To create magic items, spellcasters use the Craft (artificing) skill (or Craft [alchemy] for potions). They invest time and money in an item's creation.
Note that all items have prerequisites in their descriptions, which must be met for the item to be created. Most of the time, they take the form of spells that must be known by the item's creator (although access through another magic item or spellcaster is allowed).
While item creation costs are handled in detail below, the two primary factors are the creator's caster level and the level of the spell or spells put into the item. A creator can create an item at a lower caster level than her own, but never lower than the minimum level needed to cast the needed spell. Using metamagic feats, a caster can place spells in items at a higher level than normal.
Magic supplies for items are always half of the base price in gp. For many items, the market price equals the base price.
Armor, shields, weapons, and items with a value independent of their magically enhanced properties add their item cost to the market price. The item cost does not influence the base price (which determines the cost of magic supplies and the experience point cost), but it does increase the final market price.
In addition, some items cast or replicate spells with costly material components. For these items, the market price equals the base price plus an extra price for the spell component costs. The cost to create these items is the magic supplies cost plus the costs for the components. Descriptions of these items include an entry that gives the total cost of creating the item.
The creator also needs a fairly quiet, comfortable, and well-lit place in which to work. Any place suitable for preparing spells is suitable for making items. Creating an item requires a variable amount of time to make (see below). Potions are an exception to this rule; they always take just one hour to brew. The character must spend the gold at the beginning of the construction process.
The caster works for 8 hours each day; he cannot rush the process by working longer, but the days need not be consecutive, and the caster can use the rest of his time as he sees fit.
A character can work on only one item at a time. If he starts work on a new item, all materials used and gp spent on the under-construction item are wasted.
The secrets of creating artifacts are long lost.
Magic Item Gold Piece Values
Table 1: Estimating Magic Item Gold Piece Values
| Effect | Base Price | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Ability bonus (enhancement) | Bonus squared x 1,000 gp | Gloves of Dexterity +2 |
| Armor bonus (enhancement) | Bonus squared x 1,000 gp | +1 chainmail |
| Bonus spell | Spell level squared x 1,000 gp | Pearl of power |
| AC bonus (deflection) | Bonus squared x 2,000 gp | Ring of protection +3 |
| AC bonus (other)1 | Bonus squared x 2,500 gp | Ioun stone, dusty rose prism |
| Natural armor bonus (enhancement) | Bonus squared x 2,000 gp | Amulet of natural armor +1 |
| Save bonus (resistance) | Bonus squared x 1,000 gp | Cloak of resistance +5 |
| Save bonus (other)1 | Bonus squared x 2,000 gp | Stone of good luck |
| Skill bonus (competence) | Bonus squared x 100 gp | Cloak of elvenkind |
| Spell resistance | 10,000 gp x SR level squared2 | Mantle of spell resistance |
| Weapon bonus (enhancement) | Bonus squared x 2,000 gp | +1 longsword |
| Spell Effect | Base Price | Example |
| Single use, spell completion | Spell level x caster level x 25 gp | Scroll of haste |
| Single use, use-activated | Spell level x caster level x 50 gp | Potion of cure light wounds |
| 50 charges, spell trigger | Spell level x caster level x 750 gp | Wand of fireball |
| Command word | Spell level x caster level x 1,800 gp | Cape of the mountebank |
| Use-activated or continuous | Spell level x caster level x 2,000 gp3 | Lantern of revealing |
| Special | Base Price Adjustment | Example |
| Charges per day | Divide by (5 divided by charges per day) | Boots of teleportation |
| Charges per week | Divide by (10 divided by charges per week) | |
| Uncustomary space limitation4 | Multiply entire cost by 1.5 | Helm of teleportation |
| No space limitation5 | Multiply entire cost by 2 | Ioun stone |
| Multiple different abilities | Multiply lower item cost by 1.5 | Helm of brilliance |
| Charged (50 charges) | 1/2 unlimited use base price | Ring of the ram |
| Component | Extra Cost | Example |
| Armor, shield, or weapon | Add cost of base item | +1 composite longbow |
| Spell has material component cost | Add directly into price of item per charge6 | Wand of stoneskin |
1 Such as a luck or insight bonus.
2 Minor: 10,000; moderate: 40,000; major: 90,000; full: 180,000; legendary: 250,000.
3 If a continuous item has an effect based on a spell with a duration measured in rounds, multiply the cost by 4. If the duration of the spell is 1 minute/level, multiply the cost by 2, and if the duration is 10 minutes/level, multiply the cost by 1.5. If the spell has a 24-hour duration or greater, divide the cost in half.
