You just gained a level in real life: 2021 edition!

[Troacctid]

Is there a thread for what "you" do during the year with your leveled capabilities?

You're looking at it!

The lack of rebuilding is why I was looking at Necropolititian. That being said, eventually there will be people who can cast Enervate and Restoration on you.

How is losing levels to necropolitan and then gaining them back over time better than just using the same amount of time to get the levels you wanted as a multiclass?

[Wildstag]

How is losing levels to necropolitan and then gaining them back over time better than just using the same amount of time to get the levels you wanted as a multiclass?

Well, it'd net them one bonus feat in the long run that simply multiclassing wouldn't get them...

But then that also assumes that the threads continue long enough that people effectively reach level 21.

[Talwar]

I'm a bad man and will multi-class to Ranger 1/Bard 1.

[Firebug]

Ok, reposting as it sounds like I can't take Master Specialist this level. So another level of Specialist Wizard(Conjuration).

Spoiler: Firebug's Build

Show

1: Specialist Wizard(Conjuration) 1: Immediate Magic (PH2) (Enchantment, Evocation Banned)
Str: 9, Dex 10, Con 11, Wis 8, Int 13+2, Cha 12
1st feat: Extend Spell, Human: Variant +2 Int;
Concentration 4, Spellcraft 4, Knowledge(Arcana) 4, Craft(Jewelry) 4
Spellbook 0th:All(except enchantment/evocation)
Spellbook 1st: Mage Armor, Comprehend Language, Fist of Stone, Shield, Unseen Servant, Endure Elements

2: Specialist Wizard(Conjuration) 2
+1 Concentration, Spellcraft, Knowledge(Arcana), Craft(Jewelry)
Spellbook 1st: Low-light Vision, Disguise Self

3: Specialist Wizard(Conjuration) 3
3rd feat: Craft Wondrous Item -> Retrained to -> Spell Focus(Conjuration)
+1 Concentration, Spellcraft, Knowledge(Arcana), Craft(Jewelry)
Spellbook 2nd: Cloud of Knives, Invisibility

4: Specialist Wizard(Conjuration) 4
4th ability increase: +1 Int
+1 Concentration, Spellcraft, Knowledge(Arcana), Craft(Jewelry), Knowledge(The Planes)
Spellbook 2nd: Glitterdust, Cloud of Bewilderment

5: Specialist Wizard(Conjuration) 5
Bonus feat: Craft Wand
+1 Concentration, Spellcraft, Knowledge(Arcana), Craft(Jewelry), Knowledge(The Planes)
Spellbook 3rd: Icelance, Haste

[Quertus]

xp just kinda trickles in over time, (at a rate of about 20 xp per level per week, or about 1,000 xp per level per year, which is the maximum any character can have,) and there's no way to farm it.

So, that's… 1+2+3+4+5+6->21,000 XP.

Anyone care to estimate how far along I could be at becoming a TARDIS? ”Hat of Disguise" tech to look like whatever I want… but can I Fly? Have senses / Detect things? Get/grant bonuses to skills? And, more importantly, am I bigger on the inside?

[Powerdork]

I'm not especially creative, I just leapt at some cool powers. What would y'all do with the ability to see perfectly and move faster in darkness, to read any book instantly, and to destroy most things provided proximity and time?

[Troacctid]

So, that's… 1+2+3+4+5+6->21,000 XP.

Anyone care to estimate how far along I could be at becoming a TARDIS? ”Hat of Disguise" tech to look like whatever I want… but can I Fly? Have senses / Detect things? Get/grant bonuses to skills? And, more importantly, am I bigger on the inside?

I did tacitly approve custom prestige race alterations, so I guess since there are questions, I'll lay down some guidelines. Unless you're a 3PP build, they should be published items, not custom items. The xp cost is equal to 40% of the item's gp cost. If you already have an alteration in that body slot, use the gp cost that would be required to add the new item's effect to the old item. For this purpose, "held" counts as a slot, and you can have up to two of them, like rings. Hands-free slotless items such as ioun stones are still at 40%, but with no multiplier.

