El'the Ellie
2019-11-25, 04:24 PM
Crafting in 3.5 is... painful. It requires a lot of feat investments, as well as experience and time that turn many players off without gimmicks to erase these penalties. I've put together some rules adjustments that aim to make crafting more palatable. Note that this doesn't cover something like an artificer, where crafting is a regular part of their class abilities.
New General Rules
Crafting Via Scrolls
If the ability to cast one or more specific spells are required for crafting a magic item, a character may fulfill this requirement by casting the spells from an appropriate scroll. The character must be able to cast the spell from a scroll as normal (though they may make Use Magic Device checks to use the scroll, as normal). The scroll is consumed in the process, just as if the spell was cast as usual. The spell is cast at the beginning of the crafting process, and the materials are infused or otherwise magically altered to be crafted in the desired way.
Crafting Costs
Crafting magic items does not require an experience cost. Instead, the item requires an additional 10% of its base cost (for a total of 60%) worth of raw materials. If the item has a costly experience or material component (such as a wand that casts a spell with an experience cost), the crafter must still pay the additional costs as mentioned in the appropriate crafting feat.
Unless otherwise specified by the DM, materials for crafting never expire. However if they are damaged in some way, the DM may require that the crafter pay more to replace broken materials and spend more time crafting. In some extreme cases, the DM may decide that the player must start entirely over. In this case, the DM should have they player roll an appropriate craft check: the crafter can recover a percentage of raw materials equal to the check result.
Damaged materials should never be the result of a low craft roll (see below): even an apprentice crafter will work more slowly (already reflected in a low craft check result) than risk damaging their materials. Damaged materials typically result in some outside factor, such as a monster's attacks or sabotage.
Crafting Time
Crafting a magic item takes one 'point' per 5 gp in its base cost. A single item may not take less than 200 points to craft, but many of the same item may have their price totaled to determine the amount of crafting points required. (For example, crafting one magic arrow with a base price of 130 gp takes 200 points and costs 78 gp. Crafting 7 of those arrows costs 546 gp, but still only requires 200 points. A crafter cannot combine two or more unrelated items this way.)
Whenever a character wishes to work on the item, they must spend a certain amount of time working. A character requires an hour to set up, at least an hour of productive work, and an hour to safely pack the semi-completed item away. Thus, the smallest amount of time a character can devote to working is three hours. A character can devote more time to working, up to a total 8 hours per day (which includes set-up and clean-up time). Beyond 8 hours, a character is too mentally strained to continue working for that day. This time includes short breaks like meals and brief interruptions.
At the end of the work period, the crafter makes a crafting check appropriate to the type of item they are creating, then multiplies the result by the amount of hours they worked (including set-up and clean-up hours). The result is how many 'points' they gained towards making the item.
If a character spends most of their day travelling and does not push themselves, they can fit six hours of crafting in before the late evening when a character would typically go to bed. This assumes the character takes no role in setting up camp, cooking, or keeping a watch (though they are free to do so when they are done crafting for the night), though they may socialize with their travelling companions during this time. If a character spends many hours travelling in a cart that they do not have to tend to (though not while simply riding a horse or other creature), they may craft during this time, although they take a -10 penalty on their craft check when doing so. If the road or weather conditions are bad, the DM may increase this penalty to -15 (bumpy roads or heavy rain), or -20 (horrible roads, frequent stops, or dangerous weather.) In any case, the character is assumed to not be helping with typical travel activities. While crafting in any scenario, a character takes a -10 penalty to spot and listen checks.
A character that uses a specialized crafting environment (something such as a lab, forge, or sacred library) may spend up to ten hours per day working instead of the usual 8, and does not need to set up or clean up (if they don't need to share the area), so may work in increments as small as 1 hour. This benefit is in addition to whatever bonus to the crafting check the environment might provide (usually a +2 bonus for masterwork tools).
