Fabricating everything, even a Secret Chest

[HPisBS]

Just how complex is effective use of Fabricate?

Fabricate has nearly infinite uses, but is limited by size, the fact that it only makes 1 item at a time (can be circumvented by including sprues [very tiny pieces that connect the components, but are easily broken]), needing raw materials, and proficiency in whatever tools a craftsman would usually need to make the item normally.

Even so, it should be possible to Fabricate even something as "exquisite" as the 5,050 gp chest and replica components of Leo's Secret Chest. But, what would a wizard / artificer /bard need in order to accomplish such a feat?


I expect we'd need that some kind of special wood for the base, iron and coal for the hinges, and uncut gems (and possibly gold or other precious metals) for decoration. Which means proficiency in jeweler's, smiths, and either carpenter's or woodcarver's tools (I'm unsure which).

Am I missing anything? (Would wood even be a costly enough material, or should it be all gold or something?) How much money could even be saved by going straight from the raw materials to the finished product like this?

And if this one (exceptional) item is that complex, if not even moreso, then how involved must other fabrications be?

[Unoriginal]

Fabricate has nearly infinite uses, but is limited by size, the fact that it only makes 1 item at a time (can be circumvented by including sprues [very tiny pieces that connect the components, but are easily broken]), needing raw materials, and proficiency in whatever tools a craftsman would usually need to make the item normally.

Even so, it should be possible to Fabricate even something as "exquisite" as the 5,050 gp chest and replica components of Leo's Secret Chest. But, what would a wizard / artificer /bard need in order to accomplish such a feat?


I expect we'd need that some kind of special wood for the base, iron and coal for the hinges, and uncut gems (and possibly gold or other precious metals) for decoration. Which means proficiency in jeweler's, smiths, and either carpenter's or woodcarver's tools (I'm unsure which).

Am I missing anything? (Would wood even be a costly enough material, or should it be all gold or something?) How much money could even be saved by going straight from the raw materials to the finished product like this?

And if this one (exceptional) item is that complex, if not even moreso, then how involved must other fabrications be?

Arguable.

One interpretation is that the 5,050 gp is the price for the materials, as a minimum.

Same way that if you want a jeweler to turn a 300 gp diamond into diamond dust you would get 300 gp of diamond dust plus have to pay the jeweler.

[Potato_Priest]

Arguable.

One interpretation is that the 5,050 gp is the price for the materials, as a minimum.

Same way that if you want a jeweler to turn a 300 gp diamond into diamond dust you would get 300 gp of diamond dust plus have to pay the jeweler.

Would you even get that much diamond dust? I would have assumed that diamond dust would be worth less than diamonds by weight.

[Mellack]

Would you even get that much diamond dust? I would have assumed that diamond dust would be worth less than diamonds by weight.

That depends on if you think there is a difference between 300gp of diamond made into dust or dust from diamonds worth 300gp.
English is a funny language. The material component could be reasonable interpreted either way.

[HPisBS]

That depends on if you think there is a difference between 300gp of diamond made into dust or dust from diamonds worth 300gp.
English is a funny language. The material component could be reasonable interpreted either way.

No, "diamond dust worth 300 gp" is only diamond dust that's worth 300 gp. If you sold it instead of using it as a component, that's the price you'd need to be able to get for it.

[hifidelity2]

Diamond dust is a lot less that a diamond (certainly in the real world)

this is from the Gemsociety web site




certain diamonds from the 0.50 to 0.89-ct range sell for $1,000 a carat. Thus, a 0.88-ct diamond would cost $880 and a 0.89-ct diamond would cost $890. At the 0.90-ct marker, however, the price per carat will increase. Let’s say it jumps to $1,200 a carat. That means the 0.90-ct stone would cost $1,080 — much more than the $890 for the 0.89-ct stone, even though the two diamonds look roughly the same size.

Therefore while the person need the materials it should be substantially less then the cost of the finished product

[Evaar]

Therefore while the person need the materials it should be substantially less then the cost of the finished product

Which would imply a gold hack using Fabricate to transmute 300gp of diamond dust into a far more valuable diamond. So long as you're proficient with jeweler's tools.

But good luck getting your DM to approve that.

I was able to use it to recover a jewel that had been destroyed, though. We found some gems that were magically trapped to shatter and release an enemy when we pried them from the sockets where they were held. I made sure to collect the shattered gem fragments and was able to use Fabricate to restore the gems to their full value.

[Ryton]

Alternatively, not requiring DM approval, if you have proficiency with jeweler's tools and Fabricate, Instant Summons might actually become worth knowing. The sapphire component is not consumed by the spell, merely crushed as part of the summoning. As such, Fabricate would allow a wizard to re-craft the sapphire component, allowing it to be reused for the spell.

Admittedly, having to cast a 4th level spell to effectively use a 6th level spell isn't great, but it's possibly enough to pull Instant Summons out of the realm of utter garbage, and it also probably beats having to use Wish on Instant Summons (though Wish would net you a new sapphire out of the bargain...)