Magic Items That Grant Item Creation Feats

[saucercrab]

Okay, I don't have access to the Search function, so any links to past threads that deal with the following will be much appreciated. (And I hope this is in the right forum.)

I have a warlock build in mind that I'd love to try out in the future, & I want to take advantage of the 12th level class ability to make magic items, but the character's feat choices as they stand can't fit in any item creation feats (the two I'd want being Craft Wondrous Item & Craft Staff).

That being said, I've read the short sidebar on page 128 of A&EG (it pertains to pricing feats being placed into magic items). It offers some insight into how to price them, but I was thinking that for item creation feats in magic items, maybe each caster level required for the feat equal 5,000 (or 10,000gp), instead of the caster level itself being one requirement costing 5,000 (or 10,000gp). For example, a ring of craft staff would cost 70,000gp (10,000 base price, plus caster level (12th) times 5,000), or 130,000gp, although the latter price seems a bit high.

I realize that this is a cheesy proposition, but my group's games tend towards the outlandish at times, & item creation is hardly ever used by us. IIRC, exactly two characters have used them since 3.0 came out (one of mine being one of them).

 

[Kilroy]

That being said, I've read the short sidebar on page 128 of A&EG (it pertains to pricing feats being placed into magic items). It offers some insight into how to price them, but I was thinking that for item creation feats in magic items, maybe each caster level required for the feat equal 5,000 (or 10,000gp), instead of the caster level itself being one requirement costing 5,000 (or 10,000gp). For example, a ring of craft staff would cost 70,000gp (10,000 base price, plus caster level (12th) times 5,000), or 130,000gp, although the latter price seems a bit high.

This seems more than a bit high - it's more than the entire expected character wealth for a 17th level character. That doesn't leave much wealth left for crafting a staff until well into epic levels. That seems like a bit much for an item that gives one feat that will probably only ever be used a couple times.

I'd just make it a flat 10k as per the book, and require the user to meet the other requirements (caster level, etc) on their own. Maybe for 20k, let them use character level in place of caster level, so a high level expert smith NPC could have a way to forge magic weapons without also being an archmage. That's a getting a little house rulesy though.

I realize that this is a cheesy proposition, but my group's games tend towards the outlandish at times, & item creation is hardly ever used by us. IIRC, exactly two characters have used them since 3.0 came out (one of mine being one of them).

With the value of feats for item creating character classes, how seldom they can be used compared to just about any other feat, and the cost of using them, that's no real surprise. I think that a lot of the item creation feats should be rolled up into just a few, because really, does anyone ever take Craft Rod, Craft Staff, or Forge Ring? Roll Craft Staff and Rod into Craft Wand and Craft Ring into Craft Wondrous and they may be worth taking.

For Craft Rod and Forge Ring in particular, it seems stupid to have seperate feats for them when Craft Wondrous can do everything they can and more (mending items, much more versitility), at a lower level, and isn't limited by item shapes. Why not break out Craft Boots, Craft Cloak, Craft Gauntlets, Craft Belt & Craft Amulet into seperate feats also?

 

[Darkness]

This seems more than a bit high - it's more than the entire expected character wealth for a 17th level character.

I think you're thinking of NPCs here. The expected character wealth for a 17th-level player character is 340,000 gp (3.5 DMG, p.135).

Anyway, I agree that 130,000 gp is too high.

 

[saucercrab]

Aaannnddd, I did post this in the wrong forum.

Kilroy & Darkness,
Thanks to both of you for confiming my suspicions about the 130,000gp price tag.

Kilroy,
So you're thinking of a proposed item to be 20,000gp & the user would have to be a 12th level caster? I can get behind that.

 

[Piratecat]

Yeah, I don't think a huge initial outlay is necessarily a problem, especially if the item mandated that any magic item created with it cost an extra 10% in xp and cash. That's the kind of penalty that makes a PC think twice of they were planning on making a lot of items.

I'd also make the item creation item be effectively immobile. In other words, I'd make it a lab or a great big anvil instead of a portable device. That also seems like a reasonable tradeoff for getting a free item creation feat.

 

[Kilroy]

So you're thinking of a proposed item to be 20,000gp & the user would have to be a 12th level caster? I can get behind that.

I was thinking 10K and 12th level caster, or 20K and 12th level any class, but anywhere in that range should be ok. I also definantly like PC's idea of not making it a convenient item to use. If you don't want to waste a feat on Forge Ring, you get to slog all the way to Mt. Doom every time you want to make one.

You're right on the suggested character wealth, I've been making too many NPCs lately and had that page bookmarked.

 

[Sledge]

ewww Anvil of Forging Magics Weapons and Armour. Piratecat this idea is getting sent straight to my dm.

 

[Darkness]

ewww Anvil of Forging Magics Weapons and Armour.

I put an artifact like that in my game once in 2e. It was portable (but big and very heavy), automatically made all items forged on it +1 and only worked when the hammer you used was a +3 Dwarven thrower (it was a Dwarven anvil). IIRC, it didn't reduce the time to forge the items, though, and you needed the raw materials of course, so outfitting an army with magic gear took a lot of time and resources.

 

[saucercrab]

Yeah, I don't think a huge initial outlay is necessarily a problem, especially if the item mandated that any magic item created with it cost an extra 10% in xp and cash. That's the kind of penalty that makes a PC think twice of they were planning on making a lot of items.

I'd also make the item creation item be effectively immobile. In other words, I'd make it a lab or a great big anvil instead of a portable device. That also seems like a reasonable tradeoff for getting a free item creation feat.

Hmm, not what I was thinking about at all (I was relating it to a common magic item category, like ring or wondrous item), but it's something to think about.

An artificer in Eberron could make an item (or items) like this, then rent it out to spellcasters who don't have the feat:
"You want to make a magic staff, but lack the featz, well it'll only cost you 99.99 a day! And you'll have to reserve the staff-o-matic in advance. Just sign here & here, I'll need a deposit, & you can come back in two weeks & get started."