Getting started with crafting...

[Rycaut]

So I've never played with magic item crafting before (didn't play 3.0/3.5 and up until now have mostly only played PFS). I'm playing a gnome fighter/ sorcerer (going dragon disciple) in a Rise of the Runelords campaign and at 5th level he picked up craft wondrous items.

Clearly as a sorcerer he will need to do a lot of cooperative crafting (or use UMD and scrolls) to make many items - but what should he focus on making?

Boring items would be basics like Cloaks of Resistance +1 (which would require that he find a caster with resistance not sure anyone in the party has that)

But what else should he be looking at making? Either basic items or custom ones. We also have access to the Ultimate campaign downtime rules and he already has an established alchemists lab that can help generate magic resources.

[williamoak]

You can check out my guide to construct crafting:

williamoak's guide

While the guide is specifically for constructs, there are a lot of tips to help make ANY crafter more interesting.

Unfortunately, you're going to have a hard time. As a sorcerer, it's hard enough, but you're multiclassing fighter on top of that? You're going to want every spell you can get.

My recomendation (though, talk to your DM first) is to build a bunch of relatively cheap items capable of casting a useful spell (like cat's grace) once/day. Cheap, then re-usable forever as a crafting aid. (this is cheesy though)

But dont forget, if you lack the spell, it only adds +5 to the crafting DC, so as long as it's a 1-spell item, you shouldnt have too much difficulty.

One note though: DO NOT USE SCROLLS. Considering the spells for crafting need to be cast 1/day, you will basically have to pay for as many scrolls as crafting days. Prohibitivelly expensive.

Craft magic arms and armor should be the easiest for you, since several enchantments require no spells (the +X weapons/armor).

If you're ready to invest 3 feats, you can get a lot out of "animated objects", and it only requires 2 spells.

As a final note, you might want to get a headband of vast intelligence that boosts your spellcraft, since it's the main skill used. Good luck!

[Rycaut]

A headband won't help me much as I've already invested a lot of skill ranks into spellcraft.

For items that only require a day or two of crafting a 12.5gp scroll seems pretty reasonable (ie a scroll of resistance for example) but yes for higher level spells and items that will take many days to make it will be better to have another means of casting that spell. Certainly cooperative casting to the extent that my party or NPC allies can help me will likely be crucial.

[Eltargrim]

williamoak wrote:

But dont forget, if you lack the spell, it only adds +5 to the crafting DC, so as long as it's a 1-spell item, you shouldnt have too much difficulty.

Pointing this out again.

There's also a 1st-level spell "Crafter's Fortune", that gives you a +5 bonus to crafting rolls, and lasts as many days as you have casting level.

[Rycaut]

But Crafter's Fortune, strictly interpreted, doesn't apply to Spellcraft checks which are what you use, as far as I know, for most Craft Wondrous Items. It would apply to Craft Alchemy rolls and would apply to other craft rolls to make non-magical equipment (or perhaps to some rolls for magical items if you could use a craft skill other than spellcraft.

(and it is only a one-time bonus - i.e. it is discharged on "your next craft roll" - so if you are crafting over multiple days (and had to make multiple rolls) then you would need to cast it again each day.)