A crafter can benefit from the assistance of others, up to one person per 2 hit die the crafter possesses. Each helper must be assisting for the entire duration, but they don't need to meet any of the requirements for the item being created. The helpers use the aid another action: before the crafter makes their craft check, the helpers roll a craft check of their own. If the result is a 10 or above, that helper provides a +2 bonus on the crafter's check (bonuses from multiple helpers stack). Any feats or abilities that modify the bonus given on aid another actions also change this bonus.
If a crafter is disturbed before they can clean up their materials, they make the crafting check with a -5 circumstance penalty, and round down to the nearest hour to determine amount of time worked. In addition, their materials are exposed: if left undisturbed, no harm will come to them. However, until the crafter spends an hour cleaning up, the materials are at a much greater risk of being damaged (see above). A specialized crafting environment typically allows a character to leave materials out in this way with a smaller risk of them suffering damage.
Feats
Versatile Crafter
Prerequisite: Craft(any) 5 ranks
Benefit: Pick a number of Craft categories equal to your Intelligence bonus (minimum 1). For the purpose of making Craft checks, you are treated as having a number of ranks in those skills equal to the highest number of ranks you have in any Craft category. You cannot change these categories once you have picked them, but your score in them automatically increases if you later add additional ranks in your highest-ranked Craft category. You gain new categories of your choice if your Intelligence bonus permanently increases.
In addition, you gain a +2 bonus on Craft checks.
Prodigious Magical Crafter
Prerequisite: Any two item creation feats
Your experience in crafting leads to a wider understanding of all magical crafts.
Benefit: When you take this feat, you gain the Scribe Scroll feat if you do not already have it.
At 3rd level, (or when you take this feat if you are third level or above) you gain the Brew Potion and Craft Wondrous Item feats if you do not already have them.
At 5th level, (or when you take this feat if you are fifth level or above) you gain the Craft Magical Arms and Armor and the Craft Wand feats if you do not already have them.
At 9th level, (or when you take this feat if you are ninth level or above) you gain the Craft Rod feat if you do not already have it.
At 12th level, (or when you take this feat if you are twelfth level or above) you gain the Craft Staff and Forge Ring feats if you do not already have them.
Prodigious Psionic Crafter
Prerequisite: Any two item creation feats
Your experience in crafting leads to a wider understanding of all psionic crafts.
Benefit: When you take this feat, you gain the Imprint Stone feat if you do not already have it.
At 3rd level, (or when you take this feat if you are third level or above) you gain the Craft Cognizance Crystal, Scribe Tattoo and Craft Universal Item feats if you do not already have them.
At 5th level, (or when you take this feat if you are fifth level or above) you gain the Craft Psionic Arms and Armor and the Craft Dorje feats if you do not already have them.
At 9th level, (or when you take this feat if you are fifth level or above) you gain the Craft Psionic Construct feat if you do not already have it.
At 12th level, (or when you take this feat if you are twelfth level or above) you gain the Craft Psicrown feat if you do not already have it.
Transparent Crafter
Prerequisite: Any one of Brew Potion, Craft Wondrous Item, Craft Magical Arms and Armor, Craft Wand, Craft Rod, Craft Staff, or Forge Ring and
Any one of Craft Cognizance Crystal, Scribe Tattoo, Craft Universal Item, Craft Psionic Arms and Armor, Craft Dorje, Craft Psionic Construct, Craft Psicrown
Your knowledge of crafting extends across the various supernatural forces.
Benefit: If you have or later gain the Scribe Scroll or Imprint Stone feat, you may craft items as though you had the other feat as well.
If you have or later gain the Brew Potion or Craft Cognizance Crystal feat, you may craft items as though you had the other feat as well.
If you have or later gain the Craft Wondrous Item or Craft Universal Item feat, you may craft items as though you had the other feat as well.
If you have or later gain the Craft Magical Arms and Armor or Craft Psionic Arms and Armor feat, you may craft items as though you had the other feat as well.
