Enchant Your Own Magic Items in DND 5e

It can be hard to imagine what enchanting or crafting magic items would be like. However, the Dungeon Master's Guide and Xanathar’s Guide to Everything both give some very basic rules for crafting magic items. Though, they leave a lot up for interpretation and only really provide a basic foundation for a relatively incomplete system.
Let's homebrew a system for enchanting magic items that remains flexible and flavorful with rules that excite your players and promote incredible roleplay opportunities instead of disenchanting them and squashing their sense of wonder.
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[@EnfermeiroPensador]

To me, the offical rules for crafting were created to discourage players. If crafting takes that long, no npc will ever be able to open a shop.

[@ConstructedChaos]

Yea I felt the same! And the original intent was there in the sourcebooks as they mention something like a week of downtime should be taken between adventures. Sadly, I’ve just never found that to feel correct in the games I’ve run and the games I’ve played in!

[@jiminkpen9750]

But if its too easy or quick there would be thousands of magic items saturating the settings. It's a tough balance that should be setting based (adjusted for your own group preferences) with guidance in the setting books how it works for that world.

[@ConstructedChaos]

@@jiminkpen9750 That feels correct as well! That's why I made a bit of a trade off when I changed the time needed for enchanting an item. Failure is possible at multiple stages of the system but it gives the player a sense of accomplishment each time to encourage them to keep trying as opposed to never really getting the time to try their hand at crafting.

[@kitsuned.m.4550]

​@@jiminkpen9750 spell plague ho brbrbrbrupee

[@techfoolcasey4348]

@@ConstructedChaos You could set it so all enchantments last for awhile. Permanence if the tough part. Another trick: treat enchant item as a scalable, temporary spell effect. Hit it with dispell magic, and it's likely you jam it till next long test. Yet another trick: go back to 3.0-3.5. prices were reasonable, with scrolls being cheapest. To make it was DC 10 plus the spell level. Multiplier was about 25 gold pieces per level. It's in the book.also, consider quirky magic items. A sword that loudly asks: "Siri, where am I" in mid dungeon is not so, bad, and kind of endearing . And it's still technically a sword of direction finding, and a great story hook!

[@gw8871]

Wanted my alchemist/wizard to craft an item that I tossed on the ground and create a 30x30 campsite that lasted 8 hrs. My DM told me some items I needed but then I had to research other items I needed, took me 5 game sessions to find/buy/research everything that was needed. Was very immersive in the game and alot of RP was involved but VERY well worth it.

[@ConstructedChaos]

NICE! I think that's how RAW crafting/enchanting was intended to work and I'm glad you got some great use out of it! I just wanted to speed things along and make it more accessible is all!

[@landremon]

Take more than a week to forge A good sword with modern tools. Nevermind one day to forge a couple greatswords.

[@ConstructedChaos]

You're 100% right. I do a fair amount of woodworking but it's probably obvious that I've never done any blacksmithing. Still, at the end of the day my goal is to make a system that we use more often and have fun with. I'm okay with sacrificing a little realism in a fantasy world for that purpose!

[@IkariMadness]

I would refer to the novel that describes the crafting of Aegis Fang. The crafting system definitely needs an overhaul.

[@samburgess7924]

Perhaps allow faster crafting during regular adventuring, then during full blown down time they're less pressed and it takes longer.

[@ConstructedChaos]

Not a bad idea for alteration at all! Thanks for the suggestion!

[@blackgriffinxx]

If any one want to get help in making a crafting guide for their game on what parts they need The AJ Pickett , Dungeon Dad and MrRhexx. Are of great help in understanding what some parts can be used for. They like to take deep drives into the creatures and setting Notes + weapons are made with materials from different planes mixed together. +1 sword is 2 planes +2 is 3 planes. It real hard to mix the materials from other planes together and dangerous. the more planes mixed. The harder it gets to do.

[@ConstructedChaos]

I absolutely love these systems but I decided not to use something like that because I’ve found it to be too restrictive and complex for casual players. I’m sure it’s great for a lot of other tables, though!

[@blackgriffinxx]

@@ConstructedChaos just add a black market. That pretty much deal with it. You can use it to fish info of type of items they want. Seedy looking merchant comes up to the new people in town and ask how may they help them. Fire off a list of item relate to their skills and class.

[@ConstructedChaos]

@@blackgriffinxx that can certainly work as well but I like where we’ve landed here instead-someplace in the middle.

[@sapheria1]

As I understand it the time requirement for crafting is so long as a holdover from older dungeon crawl style games. The idea was that you'd always return home at the end of each session and time would pass at the same rate in and out of game. For example if you wanted to make a common item you'd tell the dm at the end of one session and when you started next week's session it'd be finished.

[@ConstructedChaos]

Yeah, that seems to be the case for sure. And I think a lot of games still run that way. But I don't think it'd be a stretch to say that the majority of 5e games today aren't traditional dungeon crawls.

[@Ardorstorm]

@@ConstructedChaos Agreed. Plus, players are probably going to be 10x more engaged if crafting is an _active_ process, requiring actual creativity and decision-making on their part to make a magic item.

[@mortalitydoesstuff8965]

Ah, finally. The Artificer can actually artifice things

[@ConstructedChaos]

YES! I will say that it makes being and Artificer less advantageous in crafting compared to other classes but just being able to craft with half the gold in this system is a HUGE help. I think it improves the Artificer overall but I could see also giving them advantage on crafting common and uncommon items when Magic Item Savant comes online at level 10!

[@anonymouse2675]

@@ConstructedChaos A little late to the party but, The solution is actually quite simple, Make more spells like Magic Mouth, Arcane Lock, Continual Flame, and Programmed Illusion. Permanent until dispelled. Nothing too powerful. My Artificer/Wizard uses them to create "Magitech" devices. Useful ones would be a permanent version of Tiny Servants, you only get one per cast, and it can`t take the attack action. Now we can create motors, which means motorcycles, Walking ships modeled after the last Oasis game: kzbin.info/www/bejne/a3ixhpaVm7J6l68, self loading catapults, you name it. If you wanted to enable players to do damage, then create a permanent until dispelled 1D4 or 1D6 elemental imbue for their non magical weapons. I personally am not too sure about this one, but it could work if you made the material component slightly rare and somewhat expensive like 500G of powdered diamond, or something along those lines. Then it wouldn't necessarily be game breaking in power, with everyone having all their weapons and armor enchanted at level 3. Magic Mouth can be used to replace most modern electronics and electrical devices, up to and including telecommunications and computers. The real benefits are in small handheld or portable devices like audio recordings, which can be used to effectively lie under Zone of Truth for example, or to get advantage on intimidation checks by playing a combination of creepy whispers, faint almost inaudible screams, multiple distant sounding people begging for their souls, and indecipherable chanting, whenever you make a certain gesture. Portable alarm boxes that anyone can set up, whether they can use magic or not, that can even detect invisible creatures as long as they haven't taken the hide action, and that can tell the difference between your party and an undead, and notify you of what it detected, for another example. Arcane Lock can be used by those same Magitech devices to interact with the world. This lets you automate things. Programmed Illusion can be used for various things, from creating something like a holographic display for your Magitech Devices, to mimicking certain spells like Darkness. Using an Illusion to replace the old Darkness/Devil Sight combo can actually benefit the whole party instead of handicapping them, as long as everyone in your party knows that it`s an illusion so they can all see through it. Imagine casting what looks like a Fireball spell complete with any outward signs like material components, gestures, and incantations, and associated "light shows" so an enemy caster uses counterspell thinking they needed to shut down your spell, when all it was is a Programmed Illusion and they just blew their Counterspell for nothing, and all you expended was a word or small gesture and haven't even used up your action yet. We are only about two to three spells away from players creating their own lower end enchanted gear as it is. The trick would be to make sure it wasn't overly powerful, while still being relevant in the mid to late game. Also, please note the until dispelled part, as this is very important to DMs. If your party is getting too powerful from an excess of these types of magic items, hit them with an enemy caster or two with dispel magic. You can adjust them downwards in power quite easily!

