SangoProduction
2016-12-30, 02:17 PM
It reduces the XP costs by 50%, when casting or creating an item with an xp cost. It is likely to be ruled that this applies both times, if the spell placed in an item (like a scroll) has an XP cost. Also, note, the Demon is not inherently killed by this act, just damaging its Con a bit, I believe, which is more dangerous to you than it more than likely.
And XP can be expressed as a function of 1xp to 5gp. And since 1/20 of the base cost (to create) is in xp, 1/4 of the base cost is the gold value of the xp. So, that would mean you'd be effectively saving 1/8 (12.5%) of the base cost of creation for each item you create items using this.
However, 10% of the time the item turns out to get cursed when using this method.
Using the chart for cursed items we have a...
65% chance for that to completely brick the item with Delusion, Completely Different Effect (which, let's admit it, the DM, under these circumstances, isn't going to let that be a good effect), Specific Cursed item (which...could be useful/profitable, but I won't factor it in), and Requirement (which...the listed requirements are pretty freaking brutal, but could depend on the DM).
Around a 2% (at the high end) chance of being bad with Intermittent Functioning, which happens 15% of the time. Unreliable or Uncontrolled aren't that bad (unless you've got a wand, or it's absolutely critical that it function each time it is used, like maybe Glitterdust), and the functioning requirements don't tend to be hard, and you're an artificer
maybe a 4-8% (going to say 5% for simplicity sake) chance of making it undesirable, or unusable, through a 15% chance of having a drawback (which has only about a 50% chance of being truly detrimental to anyone, around 30% chance of being truly detrimental if you want it on a specific person, plus maybe 10-20% chance of significant roleplaying consequences)
15% chance of it providing the opposite effect, which might not be what you're going for, but depending on the item could be a usable thing.
Thus, 87% of the time when cursed, it's not working, but if an opposite effect is usable you have a 72% of the time, when cursed, that it's not working.
So, for saving 12.5%, you have a 8.7% chance of wasting 125% (counting the xp in the total) of the gold, which comes to a 10.875%, if I'm correct, assuming that "opposite effect" is not usable.
If Opposite Effect is usable, then you have a 7.2% of wasting that, which comes to 9%
So, for 2 feats, you're saving on average, anywhere from 3.5% to 1.625% of the gold value on your magic items. You could be saving less than a percent per item per feat in gold value on average. To me...this seems really bad. But, perhaps I am doing maths wrong. And you could probably use some sort of reroll system to help your odds, halving the chance of wasting the item. You could also not use the demon on critical or high value items, but then you are subsequently reducing the value of the feats you used.
Compare that to the Extraordinary Artisan, which straight up gives a 25% of base cost savings. And legendary Artisan gives 6.25% of base cost savings (in XP to Gold), and does not risk bricking your item.
And this is ignoring any roleplaying consequences of using demon life in your items.
And XP can be expressed as a function of 1xp to 5gp. And since 1/20 of the base cost (to create) is in xp, 1/4 of the base cost is the gold value of the xp. So, that would mean you'd be effectively saving 1/8 (12.5%) of the base cost of creation for each item you create items using this.
However, 10% of the time the item turns out to get cursed when using this method.
Using the chart for cursed items we have a...
65% chance for that to completely brick the item with Delusion, Completely Different Effect (which, let's admit it, the DM, under these circumstances, isn't going to let that be a good effect), Specific Cursed item (which...could be useful/profitable, but I won't factor it in), and Requirement (which...the listed requirements are pretty freaking brutal, but could depend on the DM).
Around a 2% (at the high end) chance of being bad with Intermittent Functioning, which happens 15% of the time. Unreliable or Uncontrolled aren't that bad (unless you've got a wand, or it's absolutely critical that it function each time it is used, like maybe Glitterdust), and the functioning requirements don't tend to be hard, and you're an artificer
maybe a 4-8% (going to say 5% for simplicity sake) chance of making it undesirable, or unusable, through a 15% chance of having a drawback (which has only about a 50% chance of being truly detrimental to anyone, around 30% chance of being truly detrimental if you want it on a specific person, plus maybe 10-20% chance of significant roleplaying consequences)
15% chance of it providing the opposite effect, which might not be what you're going for, but depending on the item could be a usable thing.
Thus, 87% of the time when cursed, it's not working, but if an opposite effect is usable you have a 72% of the time, when cursed, that it's not working.
So, for saving 12.5%, you have a 8.7% chance of wasting 125% (counting the xp in the total) of the gold, which comes to a 10.875%, if I'm correct, assuming that "opposite effect" is not usable.
If Opposite Effect is usable, then you have a 7.2% of wasting that, which comes to 9%
So, for 2 feats, you're saving on average, anywhere from 3.5% to 1.625% of the gold value on your magic items. You could be saving less than a percent per item per feat in gold value on average. To me...this seems really bad. But, perhaps I am doing maths wrong. And you could probably use some sort of reroll system to help your odds, halving the chance of wasting the item. You could also not use the demon on critical or high value items, but then you are subsequently reducing the value of the feats you used.
Compare that to the Extraordinary Artisan, which straight up gives a 25% of base cost savings. And legendary Artisan gives 6.25% of base cost savings (in XP to Gold), and does not risk bricking your item.
And this is ignoring any roleplaying consequences of using demon life in your items.