Crafting magic items without being a spellcaster

[Conradine]

There's any way to get a "virtual" caster level in order to create magic items without being a spellcaster? I was thinking about a character who use the Limited Wish reward for sacrifices to get the spell needed for crafting the magic items.

[Falontani]

There is two dwarf classes, one in Magic of Incarnum, the other in Races of Stone. Both are fairly obvious in their names. Otherwise get a spell like ability with a cl of the crafting feat you want. You can use the spell like to meet the prerequisites for a crafting feat.

[Khedrac]

Warlock and Dragonfire Adept both get an arcane caster level and Use Magic Device so they can use wands and scrolls to provide the spells for creating items to save of the sacifices.

[lylsyly]

level 12 warlock can create items without actually being able to cast the spell. Just needs to succeed on a UMD check. Still needs the appropriate item creation feat though.

[Empyreal Dragon]

I remember an anvil and hammer somewhere that allowed you to make magic items without the requirements. Csnt find the link right now but it was a web page

[Oberron]

On a pedantic level the artificer "isn't" a spellcaster.

[DrMartin]

There's that prosthetic silver arm from dragonlance that allows you to craft, well, dragonlances.

[nijineko]

On a pedantic level the artificer "isn't" a spellcaster.

Use a Psi-artificer and the rules from MIC, and make items that are usable by anyone even without psionics, and presto... no spellcrafting involved from start to finish. lol. ( ^-^)b

[Jowgen]

Midgard Dwarf is a Native Outsider race from Frostburn. They are +4 LA, BUT they get Craft Magic Arms and Armor, Craft Wondrous Item, and Forge Ring as onus feats. They are considered to possess the prerequisites necessary to craft any magic item of those types, even if they do not otherwise meet the requirements or have the ability to cast the necessary spells.

Being planar bind-able, they are your one stop shop for crafting minions. Though they, as a race, are vindictive as hell.

[Saintheart]

Midgard Dwarf is a Native Outsider race from Frostburn. They are +4 LA, BUT they get Craft Magic Arms and Armor, Craft Wondrous Item, and Forge Ring as onus feats. They are considered to possess the prerequisites necessary to craft any magic item of those types, even if they do not otherwise meet the requirements or have the ability to cast the necessary spells.

Being planar bind-able, they are your one stop shop for crafting minions. Though they, as a race, are vindictive as hell.

Worth noting also that they have 8 racial hit dice on top of the +4 LA, so they're awful for player characters. As cohorts up in the high teens, though, not so bad.

[Jowgen]

Worth noting also that they have 8 racial hit dice on top of the +4 LA, so they're awful for player characters. As cohorts up in the high teens, though, not so bad.

Quite right, though considering that OP is looking to use sacrifice mechanics, probably far easier to make a DC 35 Relgion sacrifice check and use the Limited Wish to replicate a regular old Planar Bind to get one to work for you.

Personally, I am also fond of adding a murder, Animate Dead and Awaken undead to make em loyal minions. Bonus points if you can customize their HD feats for crafting cost reducing ones. Pretty sure even if you're using scrolls for chaos shuffle, it pays for itself pretty quick.

[Elysiume]

If Pathfinder content is on the table, Master Craftsman (https://www.aonprd.com/FeatDisplay.aspx?ItemName=Master%20Craftsman) lets you treat your ranks in a craft skill as your caster level for qualifying for crafting feats.

[AvatarVecna]

In PH2, there's the "Golden Helm Guild" affiliation you can join, if you're a gnome with a touch of crafting. Affiliation score 15+ will give you Craft Magic Arms & Armor as a bonus feat even if you don't meet prereqs, and will give you effective CL equal to half your HD (or your full HD if score is high enough), but only for the purposes of crafting items. It doesn't give you the ability to cast any spells, though, so a great deal of magic weapons and armor are still off-limits for you.

[the_tick_rules]

I remember an anvil and hammer somewhere that allowed you to make magic items without the requirements. Csnt find the link right now but it was a web page

there are several forges in races of stone. one of them gives you the craft arms and armor feat. doesn't give you spells but its something.