Furthermore, custom prestige race alterations require research, which costs time and resources just like spell research, and has a similar chance of failure.

And, as the FAQ says, you can't have more xp at a time than your level x 1000.

Hopefully this answers the question.

[TherianTheorist]

having had more time to think about it, part of the frustration is that second level is mostly an extra first level spell each day, though there are a few really good spells out there, especially if 3rd party content is allowed.

EDIT AGAIN; Okay, I'm taking my first level in Pathfinder Cleric, Construct and Fur Domains.

That makes my domain spells Magic Fang and Animate Rope. Not an impressive start. I could prepare Comprehend Languages to watch foreign movies, and Summon Monster I for when I want animals to do stuff for me.

Spoiler: statblock i'll regret soon

Show

Strength 9 (-1)
Dexterity 11 (+0)
Constitution 8 (-1)
Intelligence 10 (+0)
Wisdom 13 (+1)
Charisma 14 (+2)

Class Levels -
Cleric 2 (Fur and Construct Domains)

Spells per day -
0th - 4
1st - 3 (plus Domain slot)

Skills -
Knowledge (nature) 2
Knowledge (Religion) 2
Third Skill? 2

Feats -
Wilding
Selective Channeling

Might need to start finding GP to afford retaining next year.

[Quertus]

I did tacitly approve custom prestige race alterations, so I guess since there are questions, I'll lay down some guidelines. Unless you're a 3PP build, they should be published items, not custom items. The xp cost is equal to 40% of the item's gp cost. If you already have an alteration in that body slot, use the gp cost that would be required to add the new item's effect to the old item. For this purpose, "held" counts as a slot, and you can have up to two of them, like rings. Hands-free slotless items such as ioun stones are still at 40%, but with no multiplier.

And, as the FAQ says, you can't have more xp at a time than your level x 1000.

Hopefully this answers the question.

… are there published items for space travel / surviving in vacuum? Creating air? Teleporting Through Time? "Normal" Teleportation (without the 3/day limit of the Helm of Teleportation)? Detection spells - some of which (afaik) haven't been published (like "detect radiation")? Providing bonuses to various skill checks by providing tools? Audio/video record/playback (and other fairly standard "computer" capabilities)?

I know I can do… camouflage circuit (Hat of Disguise, Ring of Invisibility), probably bigger on the inside (*lots* of Kobold pit traps… ugh), Flight (…?). Maybe Plane Shift (… stronghold rules?). Reality travel is generally handled under plane shift in 3e.

What else can a TARDIS do?

Probably Scrying. Sending. Maaaaaybe Creating / preserving food - do Time Lords ever seem to stop for provisions? Anything else? EDIT: Tongues (but on steroids)! Knowing exactly when / where I am.

Do the sample modifications from Sculpt Self follow such limits?

Also, maybe I've got the math wrong, or am misremembering, but I think that the listed costs seems *cheaper* than Sculpt Self should be.

[Troacctid]

… are there published items for space travel / surviving in vacuum? Creating air? Teleporting Through Time? "Normal" Teleportation (without the 3/day limit of the Helm of Teleportation)? Detection spells - some of which (afaik) haven't been published (like "detect radiation")? Providing bonuses to various skill checks by providing tools? Audio/video record/playback (and other fairly standard "computer" capabilities)?

These seem like things you should have considered when you devised this plan. Yes, there are published items for all of those things, but some of them are artifacts and would therefore be inaccessible.

I know I can do… camouflage circuit (Hat of Disguise, Ring of Invisibility), probably bigger on the inside (*lots* of Kobold pit traps… ugh), Flight (…?). Maybe Plane Shift (… stronghold rules?). Reality travel is generally handled under plane shift in 3e.