4 See Body Slot Affinities, below.
5 An item that does not take up one of the spaces on a body costs double.
6 If item is continuous or unlimited, not charged, determine cost as if it had 100 charges. If it has some daily limit, determine as if it had 50 charges.
Many factors must be considered when determining the price of new magic items. The easiest way to come up with a price is to match the new item to an item that is already priced that price as a guide. Otherwise, use the guidelines summarized on Table 1, above.
Multiple Similar Abilities: For items with multiple similar abilities that don't take up space on a character's body use the following formula: Calculate the price of the single most costly ability, then add 75% of the value of the next most costly ability, plus one-half the value of any other abilities.
Multiple Different Abilities: Abilities such as an attack roll bonus or saving throw bonus and a spell-like function are not similar, and their values are simply added together to determine the cost. For items that do take up a space on a character's body each additional power not only has no discount but instead has a 50% increase in price.
0-Level Spells: When multiplying spell levels to determine value, 0-level spells should be treated as 1/2 level.
Other Considerations: Once you have a final cost figure, reduce that number if any of the following conditions applies:
| Item requires skill to use | -10% |
| Item requires class/alignment to use | -20% |
| Item requires race to use | -30% |
Prices presented in the magic item descriptions (the gold piece value following the item's caster level) are the market value, which is generally twice what it costs the creator to make the item.
Since different classes get access to certain spells at different levels, the prices for two characters to make the same item might actually be different. An item is only worth two times what the caster of lowest possible level can make it for. Calculate the market price based on the lowest possible level caster, no matter who makes the item.
Not all items adhere to these formulas directly; there are several reasons for this. First and foremost, these few formulas aren't enough to truly gauge the exact differences between items. The price of a magic item may be modified based on its actual worth - the formulas only provide a starting point. The pricing of scrolls assumes that, whenever possible, a wizard or cleric created it. Potions and wands follow the formulas exactly. Staffs follow the formulas closely, and other items require at least some judgment calls.
Creating Magic Armor
To create magic armor, a character needs a heat source, some iron-, wood-, or leatherworking tools, and a supply of materials, including the armor or the pieces of the armor to be assembled. Armor to be made into magic armor must be masterwork armor, and the masterwork cost is added to the base price to determine final market value (all magic armor is assumed to have a +1 mastercraft bonus). Additional magic supplies costs for the materials are subsumed in the cost for creating the magic armor - half the base price of the item.
Creating magic armor has a special prerequisite: The creator's caster level must be at least four times the armor's enhancement bonus. If an item has both an enhancement bonus and a special ability, the higher of the two caster level requirements must be met.
Magic armor or a magic shield must have at least a +1 enhancement bonus to have any of the abilities listed on Table 1: Armor Special Abilities.
If spells are involved in the prerequisites for making the armor, the creator must have prepared the spells to be cast (or must know the spells, in the case of a sorcerer or bard) and must provide any material components or foci the spells require. The act of working on the armor triggers the prepared spells, making them unavailable for casting during each day of the armor's creation. (That is, those spell slots are expended from his currently prepared spells, just as if they had been cast.)
Creating some armor may entail other prerequisites beyond or other than spellcasting. See the individual descriptions for details.
Refer to Table 2 for crafting times for armor.
Creating Magic Weapons
To create a magic weapon, a character needs a heat source, some iron- or woodworking tools, and a supply of materials, including the weapon or the pieces of the weapon to be assembled. Any weapon of average or better craftsmanship can be enchanted; if the weapon is enchanted while it is being made, the cost of the weapon itself is added to the total price. Additional magic supply costs for the materials are subsumed in the cost for creating the magic weapon - half the base price given on Table 1: Weapons, according to the weapon's total effective bonus.
