I was wondering if a 9th caster level character had crafted masterwork armor, for example studded leather, but did not have the funds (gold) at the moment to imbue it with any enhancement bonus at all. Is it possible to imbue it with the enhancement bonus at a later time? If so, what would be the Craft/Spellcraft DCs?
Core Rulebook, Page 548:
To create magic items, spellcasters use special feats which
allow them to invest time and money in an item’s creation.
At the end of this process, the spellcaster must make a single
skill check (usually Spellcraft, but sometimes another skill) to
finish the item. If an item type has multiple possible skills, you
choose which skill to make the check with. The DC to create a
magic item is 5 + the caster level for the item.
The DC to create a magic item increases by +5 for each prerequisite the caster does not meet.
Armor bonus (enhancement) Bonus squared x 1,000 gp +1 chainmail
Core Rulebook, page 550:
To create magic armor, a character needs a heat source and some
iron, wood, or leatherworking tools. He also needs a supply of
materials, the most obvious being 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. Additional
magic supply 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 three times the
enhancement bonus of the armor. 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 armor or shield special abilities.
Okay Silverhair. Can I safely assume from your copy & paste of the rules, which I have read before hand, means I can apply the enhancement bonus later down the road when I acquire the funds?
The part about "The DC to create a magic item is 5 + the caster level for the item", if a character wishes to apply a +3 enhancement bonus to the armor, and the requisite that the creator's caster level must be three times the enhancement bonus of the armor, means the caster level is 9, so the DC would be 14?
Also which skill would be used to apply the enhancement bonus? Craft or Spellcraft?
Yes, you can apply the enhancement bonus later. You can even upgrade the enhancement bonus of an existing magic item as well. (Making a suit of +1 armor into a suit of +3 armor, for example.)
The DC to make a suit of +3 armor would indeed be 14, as the caster level would be at a minimum of 9 (3 times the enhancement bonus), plus the base of 5.
For armor, the skill used would be either Craft (Armor), or Spellcraft. The crafter chooses which he wants to use. Other magic items can use other Craft skills (though Spellcraft can be used to create any magic item):
Weapons - Craft (Weapon)
Potions - Craft (Alchemy)
Rings - Craft (Jewelry)
Rods - Craft (Jewelry, Sculptures, or Weapons)
Scrolls - Craft (Calligraphy) or Profession (Scribe)
Staves/Wands - Craft (Jewelry, Sculptures, or Woodcutting)
Wondrous item - any applicable Craft or Profession skill
Thanks for the confirmation.
Another thing, how does the time required for imbuing magical properties work out concerning the Craft/Spellcraft roll? For example, giving a +3 to armor, which is [(3x3)x1000 gp) = 9000 gp, which would be 9 days of work. Does the check have to be made each day for 9 days or is it you are working 9 days and then you make just one check to beat the DC?
To create magic items, spellcasters use special feats which allow them to invest time and money in an item's creation. At the end of this process, the spellcaster must make a single skill check (usually Spellcraft, but sometimes another skill) to finish the item. If an item type has multiple possible skills, you choose which skill to make the check with. The DC to create a magic item is 5 + the caster level for the item. Failing this check means that the item does not function and the materials and time are wasted. Failing this check by 5 or more results in a cursed item (see Cursed Items for more information).
A single check, at the end of crafting after all the costs are paid and the time spent.
Very good, thanks for the clarification.