Mithril Breastplate crafting, time, and special ability


Rules Questions


I am a summoner with the Armor Expert trait. I really want to craft the mithril breastplate. How long, in detail, would it take to craft? And how would one give it the determination special ability as well?


In order to make a mithril breastplate the time it will take will depend somewhat on how good your craft - armor skill is. Basic math is this. Cost of item (mithril breastplate is 200gp for the breastplate cost + 4000gp for a piece of medium armor made out of mithril) so a total of 4200gp.

Now the rules under crafting say that one week of work produces the DC of the item (breastplate (10b ase+ 6 armor value) 16 x the results of your craft item roll in SILVER PIECES. So that 4200gp mitril breastplate is 42000sp. Assuming a total skill of 20 + masterwork tools (+2) plus two people helping out (+4) for a 26 base + assumed average die roll (10) gives 36 (total craft check) x DC (16) = 576sp. For one week of work. So divide 42000 by 468 and you get 73 weeks of work.

There is a rule that allows the crafter to add 10 to the DC of an item (to decrease the time it takes to make an item). So if we add in that its 36(roll) x DC (26) = 936. 42000 divided by 936 = 45 weeks. So almost a year of working non stop in a forge.

One little way around that extensive time is a magic item called Amazing Tool of Manufacture out of the Advanced Race Guide, gnome seciton. It only works for one craft skill, which is decided when the tool is created. It gives the used, if they have the same craft skill at rank 6 a +4 on the check and, this is the important part, on an item of 2000gp value or more a successful skill check lets them craft 2000gp worth of work in a single hour, once per day. The item costs 12000gp though, so unless you are planning on spending all your down time (assuming the GM doesn't keep you hopping) it would just be cheaper to buy a mithril breastplate then to buy this tool or have one made.

Hope that helps.


So, onto the magic part. To have the determination enchantment put on the breastplate you will need to find someone with the Craft Magic Arms and Armor feat, which requires them to be of at least 5th level. Now, the mitril breastplate is considered masterwork, so it is suitable for enchanting. However, all weapons armor must have at least a +1 enchantment before any other special abilities(such as determination) can be applied.

So first you will need it to be enchanted to +1. Unless you have a party member do it for the cost of the materials, it will cost you 1000gp (if you can get a party member to enchant it at cost it will be 500gp, half the normal price). Then they have to make a spellcraft check, which is 5+ the caster level of the item. To give an item a (+) bonus the caster level is the (+) x 3. So the DC is 8 to give a weapon/armor a +1 bonus.

Then things will get a bit trickier. The Determination ability has a listed CL of 10, so the base DC is 15. As part of the prerequisite to create this enchantment the maker needs to be able to cast the Breath of Life spell (or another caster willing and able to cast the spell can help). If the person does not have the ability to cast this spell (or can gain the help of someone that can) then, by the rules, they can take a +5 to the DC to ignore that prerequisite. Thus the DC for the spellcraft check will be 15 to 20. Cost will be 30000gp more (or 15000gp if you have a party member able to do it).

It takes 8 hours of work a day, to produce 1000gp purchase price of "enchanting". So a +1 armor enchant (which costs 1000gp purchase price) will take 1 day of work. The Determination enchant (at 30000gp) will take 30 more days.


Now, I have to bring up a point.

a mithril breastplace is considered a masterwork item, but in your example above at no time was a DC 20 skill check applied for masterwork. I don't think that's quite right.

If you were crafting a masterwork breastplate (350 gp.; 200 gp. base + 150 gp. masterwork) normally, you would need to complete weekly Craft checks at DC 16 (breastplate) equal to 2,000 sp. and then also complete weekly Craft checks at DC 20 equal to 1,500 sp. of work to complete the masterwork breastplate.

I don't think it's the intention of the system that making an item from mithril is easier craftwise that other masterwork items. While it's possible there are different ways to rule this, I think there still needs to be a DC of 20 in there.

I am inclined to read it as making a mithril breastplate requires Craft checks DC 16 equal to 2,000 sp. work (as above) and then Craft checks at DC 20 equal to 40,000 sp. worth of work (mithril cost: 4,000 gp. for medium armor). While all mithril armors are considered masterwork, I don't think it's intended that masterwork is free. The wording is in fact that the masterwork costs are included in the cost of the mithril.

Now, adding the mithril cost across the DC 20 masterwork baseline seems harsh (but it's actually pretty easy to reach that level of skill, and you should have that skill level to be working with mithril) the higher DC actually increases the speed at which you will make the armor. This actually represents the higher degree of skill and craftsmanship needed to successfully make an item of mithril; ie. mithril items are masterwork, because the level of skill required to finish one is higher.

Just a point to ponder. I don't think the system is meant to imply 'No matter how cruddy you make this armor, it's better than everything else' but instead 'If someone had the skill to forge this material into armor, that skill shines through just by the evidence of its existence'.


Wasn't there a cost to 1/3 the price or something like that? How's that add in?


AkamaruRules wrote:
Wasn't there a cost to 1/3 the price or something like that? How's that add in?

That just determines how much you need to spend on materials to make the non-magical mithral breastplate. It has no effect on crafting time.

Since mithral breastplate costs 4200gp to buy, you need to spend 1400gp on materials if you make the breastplate yourself.

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