You don't want really a portable hole effect, you want a magnificent mansion effect. A quick search turns up the doll house from Dragon #299, which costs 317,600 gp, so I guess we can come back to that in a little over 100 years, or settle for a rod of security, which will only take about 18 years. Flight is easier: if you want it as an innate ability at will, all you need is wings of flying or a phoenix cloak, either of which should be doable by around level 20 or 21. Perhaps you would prefer slippers of shadowwalking to travel through the shadows; that would be around 10k xp. Let's throw in a necklace of adaptation for 3600 xp, and, for recording things, mayhaps a mirror of captured images for 16k xp. How are we doing so far?

Also, maybe I've got the math wrong, or am misremembering, but I think that the listed costs seems *cheaper* than Sculpt Self should be.

It says you double the price of the item, then divide it by 5, and that's the xp cost. That's 40%.

[TalonOfAnathrax]

Unless you're a 3PP build, they should be published items, not custom items.

[screams in Hat of Continuous Disguise Self]. Well, I suppose I'll just make a normal Hat of Disguise Self and get into the habit of repeating the command word every 10 minutes...
Maybe put that in the FAQ? Or is the "no creating custom items of any sort" rule only for Sculpt Self?

You don't want really a portable hole effect, you want a magnificent mansion effect. A quick search turns up the doll house from Dragon #299, which costs 317,600 gp, so I guess we can come back to that in a little over 100 years, or settle for a rod of security, which will only take about 18 years. Flight is easier: if you want it as an innate ability at will, all you need is wings of flying or a phoenix cloak, either of which should be doable by around level 20 or 21. Perhaps you would prefer slippers of shadowwalking to travel through the shadows; that would be around 10k xp. Let's throw in a necklace of adaptation for 3600 xp, and, for recording things, mayhaps a mirror of captured images for 16k xp. How are we doing so far?

At that point it's easier to just try a Wish loop for all the gear you want... Not sure I'd dare without extensive Divination beforehand, just in case attempting infinite loops breaks reality or conjures forth a DM who makes rocks fall and kills me. But if Qwertus wants to try, then please report back to humanity as a whole with the results! With Wish loops, we could end scarcity forever for all!

… are there published items for space travel / surviving in vacuum? Creating air? Teleporting Through Time? "Normal" Teleportation (without the 3/day limit of the Helm of Teleportation)? Detection spells - some of which (afaik) haven't been published (like "detect radiation")? Providing bonuses to various skill checks by providing tools? Audio/video record/playback (and other fairly standard "computer" capabilities)?

A thought: just make a pile of Pearl of Power effects (or similar) and use spells for all that. It's slightly more effort, but if you also have Metamagic Rods or other reducers you can always just Extend everything to reduce the action load.
Pearl of Power effects aren't as good as all-day magic items, but on the other hand they're a lot more versatile in an emergency and they're a lot cheaper.

[Manyasone]

Since I am an idiot and didn't level last year I'll be taking my second level in Nexus now...
My fortitude and will save increase by 1 point and I can bind veils in my hand chakra. I gain 1 extra essence and 1 BaB.

My Convergence with the Underworld gave me a bonus of 1 cold/electricity resistance and a bonus to saving throws against disease/death effects of 1.
The first will have been handy since I work night shifts and in the Catenary division of railworks and the second...well, 2020 was a disease/death effect year, no?

So, with my second lvl the energy resistance increases by 1, handy.
The chakra bind grants me a number of options in the "always packing heat" department, which could be handy, since the world isn't getting any safer.

Too bad, my third lvl would have increased my essence capacity across the board, oh well, next year, i guess

[H_H_F_F]

So, after (way too) much consideration, I have decided to go with druid. Wildshape ranger feels more natural to me, but druid works as well, and is obviously better from the practical standpoint. Timeless body will also give me time to work my way towards indefinite lifespan in my epic levels, if I make it. Also, animal companion this year instead of 2024 sounds great.

I guess that locks me in NG territory. Seems reasonable.

I really struggled with ability scores. I mean, obviously the 11-11-11-10-10-10 array sucks, and would make me completely useless as a caster. Getting to increase the most important IRL ability (Wis, IMO) was also very attractive, as was a Con increase. On the other hand, the thought of losing what you have always sucks. I've settled on putting my Dex at 8 and my Str at 9. I reckon that'll set me about 6-9 months back, which really sucks, but I can handle it - I did it once, I can do it again.