Creating a magic weapon has a special prerequisite: The creator's caster level must be at least four times the weapon's enhancement bonus. If an item has both an enhancement bonus and a special ability, the higher of the two caster level requirements must be met.
A magic weapon must have at least a +1 enhancement bonus to have any of the abilities listed on Table 1: Weapon Special Abilities.
If spells are involved in the prerequisites for making the weapon, the creator must have prepared the spells to be cast (or must know the spells, in the case of a sorcerer or bard) and must provide any material components or foci. The act of working on the weapon triggers the prepared spells, making them unavailable for casting during each day of the weapon's creation. (That is, those spell slots are expended from his currently prepared spells, just as if they had been cast.)
At the time of creation, the creator must decide if the weapon glows or not as a side-effect of the magic imbued within it. This decision does not affect the price or the creation time, but once the item is finished, the decision is binding.
Creating magic double-headed weapons is treated as creating two weapons when determining cost, time, and special abilities.
Creating some weapons may entail other prerequisites beyond or other than spellcasting. See the individual descriptions for details.
Refer to Table 2 for crafting times for weapons.
The creator of a potion needs a level working surface and at least a few containers in which to mix liquids, as well as a source of heat to boil the brew. In addition, he needs ingredients. The costs for materials and ingredients are subsumed in the cost for brewing the potion - 25 gp x spell level x caster level. Potions can be brewed in batches, instead of one at a time; the crafter can make up to 5,000 worth of potions or 10 potions total, whichever is less, but this increases the DC by +2 per potion. All potions must be the same, of course – they are assumed to be brewed from a larger pool of components. Each potion beyond the first increases the DC by 2 and increases the creation time by half an hour. He pays full price for the first potion and 50% more for each additional potion (up to the maximum of 5,000 gp). For example, a basic barkskin potion (+2) is DC 15 and 300 gp; if the crafter wanted to brew a full batch (10 potions), the DC would be 25 and the cost would be 300 + (150 * 9) = 1,650 gp.
The imbiber of the potion is both the caster and the target. Spells with a range of personal cannot be made into potions.
The creator must have prepared the spell to be placed in the potion (or must know the spell, in the case of a sorcerer or bard) and must provide any material component or focus the spell requires.
Material components are consumed when he begins working, but a focus is not. The act of brewing triggers the prepared spell, making it unavailable for casting until the character has rested and regained spells. (That is, that spell slot is expended from his currently prepared spells, just as if it had been cast.) Brewing a potion takes 1 hour, plus half an hour for each additional potion brewed as part of the same batch.
The costs on the table below assume the creator makes the potion at the minimum caster level.
Base Cost to Brew a Potion (By Class)
| Spell Level | Clr, Drd, Sor, Wiz | Brd | Pal, Rgr* |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 12 gp 5 sp | 12 gp 5 sp | — |
| 1st | 25 gp | 50 gp | 50 gp |
| 2nd | 150 gp | 200 gp | 200 gp |
| 3rd | 375 gp | 525 gp | 375 gp |
*Caster level is half class level.
Refer to Table 1 for crafting times for potions.
Creating Rings
To create a magic ring, a character needs a heat source and a supply of materials, including a ring or the pieces of the ring to be assembled. The cost for the materials is subsumed in the cost for creating the ring. Ring costs are difficult to formularize. Refer to Table 1: Estimating Magic Item Gold Piece Values and use the ring prices in the ring descriptions as a guideline. Creating a ring generally costs half the ring's market price.
Rings that duplicate spells with costly material components add 50 gp x the spell's component cost. Having a spell with a costly component as a prerequisite does not automatically incur this cost. The act of working on the ring triggers the prepared spells, making them unavailable for casting during each day of the ring's creation. (That is, those spell slots are expended from his currently prepared spells, just as if they had been cast.)