If you have or later gain the Craft Wand or Craft Dorje feat, you may craft items as though you had the other feat as well.
If you have or later gain the Craft Staff or Craft Psicrown feat, you may craft items as though you had the other feat as well.
Rapid Crafter
Prerequisite: Any one Item Creation feat, Craft (Any) 5 ranks
Benefit: There is no minimum amount of crafting 'points' required for you to craft a single item. For example, Dust of Tracelessness has a base cost of 250 gp, which requires 50 'points'. A character with this feat may complete the item with only a few hours of work.
In addition, you can set up and clean up in a short period of time. The minimum amount of time you need to spend crafting is one hour instead of three.
Subconscious Crafter
Prerequisite: Any one Item Creation feat, Craft (Any) 10 ranks
Your mind is so wired with ideas, new innovations come to you in your sleep.
Benefit: When you rest, you may designate a number of hours up to your intelligence bonus (minimum 1). When you wake, your mind is immediately filled with inspired prototypes and designs. You may craft an item for the first hours after you wake equal to or greater than the number you chose. If you do, you may count the number of hours chosen as time spent crafting for the day. This time still counts towards daily crafting limits.
If you are unable to spend the full time crafting, none of it (not even the waking hours crafting) counts towards an item's progress, but it is still counted against your daily allotment of time crafting.
To make use of this feat, crafting must be the first thing done in the day. Preparing spells or other morning rituals cannot take place before this.
For example, Brenok has an intelligence score of 16. When they rest, they designate three hours of crafting in their sleep. When they wake, they immediately spend three hours crafting. At the end of those three hours, Brenok rolls a crafting check and multiplies the result by 6 to determine how many points they progressed towards crafting their item. Later, they can spend up to two more hours crafting for the day. The next day, Brenok designates two hours of crafting in their sleep. When they wake, they intend to spend two hours crafting, but are disturbed by a monster attacking their party after the first hour. They do not progress any points towards crafting their item. If they want to return to crafting later in the day, they can spend up to five more hours doing so.
If you've made it this far, thank you for reading! Please let me know your impressions of these house rules, and any adjustments you would consider.
New General Rules
Crafting Via Scrolls
If the ability to cast one or more specific spells are required for crafting a magic item, a character may fulfill this requirement by casting the spells from an appropriate scroll. The character must be able to cast the spell from a scroll as normal (though they may make Use Magic Device checks to use the scroll, as normal). The scroll is consumed in the process, just as if the spell was cast as usual. The spell is cast at the beginning of the crafting process, and the materials are infused or otherwise magically altered to be crafted in the desired way.
Crafting Costs
Crafting magic items does not require an experience cost. Instead, the item requires an additional 10% of its base cost (for a total of 60%) worth of raw materials. If the item has a costly experience or material component (such as a wand that casts a spell with an experience cost), the crafter must still pay the additional costs as mentioned in the appropriate crafting feat.
Unless otherwise specified by the DM, materials for crafting never expire. However if they are damaged in some way, the DM may require that the crafter pay more to replace broken materials and spend more time crafting. In some extreme cases, the DM may decide that the player must start entirely over. In this case, the DM should have they player roll an appropriate craft check: the crafter can recover a percentage of raw materials equal to the check result.
Damaged materials should never be the result of a low craft roll (see below): even an apprentice crafter will work more slowly (already reflected in a low craft check result) than risk damaging their materials. Damaged materials typically result in some outside factor, such as a monster's attacks or sabotage.
Crafting Time
Crafting a magic item takes one 'point' per 5 gp in its base cost. A single item may not take less than 200 points to craft, but many of the same item may have their price totaled to determine the amount of crafting points required. (For example, crafting one magic arrow with a base price of 130 gp takes 200 points and costs 78 gp. Crafting 7 of those arrows costs 546 gp, but still only requires 200 points. A crafter cannot combine two or more unrelated items this way.)
