Cost of base item for magic item crafting.

[Thefurmonger]

Hey all,
So fairly basic (I hope) question on magic crafting.
Under each magic crafting section it says....
The costs for materials and ingredients are subsumed in the cost for brewing the potion
The cost for the materials is subsumed in the cost for creating the ring.
The cost for the materials is subsumed in the cost for creating the rod.
To create a magic staff, a character needs a supply of materials, the most obvious being a staff or the pieces of the staff to be assembled. The materials cost is subsumed in the cost of creation.
And so on like that.

My question is this.
If a Ring/Staff/Boots/Gem/Book has a market price of say 2000Gp, that is a Cost of 1000Gp. what Percentage of that 1000 is the cost of the Item?

Take a 2000Gp ring. It's 1000 to make, but is that a 200 Gp ring and 800Gp in magic stuff? 100/900? 500/500?

Is there a formula?

My character has the crafting skills to make the base item, but I have no idea how much that is worth.

[Thefurmonger]

Definition of SUBSUME

: to include or place within something larger or more comprehensive : encompass as a subordinate or component element <red, green, and yellow are subsumed under the term “color”>

[Bob Bob Bob]

Magic Item Creation wrote:

Magic supplies for items are always half of the base price in gp. For many items, the market price equals the base price. Armor, shields, weapons, and items with value independent of their magically enhanced properties add their item cost to the market price. The item cost does not influence the base price (which determines the cost of magic supplies), but it does increase the final market price.

If a ring has a market price of 2000 and a cost of 1000 then all 1000 of that is "magic supplies". The ring is presumably made of something so cheap the cost is negligible. Basically, unless it lists a separate charge for the item, the item is assumed to cost nothing because the price is subsumed into the "magic supplies". When you're handing over 20 lbs of gold for magic supplies asking for a ring is probably just a perk they throw in for free.

The easiest way to identify something as having a material cost outside of the "magic supplies" is if the cost is not half of the market price but instead higher. This is because while you halve the market price for magic supplies material costs are generally given at full price in item costs. You can see this on weapons and armor.

[Thefurmonger]

So a Helm of Brilliance that says

"This normal-looking helm takes its true form and manifests its powers when the user dons it and speaks the command word. Made of brilliant silver and polished steel, a newly created helm is set with large magic gems: 10 diamonds, 20 rubies, 30 fire opals, and 40 opals."

http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic-items/wondrous-items/wondrous-items/h-l/helm- of-brilliance

Is just made of "Magic stuff" and the gems are free? What if I happen to have craft (gemcutting)? and make the gems?

This may be more Advice then Rules? I'm not sure.

[PokeyCA]

That would be up to your GM if he would allow the price of those gems, or your skill to take up part of the item cost.

[DM_Blake]

It ultimately doesn't matter very much unless you have an ultra-lenient GM.

Let's use a ring of invisibility. 20,000gp price. Making one costs 10,000gp.

If you have 10,000gp lying around, you could go to the market, buy a ring that costs 300gp, get some banshee tears for 4,000gp, and the pickled brain of an invisible stalker for 5,000gp, then round it off with 700gp of various small gemstones.

Or you could just simplify that and say you get 10,000gp worth of "magical stuff", including a base ring, and call it good enough.

Now, if you're crafting the ring yourself, you can save a little cash. If you have ranks in Craft(Jewelry) or some such, you can pay just 1/3 the cost for the ring itself.

If you have a very lenient GM, he might let you craft a 10,000gp ring for only 3,334gp worth of gold and jewels, then enchant it for free (because you actually have a 10,000gp base item which is the full cost of enchanting a Ring of Invisibility). This GM may find out that his PCs rapidly outgrow the Wealth-by-Level guidelines.

If you have a very strict GM, he might say you only spent 3,334gp so far so you need to come up with 6,666 more gp to meet the base cost for enchanting the ring. This is a very literal interpretation of the rules; you MUST spend 10,000gp and you've only spent 3,334gp so you have to pay the difference. This GM may find that his players are frustrated that they get no benefit from abilities (skills) in which they have invested.

Somewhere in the middle is where most GMs probably fall: There should be an upper limit on the value of the ring. It seems that the upper limit on a gold ring is about 500gp (see below). Since gemstones are treated at full value for buying and selling (as are all other trade goods), your crafter might want to put a 5,000gp diamond on that 500gp ring, but he gets no discount - he is not making the diamond, and he has to pay 5,000gp for it just like everyone else. By this logic, someone making a Ring of Invisibility and crafting the ring himself might craft the 500gp ring for 167gp, then provide 9,500gp in "magic stuff" to come up with the base cost for the ring - this could be gems, other precious stuff, or magical "components", or whatever. Total cost: 9,667 to craft the ring and enchant it.

Jewelry prices from the PFSRD:
Jewelry, Minor (50 gp): This category includes relatively small pieces of jewelry crafted from materials like brass, bronze, copper, ivory, or even exotic woods, sometimes set with tiny or flawed low-quality gems. Minor jewelry includes rings, bracelets, and earrings.

Jewelry, Normal (100–500 gp): Most jewelry is made of silver, gold, jade, or coral, often ornamented with semi-precious or even medium-quality gemstones. Normal jewelry includes all types of minor jewelry plus armbands, necklaces, and brooches.