I'll take Druid, I'll be of use, I'll heal and support and create. I will NOT, however, be optimised to do anything except what I want to be doing. My life is also my own, and my choices here will also be about my own well being and happiness.

So, with that:

1st level human druid, 13 Wis, 12 Con, 11 Cha, 10 Int, 9 Str, 8 Dex.

Flaws: Divine gestures, Love of Nature. I'm not going to start wearing armor any time soon, and love of nature suits me just fine.

Feats: Nymph's kiss, cold endurance, wild cohort, sculpt self.
I was considering able learner, but given that for timeless body I'll stay a druid at least to level 15 (not 13, as I thought for some reason, which would make me 40, not 38, when I stop aging) it's kind of meh.
Sculpt self won't have any use until 2026, but this is the best place to fit it in the build. In the meantime, my xp will just have to go to waste.

Skills: Diplomacy 4, Survival 4, Sense motive 2, Profession (writer)/Craft (writing) 4, Knowledge (nature) 4, Handle animal 4.

Wild cohort: A female grey wolf.

Animal companion: If I manage to find him again, a wolf I once knew that I named רוח. If not, another male grey wolf.

I like wolves.

[thethird]

So at this point I am a 6th level psionic artificer (I retrained last year, probably had to do something during the whole pandemic). Speaking of the whole pandemic... during the year I obviously used my spell storing trap to get a remove disease and heal my uncle before he died, I certainly remember doing that. I will keep feeding myself (and my close family members) potions of remove disease every breakfast.

I use my psychic reformation tatoo to retrain my feats/skills on demand (well once a week, but that's fast enough). I use those "floating" feats to grab cost reducers of whatever I am crafting (my wedded to history feat isn't moved around at any point as I might not be able to grab it later). I also improve my (extended) spell storing trap, that now can access 3rd lvl spells (it's expensive, but hey that's what cost reducers are for). I honestly didn't write it down last year, but before retraining from psionic artificer to artificer I crafted a quintessence trap (totally honest). Production goes like:
1) Create a one charged wand of any 3rd lvl (or lower) spell I might need (or might just want to try to experiment with). This wand charge lasts for 6 hours (or until expended).
2) If the spell is targeted use extended quick potion (from another wand) to get the spell into potion form. For what's worth I try to experiment with oils, I don't know if quick potion would work to create oils.
3) Dip the wand or the potion/oil flask in quintessence. Store it.

At this point in time I am buying one of those very fancy suitcases that follow you through bluetooth and turning it into a packmate. Actually I am probably getting two.

@Troacctid I am using my spell storing trap to get several wands of spells, while doing so I experiment with spell levels. I know that I can't get early access to Divine Crusader spells through artificer crafting (a pain in the ass) but can I get spells that are in lower level than normal? For example can I get wall of stone as a trapsmith's (3rd lvl)?

@Troacctid does the spell quick potion do something when targeted with spells that are not normally potionable? Can I get an oil of magic weapon? Can I get an oil of fireball (whatever that does is a mistery that my homunculus are very willing to discover).

[Troacctid]

@Troacctid I am using my spell storing trap to get several wands of spells, while doing so I experiment with spell levels. I know that I can't get early access to Divine Crusader spells through artificer crafting (a pain in the ass) but can I get spells that are in lower level than normal? For example can I get wall of stone as a trapsmith's (3rd lvl)?

No, in fact it doesn't work at all, since infusions can't go in magic traps. From the class: "An artificer's infusions do not meet spell prerequisites for creating magic items."

@Troacctid does the spell quick potion do something when targeted with spells that are not normally potionable? Can I get an oil of magic weapon? Can I get an oil of fireball (whatever that does is a mistery that my homunculus are very willing to discover).

It says right there in the spell, it has to be a spell that is suitable for a potion.

[thethird]

No, in fact it doesn't work at all, since infusions can't go in magic traps. From the class: "An artificer's infusions do not meet spell prerequisites for creating magic items."