[@Reverendshot777]

​@@ConstructedChaos The solution is to use this system for the artificer and the base system for all other characters. Leans into the purpose of the artificer and still keeps this kind of stuff pretty arcane and obscure for everyone else.

[@ConstructedChaos]

@@Reverendshot777 That's not a bad idea but I do think that artificers already gain a lot here and have a fairly robust infusions system that allows them to create some pretty great items without any checks or materials involved.

[@CooperAATE]

"Crafting feels like a side-mission." Because it is. Making magic items takes time and careful work, yo..... unless you're an artificer, in which it still takes careful work, lol

[@ConstructedChaos]

I think that’s a perfectly viable approach! However, I think it’s also possible to set up this system so it feels more cohesive with the rest of your campaign. As I said in the video, this is just the approach that I enjoy and have had success with in my games. In no way is it the only solution!

[@citizen_grub4171]

Gotta ask. If it takes a week or more to craft common magic items, how are they becoming common?

[@ConstructedChaos]

@@citizen_grub4171 That's a good question! I suppose in the typical system it relates to the amount of time OTHER items take to craft. Though, in my system, it just comes down to how easy or hard an item is to make. Someone will have a much higher success rate crafting a common item each day AND other rarer items will take longer and might result in failure more often.

[@mikederp9612]

What if the game is being a crafter? Dun dun dun! Tell that to Telchar and see how he feels that crafting is just a side mission

[@pelijer]

Small gripe. A five-day work week is an assumption. The Forgotten Realms week is a tenday. That's why books have tons of characters saying tenday all the time

[@ConstructedChaos]

Yep! Technically, you're right on here. Thanks for that clarification. I run a lot of homebrew worlds so I tend to forget that fact!

[@XThexReaperX]

I like the monster hunter style approach to making magical items, where the crafter makes magical items via using magical reagents/ingredients. I do think most parties would either take to farming certain creatures(as in hunting down multiple of the same creatures) or even setting up a literal ranch/slaughterhouse for specific weaker beasts.

[@ConstructedChaos]

You’re not wrong at all about the possibility for farming here. I think some groups would go to such lengths. However, if this isn’t a desired result, I’d try to make it clear to the group that seeking out these creatures might not always produce the exact same effect. Perhaps the effect generated from these ingredients relies as much on the PC as it does on the creature!

[@XThexReaperX]

@@ConstructedChaos there's a reason I specified weaker creatures, both due to the level of difficulty wrangling them in would require even if domestication was possible, and due to the change in potency between a wild creature and a domesticated creature. So the tradeoff being in potency but also a higher gain in quality control in ingredients gained due to the rendering being the sole focus of the job in question. By ensuring that there are creatures that can't be domesticated/farmed as a job, you in turn require the party to seek out these creatures with the possibility of lower-quality ingredients that are much more potent. I've once came across someone who mind enfeebled a Mind-Flayer, stuck a ring of sustenance on it, and used it's skin to make extremely useful spellbooks.

[@ConstructedChaos]

@@XThexReaperX aaaahhhh I see!! Very cool then!!

[@XThexReaperX]

@@ConstructedChaos it allows the questing every Adventurer thrives on while also making it possible for the creation of lesser magical items(that classes like Artificer would need) that can get those wishing to make their own magical gear started with. That way it provides a nice little plot hook and gives the world a more immersive feel.

[@ProgramKiraTV]

Keep in mind a 10day is the “week” of dnd so 5 days is only part of the work week. Forging a sword from a chunk of 1080 steel round bar will take easily 2-3 days using modern equipment like a power hammer so adding another 3-5 days for the complexity of enchanting isnt excessive to me

[@ConstructedChaos]

You’re totally right on about that. As I’m sure you can tell, I don’t have any experience when it comes to blacksmithing haha. However, regardless of that fact, I’ve found it best to forgo realism here in favor of a system that’s more likely to get used and result in more fun for my group!

[@ravenbladedesigns4318]

Smiths on “Forged in Fire” have hand hammered full swords start to finish in 4 work days to a quality that withstands the most brutal tests designed to break weapons. A lot of the smiths are also not full time smiths and some even have to restart halfway through.

[@michaelfrank2951]

or...you could machine that round stock into a hammer head in about 35 minutes..

[@mikederp9612]

If you wanna implement that realism, do you implement realistic food and sleep? How about your Realism of healing even without spells and you use a healing kit. There are all kinds of stuff people overlook for ya know a fantasy game with magic. The artificer (if you are one) has magical abilities and of made up races like gnomes and dwarves that focus on crafting things. You need to sacrifice some realism in fantasy especially with other players when you basically hold up the entire game to craft an item.

[@ProgramKiraTV]

@@mikederp9612 this just says the requirements of making an item in 5e rules are, generally speaking, also realistic. Its not implementing realism when the game rules imitate real life.

[@coreycoffell6219]

Crafted by Dick Bridges, Troll at Large. Lol

[@bluefox175_]

Ive just started with making my first ever DND character, and chose to be an Artificer, assuming that Id be able to craft useful items, only to hear constantly that the stuff I want to do just isnt possible or is too complicated to do in 5E. Im so glad to have come across this video in my research in trying to see if I can make my dreams come true with my character. I don't know much about DND, so this has been a journey.

[@ConstructedChaos]

Hey friend!! Welcome to the hobby and I'm so glad you're enjoying the content and finding it helpful! You're going to have a great time playing--I'm positive!

[@thegamerserpent4271]

Honestly DND and pathfinder both have sucky mechanics for it. I’m going to ditch those systems when Andrew Rowe releases his own system

[@TalonSilvercloud]

I like all of the ideas in this video. Literally all of them. In a Pathfinder campaign, I had a character (Agna) who was taking Mythic levels while the rest of the group was doing stuff from Path of War. Agna is a Dwarven Paladin and wanted a mythic level Holy Avenger. The player and I negotiated some character development angles to get there, and then we set off. The party had to recover a special anvil called the Anvil of Ages. In addition to controlling golems, the Anvil of Ages allowed the user to create constructs and weapons/armor by sacrificing gold and materials and souls into it. It was in the hands of a terrible person, thus it needed to be recovered. When the party succeeded, and then turned their attention to another threat to the Dwarven kingdom of Angorok. Agna approached the king and queen, and asked if her reward could be permission for her brother Vestri to craft an amazing weapon for her using the Anvil. All done on the up and up, no souls to be sacrificed or anything. The king and queen agreed, and even offered to help. Her brother interacted with the anvil, and then said it would take 6 days to make the item, instead of 200+ by standard item creation rules. But it would require something from the party members. Once per day, every day, Vestri required one of Agna's friends to come to the anvil, name a virtue or positive trait they admired in Agna, and strike a few blows to the axe upon the anvil. It was something to break up the downtime and keep the rest of the party engaged and invested in the outcome, and it made for an excellent experience. I got to work in a theme about how Dwarves never forget a debt, and Agna's brother dealing with some guilt regarding owing his sister but now finally having the perfect opportunity to even the scales. I later used my recap notes and turned it into a short story. Here's an excerpt. “Tenacity, overwhelming bravery, decisive, faith when others do not, stalwart, a brilliant spark,” the blacksmith spoke, tired but proud, reciting the virtues he and his friends had carried in their hearts and imbued into the weapon. He drew back the cloth as he spoke, to reveal the mighty axe glittering and gleaming. He held it aloft for a moment, before offering it towards his sister Agna in both hands. “My sister has come a long way since Valisgarde, and I am proud to be her brother, seeing her rise to such heights. Today we reach higher, and anoint her with a weapon fit for a true Paladin of the Aesir.”

