For those who have reached the height of mundane crafting there is the intricate practice of creating magical items. This can be done during downtime, like crafting mundane items, but is often a more finicky process. Magic items can be as unique as their crafters, ranging from potions to armor sets, and a particular magic item can look different every time someone new crafts it. Unlike crafting mundane items, crafting magic items is rather hit or miss. Crafting a magic item is either successful or it is not. >[!important] Banned or Restricted Items >Before crafting an item, familiarize yourself with its potential Banned or Restricted status: > - [[Magic Items#Banned Items]] > - [[Poisons & Restricted Items]] ## Quick Summary Each step will be outlined in more depth, but the following serves as a summary and reference for the process. - **Select an Item.** Find the item you would like to craft on a magic item or alchemy crafting table. - **Check with your GM.** They will confirm if that item exists and has the default rarity in their game. This system is a tool, it does not supersede worldbuilding. - **Gather the materials.** Materials can be looted from intelligent creatures, harvested from the corpses of more exotic creature types, discovered as treasure, purchased at stores, or gathered from the wilderness. The specifics of any material and where it can be found is covered in [[Mystical Materials]]. - **Begin crafting!** For alchemy, you will use [[Alchemist's Supplies]], using your choice of Intelligence or Wisdom. For magic items, you can find the related tool and ability score on the [[#Crafting by Magic Item Type]] table below. - Use the related tool and skill to determine your crafting modifier using the following formula: **Crafting Modifier = your Related Tool proficiency bonus + your Related Ability Score modifier.** - You will make 2 checks, one at the beginning of the time spent crafting (Initial Check) and one at the end (Final Check). The time you must spend crafting is listed in the [[#Magic Item Crafting Details]] table. - **House rule:** You can make progress in 2 hour increments, which allows you to make some progress during long rests. Overall progress in tracked in days (or weeks), so convert your 2-hour increments into days as you go. At least half the total time must be focused, full days spent crafting. Your Initial and Final Checks must be during this focused crafting time. - Failing an initial check isn't the end, but depending on your roll you might need to start over, it might burn through your materials, or it might increase your Final Check's DC. - Once your completed progress on an item is equal to the crafting time listed, you make a Final Check *which is often a different type of check from the Initial Check*. Failing this consumes either half or all of the materials and the crafting fails (you must start over). On a success -- enjoy your shiny new item! ___ #### Special Reminders - You can “[[Take 10]]” on any crafting roll by doubling the crafting time. - The final say on any item is up to your GM. If they disagree with the written recipe, they are correct! - Don’t be afraid to ask where you can find materials—the GM wants you to engage with the world and find things! - A crafting roll is a special kind of check. **You can’t apply boosts other than your ability bonus and your tool [[00-Balance Of Powers/3-Mechanics/6-Ability Scores/Proficiency Bonus|Proficiency Bonus]] to your crafting check.** In general, the only way other than proficiency to boost a crafting roll is to get help from another skilled crafter for the entire duration of the craft. Remember you can use the [[Take 10]] option to get slower and more certain success, and if a craft has a higher DC than you can achieve using that method, it likely should involve some degree of difficulty and risk. ## Magic Item Crafting Details TABLE: Magic Item Crafting Details | Rarity | Minimum Item Quality | Minimum Player Level | Minimum Time to Craft | DC | | --------- | -------------------- | -------------------- | ------------------------------------------------ | --- | | Common | Any | -- | 1 week | 13 | | Uncommon | Fine | 3rd | 3 weeks | 15 | | Rare | Masterwork | 5th | 8 weeks | 17 | | Very Rare | Masterwork | 10th | 24 weeks | 20 | | Legendary | Masterwork | 15th | 25 + 4d8 weeks | 25 | | Artifact | Masterwork | 20th | Uncraftable, except at the Narrator's discretion | -- | **Item Quality.** Common magic items can be made from items of any quality, but uncommon magic items require an item of fine quality, and rare or greater magic items require an item of masterwork quality. Costs for an item’s quality are included in a magic item’s base cost. See [[Craft (Basic)]]. **Player Level.** Common magic items are called such for a reason—just about anyone can create them. As the rarity of an item increases however, so does the level of skill required. The Minimum Player Level column shows what level a character must reach before being able to craft magic items of a certain rarity. Unless their statistics state otherwise, an NPC is only able to craft magic items if they have spellcasting levels -- see [[Commission Magic Item]]. **DC.** To craft a magic item, a character must make multiple ability checks due to the difficult nature of magic item crafting: an initial check and a final check. Each check takes 1 day, but successful checks are included in the minimum crafting times indicated above. **Note that a character can craft more slowly to improve their chances -- see [[Take 10]].** **Time Required.** The time required to craft a magic item depends on its rarity, as shown on the Magic Item Crafting Time table. To craft a magic item, a character must make multiple ability checks due to the difficult nature of magic item crafting: an initial check and a final check. **Initial Check.** At the beginning of the required time, the character makes an ability check against the DC for an item of that rarity. To determine the ability check needed, see the "Ability Checks" column in the General Magic Item Crafting table below, based on item type, and use the check type numbered "1". To determine the DC needed, use the appropriate row in the Overview table (above) for the item's Rarity. *Example:* *Kelner wishes to craft a* cloak of protection. *In the General Magic Item Crafting table (below) it would be considered Apparel, so the initial check ("1") is Wisdom, and the final check ("2") will be Dexterity. It is an Uncommon magic item, so looking at the Overview table (above), the DC for each check is determined to be 15.