Ugh, I am trying to wrap my head around the crafting rules and having a hard time. I'm unable to find a simple FAQ. Can someone tell me if I have these calculations correct?
Assume character is a level 5 wizard, 17 INT with a Craft (Alchemy) score of 10, and a Spellcraft of 10.
If the Character were to try to craft a flask of Acid (1d6 damage, 1 use, 10gp list price).
First they would need to acquire 1/3rd the list price for raw materials. In this case, 34 sp. The DC to complete this task is 15. d20 + craft vs DC 15. Lets assume the player rolls a 5, just matching the DC and succeeding.
Now I have to multiply that result and the DC of the craft (15 x 15 = 225)and then divide that answer by the list price of the good in silver pieces (10gp = 100sp, 225 / 100sp = 2.25). Then divide 7 by that value to determine how many days it took to complete (7 / 2.25 = 3.11 days).
So lots of arithmetic to determine that it took the character 3.11 days to turn 3.4 gp worth of raw materials into a single flask of acid worth 10gp on the open market.
Conversely, if the Wizard was going to craft a wand of acid splash (1d3+1, 50 uses, 375gp list price), that would require the Craft Wand feat, and either spellcraft or some applicable craft skill.
The DC would be 5 + the caster level (1), for a DC of 6. With a spellcraft of 10, it's impossible to fail the DC check. So lets move on to costs.
The cost is listed as 375gp * spell level * caster level. (375gp * 0.5 * 1 = 187.5gp) And the list price is double that.
The time to craft is 8 hours per 1000gp in the list price. 375gp/1000gp * 8 hours = 3 hours.
Do I have this right? This seems really off. Why does it only take 3 hours to make a wand, vs. 3 days to make a flask of acid? Why do non-magic items have a cost of 1/3, while magic items have a cost of 1/2?
I can't help but wonder if I don't "get it" or if this system is just broken (for Alchemical creations at least). The DC to create a sunrod is 25, but a wand of light is 6? When a caster reaches level 5 they're pretty much assured to pass the DC on a wand of light... but they'd have to roll a 15 to pass the DC check to create a sunrod.
Some factors:
- Feat vs. no feat required
- In 3.x, while magic items may have been faster to create, there was an XP cost
- Alchemical items may take longer to make with a higher DC, but costs less to make (1/3 vs. 1/2 for magic)
Shorthand for:
Magic makes everything wacky. It could be "broken", but you'd have to clearly define what exactly that means in this particular instance.
(I'm not sure if you can cut down the 8 hours to something less... though that may be Pathfinder wackiness, as it was a minimum of 1 day in 3.x, IIRC.)