helping create magical items question

[gallagher]

hello playground,
i was wondering, if multiple people are creating a magical item at the same time (say, an artificer and any amount of dedicated wrights) does it knock down the time it takes to create the item(s) or any other significant effects?

[alisbin]

as far as i know, it would not, but it would hardly seem unreasonably to house rule something.

[gallagher]

as far as i know, it would not, but it would hardly seem unreasonably to house rule something.

yeah, i mean i couldnt find any rules on it, and it is very relevant to my and others interests, i am sure

[Greenish]

hello playground,
i was wondering, if multiple people are creating a magical item at the same time (say, an artificer and any amount of dedicated wrights) does it knock down the time it takes to create the item(s) or any other significant effects?

Dedicated Wrights can use Aid Another to give you +2 to the skill check, and I seem to recall that you can increase the crafting check to craft faster. Doh, brainfart.

Though I wouldn't know why you'd have more than one wright.

[JoshuaZ]

If the wizards are all working on different spells for the same item, then they should be able to work concurrently.

I'm not convinced of that. If I have ten watchmaker's repairing a single watch, and it normally takes a watchmaker 1 hour to repair a watch, how long will it take 10 watchmakers to repair a single watch?

The answer is not 60/10=6 because it is almost impossible for more than 1 person to work on the watch at the same time. Without more details about how magical item creation actually works, it isn't at all clear if concurrent work should be possible. It might be like making or repairing a watch (almost no concurrence possible). Or it might be more like building a building (lots of concurrence possible) or like painting a house (almost complete concurrence possible). We don't really have detailed enough descriptors of how magic works to make a call here.

[KillianHawkeye]

The answer is not 60/10=6 because it is almost impossible for more than 1 person to work on the watch at the same time. Without more details about how magical item creation actually works, it isn't at all clear if concurrent work should be possible. It might be like making or repairing a watch (almost no concurrence possible). Or it might be more like building a building (lots of concurrence possible) or like painting a house (almost complete concurrence possible). We don't really have detailed enough descriptors of how magic works to make a call here.

This is where it's left open for the DM to decide how it works in his game.

[JoshuaZ]

This is where it's left open for the DM to decide how it works in his game.

Right. I could reasonably see a DM deciding to cut down times or not. Personally I would go with not allowing substantial cuts since items are generally being made by full casters or equivalents and they have enough power as is.

[Greenish]

Right. I could reasonably see a DM deciding to cut down times or not. Personally I would go with not allowing substantial cuts since items are generally being made by full casters or equivalents and they have enough power as is.

And should they decide to use said power, there's demiplane with faster time for your wrights.

[Dr Bwaa]

Unseen Crafter from Races of Eberron (I think) is a nice spell that allows you not to have to craft things yourself. Could be good if your DM lets you reduce times with multiple crafters.

Personally, my group has ruled that multiple crafters (to a reasonable limit) can decrease the crafting time of an item, but that's less because of any logical rule-following than it is because items take a LONG EFFING TIME to make.

[Jarrick]

SRD says:

The caster works for 8 hours each day. He cannot rush the process by working longer each day. But the days need not be consecutive, and the caster can use the rest of his time as he sees fit.

This would imply that multiple wizards couldn't work on the same item in shifts. I guess you have to let the unguents brew and the magic soak in?

As an aside; Since nothing prohibits you from owning more than one homunculus, you could have as many dedicated wrights as you care to make - each working on a different item. Just be sure you have the hour it takes to get each one started every morning. You might have to skip breakfast. I had a char that had 3. They churned out 3 wands a week (all at higher than standard CLs, I was an artificer, I burned through wands 10 charges per use when I needed to.)

[Greenish]

As an aside; Since nothing prohibits you from owning more than one homunculus, you could have as many dedicated wrights as you care to make - each working on a different item. Just be sure you have the hour it takes to get each one started every morning. You might have to skip breakfast. I had a char that had 3. They churned out 3 wands a week (all at higher than standard CLs, I was an artificer, I burned through wands 10 charges per use when I needed to.)

I don't think you can be crafting more than one magic item at the time, even if the wrights have taken it over.

[Roland St. Jude]

Dedicated Wrights can use Aid Another to give you +2 to the skill check, and I seem to recall that you can increase the crafting check to craft faster. Doh, brainfart.

Though I wouldn't know why you'd have more than one wright.

To eliminate any chance of error? Two wrights don't make a wrong.

[Greenish]

To eliminate any chance of error?

I'm not sure forum moderators are allowed to make attempts at the participants' life. I almost choked.

[Edit]: Ah, checked the rules, it's legal by RAW. Nevermind then.

[Yuki Akuma]

A single item takes as many days as one-thousandth of its price in GP, no exceptions.

For multiple crafters to reduce the time it takes, you'd have to be talking about modular items. A magic sword and an enhancement gem and such.

Now, sharing XP costs, on the other hand, is vaguely supported by the rules...

[Jarrick]

Now, sharing XP costs, on the other hand, is vaguely supported by the rules...

Don't do it. The whole party will end up with twice as many magic items as they should have, if not more given the loss of leveling. This isn't theory, it's experience. It trainwrecked a perfectly good campaign for my group. Our 10th level party had like +5 weapons and armor or better plus a slew of other useful things that were way over our heads. Whatever couldn't kill us instantly wasn't a challenge so we started over.

[alisbin]

i'd say that it wouldn't be unreasonable for 3 crafters to work in shifts to increase production speed. now you would probably have to increase the DC to reflect multiple people working on the same item, but since each crafter can only work 8 hours a day, i would think that 3 crafters could work all day, in 8 hour shifts. so, it wouldn't reduce the time put into the item, but the downtime would be eliminated. as for XP, IF you allowed something like this i'd say that each crafter would put in an equal amount of xp, with any remainder coming from whoever started the project (or ended it if you prefer).

[Yuki Akuma]

What DC? There's no roll involved in making a magic item unless you're an Artificer or Warlock.