[@ConstructedChaos]

Hell yeah!! I'm glad you're using this stuff to such a potent degree! That sounds absolutely awesome!

[@Deadreckoner562]

i reward my party with rare components from the creatures they defeat, this encourages their imagination as to how it could be used for a magic item, then usually they need to find a crafter of renown capable of crafting the item they want, makes creating items an adventure in itself. on the matter of characters abusing crafting- earlier versions of the game actually required an expenditure of experience to imbue magical items, that stops mass manufacturing quick smart :)

[@ConstructedChaos]

I like the idea of finding a specific crafter to make the item for them but I'm not sure I'd implement this for every item--maybe just some campaign-specific story-related ones.

[@Deadreckoner562]

@@ConstructedChaos yes best not overused, my player claimed a hellhound skin and wanted to get it enchanted, it took several visits to mages etc they pointed him towards a fabled tailor who was known to live in a less reputable part of the distant city. I needed the players to travel there so it worked out great

[@ConstructedChaos]

@@Deadreckoner562 I can totally see how that'd work well! There's an item in my own homebrew campaign that came about similarly!

[@normknapp4404]

As a DM I had a bard player ask about “glasssteel” from the FR campaign setting. 5ed axed the spell from previous editions and I allowed him to use one of his magical secrets (and a side quest) to pick it up. His character backstory had him start his life as a blacksmith apprentice. Working with him and the side quest has lead to an absolutely insane story arc the entire party loved!

[@ConstructedChaos]

@@normknapp4404 sounds like you knocked it out of the park as a DM! Well done!!

[@destonlee2838]

I have worked with several knifesmiths. An 8" blade is three days, 2 if there's two ppl working it. Add magic, and you add at least a day. Smiting is hot, heavy lifting work and would wrack most pcs with str or con under 14. I'm 6'2", and was a farmer. A day at the forge is a ticket to spend a day in recovery. It takes time.

[@ConstructedChaos]

Absolutely, I shouldn't have undersold the work that goes into crafts like that! However, even now that I know this, I'm willing to sacrifice some realism to afford us a game mechanic that actually gets used and is fun for the players!

[@ryancparker]

You lost me at no smith’s tools. Proficiencies should matter.

[@ConstructedChaos]

They do matter! I don’t think I ever said they didn’t! You get to add your proficiency bonus again or make the check at advantage. I think those were my suggestions if I remember right.

[@Artificerous5010]

For enchanting or crafting magical items in my campaigns, I employ the use of Electrum. Giving it a high magic affinity, Electrum serves as the perfect catalyst and gives the currency an actual use. I then list the price of the enchantment itself to allow possibly more than one enchantment on an item. This also makes it harder to craft, raising the DC by how many enchantments are being put on it.

[@ConstructedChaos]

Oh that is an interesting way to handle it! Thanks for sharing this with me!

[@daviddutcher7768]

A professional black smith would take ruffly a minimum of 50ish hours to produce a fully crafted polished and beautiful sword Adding enchantments would add the standard time for enchanting that item. Also needed materials for adding the spell enchantments

[@shaggysmortalvessel8297]

Cleric Artificer???

[@ConstructedChaos]

Haha funny enough I recently published that exact build in a video here! It’s an awesome combo!! kzbin.info/www/bejne/hKWbcn-jZs-nnZY

[@yorudan9447]

Being able to enchant an object without the relevant magical knowledge, or technical knowledge of the tools you're using to enchant feels very silly to me. Impossibly so. Instead, why not make it easier to earn profeciency in specific tools or skills. Such as studying under the party wizard for arcana so you don't have to keep going to them for enchantments. Or briefly apprenticing at a nearby blacksmith so you have the technical ability to imbue effects into weaponry or armor. Or even just teaching yourself how to do these things. I saw a comment here that essentially said, if crafting took that long, no one would ever open a shop. (I agree with this, wholeheartedly by the way! I love enchanting, I just feel like there should be a skill requisite. One that can be *earned*.) If everyone could enchant items so easily, there would be an inflation of magical items. (Which can be cool if that's what you're going for in your campaign, I just think this is a better alternative.)

[@ConstructedChaos]

I think that's a totally fair perspective but I'm okay with a little silliness at the table. If I were going for realism, magic wouldn't exist at all haha. You do at least get bonuses/advantage on your attempts to craft an item if you've got certain affinities for arcana and crafting specifically but, in my mind, this is a way to bring a little of the magic of a fantasy world to martial classes that sorely need it.

[@JohnDoe-dh5jg]

Fun fact: an adventurer might be better served by crafting their own Mithral Plate Mail Armor than buying mundane Plate. RAW Mundane Plate Mail Armor costs 1500g RAW Mithral Plate Mail Armor is an uncommon magic item. Uncommon magic items either cost 500g, take about 20 days to make, and require a spellcaster capable of casting Lv3 spells and a character with the appropriate tool proficiency to make (DMG); or 200g, the appropriate tool proficiency,and 2 workweeks (XGE). If you really want to Speedrun your plate mail, a Lv5 Forge Cleric could convert any scrap metal or coin straight into Mithral in a couple hours, and then bang out a suit in about a month, give or take a week.

[@ConstructedChaos]

It's important to note that you'd still need the mundane item to enchant first but that is an interesting observation!

[@treasend4126]

2000 for an item in our party is almost always the group all chipping in so i can't imagine us crafting any magic item ever when you add the time on top

[@ConstructedChaos]

Fair enough, but sometimes shops may not have exactly what you're looking for. This system encourages players to craft by allowing them to sculpt the mechanics that they're looking for.

[@jacobturner4815]

Crafting can be combat. I don't mean you make stuff by bashing things with your mace. I mean that combat is just an easy framing for skill checks which have immediate feedback and outcomes with a cohesive end-goal. That is all that combat is. An excuse to make multiple decisions, check success rates, and deal with what happens. So, build your crafting the same way you would build your combat. Keep pacing in mind, challenge the player to come up with solutions to unexpected twists, have an element of risk to add tension. You could go through and build an entire crafting system which parallels combat if you really wanted to, but it would likely be overkill. I mean more about keeping a mental image of treating the systems in similar manners. But.. just for the mental exercise of it.. an attempt to off the top of my head transform some of combat directly to crafting: Initiative rolls are replaced by "focus checks" which determine how much you can pay attention to in the time scale, and how quickly you can react to what happens. Enemy combatants are replaced by each component, and critical defects or tricky reactions are their move sets. Multiple players can work together in crafting, and their various tool proficiencies and related ability/skill scores are now the focus of their "actions" during the crafting encounter. Rather than damage, losses to the defects and tricky reactions are felt in terms of added time or cost, with the occasional long-term impact like lingering smells and scars, or large-scale damage which can cause issues with the local NPCs.

[@ConstructedChaos]

Thanks so much for contributing to this conversation! I love your take on it here and I can tell you've put a lot of thought and creativity into your approach!

[@technopenguinextra8786]

One day? Hahaha if youre devenition of a great sword is a slightly sharp steel plank meaby. As a smith myself... i dont think that barbarian is gonna stand a chance. Hahaha

[@ConstructedChaos]

Haha fair enough--I don't know what I'm doing around a forge. However, I'd still prefer to sacrifice some realism in favor of a system that my players will actually use.

[@walterbunn280]

Ehhh.... this system seeks to address one of the main issues with RAW 5e Dungeon and Dragons, but I'm not quite feeling it. It kinda works against why crafting skills are developed to begin with. Using the barbarian example in the video, maybe the barbarian just discovers why scrimshaw has it's own set of specialized tools. More over, this kinda doesn't give a character who has doubled down on item creation skills any advantage. Again, using an example given in the video, someone with proficiency in caligraphy and smithing isn't anymore adept at crafting the magic monster slaying sword than the fighter with a deep knowledge of tribal history and a bucket of monster blood? Seems off.

