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When creating an Intelligent Item, who can cast spells, how is the caster level determined? I looked in the intelligent item section but I can't seem to find it. Can anyone tell me how this is determined / point me to where this is stated in the core rules book?
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The item's spells are cast using the caster level required to craft the item. For example a +2 longsword that can cast haste 1/day would use it as a 6th level caster.
Activating a power or concentrating on an active one is a standard action the item takes. The caster level for these effects is equal to the item's caster level.
The early sections of Creating Magic Items is a little dense but it tells you how to determine the caster level.
Well I don't see any reference to that in the new rules or even in 3.5? Only thing explicitly stated about intelligent items is they need a 500gp base cost.
I presume you'd be able to craft a bowler hat with an intelligence of 10 that can only express Empathy with it's wearer for a crafting price of 250gp at 3rd level.
Looks like that paragraph was dropped including the spot about being a 15th level caster. I can't find it anywhere, even near the sections it originally was.
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The item's spells are cast using the caster level required to craft the item. For example a +2 longsword that can cast haste 1/day would use it as a 6th level caster.
Activating a power or concentrating on an active one is a standard action the item takes. The caster level for these effects is equal to the item's caster level.The early sections of Creating Magic Items is a little dense but it tells you how to determine the caster level.I have also been wondering about caster level requirements for intelligent items.
In the +2 longsword example above, the 6th level caster is based on the +2 enhancement bonus, correct? A weapon enhancement bonus requires a caster 3 times higher than the bonus, so 6th level caster to craft a +2 weapon. That makes sense.
What happens when the +2 sword is improved to +3? Does the caster level increase to a 9th level caster?
I guess I'm wondering how to determine the caster level if you make an intelligent item out of a non-standard magic item. Such as the magic hat you mention.
Or does the item have to be a magic item before it can be an intelligent item? For example, you could add intelligence to a hat of disguise, but not a regular hat since it isn't magic...is that right?
And I would think that to give an intelligent item 10 ranks of a skill, the caster/crafter needs to have 10 ranks in that skill. Or at least be of a character level that can even have 10 ranks, so level 10 or higher...would that make sense?
Furthermore, if the items casts a certain spell (say Fireball 1/day) does the creator have to be able to cast the spell (Fireball)?
I know I've asked this myself before. And yes, as far as I can tell, you no longer need to be 15th level to craft an intelligent item
Resurrecting this in the hopes we could get an answer. What are the requirements for the creation of intelligent items? Can any caster create an intelligent item so long as they meet the costs for intelligent item abilities plus the initial 500gp cost added to the item? I've gone over the CRB section again as well as the latest errata, but came up empty.
I've got a 3PP commission and have a really cool idea for an intelligent weapon, but mechanics for the stat block are still a bit fuzzy.
Whenever I see a conflict like this, I return to earlier material for a ruling. May not be in keeping with updated rules, but I have a player who ended up with an intelligent rod of flailing with several spells, including a Dedicated Power to cast Shout, Greater ---- AT WILL! Of course this only applies to the Special Purpose, but - devils beware. Unabale to find an approriate casting level, I went with 3.5's rule, made it 15th.
There is no caster level requirement for crafting intelligent items. They're like any other magic item--the crafter uses her own caster level, though she can choose to craft it at a lesser caster level so long as the item doesn't have any abilities that demand the higher level (such as a spell-trigger).
Whenever I see a conflict like this, I return to earlier material for a ruling. May not be in keeping with updated rules, but I have a player who ended up with an intelligent rod of flailing with several spells, including a Dedicated Power to cast Shout, Greater ---- AT WILL! Of course this only applies to the Special Purpose, but - devils beware. Unabale to find an approriate casting level, I went with 3.5's rule, made it 15th.
All item creation is subject to GM adjudication. The GM is explicitly empowered--and encouraged--to alter both prices and requirements to craft particular items or even disallow them if they would be deemed imbalanced. While limiting the crafting to 15th level is not specifically within the magic item creation guidelines, it is exactly the type of adjudication asked for by those guidelines.
For myself, I'd require the caster to provide the spell (and any components) as if they were making a spell completion item. Since they're granting a creature the ability to cast the spell, this seems reasonable to me. Other than that, I'd apply the same adjudication that I would for creating any infinite use-activated magic item, intelligent or otherwise.
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There is no caster level requirement for crafting intelligent items. They're like any other magic item--the crafter uses her own caster level, though she can choose to craft it at a lesser caster level so long as the item doesn't have any abilities that demand the higher level (such as a spell-trigger).
The OP isn't asking about the CL of the crafter though - he is asking about the CL of the SLAs that the item has access to. That's what I was looking for in the FAQ as well, with no success.
All spells generated by an item use the same caster level, the CL of the item. No particular reason for an intelligent item not to do the same. Lots of good reasons for it to be the same:
- Simple.
- Scales over time (very important for iconic items like intelligent items)
- Makes an interesting case for the intelligence to want to become more powerful.
- Could allow for interesting effects with higher level spells at low caster levels. CL 1 fireballs! CL 5 insect plagues (1 swarm), etc.
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Yup. There may be specific exceptions in the wondrous items list, but I can't think of any.