za3k > aldenmarsh > party > magic item formulas

In this campaign, several things are needed to make a magic item:

1. A magical formula. There is a special formula (like a recipe) to make each item.
2. Character level. Common and uncommon items require level 3, rare ithems level 5, very rare items level 11, and legendary items level 17.
3. Raw materials. Each item has components which are needed to assemble it. The components may be expensive, the number of attempts to create it may be high, or the PCs may need to hire experts to help them. The cost of the raw materials is essentially the cost of the item.
4. Labor. The players labor 8 hours a day, making 250sp (25gp) of progress per day. Once they put in the same amount of labor as the cost of materials, they complete the item. For higher-tier items, the DM will pick a labor time manually (by game rules it would be years, for NPCs). A player cannot work on more than one magic item at a time, although they can do other activities in their down time.
5. Special conditions. Some items have special conditions--the player may need to cast specific spells each day, be of a certain race or class, or find exotic ingredients not available on the marketplace.

• Amulet of the Devout, +1, uncommon
  • Character Level Required: 3
  • Materials: 2500sp (250gp) of silver and labor from a silversmith. Usually several attempts are needed, and some silver is destroyed with each attempt.
  • Labor: 12 days
  • Special conditions: The creator must be a cleric or paladin. The holy symbol is for a particular god, the god of the creator.
  • Creation process: The creator prays day and night to their god, forging the amulet without ever stopping their prayers. The creator only needs to actually strike the amulet once a day--the physical work can be done by the silversmith with guidance from the creator, while the creator does the spiritual work. At the end of the process, a +2 or +3 amulet gradually shinks in size by a factor of ten or more, becoming tiny and exquisitly detailed.
• +1 Ball Bearings
  • Character Level Required: 3
  • Effect: +1 Ball Bearings, like other enchanted ammunition, become nonmagical after hitting a target.
  • Materials: 40sp (4gp) of oils, dyes, and lodestones per bearing, which are consumed.
  • Labor: 3 days to create a batch of up to 20 bearings at once
  • Special conditions: The creator needs access to the magic stone cantrip
  • Creation process: The creator casts a modified version of magic stone three times a day, carefully, turning the bearings and coating them evenly alternately in oil and dye. The lodestone is used as part of the formula at the end, and crumbles. The oil and dye is wiped off. There is no visible change to the bearings, except that they are a shimmering deep blue afterwards.
• +0 Ball Bearings
  • Character Level Required: 3
  • Effect: +0 Ball Bearings, like other enchanted ammunition, become nonmagical after hitting a target. They count as magical weapons but provide no other benefit.
  • Materials: 20sp (2gp) of oils and dyes per bearing, which are consumed.
  • Labor: 3 days to create a batch of up to 20 bearings at once
  • Special conditions: The creator needs access to the magic stone cantrip
  • Creation process: The creator casts a modified version of magic stone three times a day, carefully, turning the bearings and coating them evenly alternately in oil and dye. A magical formula is pronounced at the end. The oil and dye is wiped off. There is no visible change to the bearings, except that they are are dyed an uneven blue afterwards.
• Ring of Dislocation (Dunamancy book)
  • Character Level: 6
  • Effect: The ring randomly teleports you short distances. It can be activated by taking it on or off.
  • Materials: 4000sp (400gp) of very pure gold and rare oils
  • Labor: 30 days
  • Special conditions: Access to and understanding of the Dunamancy manual
  • Creation process: To make the ring, you flatten gold very thin, then twist it in elaborate interlinking knots to form a ring. You cast Blink twice each day you craft the ring, making the spell shorter and shorter until it is on the exact border between working and not working. You embed the half-spell into the ring using the formula and a special, rare viscuous mineral oil.