That is referring to using a specific infusion to create a magic item that requires a specific spell. Which is not the case here.

RAW: "They function just like spells and follow all the rules for spells." You can create magic items of infusions.

[Troacctid]

That is referring to using a specific infusion to create a magic item that requires a specific spell. Which is not the case here.

RAW: "They function just like spells and follow all the rules for spells." You can create magic items of infusions.

When you attempt it, you'll find that it does not work. The gold and xp for crafting are still expended.

[thethird]

When you attempt it, you'll find that it does not work. The gold and xp for crafting are still expended.

Note that I crafted it in 2018.

As a 3rd level psionic artificer I get magical artisan (craft universal device). Then I get myself some resetting traps tied to having levels in psionic artificer technical balderdash. I would first get the spell storing item infusion, as well as guidance of the avatar, fabricate, wall of stone (god bless arcane trapsmith).

I would get a plot of land somewhere on the countryside and build myself a nice stone house.

[Troacctid]

Note that I crafted it in 2018.

Yup, those all failed. You found you were unable to craft items based on trapsmith spells, or, as a psionic artificer, any spells at all, except for ones that have psionic equivalents you could emulate instead.

[aglondier]

Updated entry with Pathfinder Downtime actions. A year of work building businesses and teams a piece at a time.

[thethird]

Yup, those all failed. You found you were unable to craft items based on trapsmith spells, or, as a psionic artificer, any spells at all, except for ones that have psionic equivalents you could emulate instead.

So to be clear as an artificer I can't:
-Use the rules as written to benefit from fast progression casting classes.
-Use the rules as written to get spells from some/several spell lists (have I been able to deduce what I can use?)
-Make items that casts infusions (even if again it is raw)
-emulate spells as powers (i.e. spell to power erudite doesn't exist) and most likely vice versa.

That seems (to me) like a heavy handed nerf... But alas, the artificer life isn't easy.

What I have been able to do:
-I made constructs, those work just fine.
-I successfully called creatures from other planes.
-I have successfully made spell traps, although making them portable appears to be a complication (or just an additional step with shrink item).

For my next experiment, I am going to grab my grandfather's old staff and see if ancestral relic, the feat, works. Can I get a magical staff out of it? Starting small, just puting a lvl 0 spell and having it require two charges before going further.

[Troacctid]

So to be clear as an artificer I can't:
-Use the rules as written to benefit from fast progression casting classes.
-Use the rules as written to get spells from some/several spell lists (have I been able to deduce what I can use?)
-Make items that casts infusions (even if again it is raw)
-emulate spells as powers (i.e. spell to power erudite doesn't exist) and most likely vice versa.

That's correct.

You can emulate spells from any base class or domain, or spells such as sanctified spells that are not associated with a class. You cannot emulate spells from prestige classes unless that prestige class is named by the spell itself (like the assassin and blackguard spells in Spell Compendium).

[Kalkra]

Well golly, I've missed a lot.

How is losing levels to necropolitan and then gaining them back over time better than just using the same amount of time to get the levels you wanted as a multiclass?

I thought I remembered that there was a 20-level limit, in which case you wouldn't necessarily be able to get what you wanted just by waiting, if you really need all of those 20 levels for whatever build you want.

I did tacitly approve custom prestige race alterations, so I guess since there are questions, I'll lay down some guidelines. Unless you're a 3PP build, they should be published items, not custom items. The xp cost is equal to 40% of the item's gp cost. If you already have an alteration in that body slot, use the gp cost that would be required to add the new item's effect to the old item. For this purpose, "held" counts as a slot, and you can have up to two of them, like rings. Hands-free slotless items such as ioun stones are still at 40%, but with no multiplier.

And, as the FAQ says, you can't have more xp at a time than your level x 1000.

Hopefully this answers the question.

