I was under the impression that magic item creator can set the cl to whatever he wants, with minimum caster level being the one needed to cast spells in the prerequisite of the magic item.
I remember reading older forum threads where the consensus were that you can set the caster level yourself, but in some newer threads it doesn't seem to be the case.
Specific example:
A wizard wants to craft a belt of physical perfection +2.
He only knows bull's strength spell from the spells listed in construction requirements.
Normal DC to craft would be: 5 + 16 (listed item cl) + 10 (5 for each missing spell in the requirement) = 31
Can he lower the item cl to 3 since all required spells are 2nd level (so it needs minimal caster level of 3) ?
The DC would then be: 5 + 3 + 10 = 18
Relevant faq entry:
"Does creating a magic item require the creator to be of the same or higher caster level of the item itself? This doesn’t seem to square with the CLs listed for specific magic items; for instance, a belt of giant strength +2 has CL 8th, but the only spell required in its creation, bull’s strength, has a minimum caster level of 3.
Am I missing anything here?
Though the listed Caster Level for a pearl of power is 17th, that caster level is not part of the Requirements listing for that item. Therefore, the only caster level requirement for a pearl of power is the character has to be able to cast spells of the desired level. However, it makes sense that the minimum caster level of the pearl is the minimum caster level necessary to cast spells of that level–it would be strange for a 2nd-level pearl to be CL 1st. For example, a 3rd-level wizard with Craft Wondrous Item can create a 1st-level pearl, with a minimum caster level of 1. He can set the caster level to whatever he wants (assuming he can meet the crafting DC), though the pearl’s caster level has no effect on its powers (other than its ability to resist dispel magic). If he wants to make a 2nd-level pearl, the caster level has to be at least 3, as wizards can’t cast 2nd-level spells until they reach character level 3. He can even try to make a 3rd-level pearl, though the minimum caster level is 5, and he adds +5 to the DC because he doesn’t meet the “able to cast 3rd-level spells” requirement."