Whenever a character wishes to work on the item, they must spend a certain amount of time working. A character requires an hour to set up, at least an hour of productive work, and an hour to safely pack the semi-completed item away. Thus, the smallest amount of time a character can devote to working is three hours. A character can devote more time to working, up to a total 8 hours per day (which includes set-up and clean-up time). Beyond 8 hours, a character is too mentally strained to continue working for that day. This time includes short breaks like meals and brief interruptions.
At the end of the work period, the crafter makes a crafting check appropriate to the type of item they are creating, then multiplies the result by the amount of hours they worked (including set-up and clean-up hours). The result is how many 'points' they gained towards making the item.
If a character spends most of their day travelling and does not push themselves, they can fit six hours of crafting in before the late evening when a character would typically go to bed. This assumes the character takes no role in setting up camp, cooking, or keeping a watch (though they are free to do so when they are done crafting for the night), though they may socialize with their travelling companions during this time. If a character spends many hours travelling in a cart that they do not have to tend to (though not while simply riding a horse or other creature), they may craft during this time, although they take a -10 penalty on their craft check when doing so. If the road or weather conditions are bad, the DM may increase this penalty to -15 (bumpy roads or heavy rain), or -20 (horrible roads, frequent stops, or dangerous weather.) In any case, the character is assumed to not be helping with typical travel activities. While crafting in any scenario, a character takes a -10 penalty to spot and listen checks.
A character that uses a specialized crafting environment (something such as a lab, forge, or sacred library) may spend up to ten hours per day working instead of the usual 8, and does not need to set up or clean up (if they don't need to share the area), so may work in increments as small as 1 hour. This benefit is in addition to whatever bonus to the crafting check the environment might provide (usually a +2 bonus for masterwork tools).
A crafter can benefit from the assistance of others, up to one person per 2 hit die the crafter possesses. Each helper must be assisting for the entire duration, but they don't need to meet any of the requirements for the item being created. The helpers use the aid another action: before the crafter makes their craft check, the helpers roll a craft check of their own. If the result is a 10 or above, that helper provides a +2 bonus on the crafter's check (bonuses from multiple helpers stack). Any feats or abilities that modify the bonus given on aid another actions also change this bonus.
If a crafter is disturbed before they can clean up their materials, they make the crafting check with a -5 circumstance penalty, and round down to the nearest hour to determine amount of time worked. In addition, their materials are exposed: if left undisturbed, no harm will come to them. However, until the crafter spends an hour cleaning up, the materials are at a much greater risk of being damaged (see above). A specialized crafting environment typically allows a character to leave materials out in this way with a smaller risk of them suffering damage.
Feats
Versatile Crafter
Prerequisite: Craft(any) 5 ranks
Benefit: Pick a number of Craft categories equal to your Intelligence bonus (minimum 1). For the purpose of making Craft checks, you are treated as having a number of ranks in those skills equal to the highest number of ranks you have in any Craft category. You cannot change these categories once you have picked them, but your score in them automatically increases if you later add additional ranks in your highest-ranked Craft category. You gain new categories of your choice if your Intelligence bonus permanently increases.
In addition, you gain a +2 bonus on Craft checks.
Prodigious Magical Crafter
Prerequisite: Any two item creation feats
Your experience in crafting leads to a wider understanding of all magical crafts.
Benefit: When you take this feat, you gain the Scribe Scroll feat if you do not already have it.
At 3rd level, (or when you take this feat if you are third level or above) you gain the Brew Potion and Craft Wondrous Item feats if you do not already have them.
At 5th level, (or when you take this feat if you are fifth level or above) you gain the Craft Magical Arms and Armor and the Craft Wand feats if you do not already have them.
At 9th level, (or when you take this feat if you are ninth level or above) you gain the Craft Rod feat if you do not already have it.
At 12th level, (or when you take this feat if you are twelfth level or above) you gain the Craft Staff and Forge Ring feats if you do not already have them.
