How does the Artificer's Retain Essence ability work, really?

[weckar]

So, at its core it seems quite simple: Take the xp required to make an object, destroy said object, add xp to craft pool.

However, we don't know whether the original crafter used Legendary Artisan or some other reduction method. We need to assume they did not, because it does not change the properties of the item.

Then, an Artificer that do use these these abilities could create and destroy items cyclically to infinitely blow up their crafting pool by sacrificing GP.

Am I reading this right?

[Necroticplague]

So, at its core it seems quite simple: Take the xp required to make an object, destroy said object, add xp to craft pool.

However, we don't know whether the original crafter used Legendary Artisan or some other reduction method. We need to assume they did not, because it does not change the properties of the item.

Then, an Artificer that do use these these abilities could create and destroy items cyclically to infinitely blow up their crafting pool by sacrificing GP.

Am I reading this right?

Bolded is incorrect

At 5th level, an artificer gains the ability to salvage the XP from a magic item and use those points to create another magic item. The artificer must spend a day with the item, and he must also have the appropriate item creation feat for the item he is salvaging. After one day, the item is destroyed and the artificer adds the XP it took to create the item to his craft reserve. These points are lost if the artificer does not use them before gaining his next level.

If 'the xp is takes to create the item' is different than normal, than you get a different amount than normal. If they only used up 50% normal XP crafting it, than you get 50% the normal XP from Retaining it's Essence.

[weckar]

How exactly would this be determined for a randomly found item, then? Not as a counter, as curiosity.

[Necroticplague]

How exactly would this be determined for a randomly found item, then? Not as a counter, as curiosity.

I would assume most random items bought or found was made without any modifiers applied to it. Those things are exceptions, not the rules.

[Kaleph]

Bolded is incorrect


If 'the xp is takes to create the item' is different than normal, than you get a different amount than normal. If they only used up 50% normal XP crafting it, than you get 50% the normal XP from Retaining it's Essence.

The ruling you quoted avoids, for example, that an artificer somehow exploits the items he himself created with XP-expediture discounts. So I believe that there's no room for interpretation - it's like you said, period.

I also second the idea, that XP reserve of randomly generated magic items should default to the normal cost for the object.