[@ConstructedChaos]

I totally hear your concerns here but I did mention in the video that those with proficiencies in crafting would be able to add their proficiency bonus to their rolls. So, although it might not be to the extent everyone would want in their games, it is accounted for.

[@xXTOCKYXx]

Better Just play PF2E where all this is allready created, balanced and actually works and feels great for players.

[@ConstructedChaos]

Not at all a bad suggestion! I love PF2e!

[@joshuabiehl4792]

selling lots of crafted items sounds like it should be encouraged for an artificer or a forge cleric rp-wise

[@ConstructedChaos]

Absolutely! Depending on your table, that kind of downtime activity is both flavorful and efficient!

[@New2DM2]

Have a high level party in a campaign where they had received magic items as parties do. The Fighter had a magic item he absolutely loved, but the additional damage it did was only good against undead, which the party wasn't fighting. He asked if there was any way to change the additional damage type. I told him there would be a CHANCE in side quest they had coming up. The side quest had mostly to do with Dwarves and ancient ruins. The NPC quest-giver is captured and replaced by a shapeshifter early on. So (without telling them) I figured if the group completed the quest and saved the NPC quest-giver, they would gain access to a Dwarf who could modify the weapon. (This was not an easy feat.) They did so successfully and were charged 3,000gp to make the change. The party had $10k+gp at that point, so it was a price that wasn't SO much that it wiped out all of their earned wealth, but it WAS enough that it caused some chat about the value of making that change... enough so that they didn't seek to just make all of their weapons magical. Felt like a good call.

[@ConstructedChaos]

Sounds like an awesome solution! And way to work it into the overarching campaign/story! Your players are lucky to have ya!

[@New2DM2]

That's high praise. Thank you.

[@Cosmic_Yak]

@6:11 'ish I get what your saying but I had to share my thought....'hrumphhh, clearly he has never watched forged in fire!' lol. Takes them 5, 10 hours, days to bang out swords and they often have power tools/presses

[@ConstructedChaos]

You're not the first person to point this out and you're exactly right haha. I have plenty of woodworking experience but absolutely none in metal working! That said, I'm okay with sacrificing that modicum of realism for a system that I think is more fun for my players!

[@DanielTomilson]

Every time I bring up crafting with a DM they complain about how many uncommon magic items I can make following DMG or Xanathar rules. No DM I have played with actually wants to make dozens of spreadsheets for what different monster parts do for different magic items. If the researching and hunting of magic items turn into, whatever the DM feels like, it will usually take many real life months to get stuff you will out-level by the time you make it. A crafting system needs to be easy to understand (1-3 paragraphs max) and easy to use while adventuring or at town.

[@ConstructedChaos]

I can see where you're coming from but I haven't found that to be the case. I'm not making spreadsheets or anything like that. A lot of it is just a little improv and taking some inspiration from the monster stat block and existing magic items in the core rulebooks. And I'd argue that this system is remarkably easy to understand, but maybe I'm a bit biased there.

[@charlottegoldman3580]

It does take about a day to make 1 longsword with power tools. Being superhumans, it would be fair to say they can make at least 2. Scale with level

[@ConstructedChaos]

Yeah this was my line of thinking more or less.

[@danielmorgan9544]

At one point in the video you say that you find it hard to believe that it would take someone more than a day to make something like a great sword? Just go watch forged in fire. There are many of the challenges that are put before these guys that do not allow them to use power tools are using power tools. When they are using power tools sometimes it takes them three or four days to complete their final project which is usually a big weapon. Steel does not move near as fast as one would think under the hammer. With the help of a mastersmith it took me almost an hour to make a simple knife that didn't have any kind of fancy stuff to it. The knife was only about 10 in Long overall.

[@ConstructedChaos]

I've had a few comments like this pointing out that I know nothing about blacksmithing and you'd be absolutely right haha. In any case, these are fantasy worlds with magic and unrealistic physics so I don't have a problem bending the rules of reality here as well haha.

[@Ipanophis]

3rd edition has a fully flushed out system and like 30 years of playtesting bro. just saying. People complained about the math, but better have a system that works perfectly than an incomplete one for lazy crybabies that no one can use.

[@ConstructedChaos]

A lot of people have suggested that I check that out! I have yet to do it since I've been super busy with work but I'll definitely have a look soon. Good looking out and thanks for watching!

[@cmdrwraithe1857]

In my opinion, crafting time should be done between sessions. If you keep in touch with your players during non-gaming times, you can not only spare taking time from your gaming sessions for this distraction, but you could also throw in little out of game side quests in case they do need to farm things. Plus it gives your player more depth into game and fulfills that little personal interaction / center of attention thing if you have a player that likes that.

[@ConstructedChaos]

I think that makes a lot of sense too, honestly! And we've largely implemented that alongside this system in our games. It's just fun to have other options as well!

[@couchyrick6300]

ill give you this I'm a hard guy to please you pleased me greatly when describing magic item creafting with the barb and the dragon tooth because that made me think of something grog from crit role would do

[@ConstructedChaos]

Thanks for the accolades!! I actually never watched CR campaign 1 but I have seen the animated series so far and grog would definitely do that haha.

[@kayoh9364]

Straightforward and intuitive enough that I've already been using an almost-identical system without even realizing it. The ideas for identifying qualities a magical ingredient might offer was a new one, though.

[@ConstructedChaos]

Nice!! Yeah, as a live streaming DM, I feel I often already have so much to juggle that I need an intuitive system with some boundaries but a lot of flexibility to be used on the fly!

[@tempestgamesxiv]

is there written rules for this system? i wanna use it but dont wanna have to watch the video over and over and pick through it for what i need.

[@ConstructedChaos]

Sorry about that! I'd intended to draft something up but I haven't had the time. If I ever do make a PDF, I'll drop it into my discord for sure! I appreciate your interest in this system and thank you for reaching out!

[@werejustgaming]

We are doing this in our 3.5 group. My wizard just took the Craft Wonderous Items Feat and next Feat will Be Craft Magic Arms and Armor. Our Warlock can help allowing us to craft even when neither of us actually knows the Spells required. That's F*cking Teamwork lol

[@ConstructedChaos]

Definitely read that last line in jack black voice. But hell yeah! Glad you're enjoying crafting in your games!

[@EmbracedDestiny]

What is your costs were low for magic items, but it’s power is connected with the creator. So selling it it loses its magic and this is not of high value

[@ConstructedChaos]

That's certainly a solution to the issue I posed!

[@kenyonelliott2628]

What alchemist would bother spending a year brewing a potion that's marginally better than the one that takes one week?

[@ConstructedChaos]

I didn’t really touch on it but the enchanting table for consumables is half the gold and time of other items RAW. That said, I agree. It could be it’s own separate video and maybe it will be at some point!

[@AdamMuirG]

Have you run into an issue where every pc wants to harvest something from every monster for this purpose?

[@ConstructedChaos]

Well, I think I have a pretty tame play group so no I haven't. But I would think that I wouldn't mind them using the system to that extent. It's all part of the encounter at that point!

[@charger1369]

You can make the gold cost lost on a failure and keep the main ingredient

[@ConstructedChaos]

totally fair enough!