Creating some rings may entail other prerequisites beyond or other than spellcasting. See the individual descriptions for details.
Refer to Table 1 for crafting times for rings.
Creating Rods
To create a magic rod, a character needs a supply of materials, including a rod or the pieces of the rod to be assembled. The cost for the materials is subsumed in the cost for creating the rod. Rod costs are difficult to formularize. Refer to Table 1: Estimating Magic Item Gold Piece Values and use the rod prices in the rod descriptions as a guideline. Creating a rod costs half the market value listed.
If spells are involved in the prerequisites for making the rod, the creator must have prepared the spells to be cast (or must know the spells, in the case of a sorcerer or bard) but need not provide any material components or focuses the spells require. The act of working on the rod triggers the prepared spells, making them unavailable for casting during each day of the rod's creation. (That is, those spell slots are expended from his currently prepared spells, just as if they had been cast.)
Creating some rods may entail other prerequisites beyond or other than spellcasting. See the individual descriptions for details.
Refer to Table 1 for crafting times for rods.
To create a scroll, a character needs a supply of choice writing materials, the cost of which is subsumed in the cost for scribing the scroll - 12.5 gp x the spell level x the caster level.
All writing implements and materials used to scribe a scroll must be fresh and unused. A character must pay the full cost for scribing each spell scroll no matter how many times she previously has scribed the same spell.
The creator must have prepared the spell to be scribed (or must know the spell, in the case of a sorcerer or bard) and must provide any material component or focus the spell requires. A material component is consumed when she begins writing, but a focus is not. The act of writing triggers the prepared spell, making it unavailable for casting until the character has rested and regained spells. (That is, that spell slot is expended from her currently prepared spells, just as if it had been cast.)
Scribing a scroll requires 10 minutes per spell level. A scroll is treated as being 10 spellbook pages; a spell takes up a number of pages based on its level: 0-3rd, 1; 4th-6th, 2; 7th-9th, 3. A scroll cannot hold more than 6 spells, no matter their levels. If the scribing time takes more than 8 hours, the scriber cannot stop in the middle of a spell – he must scribe the entirety of the remaining spell(s) on the next day.
Base Cost to Scribe a Scroll (By Class)
| Spell Level | Clr, Drd, Wiz | Brd | Pal, Rgr* |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 6 gp, 2 sp, 5 cp | 6 gp, 2 sp, 5 cp | — |
| 1st | 12 gp, 5 sp | 25 gp | 25 gp |
| 2nd | 75 gp | 100 gp | 100 gp |
| 3rd | 187 gp, 5 sp | 262 gp, 5 sp | 187 gp, 5 sp |
| 4th | 350 gp | 500 gp | 350 gp |
| 5th | 562 gp, 5 sp | 812 gp, 5 sp | — |
| 6th | 826 gp | 1,200 gp | — |
| 7th | 1,135 gp, 5 sp | — | — |
| 8th | 1,500 gp | — | — |
| 9th | 1,912 gp, 5 sp | — | — |
Caster level is half class level.
Costs assume that the creator makes the scroll at the minimum caster level.
Creating Staves
To create a magic staff, a character needs a supply of materials, including a staff or the pieces of the staff to be assembled.
The cost for the materials is subsumed in the cost for creating the staff - 375 gp x highest-level spell x caster level, plus 75% of the value of the next most costly ability (281.25 gp x spell level x caster level), plus one-half of the value of any other abilities (187.5 gp x spell level x caster level). Staves are always fully charged (50 charges) when created.
If desired, a spell can be placed into the staff at only half the normal cost, but then activating that particular spell costs 2 charges from the staff. Likewise, the cost can be cut by one-third for 3 charges, one-fourth for 4 charges, or one-fifth for 5 charges. The caster level of all spells in a staff must be the same, and no staff can have a caster level of less than 8th, even if all the spells in the staff are low-level spells.
The creator must have prepared the spells to be stored (or must know the spell, in the case of a sorcerer or bard) and must provide any focus the spells require as well as material component costs sufficient to activate the spell a maximum number of times (50 divided by the number of charges one use of the spell expends). The act of working on the staff triggers the prepared spells, making them unavailable for casting during each day of the staff's creation. (That is, those spell slots are expended from his currently prepared spells, just as if they had been cast.)