Huh. I'd been assuming you could only Sculpt custom magic items (and the examples given) just because of how much simpler that makes things. Well, that opens up a lot. Like, a LOT. Like, I could Sculpt a Thought Bottle, unless you don't allow those, which seems likely. I could Sculpt a Hat of Many Spells, which would kinda make StP Erudite obsolete. So many possibilities, so many weird interactions I'm sure I can find. And what about magic weapons and armor? How would that even work? Plus, there are items that grant barbarian rage and wild shape, so that's great for qualifying for stuff you couldn't otherwise qualify for. It's basically turned into a game of finding undercosted items, or items with effects that can't be replicated by spells.

Do Sculpted items stack with the real ones? (Assuming the bonuses would stack). Do grafts still ave their limits? Can you Sculpt psionic items, because transparency, or something? Also, if an item is already slotless, why does it still cost 40%?

Do the sample modifications from Sculpt Self follow such limits?

First of all, the TARDIS is a massive deus ex machina that can do whatever the plot requires. Anyway, the sample modifications seem to follow the rules for custom items with regards to spellcasting, but not for other things. Also, there are effects which custom items can't do, like insight bonuses to skill checks. Also, there doesn't seem to be any change in cost for requiring previous Sculpts, or barring some.

Basically, something like Stirred Creature (once/day Wind Wall) costs exactly as much as it should, but Sacred Creature should cost around 3x as much. Also, the whole cast x as a y thing is unclear. Like, if you can cast a spell as a Wizard, does that mean you have a spellbook, to which you can add other spells? And can you prepare a Sanctified spell instead of whatever spell you Sculpted? Also, even though the sample Sculpts give you actual casting, it's not clear what happens if you Sculpt an item.

Enervate could eventually be an option, but I don't see how that combination would help. I'd lose levels, sure, but I'd need a full year to properly gain a class level, which would mean that Restoration would be useless since it only restores levels lost within the last Caster-Level days. Plus, Enervation negative levels don't last long enough to train into a new class.

Yeah, I misremembered Enervation, but other ways of losing levels should still work. Mainly summoning/creating undead.

[Aniikinis]

@Troacctid: Question about interplanar interactions: What planes are connected to our world? Is it like d20 Modern where only the Plane of Shadow connects, the Great Wheel, or much more generic?

[thethird]

For my next experiment, I am going to grab my grandfather's old staff and see if ancestral relic, the feat, works. Can I get a magical staff out of it? Starting small, just puting a lvl 0 spell and having it require two charges before going further.

Does my experiment with Ancestral Relic work?

That's correct.

You can emulate spells from any base class or domain, or spells such as sanctified spells that are not associated with a class. You cannot emulate spells from prestige classes unless that prestige class is named by the spell itself (like the assassin and blackguard spells in Spell Compendium).

That's... interesting. I hadn't seen that particular houserule before. It still allows for some discount but not much, and I just checked while summon giants (which was one of the potentially outliers of that houserule) and it's covered, probably some of the stuff in the faerun books is getting through but yeah. Nice houserule.

[Troacctid]

@Troacctid: Question about interplanar interactions: What planes are connected to our world? Is it like d20 Modern where only the Plane of Shadow connects, the Great Wheel, or much more generic?

You don't have this information when you make your decisions.

Does my experiment with Ancestral Relic work?

Have you been good this year? 🎅

That's... interesting. I hadn't seen that particular houserule before. It still allows for some discount but not much, and I just checked while summon giants (which was one of the potentially outliers of that houserule) and it's covered, probably some of the stuff in the faerun books is getting through but yeah. Nice houserule.

Is this really a surprise to you? I felt like I was pretty clear in the FAQ that things work the way they would work in the fictional world. Do you really think that in Eberron, artificers are all getting spells based on trapsmiths and divine crusaders and spell-to-power erudites? Have you ever seen any example magic items like that in published material, ever?

[thethird]

Have you been good this year? 🎅

I have. Specially if compared to what good is in d&d I didn't engage in any kind of genocide nor murder-hoboing.

Is this really a surprise to you? I felt like I was pretty clear in the FAQ that things work the way they would work in the fictional world. Do you really think that in Eberron, artificers are all getting spells based on trapsmiths and divine crusaders and spell-to-power erudites? Have you ever seen any example magic items like that in published material, ever?