Prodigious Psionic Crafter
Prerequisite: Any two item creation feats
Your experience in crafting leads to a wider understanding of all psionic crafts.
Benefit: When you take this feat, you gain the Imprint Stone feat if you do not already have it.
At 3rd level, (or when you take this feat if you are third level or above) you gain the Craft Cognizance Crystal, Scribe Tattoo and Craft Universal Item feats if you do not already have them.
At 5th level, (or when you take this feat if you are fifth level or above) you gain the Craft Psionic Arms and Armor and the Craft Dorje feats if you do not already have them.
At 9th level, (or when you take this feat if you are fifth level or above) you gain the Craft Psionic Construct feat if you do not already have it.
At 12th level, (or when you take this feat if you are twelfth level or above) you gain the Craft Psicrown feat if you do not already have it.
Transparent Crafter
Prerequisite: Any one of Brew Potion, Craft Wondrous Item, Craft Magical Arms and Armor, Craft Wand, Craft Rod, Craft Staff, or Forge Ring and
Any one of Craft Cognizance Crystal, Scribe Tattoo, Craft Universal Item, Craft Psionic Arms and Armor, Craft Dorje, Craft Psionic Construct, Craft Psicrown
Your knowledge of crafting extends across the various supernatural forces.
Benefit: If you have or later gain the Scribe Scroll or Imprint Stone feat, you may craft items as though you had the other feat as well.
If you have or later gain the Brew Potion or Craft Cognizance Crystal feat, you may craft items as though you had the other feat as well.
If you have or later gain the Craft Wondrous Item or Craft Universal Item feat, you may craft items as though you had the other feat as well.
If you have or later gain the Craft Magical Arms and Armor or Craft Psionic Arms and Armor feat, you may craft items as though you had the other feat as well.
If you have or later gain the Craft Wand or Craft Dorje feat, you may craft items as though you had the other feat as well.
If you have or later gain the Craft Staff or Craft Psicrown feat, you may craft items as though you had the other feat as well.
Rapid Crafter
Prerequisite: Any one Item Creation feat, Craft (Any) 5 ranks
Benefit: There is no minimum amount of crafting 'points' required for you to craft a single item. For example, Dust of Tracelessness has a base cost of 250 gp, which requires 50 'points'. A character with this feat may complete the item with only a few hours of work.
In addition, you can set up and clean up in a short period of time. The minimum amount of time you need to spend crafting is one hour instead of three.
Subconscious Crafter
Prerequisite: Any one Item Creation feat, Craft (Any) 10 ranks
Your mind is so wired with ideas, new innovations come to you in your sleep.
Benefit: When you rest, you may designate a number of hours up to your intelligence bonus (minimum 1). When you wake, your mind is immediately filled with inspired prototypes and designs. You may craft an item for the first hours after you wake equal to or greater than the number you chose. If you do, you may count the number of hours chosen as time spent crafting for the day. This time still counts towards daily crafting limits.
If you are unable to spend the full time crafting, none of it (not even the waking hours crafting) counts towards an item's progress, but it is still counted against your daily allotment of time crafting.
To make use of this feat, crafting must be the first thing done in the day. Preparing spells or other morning rituals cannot take place before this.
For example, Brenok has an intelligence score of 16. When they rest, they designate three hours of crafting in their sleep. When they wake, they immediately spend three hours crafting. At the end of those three hours, Brenok rolls a crafting check and multiplies the result by 6 to determine how many points they progressed towards crafting their item. Later, they can spend up to two more hours crafting for the day. The next day, Brenok designates two hours of crafting in their sleep. When they wake, they intend to spend two hours crafting, but are disturbed by a monster attacking their party after the first hour. They do not progress any points towards crafting their item. If they want to return to crafting later in the day, they can spend up to five more hours doing so.
If you've made it this far, thank you for reading! Please let me know your impressions of these house rules, and any adjustments you would consider.