[@archlittle6067]

The existing system for crafting magic items is actually okay. You need a formula and enough time, money, skill level and a creature corpse. Unfortunately, this has two unknowns. These are how does a character get a formula and what do you do with the corpse of the creature? Here is a simple, reasonable solution to each unknown. To make the formula, have something to write on, then collect the necessary items to make that item. Create the formula the same way you would enchant the item. If you use a scroll, then the formula can be used once as a consumable and crumbles to dust as the item is made. Thus, the scroll only takes half the time and cost. However, if you use, say a spellbook, then the formula remains in your now formula book for repeated use, but costs as much as the item in time and money. Now for the corpse. The logical answer is not always workable. If you took some part of an Ogre to make Gauntlets of Ogre Power, this would seem right. However, an Ogre is a CR2 creature and you need a CR4 or higher creature to make the uncommon Gauntlets. Also, what magic item can you make from a Bugbear, or a Nothic? How about if any CR1-3 creature carcass can make any common magic item? That's simple. The same would apply to higher CR creatures and more powerful items. So what part of the corpse is needed? The player could just use the whole thing, but no one wants to carry around an entire dragon, etc. In many games, a magic gem captures the life force or soul of the creature and the soul gem is used. We do not require this in D&D. What organ typically houses the "soul" or life force of a creature. Arguably, the brain or heart, or whatever the creature might use for one of these organs. So the simplest thing to do is to use the brain or heart, or both, to make the magic item. Let's say you boil these into a solution and submerge the item in this broth to enchant it. This is my home-brew. I think it passes the smell test and applies William of Ockham's Razor rather well. Good luck!

[@ConstructedChaos]

Thanks so much for contributing! I love the ideas you propose here but I do feel as though this system (much like the existing system) would go unused at my table. The problem lies in, really, any added complexity at all. I want my games to be more about creative and artful ideas rather than restrictive mechanics that make a math equation or ingredients list out of magic. This, of course, comes down to personal preference and I, in no way, mean to imply that your system isn’t fantastic. I just wanted to share the reasoning for my own!

[@archlittle6067]

@@ConstructedChaos No problem. I posted that this is my home-brew. Use it or lose it. :)

[@NerdzWordz]

No disrespect or anything.... 13 days of 12 hour shifts.... 😎💪🔥 Anyway... Question?? How long would it take to design, build and enchant an Artifact rarity weapon or piece of gear??

[@ThirtytwoJ]

....you've obviously never seen how much work and sweat goes into forging a sword...esp before machinery.

[@ConstructedChaos]

I definitely haven't haha! I don't mean to devalue the hard work of real life workers either. However, in a world full of magic and make-believe, I'm willing to sacrifice a little bit of realism for a feature that'll actually get used and make the game more fun for my players.

[@ThirtytwoJ]

@@ConstructedChaoseven for people that do forging regularly, to do a full size sword of quality takes 3 days to a week of focus. Try watching Forged in Fire, shows how much work they take and how easy it is to ruin days worth of effort over an oops or a tiny defect.

[@ConstructedChaos]

@@ThirtytwoJ I had someone else suggest that show in the comments as well! I'll have to give it a watch soon

[@agustinmolina6660]

so i didn't understand when the enchanting check is rolled

[@ConstructedChaos]

It would really just be rolled when they attempt to enchant the item!

[@alzathoth]

the problem with letting any PC to make magic items, i it wipes out the special qualities of an artificer or NPC smith. Time to craft, shouldn't really be a bother. just let the PCs do it during downtime or between adventures. using special items and ingredients is very cool. there is nothing like a special quest to get a dragons tooth to make a poison dagger. a CR rating to harvest the ingredient is a great idea.

[@ConstructedChaos]

You make a strong case for the artificer's useful nature being wiped out but I will say that artificer is not a PHB class as it is and there are also ways to work around this like allowing artificers extra bonuses or even autosuccesses on checks, being able to attune to more magic items (as they already are), etc. That said, I don't find my players often have much downtime in my campaigns. Maybe that's my fault as a DM haha

[@alzathoth]

@@ConstructedChaos guess it depends on your campaign. there is always some downtime between 'stories'. PCs will need downtime to spend gold after all. a few days between storylines sometimes is all that is needed.

[@acetraker1988]

*TLDR: Crafting for Dummies.* -Item Cost / 50 = Number of Successes Required to make said item. -You can make one crafting test per day. (Doesn't prevent normal adventure activities). -A positive outcome requires more successes than failures. -DM can decide based on the results, what if anything comes out. -DM also sets value for magical items based on setting etc. -DM may include narrative around materials or specific knowledge, as needed.

[@ConstructedChaos]

This seems like a pretty fun system too!

[@acetraker1988]

@@ConstructedChaos Feat Support -[Name Of Profession] Mastery. Effect: You can make up to two crafting tests per day for [Above] tests. E.g. Smithing Mastery.

[@gabrielsouzasilva703]

"perhaps some will disagree.... greatsword..." My friend u have no ideia how fast the normal rule to craft systeam is. As an artificer head I just ignore the rule for a NORMAL greatsword I pick at least 2 weeks. Even with modern steel in hand, plaster cutter, hydraulic hammer and a modern blast furnance make a good greatsword in 5 days alone is sick! Soo great video but no artificer head/hema nerd/swordsmith will agree with u lol.

[@ConstructedChaos]

Haha you’re not the first one to point that out and I’ll be the first to admit I know next to nothing about actual blacksmithing. That said, this is a fantasy world and I think choosing to run it this way in my games is viable! I definitely don’t blame others for doing something different from me here as it doesn’t have a large amount of influence on the final system anyway!

[@gabrielsouzasilva703]

@@ConstructedChaos 🤗 s2

[@robertsilvermyst7325]

In Berserk, Gut's sword became magical by slaying a lot of demons. That's a simple way of making Bane weapons.

[@ConstructedChaos]

That’s a really cool concept too! A weapon that grows along with your character!

[@jlajr1974]

In 3.5 ed. D&D You could craft with varius feats, and there are lots of charts with still used magic items in the DMG/Phb. The thing is you are giving players of all classes almost unlimited ways to upgrade themselves at any level. The Power creep is real... This seems like a Pandora's Box for in-experienced DMs..

[@ConstructedChaos]

Having all that info accessible can be really helpful, for sure. But, I've found it can be extremely overwhelming also. I actually had been using The Ultimate Guide to Alchemy, Crafting, and Enchanting for a little while for a similar reason but found that I was spending just as much time thumbing through the pages during the session as I was actually letting the party adventure. It just felt like a bit of a slog for us but I don't doubt this would work at a lot of tables that enjoy the added mechanics!

[@MichaelGalt]

No. Medieval. No machines. No mass production. I regularly watch Forged in Fire. They generally have 4 days at home to make a sword (or something similar). These are trained and experienced smiths. They have electricity, power tools, welding equipment, the ability to order things off of Amazon. Most struggle to get it done in 4 days. If they didn't have power tools, welding equipment, the internet to do research, the ability to order materials directly to their homes.... this process would easily take them 3x as long... translating to 12 days of continuous labor to make a sword. And, most smiths don't make much money. Unless you are making extremely high quality stuff which is custom ordered and artistic... you are making a profit versus the cost of materials... but not a huge amount.

[@ConstructedChaos]

Totally fair! As you can imagine, I don’t know anything about smithing personally. However, I’m willing to forgo a bit of realism in favor of a mechanic that my players will actually use-especially in the context of a world full of magic!

[@MichaelGalt]

@ConstructedChaos Sure, and it all depends on the setting. Some settings are more technologically advanced than others. But talking modern Faerun... still late medieval going into middle Renaissance. And, while it is "high magic", I think people mistakenly believe every 4th person is a mage. Even in Faerun, the number of mages is probably not anywhere near that. I would bet 1 in 20, 1 in 50, or 1 in 100 people (depending on where in Faerun). Elves and fey, are obvious exceptions. So, how many magical smiths? I would bet VERY few. They would first off, need to learn how to smith. Then, on top of that they would need to have a connection to the Weave. Then they would need to study magic... which is long hard, and expensive. I would bet that basically every magic smith works for the royalty or nobility.... because they are the only ones who can afford to employ them and train them. How many kings want their magic smiths selling items to people who might not be loyal/allied? 0. So... I feel like even the magic weapons and armor would be very tightly controlled and black market might be available, at HIGH costs.

[@ConstructedChaos]

@@MichaelGalt right, what I’m saying is that the smiths don’t need to be magical either. The simple notion that magic and dragons exist makes room for you to bend realism to your whim by having smiths that are far more efficient than is possible IRL.