To be honest it does, I normally operate in RAW. As to what happens in rulebooks, that wouldn't be what necessarily happens in fictional worlds. Rulebooks tend to be self contained, and fictional worlds where stuff from several rulebooks interact might use stuff from several. But if Szass Tam can get spell stitched to bypass the costs of animate dread warrior, then yeah, I assume that people in the fictional place aren't necessarily stupid. Not to say that Cannith house has a strong monopoly on magic item creation, that clearly is for a reason.

[H_H_F_F]

I keep seeing references to creating items through sculpt self. I thought it was only for prestige races. Since I have the feat, and will gain up to 1040 xp this year, would anyone be kind enough to explain to me how that works?

[Troacctid]

But if Szass Tam can get spell stitched to bypass the costs of animate dread warrior, then yeah, I assume that people in the fictional place aren't necessarily stupid. Not to say that Cannith house has a strong monopoly on magic item creation, that clearly is for a reason.

If the people in the fictional world aren't stupid, then it should follow that they wouldn't be spending way more resources than they need to on every item they craft for no reason, and, therefore, it must not work the easier way.

I keep seeing references to creating items through sculpt self. I thought it was only for prestige races. Since I have the feat, and will gain up to 1040 xp this year, would anyone be kind enough to explain to me how that works?

Yeah, I accidentally approved custom prestige race alterations without thinking about it last year, or maybe the year before, so, uh, you know, whatever, I guess, that's precedent, I suppose. According to the article, the DM can create their own custom prestige race alterations based on magic items.

I'm going to also add that custom alterations require research, which costs resources just like spell research, and has a similar chance of failure.

[TalonOfAnathrax]

Yeah, I accidentally approved custom prestige race alterations without thinking about it last year, or maybe the year before, so, uh, you know, whatever, I guess, that's precedent, I suppose. According to the article, the DM can create their own custom prestige race alterations based on magic items.

I'm going to also add that custom alterations require research, which costs resources just like spell research, and has a similar chance of failure.

A suggestion: make all custom prestige races follow similar design choices as the RAW ones. Those all have a specific theme, are expensive, come with obvious physical changes (which are often quite disruptive to daily life and/or ugly), and generally don't have constant magical effects.
Sculpt Self would still in many ways be superior to having to carry items around, but at least you'd avoid having people make custom Prestige Race Alterations just to get the custom magic items you just banned.


In the meantime, I prefer to just Craft Wondrous Items. They're cheaper, often easier, and surely getting crafting components can't be that hard?
These items are all available to my level 3 caster with a limited spell list, all seem very useful in everyday life, and are all extremely cheap so getting enough XP for them shouldn't be a big issue:

• Hat of Disguise (first thing I'll be crafting now that I've got the feat). 72XP, 900gp.
• Possum Pouch. Heward's Handy Haversack requires CL9, but this baby only needs CL3 and Disguise Self. It's a lot smaller, but also a lot more discreet! 72XP, 900gp.
• I could make a Collar of Perpetual Attendance (At-Will Unseen Servants) if I feel like my own spell slots don't suffice. 80XP, 1000gp.
• Shiftweave. The superior version of this item (Vestment of Many Styles) unfortunately requires you to be a changeling to craft it, but this seems worth it if the clothes it turns into resize to fit you (perfect for formalwear or clothes meant to have a very tight fit, and makes switching into them a lot easier). After all Shiftweave doesn't provide mundane clothing, it's magic clothing which mimics certain outfits and so should resize like all magic items. 20XP, 250gp.

All of these items are just a few days worth of XP. The main limitation will be crafting time and reagents at this level. In the future things may change as I get into the more expensive stuff and I start getting spells with XP costs, but for now XP isn't really an issue.

