I have some questions about bonded items and how they work in regards to the wizard's ability to enchant them.
I understand that -the wizard counts as having the Craft feat in regards to the item only
-the wizard can enchant his bonded item for half the usual cost in cash and xps
My questions are
1) Can the wizard use the free crafting before he reaches the level where he could gain the actual feat?
2) Does the wizard need to know the spell used in the free casting as he normally would if he crafted the item himself?
These questions came up in a discussion at the local game store over the weekend. The general consensus was if the bond item was limited as the feats normally are, then there would be little reason to start with a bound item for just one bonus spell per day considering that the caster's spells would be dificult to cast if the item were taken from the caster (whether by story or by disarming). However, if the free crafting feat use were only limited by caster level, a low level caster could have a ring of acrobatics or a hat pin of disguise (amulet) or a wand that would cast a 0 or 1st level spell or a +1 weapon, the bonded item would be an acceptable trade for a fimiliar.
On the other side of the question, if a wizard can use the crafting rules at any level (as long as he has a high enough caster level for the intended item), why doesn't everyone take a level of mage so they can bond with, create, and re-create a magic weapon?
Also, can a wizard bond with an already magical item? He would then have a useful item as soon as he could purchase it, avoiding the creepy, but efficient, concept of taking a familiar until a higher level, then getting rid of it to 'trade up' to an item. This would also be attractive to other classes, as one level of wizard would allow you to bond with a powerful item and re-create it if lost or destroyed. (Of course, at present, the benefits of multi-classing to cleric, mage, or thief are too much to pass up. The extra skills from rogue, the supernatural abilities and bonuses from domains and schools are useful to anyone and available for a minimun investment of only one level.)
Or if a bonded item's crafting fits the normal craft item rules and limitations, could you require a wizard to have a higher class level to bond with an item he couldn't make, just as he has to be higher level and take a feat to bond with a more powerful familiar? It would also allow a wizard to bond with an item he couldn't normally make, such as one requiring a clerical spell to craft.
Overall, the new bonding appeals to me (though I would open the possible items to additional, wizard suitable items. Bell, book, and candle. his contract with a devil. attuned power (or holy) site. mystic plant or forest. perhaps even a cohort:)
Oops- I should have put this in the classes area, not the magic area.