* On a success, you can continue crafting the item as normal. On a failure, you have to start over -- all failures cost 1 day. On a failure by 5 or more, crafting can continue but the final check’s DC increases by 2. Failing this check by 10 or more consumes half the required materials (base and special materials) and is considered a failed attempt. The crafter will need to spend 1 week gathering the required base materials again, and special matieral may be required again if the crafter only had enough for a single crafting. However you gain one expertise die that you can use the next time you attempt to craft the same item, as long as it has been no longer than a month. **Final Check.** At the end of the required crafting time, the character makes another ability check to complete their magic item against the DC for an item of that rarity. On a success, all the materials are consumed and they make the desired magic time. On any failure, the process consumes half of the required materials and the crafting fails. On a failure by 10 or more, all the materials are consumed and the crafting fails. #### Materials Needed To craft a magic item a character must first acquire 3 types of ingredients: - Base Materials (half the item's base cost, must be purchased) - Reagents (the other half of the item's base cost, may by purchased, found as loot, harvested in the wilderness, or sometimes harvested from monsters) - Essences (prices vary wildly, so these are not included in the item's base price. They may be purchased (expensive!), found as loot, harvested from monsters, distilled from reagents, salvaged by destroying magic items, or creating via spells). **Base Materials.** To craft a magic item a character must first acquire base materials equal to half the magic item’s cost; this includes special metals, wood, leather, and other substances which make the basic item, plus a mixture of common alchemical reagents, arcane components, or divine ingredients. These materials can be purchased easily as long as the character has the requisite funds and usually do not need to be accounted for individually. **Reagents.** These fragment of magic come from living things (often plants, but not always). They can be purchased, found as loot, or harvested. See [[03-Mechanics/7-Adventuring/Crafting/Mystical Materials|Mystical Materials]]. **Essences.** The more purified forms of magical power, these are the 'Special Materials' in the base A5E enchanting rules, such as "a mirror that a basilisk has seen its reflection in". We'll allow them to be purchase at a steep price, but they can also be found as loot, harvested, salvaged, or created. See [[03-Mechanics/7-Adventuring/Crafting/Mystical Materials|Mystical Materials]]. ## Crafting by Magic Item Type **TABLE: Crafting by Magic Item Type** | Type** | Required Tools | Types of Magic Items | Item Examples | Ability Checks | | ------------------ | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------ | | Alchemical | [alchemist's supplies](https://a5e.tabletopbytheik.nl/compendium/items/alchemists_supplies) | Potions, powders, preserved items | _Explorer's chalk, gallow hand_ | 1: Intelligence<br>2: Dexterity (house rule) | | Apparel | [leatherworker's tools](https://a5e.tabletopbytheik.nl/compendium/items/leatherworkers_tools) or [weaver's tools](https://a5e.tabletopbytheik.nl/compendium/items/weavers_tools) | Clothing, leather armor, and some accessories | *midnight pearls, tailored suit of armor* | 1: Wisdom<br>2: Dexterity<br> | | Cookery | [cook's utensils](https://a5e.tabletopbytheik.nl/compendium/items/cooks_utensils) | Any edible or drinkable item that isn't a potion | *bag of cheese, luminescent gum* | 1: Constitution<br>2: Wisdom | | Hobbycraft | [calligrapher's supplies](https://a5e.tabletopbytheik.nl/compendium/items/calligraphers_supplies), [painter's supplies](https://a5e.tabletopbytheik.nl/compendium/items/painters_supplies), [tinker's tools](https://a5e.tabletopbytheik.nl/compendium/items/tinkers_tools), or [weaver's tools](https://a5e.tabletopbytheik.nl/compendium/items/weavers_tools) | Letters, needlepoint crafts, and other trinkets not covered by the other types ** | *family scrapbook, library scarf* | 1: Dexterity<br>2: Charisma | | Pottery | [potter's tools](https://a5e.tabletopbytheik.nl/compendium/items/potters_tools) | Items made of clay such as dishes, jugs, or figures | *dreamscrying bowl, mug of warming* | 1: Wisdom<br>2: Charisma | | Smithing | [smith's tools](https://a5e.tabletopbytheik.nl/compendium/items/smiths_tools) | Metal armor, weapons, and trinkets | *cage of folly, flask of inebriation* | 1: Intelligence<br>2: Strength | | Spellcraft | Narrator's discretion | Any magic item that replicates the effects of a spell | *skull liqueur, Zlick's message cushion* | 1: Wisdom<br>2: spellcasting ability or Charisma | | Stone and Gemcraft | [jeweler's tools](https://a5e.tabletopbytheik.nl/compendium/items/jewelers_tools) | Statues, jewelry, and other trinkets made of stone, crystals, or precious gems | *jade tiger, maternal cameo* | 1: Strength<br>2: Dexterity | | Woodcraft | [woodcarver's tools](https://a5e.tabletopbytheik.nl/compendium/items/woodcarvers_tools) or [carpenter's tools](https://a5e.tabletopbytheik.nl/compendium/items/carpenters_tools) | Wooden weapons and trinkets | *message whistle, wood woad amulet* | 1: Dexterity<br>2: Dexterity | \*\* - Item types not easily fitting into a "type" above should use the Hobbycraft row **Tool Requirements.** Crafting anything requires the right tools for the job — this is especially important when crafting magical items. Each type of magic item and the tools associated with those types are detailed on the General Magic Item Crafting table (above). A character **does not require proficiency with the tools** needed to make a magic item, only access to those tools. At the Narrator’s discretion, enough time spent crafting a specific type of magic item may grant a character proficiency with the required tools. This should only be done after a character has successfully crafted multiple magic items, or after they have created an item of very rare rarity or higher. **Ability Checks.** Different types of items, and different rarities, require different ability checks to successfully craft. The Ability Checks column shows what ability checks are required to craft items of that type. Some magic items may fit in multiple categories, such as an amulet crafted from wood or suits of armor that also allow a character to cast spells. In these cases, which type the item falls under is determined by the Narrator.