To craft at level 4:

• Heward's Fortifying Bedroll (once every 38 hours, get a night's sleep in one hour!). This isn't as good as a Ring of Sustenance, but it's a lot easier to craft. 120XP, 1500gp.
• Chainmail Glove of Taarnham the Vigilant. Costs 10k, doesn't have weird crafting requirements like "possession of a piece of the set", but is very easy to craft and automatically warns the wearer when there's a hostile creature within 120ft. The initiative bonus is just icing on the cake. 400XP, 5000gp. If I can combine items, I could add in Bracers of Armour (+2).
• Amulet of Tears. I can craft this at level 4, and it's got great value! 36 temporary hit points per day is over three times my own HP at that level. 92XP, 1150gp.
• Talisman of the Disc. This seems to be of limited usefulness because it's hard to hide and isn't needed around the house or for emergencies - but on the other hand it's cheap, and "unlimited Tenser's Floating Disc" has a lot of potential uses. 20XP, 250gp.
• If I still have money left after crafting all that, I could make something for my boots slot. But that's difficult, because it's all enhancement bonuses that won't stack with the Heart of X spells (see for example Boots of Skating (MiC)). Maybe Boots of Levitation or Slippers of Spider Climbing?

That'll be most of my slots covered - from then on I'd craft similar sort of everyday items for my loved ones, or perhaps I'd use it all on spells like Alter Fortune and later Permanency. The cap on XP and the passive earning rate means that it's in my interest to regularly burn some off, after all.

Other:

• If I can't combine items, then Shiftweave will likely be replaced by Lesser Vestments of Power which I can craft at CL 5. At 3520 XP that'll be more than half of the XP available for crafting at that level, but check out the effects! +3 deflection bonus to AC, +4 resistance bonus on saves, continuous unlimited Protection from Arrows, fire resistance 10, at-will feather fall.
• If there's radical magic-psionic transparency (enough to make Craft Wondrous Item count as Craft Universal Item and to replace Mass Missive with its arcane equivalent) then an Amulet of Peace is a must-craft for every Sha'ir. It's cheap, and it replaces my AC with my Diplomacy check result several times a day - after seeing result of the attack roll! 200XP, 2500gp.
• Blindfold of True Darkness could be useful. 360XP, 4500gp If all I want is darkvision, sunglasses with Goggles of Night could do the job for slightly cheaper 320XP, 4000gp
• Gloves of Arrow Snaring effectively offer 1/day Snatch Arrows, and they're cheap! AFAIK this should work on bullets, which is definitely a very cool trick to have. Not worth it if I can't combine it with Gloves of Dexterity, which require CL 8 to craft but are otherwise obviously superior).
• If I can combine items, it becomes worthwhile to add Greater Choker of Eloquence and Choker of the Sirens to my neck slot (both are accessible at CL 6). Similarly, adding a Wand Bracelet to my Chainmail Glove of Taarnham seems convenient.
• At CL 6, I can also make a Wand Bracelet (which works for things like phones and notebooks, not just wands).
• When I reach CL 8, making the best possible Cloak of Charisma will be an immediate goal. Things like adding in Cloak of Resistance effects are nice, but secondary (and if I can't, Ioun Stone of Resistance is a thing). Then I'll improve other abilities.
• Heward's Handy Haversack and Bag of Holding all require CL 9.
• My belt slot is likely to stay empty for a long time, because there's nothing really worth it that I can craft yet (except maybe a Healing Belt if my cohort can provide Cure Serious Wounds). Maybe eventually it'll be a Belt of Battle?

Honestly the biggest issue with that sort of crafting might be doing it discreetly (getting reagents, getting lots of time off work, etc) and not the XP or spell access. We'll see how that goes: I'd love to craft stuff, but I really won't want to reveal to the whole world that I can do magic until I reach a significantly higher level.

EDIT: Some crafting questions for Troacctid:

• Can I combine published magic items? Say, make Boots of Jumping that are also Boots of Landing? Make an Amulet of Tears that's also a Greater Choker of Eloquence?
• Can I change the appearance of a published magic item? Say, craft Bracers of Armour that are actually metal bracelets, or craft Boots of Skating that aren't the exact same color and design as the ones described in the MiC?