Sharing Crafting Experience Cost

[ClericofPhwarrr]

I seem to remember a variation or feat that allows characters without item creation feats to donate xp to the caster creating/enhancing the item. But looking through my books, the closest thing I can find is the Craft Points variation (and the Assisting part of that) in Unearthed Arcana.

Is there a rules variation or a feat that allows characters to alleviate a caster's craft xp cost? If so, where? Or am I just terribly mistaken?

[Starsinger]

It's in unearthed arcana, so it may not be in the SRD. But honestly, I'd just let the XP be split 75/25, with the wizard paying 25, and whoever gets to use the item 75, since 50/50 for the entire group's items means your poor arcanist will be levels behind in no time.

[Lolzords]

I would rule that if there's more than one person creating the item the xp is split evenly and the time is lessened. Say if it costs 1000xp and 6 days. If two wizard buddies work on it together they both take 500xp off and the item only takes 3 days.

[Shhalahr Windrider]

It's in unearthed arcana, so it may not be in the SRD. But honestly, I'd just let the XP be split 75/25, with the wizard paying 25, and whoever gets to use the item 75, since 50/50 for the entire group's items means your poor arcanist will be levels behind in no time.

But the crafty wizard can also game the "Catch-up" system in the XP rules. If he loses enough XP to drop a level, but, at the same time, remain not too far behind his compatriot in total XP, it is possible that his "catch-up bonus" for being a level lower the next time XP is awarded would put him ahead of his friends in XP.

Wow. That is one long sentence.

[Nebo_]

WotC had a web article that included some new spells that transferred the XP cost from item creation to another willing creature. I don't know how to go about digging that up, but I'm sure someone else will.

[ClericofPhwarrr]

WotC had a web article that included some new spells that transferred the XP cost from item creation to another willing creature. I don't know how to go about digging that up, but I'm sure someone else will.

Then THAT might have been where I saw it. Thanks much.

[Edit:] Aha! Here we go:

A Completely Unofficial Rule: Cooperative Item Creation

As noted back in Part One, more than one character can cooperate in the creation of an item, with each participant providing one or more of the prerequisites. According to the rules, however, XP costs cannot be shared. One character must shoulder the XP burden alone.

If players in your game are avid magic item creators, you might want to experiment with shared XP costs. You can allow characters who work together on a magic item to divide up the XP cost any way they like. To share the cost, a character must provide at least one of the item's prerequisites. Any division of the XP cost is possible, provided that all the creators agree to the scheme.

If you have the kind of campaign in which some of your players pester the others to make magic items for them, you might want to allow any character to share the XP cost to make an item. An XP donor must be present each day during the item's creation (or at least when work begins on the item each day). Allow the XP donation to be strictly voluntary -- it doesn't work if the donor is magically charmed or compelled, or if the donor is bullied or intimidated into contributing. On the other hand, allowing evil spellcasters to force XP from unwilling victims might just add the right touch of nastiness to dark fantasy campaigns.

[Lemur]

But the crafty wizard can also game the "Catch-up" system in the XP rules. If he loses enough XP to drop a level, but, at the same time, remain not too far behind his compatriot in total XP, it is possible that his "catch-up bonus" for being a level lower the next time XP is awarded would put him ahead of his friends in XP.

Wow. That is one long sentence.

The rules state you can't spend so much XP on crafting that you'd lose a level.

However, you can spend just-gained XP on crafting instead of leveling up, so I suppose a wizard might be able to work out this scenario anyway.

[BardicDuelist]

I always house ruled that anyone can willingly pay the XP. This also applied to taking your fav. sword to be enhanced and paying the XP instead (you would get a discount). I felt that it kept the levels closer.

[Shhalahr Windrider]

The rules state you can't spend so much XP on crafting that you'd lose a level.

Okay, the "drop a level" thing was a bit of a misstatement. The actual scenario is something more like the following.

1. Every member of the party is 300 xp away from levelling.
2. The wizard spends 300 xp on crafting items, putting him at 600 xp from levelling and 300 xp away from the rest of the party.
3. The party gains 500 xp. Everyone but the wizard gains a level. The wizard remains 300 xp behind the party.
4. The party does some more adventuring and gain more xp. Most of the party gains 800 xp each. However, since the wizard was a level behind, the catch-up system kicks in, and he instead gains 1,200 xp. The wizard was only 300 xp behind the rest of the party, but has now gained 400 more xp than the rest of the party gained. This places him at 100 xp above the rest of the party.

These number were mostly made up on the spot, so the actual ratio of "wizard catch-up xp" to regular party xp is probably a bit off. I once did a more accurate demonstration with numbers actually pulled off of the xp tables in the DMG.

Of course, since the DM is in charge of awarding xp, it would be nearly impossible for a player to intentionally set up a situation such as the above. But it is theoretically possible for the system to be gamed to take advantage of such a quirk.

[Tor the Fallen]

If I was playing with these rules, I'd be a thrallherd

[martyboy74]

If I was playing with these rules, I'd be a thrallherd

I'm pretty sure leadership doesn't work that way...

[Tor the Fallen]

I'm pretty sure leadership doesn't work that way...

That's why I'd be playing a thrallherd.

[clarkcd]

The spell in question is in the web enhancement for the PHBII and is called transference (web enhancement can be found >HERE<). It is 1st level and available to sor/wiz, clr, drd and bard. It basically allows a willing participant to pay part or all of the xp cost of the crafting. We use it in our campaigns so the other party members can get what they want crafted without saddling the caster with the item creation feat(s) with all the xp cost. Keeps everyone roughly the same level.