Does a wizard need a craft skill?
Most magic item creation can be done using Spellcraft, so you are probably best to put your ranks in that. Other than that, it depends if you think you will make more wands, potions or other things. Craft Jewellery can be quite handy for things other than making magic items since you can increase the value of some found gems (although you might want to start holding on to gems to be used as spell components later).
have a look at the sort of magic items you think you would like to be making. Most will have the required skill listed in their description.
Edit: Surrounded by Ninjas.
As a wizard, my answer would be, whatever suits the character. However, wizards are skill-starved, even with their high Intelligence, and your skill points may be better spent on things like Perception (everyone needs it), the Knowledge family (unless your party has a bard), and perhaps Escape Artist (unless you're a Teleporter).
If you really want to focus on your out-of-combat skills, may I suggest Profession (merchant) and perhaps some kind of smithing.
Of course Craft (Alchemy) is useful. It allows you to make Alchemist's Fire and useful stuff like that. Although it takes a ridiculous amount of time compared to true magic items.
Of course Craft (Alchemy) is useful. It allows you to make Alchemist's Fire and useful stuff like that. Although it takes a ridiculous amount of time compared to true magic items.
Our GM allowed the product Making Craft Work to combat that problem.
After all, why should it take 10 times as long to make an object out of solid gold as it would to make the exact same object out of solid silver?
Don't bother putting skill points into Craft as it can be performed untrained. Furthermore, with a few simple spells (Crafters Fortune) and your naturally high INT you'll be fine without any ranks. (Also, Masterwork Transformation and Fabricate will let you make a non-casting crafter look like a lazy layabout.)
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OK, here's the trick with crafting. Craft is a INT based skill that works untrained.
So a 10th level wizard with:
26 Int (Base 20 INT + 2 level bonus + 4 Headband of vast int) = +8
Masterwork tools = +2
Crafter's Fortune = +5
Grants you a craft bonus in ALL CRAFT SKILLS of +15
You may now cast the fabricate spell, and take 10 on the craft roll and make anything with a DC of 25 or lower (including masterwork weapons!) instantly.
Why take a crafting skill at all?
If you REALLY want to get good, spend 2 skill points, and you can push any one skill up to a +30 while taking 10.
I usually put a point into craft alchemy though. This lets me make alchemy skill rolls as knowledge checks to identify chemicals and whatnot. This is a house rule, but I've never seen a DM who didn't use it.
By the way, this is a great way of making money: Use fabricate to craft a spyglass. Cost = 333.33 gold to make, Price = 1000. Sold at half price = 166.67 profit. Sell them to your friends for oh, say, 750 gp, and make even more money.
There are many other items to do this with.
OK, here's the trick with crafting. Craft is a INT based skill that works untrained.
So a 10th level wizard with:
26 Int (Base 20 INT + 2 level bonus + 4 Headband of vast int) = +8
Masterwork tools = +2
Crafter's Fortune = +5Grants you a craft bonus in ALL CRAFT SKILLS of +15
You may now cast the fabricate spell, and take 10 on the craft roll and make anything with a DC of 25 or lower (including masterwork weapons!) instantly.
Why take a crafting skill at all?
Because all Wizards start with 20 INT and are 10th level, right?
...or they start at 1st level with 16-18 INT and a single rank in a class skill puts them at +7-8 and they can do mundane crafting out the gate. By 3rd level they can probably Take10 and get a 20, which is good enough for most crafting. Why wait until 9th level?
There are plenty of other reasons to take Craft skills, however. Maybe your Wizard LIKES working with his hands. Maybe you want to be able to pass yourself off as an ordinary Blacksmith. Maybe you don't want to keep Mending, Make Whole and Crafter's Fortune prepared.
Though this does make me wonder why Craft skills are not Trained only (or at very least, you can only use them untrained on DC10 or lower tasks).
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Exactly my point thank you.
It's SORT of worth it (but not really) to drop a point into one or two craft skills as a wizard. Just one point in each skill to get the trained bonus, but all that really does is let you be awesome a little sooner, and let you "reasonably" use craft as a sort of knowledge skill in odd situations.
I plan for my wizard to drop one point each into
Alchemy - to make VATS of alchemist fire that are shrunk using shrink item.
Glassblowing - To make some spare cash selling spyglasses
Weapons - to make some spare cash selling masterwork weapons
The only REAL reason to go "all the way" on any craft skill is in TRAPMAKING
This skill allows you to craft traps with progressively higher DC's. This is sort of interesting from a role-playing campaign point of view, but it has a limited use for an adventuring mage who is trying to break IN to secure areas, as opposed to keeping people OUT.
There is ONE combat use I can think of though:
Craft a mobile trap (let's say a ballista that triggers when you open a door, or an alchemical trap that goes off when you hit a pressure plate).
Cast shrink item on it, and put it in your pocket. Now if you are camping out in the dungeon or otherwise know that the bad guys are bearing down on you, you have a mobile trap that you can set up in a few minutes.
This is clearly of highly limited use for two reasons:
1) It's highly situational.
2) It's highly subject to DM interpretation.
So IF you have a defense scenario, and IF you have a DM that's cool with it, you MIGHT get some play out of a maxed out "craft (traps)" skill.
Magic destroys crafting. So...
Bibpity bopity boo.