[@JGPlunder]

The vagueness and inconsistencies in regards to crafting spell scrolls is a whole ass thing. Because the rules have values based off of rarity, but also level, and also hours in days in gold. To create anything over level 2 takes weeks to years, regardless of the caster level. Only thing I've figured to speed it up is to be a scribe wizard

[@hiredgoon13]

This is why I am playing an artificer.

[@ConstructedChaos]

Hell yeah!! Enjoy!

[@Ehnonamemoose]

although i barely played 3.0/3.5 i think its system for making items ect has a good balance of time and cost ect. and its fairly easy to "port" to 5e to boot.

[@ConstructedChaos]

I think someone else mentioned that before and it piqued my interest. I haven't played 3/3.5e but I need to go back and have a look at that crafting system.

[@SleepyCrow98]

@@ConstructedChaos i recently joined a 3.5 game and the crafting realy is nice i especially appreciated the poison crafting because of the diversity of effects from the poisons and how much more simple it is to hombrew for. the other cool crafted items in 3.5 is the grafts from the libra mortis books.

[@thomasbitsche6224]

I'm playing an artificer in a game and I want to do this with my PC. But the gm said no to me giving multiple infusions to the other players.

[@ConstructedChaos]

That’s a shame! Any particular reason why they ruled that way? It’s a pretty rough nerf to the artificer!

[@guyfawkes8873]

That’s literally removing the one thing the artificer does better than other classes, buffing teammates with synergistic items….

[@cheyennebrunner7757]

My husband is teaching me how to play 5e, our dm is pretty good but has no idea what to do with my husband, he is a hill dwarf rune knight. He has Mason's tools, smiths tools, and as a feet took skilled, so he has wood working, wood cutting, and leather working tools with double proficiency on checks! :P

[@ConstructedChaos]

Haha friends that can give you magic items are definitely friends that you want to keep around!

[@daithi1966]

The Wish spell has a feature where you can lose the ability to use it again depending on how you use the wish spell. Do the same with creating magic items. Every time you create a magic item to which you aren't attuned risks a 25% cumulative chance that you'll never be able to create a magic item again.

[@ConstructedChaos]

Hmmmm I'm not sure that I like removing the ability of doing something that I'm trying to encourage the players to do for something that isn't nearly as powerful as Wish.

[@daithi1966]

@@ConstructedChaos It only applies if you don't attune to it. This stops players from just making magic items and selling them. Unless that is what you want. It wouldn't apply to items that don't require attunement, so they could sell those.

[@ConstructedChaos]

@@daithi1966 I see what you mean. That makes some sense!

[@silverrendprops9760]

I got my dm i to agree that a work week would count as one channel of div for a forge cleric and that I would need either a cr part from a monster or the full gold, not half of the rarity rating to make a weapon using channel div. We are in odyssey of the dragonlords. So the full amount is me using extra gold as an offering to the forge God to essentially use his powers to forge the weapons or armor on my behalf. Even in a non gold heavy campaign my team is fully decked out in +1 weapons and I'm already using all 3 attunement slots because of me focusing on uncommon items that really push my cleric to midteir game early so I can focus on supporting my group. I'm mainly a cantrip machine and forgemaster. So I'm not as in the thick of it as they are. But being able to outfit them early on has really made us feel like we are prepared without feeling we have completely broken the campaign since the dm and I hard capped level thresholds that are needed to be hit before I can craft certain rated gear.

[@ConstructedChaos]

Nice!! That sounds like some reasonable and fun homebrew!

[@silverrendprops9760]

@@ConstructedChaos it's definitely helped me really dig into being pure support which is where I feel I am the strongest in most games.

[@ConstructedChaos]

@@silverrendprops9760 For sure! And Cleric in general is going to be great at support/healer no matter what subclass you pick up!

[@hanzandersen115]

I just made a artificier and I was totaly lost with alle the crafting tools I got and had no idea what to do with them, so I am trying to find a way with my dm to make it interesting and cool, thanks for this awesome video and those great ideas!

[@ConstructedChaos]

Hell yeah! I hope this helps out in some way! My favorite magic items are the ones I created with my players over the years!

[@YolkBomb]

I'm a fan of rolling death saves for the items you're making for example Common 3 Rare7 Ultra14 Legendary 20 If you roll below 10 half the amount needed to craft you break the item. You may choose to roll at any time but rolling twice without a long rest will be at disadvantage

[@ConstructedChaos]

You mean like rolling multiple saves over periods of time for longer crafting periods?

[@YolkBomb]

@@ConstructedChaos yeah so every in game day you wanna burn 8-10 hours to roll a "crafting check" you can do so but if you decide to spend the whole day doing it you roll once with normal and once with disadvantage

[@YolkBomb]

@@ConstructedChaos so making a common item could be done in 2 days of hard work

[@ConstructedChaos]

@@YolkBombMakes enough sense to me! I'd probably make it so things could be created a little faster but that's just my personal preference.

[@YolkBomb]

@@ConstructedChaos I enjoy the multiple days for items approach purely because my games last month irl time sometimes years so I gotta prolong the fun lol

[@AdamMuirG]

Do you ever allow them to use this process for non magical creatures?

[@RakaiThwei]

Interesting take on creating magic items. Let me ask... Could a monk infuse and have their fighting gloved infused with their Ki to create gloved that deal say... electrical damage?

[@ConstructedChaos]

I don't see why not! The beauty of this (and a lot of things in 5e) is that it's up to the DM's discretion! I'd certainly allow it at my table. It'd all just come down to finding the right component/ingredient!

[@RakaiThwei]

@@ConstructedChaos Thank you for respondng, because I am TRYING to get into D&D and well... I've already created two characters, which need some reflavoring as one is supposed to be inspired by Street Fighter and hails from Earth, and the other is inspired by TMNT and uses Tortle stats but is not a Tortle but Mutant Turtle. So I hope you can do a video on this particular topic especially for first time players who like me, aren't into the whole fantasy genre, but want to get into the game... But do D&D characters HAVE to be from the fantasy genre to be part of a game?

[@ConstructedChaos]

@@RakaiThwei that’s a great idea for a video! D&D is a game that can really be molded to fit anything. And, 5e gives most of that power to your DM! So, basically, if your DM is cool with it, you can flavor things however you like!

[@angelicus-9307]

A quick search avout blacksmithing. And it says it takes a couple of days to make a sword if you have everything read. And longer time on that if you make decoration or other stuff. So i would personally go with a week. Unless the person actually has blacksmithing as a skill. Then maybe shorten it down with a day or two. And thats only for making the basic sword. Now if you want decorations or enchanments. That would add X-days depending on the characters proficiency. Like if you had a charavter playing a warrior. And one character playing a blacksmith. Then the blacksmith would not be happy if the warrior was able to make stuff of the same quality. At the same rate as a professional. I get the whole "i want to be good at everything" mentality. But i prefer a game to be more on the realistic side. "Dont have anyone who can detect traps? Well. Traverse the dungeon with caution" "Dont have anyone who can check the drink for drugs or poison? Well... decide if your thirsty character takes a sip of the strangers water or not" A team of adventures should complimeny eachother. And even in a full party, you wont hit all the checkboxes. Unless you multiclass. Which isnt needed if everyone can do everything. Its like playing the assassin but going for healing. Or playing a priest and being the tank. Then again, i think its silly that gnomes can be anything other than mages. Edit: After watching this i realize its more of a. "How to make the game easier" thing. Not for me, but if people enjoy easier gaming thats on them. Players should really play to have fun. And for me its fun if ut feels more "realistic". If i enter a town, i want a feeling of why the town is there and how it survives. Because towns rarely are built just because.

[@ConstructedChaos]

Thanks for such a well-thought comment! I feel like you bring up a lot of fair points. I definitely don’t know anything about blacksmithing but this system is certainly not about making the game easier-it’s about giving players access to a system that I otherwise never see utilized.