Creating a few staves may entail other prerequisites beyond spellcasting. See the individual descriptions for details.
Refer to Table 1 for crafting times for staves.
Creating Wands
To create a magic wand, a character needs a small supply of materials, including a baton or the pieces of the wand to be assembled. The cost for the materials is subsumed in the cost for creating the wand - 375 gp x spell level x caster level. Wands are always fully charged (50 charges) when created.
The creator must have prepared the spell to be stored (or must know the spell, in the case of a sorcerer or bard) and must provide any focuses the spell requires. Fifty of each needed material component are required, one for each charge. Material components are consumed when she begins working, but foci are not. The act of working on the wand triggers the prepared spell, making it unavailable for casting during each day devoted to the wand's creation. (That is, that spell slot is expended from her currently prepared spells, just as if it had been cast.)
Refer to Table 1 for crafting times for wands.
Base Magic Supplies to Craft a Wand (By Crafter's Class)
| Spell Level | Clr, Drd, Sor, Wiz | Brd | Pal, Rgr* |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 187 gp, 5 sp | 187 gp, 5 sp | — |
| 1st | 375 gp | 750 gp | 750 gp |
| 2nd | 1,125 gp | 3,000 gp | 3,000 gp |
| 3rd | 5,625 gp | 7,875 gp | 5,625 gp |
| 4th | 10,500 gp | 15,000 gp | 10,500 gp |
Creating Wondrous Items
To create a wondrous item, a character usually needs some sort of equipment or tools to work on the item. She also needs a supply of materials, including the item itself or the pieces of the item to be assembled. The cost for the materials is subsumed in the cost for creating the item. Wondrous item costs are difficult to formularize. Refer to Table 1: Estimating Magic Item Gold Piece Values and use the item prices in the item descriptions as a guideline. Creating an item costs half the market value listed.
If spells are involved in the prerequisites for making the item, the creator must have prepared the spells to be cast (or must know the spells, in the case of a sorcerer or bard) but need not provide any material components or foci the spells require. The act of working on the item triggers the prepared spells, making them unavailable for casting during each day of the item's creation. (That is, those spell slots are expended from his currently prepared spells, just as if they had been cast.)
Creating some items may entail other prerequisites beyond or other than spellcasting. See the individual descriptions for details.
Refer to Table 1 for crafting times for wondrous items.
Intelligent Item Creation
To create an intelligent item, a character must have a caster level of 15th or higher. Time and creation cost are based on the normal item creation rules, with the market price values on Table 2: Item Intelligence, treated as additions to time and gp cost. The item's alignment is the same as its creator's. Determine other features randomly, following the guidelines in the relevant section.
Body Slot Affinities
Each location on the body, or body slot, has one or more affinities: a word or phrase that describes the general function or nature of magic items designed for that body slot. Body slot affinities are deliberately broad, abstract categorizations, because a hard-and-fast rule can't cover the great variety among wondrous items.
You can use the affinities in the list below to guide your decisions on which magic items should be allowed in which body slots. When designing magic items, the affinities give some guidance for what form a particular item should take.
Some body slots have different affinities for different specific items.
| Body Slot | Affinity |
|---|---|
| Headband, helmet | Mental improvement |
| Hat | Interaction |
| Phylactery | Morale, alignment |
| Eye lenses, goggles | Vision |
| Cloak, cape, mantle | Transformation, protection |
| Amulet, brooch, medallion, necklace, periapt, scarab | Protection, discernment |
| Robe | Multiple effects |
| Shirt | Physical improvement |
| Vest, vestment | Class ability improvement |
| Bracers | Combat |
| Bracelets | Allies |
| Gloves | Quickness, ranged attacks |
| Gauntlets | Destructive power |
| Belt | Physical improvement |
| Boots | Movement |
Wondrous items that don't match the affinity for a particular body slot should cost 50% more than those that do.
