Help me make a good maker. Just off the top I'm using Wizard; if there's a better crafting class let me know. I'm looking for something that not only makes magic items but also makes good mundane items as well.
At level one she takes a Familiar (owl, just 'cuz I like 'em!) and gives the familiar the Valet archetype so it can help her craft. She has a 20 Int at level 1, so 7 skill ranks, all in Craft skills.
Level 1 take the Bonded Mind feat. Also one of her 2 feats at level 1 is Fools for Friends. Its a campaign trait but per my GM it's allowed. My plan is by level 3 to take Exceptional Aid (+4 on skill checks instead of +2).
Her 7 Craft skills, by level 3, will be +16 (+5 Int, +3 Ranks, +3 Class Skill, +5 from Aid Another by her owl.). Using the Crafter's Fortune spell and some Masterwork tools she's rocking a +28 on her 7 Craft skills and churning out Weapons, Armor and other items.
How much MORE better can I get?
Smooth. Thanks TFYam! So she's got an extra Crafting feat at 3rd level: Craft Wondrous.
Level 1: Bonded Mind, Scribe Scroll
Level 3: Craft Wondrous Item, Exceptional Aid
Level 5: Craft Magic Arms and Armor; Craft Wand
Level 7: Forge Ring
Level 9: Craft Rod
Level 11: Craft Staff
Any other feats I should take or help with crafting?
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Arcane Discovery: Arcane Builder (Ultimate Magic pg. 86 (Amazon)): You have an exceptional understanding of the theory behind creating magical items. Select one type of magic item (potions, wondrous items, and so on). You create items of this type 25% faster than normal, and gain a +4 bonus on Spellcraft checks (or other checks, as appropriate) to craft items of this type. You may select this discovery multiple times; its effects do not stack. Each time you select this discovery, it applies to a different type of magic item.
Note that there is technically a cap on how much GP worth of Magic Items you can craft per level, if your GM decides to enforce the rule, so there isn't much point in becoming TOO efficient at crafting.
I understand the reasoning behind the rule, but it kind of makes crafting only useful as a hobby of a character, as opposed to being the central theme of one.
What rule are you talking about?
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Contributor
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Adjusting Character Wealth By Level, Ultimate Campaign, page 173. It offers a suggested guideline for how much value you can create with crafting feats.
Some GMs might be tempted to reduce the amount or value of the treasure you acquire to offset this and keep your overall wealth in line with the Character Wealth by Level table. Unfortunately, that has the net result of negating the main benefit of crafting magic items—in effect negating your choice of a feat. However, game balance for the default campaign experience expects you and all other PCs to be close to the listed wealth values, so the GM shouldn’t just let you craft double the normal amount of gear. As a guideline, allowing a crafting PC to exceed the Character Wealth by Level guidelines by about 25% is fair, or even up to 50% if the PC has multiple crafting feats.
If you are creating items for other characters in the party, the increased wealth for the other characters should come out of your increased allotment. Not only does this prevent you from skewing the wealth by level for everyone in the party, but it encourages other characters to learn item creation feats.
I don't much like it or think it makes sense in-game, but it's there.
(I'd rather have a different method of rebalancing the item creation feats, for the record. I want to do some experimenting with the dynamic item creation system.)
Adjusting Character Wealth By Level, Ultimate Campaign, page 173.
** spoiler omitted **
I don't much like it or think it makes sense in-game, but it's there.
effing stupid.
I wouldn't play with a GM that gave us treasure, then took it away.
We treat WBL as a guideline.
I mean seriously, if it's a 'rule' then I expect immediate refunds in cash or equivalent treasure if an NPC sunders my gear, otherwise my WBL isn't accurate.
Right?
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Contributor
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It doesn't actually take your treasure away... you just suddenly stop being able to create magic items once you hit a certain value. Still silly, but I could see some interesting reasons for why that happens. (Not that we got any.)
But, yes. I like WBL-as-guideline better. WBL is far too meta for my liking (and somewhat defeats the purpose of adventuring for treasure).
And while I don't like item creation being so easy, I don't think I'd like it to be a complete gamble either, where you fail and waste your time and money.
Like I said (in an edit), I'd like to try out dynamic IC.
Ironically, if WBL was an enforceable rule in our games, it would result in more treasure being given out.
We tend to have poverty stricken characters who level quickly in relation to treasure accumulation.
The crafting rules are what tend to keep us viable.
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Y'know I've heard this argument for Masterwork Transformation before but there's one catch: you need to spend the cash it would take to upgrade the item to a masterwork. So the wizard starts off with a dagger. Upgrading that costs 300 GP. If you're "stranded away from civilization" where are you going to find the shop to spend the 300 GP on material required for the spell?
At level 1 I could be rocking a crafting check of 34:
- Valet familiar; base Feat Extra Traits; Traits Fools for Friends, Helpful
- Starting trait: Fools for Friends
- Aid Another from familiar: +5
- Craft: Weapon: 1 rank/+1
- Class skill: +3
- Int Bonus: +5
- Crafter's Fortune spell: +10
Using the Accelerated Crafting rule I set the Masterwork Component DC at 30. 30*34 = 1020 giving us a 2.9 week time frame for creating the piece. In other words my crafter wizard, with no other help than her familiar, makes masterwork simple weapons in 3 weeks.
It's a far cry from 1 hour with the Masterwork Transformation spell, but it's a decent cost savings if that's a concern.
Also, False Focus and a Holy Symbol Tattoo will solve most material component issues