[@angelicus-9307]

@ConstructedChaos I get your point. And I really shouldn't criticize a system i haven't actually tried. Buuuuuuuut :p To me, when you make everything available to everyone. That makes it easier. Removing limitations always makes things easier.

[@ConstructedChaos]

@@angelicus-9307 so then increase the CR haha? It’s all about having run at the table at the end of the day

[@angelicus-9307]

@@ConstructedChaos sure. And in the end. What really matters is that the table has fun.

[@ConstructedChaos]

@@angelicus-9307 I couldn’t agree more! Regardless of this system and where we each stand on it, I appreciate you chiming in with your own outlook and I wish you many happy adventures in the future!

[@fabrizzioandres8807]

a truly underuse and under developed topic. but you sir, u nail it!!!!! great video, great system!

[@ConstructedChaos]

Thanks so much! I'm glad you're finding some use for it!

[@alessiodigennaro1607]

I like this system, definitely allows for a lot of variability depending on the DMs creativity.

[@ConstructedChaos]

Thanks so much! I’m glad you may find some use for it!

[@aaxxeell92]

It's not "5 days during 8h" a work week represents 5 days dedicating the spare time during the day or breaks

[@ConstructedChaos]

That would be more in line with what I was hoping for if true! Where did you see that?

[@aaxxeell92]

@@ConstructedChaos my bad, as i read now, it's a homebrew idea, nothing oficial, we are planing on using that on our table so we can craft things in "8 days" means that we can dedicate some spare time during the day, short and long rests, etc.

[@aaxxeell92]

Specially since we played 6 times and only 5 days have past in our game 😅

[@ConstructedChaos]

@@aaxxeell92 Ohhh okay nice! I thought I'd missed something somehow haha.

[@nathanrollick1833]

That sci-fi sounding background music :D

[@ConstructedChaos]

Haha glad you like it!

[@nathanrollick1833]

😁

[@admpandora91]

Even failure can be a success.

[@ConstructedChaos]

That's exactly the right attitude to have! Couldn't agree more!

[@joshuamctiernan6063]

I always like the idea of making crafting more available, but I’m not so keen on just asking a martial for a check to “enchant” an item. You talked about immersion and I don’t find it immersive for the barbarian to carve with a dragon’s tooth and suddenly the sword gains benefits. I think it may be better if they sought out say, a wizard, artificer, or sorcerer who would then use their power to prep or energize the tooth and then the check with barbarian could be made. But otherwise I love the system man

[@ConstructedChaos]

Totally understandable!! I don’t blame you for disagreeing on that point. But I will reiterate that this often promotes some really creative and flavorful ideas on what enchanting might look like! It’s probably not super realistic that everyone would be able to enchant but it is a lot of fun to see how it all happens and tends to speed along the process for my groups!

[@jacksonletts3724]

Magic item crafting quests are great! Especially if the quest is to craft a story relevant item.

[@ConstructedChaos]

There’s no denying that at all! If its relevant to the story, I’m certainly keen on it. For me and my group, it’s just not something we want for every item

[@starhalv2427]

I was JUST having a discussion with a friend on whether his artificer should be able to craft magical artifacts with close to no limitations a couple days prior to this video coming out.

[@ConstructedChaos]

Haha perfect timing!! Hopefully this has given you some ideas for a system to use there! Artificer balance can swing pretty heavily depending on the implementation of this stuff!

[@mortalitydoesstuff8965]

@@ConstructedChaos artificer "balance" haha

[@badideagenerator2315]

Two words: Batch production. It would make sense for certain magic items (especially potions) to be produced in batches rather than individually.

[@ConstructedChaos]

That’s certainly a cool concept that I’d love to see implemented!

[@badideagenerator2315]

@@ConstructedChaos the number of these items successfully produced in a batch could be determined based on the type of magic item. For example, all potions are made in batches of 5, magic sling bullets and blowgun needles are produced in batches of 20, magic arrows, bolts, and darts are produced in batches of 10, magic javelins, nets, and boomerangs are produced in batches of 5, and all other magic weapons are produced in batches of 1. Also for magic weapons and ammunition, the cost of crafting should be the cost of the base item multiplied by the item's batch size and a number that depends on the rarity of the item. it could allow dm's to make crafting magic items have a high initial cost, but make it more worthwhile for the players to craft them.

[@jiminkpen9750]

I think I'm OK with the official system being clunky, time consuming and up to the GM. For games I like, I want the permanent magic items to be actually special when acquired and excite the player and character. DnD has always been a bit more magic item heavy than I prefer. Having said that if a character really wants to create their own iconic sword/staff/pendant etc it should be a unique and challenging part of the game.

[@ConstructedChaos]

I think you and I agree more than you might realize! Nicely said!

[@wwade7226]

Fairly easy Pseudo-Magic Items to make: Silvered Sword with Continual Flame cast on the blade at 3rd Lvl so it works in the Darkness spell area. Get a local mage to cast Magic Mouth on a coin or figurine that triggers when you are asleep and when any creature approaches within 30'. Continual Flame at 3rd Level on a coin or figurine that you can take out for easy light.

[@ConstructedChaos]

Really cool and flavorful ideas with practical applications! I like it!

[@transyuri4534]

I play in a one piece based campaign. We use a pdf that gives some rules for such a campaign. We use a lot of the rules but not all. Mostly just the character creation rules. However, it includes rules for building a ship. We applied the rules to crafting anything, add some slightly self destructive work ethic, and now I can make 8 bags of holding in a week.

[@ConstructedChaos]

Hi there, huge OP fan here. A campaign in that setting sounds fun as hell! Then maybe I could get some of my friends to watch 1000 episodes of the anime and catch up with me haha. You can keep the 8 bags of holding, though hahahaha

[@grog4063]

If you use the Old school method (3-4 hours/week for gaming and 5-6+ days of Downtime for crafting) you have even less. If you use the Forged in Fire History channel show gives you 3-5 days to make a Master craft weapon worth $10,000. (about 5 gold). 200 days to make your 1st +1 weapon is reasonable. Neverwinter has a crafting system with 7 crafts and hundreds of end items both mundane and magical using hired artisans.

[@ConstructedChaos]

I think that makes total realistic sense but I'm more concerned with the effect these mechanics have on the actual gameplay. If the system isn't getting used at most tables, I think it's worth considering a change. It's worked well for me so far and we are playing in a fantastical world with magical spells and creatures after all. Who's to say that things don't work differently there?

[@SymbioteMullet]

I'm suddenly nostalgic for the magic item crafting feats from 3.5. I don't know why, i don't think i ever used them. The system was perhaps too crunched out in 3.5, but the completely level playing field was a benefit. If you don't know, dear reader, the basics: Lets say you want to make a Flame Tongue sword 1) Craft a high quality (masterwork) mundane sword (profession: smith, or craft: metalwork skill check, dc 16 i think). You can just buy a masterwork sword from an appropriately skilled npc if you don't want to do it yourself. 2) have the appropriate magic item creation feat (craft magic arms and armour) 3) know the spells Scorching Ray, and one of either flame blade, fireball, or flame strike 4) be level 12+ 5) spend 10,515gp on materials and stuff and 816xp 6) it takes 1 day per 2000gp of value (or something like that), so thats 5 days hard work. 7) you has a flamey sword. I can't remember the exact formulas off the top of my head, but it's something like that. As you might have guessed, i never used item creation in 3.5 because it used up your experience points. I understand why that system was in place (it represented your life force being put into the weapon to empower it), but who's going to give up their xp? Other players could donate xp to the process, but the primary enchanter had to give a minimum of 50%. As with many things in d&d, it was good but flawed. I'm really glad that level draining and xp loss from familiars dying is no longer a thing in 5e

[@ConstructedChaos]

A lot of people have mentioned that I need to take a look at the 3.5e crafting system. I have yet to do it but I will soon--I promise! haha

[@lukeblundell5610]

One of my character's has learnt map reading and the use of cartographer tools gradually over several in game weeks; this has been a case of charting where the party have been and where they need to go, as well as from talking with local guides and explorers to get the best routes to places, plus local libraries and shops for books and maps as reference. She's learning smiting and enchanting too... As we play more real than fantasy a large part of the time to make an item is researching it and understanding just how to make it. The actual making, certainly at this stage, is not where a lot of the time is being invested - plus some of the cost is all the books and lessons from appropriately trained NPCs along the way.

