comparable utility & power.

[Crake]

Just curious. For the price of crafting 2 wands, you can create an unlimited item, so you can get like at-will CL 9 magic missile or at-will Gate with unlimited uses per day.

Worth noting that an at will item of command word gate costs 2,754,000gp and is an epic item. Note that number is not including the cost of the xp component, that's just for an at will 9th level spell, so would cost the same for an at will item of timestop.

Personally I only allow custom items at character creation if the character is capable of making the item themselves (or maybe has a cohort who can).

[Toilet Cobra]

Depends on the item; depends on the effect. I generally ask them to tell me what they want to do and I figure out if possible and the costs.


I do allow custom magic items but the guidelines are not rules..

That's pretty much it. Fluff-wise I like to make it seem like custom magic items are breaking new ground in the art/science of magic, but in the end it's all about trying to rein in players who just want to break the system. If somebody says "Well by the rules I should be able to do this extremely overpowered thing for the cost of a potion of barkskin" my go-to response is "Yes... curious how no other wizard has ever managed to do so!"

I have had players come up with cool and unique items that were perhaps a bit too powerful, but I allowed them (even encouraged them) because they enhanced the overall fun of the game, and they also added some more value to the crafting feats. Unlimited [spell]/day items would accomplish the latter but not the former.

[Âmesang]

I haven't had much call for custom magic items in any game I ran, aside from a pre-existing bard with a charged magic lute (or was it harp?) that allowed for ranged cure moderate wounds… which is basically just a fancy looking wand using Reach Spell cure moderate wounds.

…though it was never "officially" statted in our games; a previous referee just let him have it. "Oh, sure, you have a magic lute that does this." The same referee apparently had given the party some sort of near-invincible, rope trick-like tent… again, with no official stat block or source outside of his own mind.

I'm also hoping that my next referee will allow a character of mine to have earrings of Charisma +6 instead of a cloak of Charisma +6, worn as a head-slot item with the caveat that both earrings must be worn to receive any effect. The idea was due to the fact that in order to receive bonus spellslots from an enhanced ability score you must wear the enhancing item whilst resting and getting your spells ready for the day; Intelligence-based casters get a simple, thin cord for a headband, Wisdom-based casters get a dainty necklace… and Charisma-based casters get a 2 lb. cloak. What. :smalltongue: Honestly, who wears a cloak to bed? And forget about baths or showers!

Being magical I imagine the earrings would be self-cleaning and self-sanitizing (very very lesser version of prestidigitation and cure minor wounds?), enchanted to provide no harm due to normal wear-and-tear… perhaps have them sparkle like miniature Silmarilli or something.