[St Fan]

There are three ways I can think on top of my head for non-spellcasters to create a magic item.

The Ancestral Relic feat from the Book of Exalted Deeds. You need to be of good alignment, at least 3rd level, and own a masterwork item inherited from a family member. Then you can regularly pray and sacrifice valuable to give it magical powers granted by your ancestors.

The Item Familiar (https://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/magic/itemFamiliars.htm) feat from Unearthed Arcana. You need an already-magic item and be at least 3rd level. In addition to the ability granted by the link, you can also further enchant the item as you'd have the appropriate item creation feat. (Can be very interesting for enchanting a ring way before the usual level to create such an item.)

Finally, the Dungeon Master's Guide II has a whole chapter about Bonded Magic Items, an optional rules allowing anybody to create a magic item through a given ritual rather than the usual item creation feats. The one peculiarity of such items is that their power works only for the character who created them, though. You can also take a feat that further enhance the power, depending on the ritual.

Mind you, every one of these these three methods allow one to create (or further enchant) only one item each. They can be combined for up to three separate items, of course.

[Bphill561]

Midgard Dwarf is a Native Outsider race from Frostburn. They are +4 LA, BUT they get Craft Magic Arms and Armor, Craft Wondrous Item, and Forge Ring as onus feats. They are considered to possess the prerequisites necessary to craft any magic item of those types, even if they do not otherwise meet the requirements or have the ability to cast the necessary spells.

Being planar bind-able, they are your one stop shop for crafting minions. Though they, as a race, are vindictive as hell.

I was always fond of using Shapechange to turn into one so that I could craft. Obviously a little higher level than a limited wish, and you still need another spell for outsider type if you don't have it.

Another kind of obvious answer is the leadership feat. The cohort can stay home and craft, while collecting xp per the standard leadership rules. If you make the cohort an artificer, there is even some additional crafting xp in reserve. Also there is a web article with a transference device that you can shove xp in so the cohort does not have to spend his own (or less of it) for big projects.

[Ruethgar]

Create Device from Ravenloft isn’t exactly magic, but it completely emulates magic item creation.

[Psyren]

If Pathfinder content is on the table, Master Craftsman (https://www.aonprd.com/FeatDisplay.aspx?ItemName=Master%20Craftsman) lets you treat your ranks in a craft skill as your caster level for qualifying for crafting feats.

Seconding this suggestion. Note that you'll want the PF crafting rules as well, i.e. the ability to ignore any prereq except the crafting feat itself by adding +5 to the DC.

[Troacctid]

It's extremely easy to get a caster level as a non-caster in 3.5e. Any (Su) ability will do the trick; they default to a caster level equal to your hit dice unless otherwise noted. There are quite a few feats that can grant appropriate (Su) or (Sp) abilities. There's even a Greyhawk regional feat from Dragon #315, Celestial Scion, that gives you a CL of 14, allowing you to qualify for any core item creation feat at level 1.

I mean, obviously you'll have a hard time with spell prerequisites, but whatever.

[nijineko]

I suppose Weapons of Legacy should be mentioned for completion, in that they are more or less specifically designed for "growing" magic items as opposed to crafting them, per se.

[Ruethgar]

Psionic characters can also make psionic items without casting, variable on if they are ‘magic’ item based on how much transparency your DM uses.

Would a Swordsage be able to use crafting feats through their Su maneuvers?

[sreservoir]

Psionic characters can also make psionic items without casting, variable on if they are ‘magic’ item based on how much transparency your DM uses.

Would a Swordsage be able to use crafting feats through their Su maneuvers?

Sure, who else is making those desert wind cloaks? :p

[Gruftzwerg]

Does it need to crafting (physical) items or are the benefits of magic items enough?
If it's the latter, how about the Sculpt Self feat? By spending XP you can get any magic item you want.

And if you want to do it on other characters there is a lil dirty workaround without the need to further alter your character build.
"Symbiotic"-Template lets your character become a (+1) template for a host of 2 sizes bigger (get some kind of shape & size altering ability first with Sculpt Self). When you are merged with a host you can use Sculpt Self with his XP and the effects remain on the host when you detach.