[@ConstructedChaos]

I know this isn't exactly what you're speaking to but I think it'd be a cool implementation of this system to use the cartographer's tools to ink a sortof star map-like series of symbols onto an item for a magical enchanting effect!

[@lukeblundell5610]

@@ConstructedChaos that's an awesome idea, I'm going to totally steal it... Some devine / Celestial script (she's part Celestial Warlock) can be used to enchant her arms and armour. Totally combines the skills she's been naturally building as she's been journeying through life. Thanks for that idea!

[@ConstructedChaos]

@@lukeblundell5610 Nice!! Happy to help and I'm glad it resonated with you!

[@kwaksea]

Another lazy ruling by WotC DMs and PCs have to fix. Still, if PCs are supposed to be renound heros, I think it is OK for PCs to ask assistance for blacksmith guild to make base item and mage guild to magically enchant the base item into magic item (and PCs can help with skill check if they want). This way DMs not only adjust resource and time need for the crafting, but also scarecity as well.

[@ConstructedChaos]

I like that idea as an option as well! Nicely done!

[@PiroMunkie]

I feel like crafting/enchanting just doesn't fit within most D&D modules, because they tend to be high urgency with little-to-no room for frequent use of the extended downtime necessary for these things. If you're going to introduce crafting/enchanting systems into your world without judicious hand-waiving, these will take in-game time to do. If you're allowing your players to take extra time to work on crafting cool stuff, then your BBEG's machinations must also take time even if it's all happen during a two ten-day "crafting montage" skill challenge that takes 30 minutes of play time. Create urgency when necessary, but don't forget to make time for slice-of-life sessions.

[@ConstructedChaos]

I think your outlook represents a perfectly viable way to play. However, it's definitely not what keeps my group going and it's certainly not entertaining enough for live streaming like we do haha. I found it necessary to make the change for our table as a result but I can definitely understand your approach as well!

[@isaacrules2010]

See... The amount of time it takes to make mundane items actually does end up being days to weeks, depending on the item, especially in a world without modern technology... so I tend to not hate the long periods of time... HOWEVER I also build downtime into my games, which allows for players to take part in whatever downtime activities they like... I might also add an Arcana check as well as the skill they choose... it *IS* still manipulating arcane energies and, in my head, someone who has no clue what they're doing has a higher chance of failure than someone who does. Maybe the arcana check doesn't make it pass/fail, but rather determines how LONG it takes... idk... it just doesn't feel right to me that ANYONE can perform a feat of magic like that...

[@ConstructedChaos]

That's a totally fair take on crafting! But I'm willing to forgo a bit of realism for this system that works with game styles similar to mine and I feel as if the magic comes from the component that's being used to craft the item in my system. In a way, they're manipulating magic, sure. But I mentioned several examples for processes that would work without actually manipulating those magical energies as a caster might.

[@AgentForest]

If your table decides to exploit the faster crafting times and start selling the items to make money, I'd start building in some real economics, lol. Eventually, the shops can't afford to just buy more, because everyone in town already has a magic weapon of some kind. The market was flooded with magic items, and there's just no demand for them anymore, so the price plummets. They attempt to sell another +1 greatsword, and the smithy's like, "Nah, bro, I can't buy that. There isn't a single person in a dozen miles who doesn't have a magic weapon. It'd just collect dust on my shelf." Then later, they get into a random encounter on the way to a quest, and the group of orcs or bandits is just armed to the teeth with enchanted weapons and armor. "What the hell is this nameless bandit doing with full magical gear?!" "You'll have to ask him that." They capture him and drop a Zone of Truth only to find out, "Dude, everyone has these. I can't rob a single farmer on the road without going home with a new magic item. Some idiots a town over flooded the market or something, and everyone's strapped. I used to never get hauls like this. Been robbing travelers leaving this place for months now, and selling their stolen magic items at the next city over for a huge markup. I keep the best stuff for us though." TL;DR - If they want to exploit your crafting rules, raise the difficulty of encounters accordingly, and add in more criminals looking to exploit the new opportunities the party created.

[@ConstructedChaos]

I absolutely LOVE this haha. The band of orcs armed to the teeth specifically sounds really fun. Maybe I'll write in an arms dealer to a future campaign to make that happen if they don't shoot themselves in the foot first haha!

[@Kugrox]

I mean Ok. But your system is literally just the xge except you allow any skill check. theres also already a table for complications in crafting magic items, you didnt need to make up a new one. I dont understand why someone would choose this system over the XGE. you havnt added anything meaningful that changes it? I guess your system lets them do this in a day. But theres no hard set rules on that either. the XGE gives us an idea of how many magic items the party should have based on their level. If you want to put limits, just divide that up by the number of players in the party, that gives you the number of magic items each individual character is meant to obtain by their level. From this we can then allow them to create a magic item but it would count towards their total allowable magic items. Think of it as Cosmic Heroism. The Universe itself is keeping the balance. When you craft something, you arent just using magic, or blacksmithing, you're channeling a Heroic Feat, you're putting a piece of yourself into this item. You are literally crafting with Heroism. And as such, each character only has so much "heroism" to be afforded between adventuring, crafting, leveling up, so on and so forth. Heroes aren't infinite. This allows you to put a limit on the number of magic items they can obtain/craft and also gives a reason that actually makes sense in-universe. In World of Warcraft, Enchanting is a profession available to players who own the Burning Crusade expansion (Or any newer expansion). It requires a bunch of different ingredients to craft but the basic idea is Magic Dust, and Magic Shards. Both are obtained from disenchanting magic items. Disenchanting Weapons tends to produce Shards, disenchanting magic armor tends to produce magic dust. My point is that if someone is proficient in "Enchanting Magic Items" they should also be able to Disenchant Magic Items. So. Maybe you don't need to go on some long side quest to get an exotic ingredient. Perhaps you go to the store, purchase another magic item, or a number of them, then disenchant them, and use that to enchant your own item. This would allow the party to be able to, as an example, disenchant a magic item they found that was useless to them, to obtain its magic essence, and then use it to create an item they actually find beneficial. Up to you to decide how much "magic essence" you obtain per disenchantment, and how much is required to craft a new magic item. But I would say if you use this system dont make them end up in debt. It shouldnt take 6 uncommon magic items to create 1 uncommon magic item. Maybe you want to complicate it more so you have them roll for the disenchant to succeed then you roll for the quantity of magical essences obtained. In WoW you can also enchant an item that is already enchanted, just, replacing the old feature, with a new one. For DnD, what if you took, say, Greatsword of Flametongue, and wanted to upgrade it from 2d6, to 3d6, or maybe you wanted to make it more like a very rare item, theres one that is +2 magic item with a flametongue enchant, and it counts as very rare, i forget what its called. But lets say you wanted to do that. You could say that the flametongue already has maximum enchantment value on it, so you just need a little more to bridge the gap between rare and very rare enchanting, doing this would be much more efficient than disenchanting and starting from scratch. So. theres some ideas.

[@ConstructedChaos]

Thanks for the feedback!! As stated in the video, this isn’t an overhaul of the crafting system and I never claimed that it would be. Instead, it’s an extension of XGE because I found that those rules were relatively incomplete and didn’t work well at my table. Don’t forget that another major goal for this system was to keep the simplicity at a point where it was easily adapted and adopted by players that may not be interested in learning something more complex. I love these ideas and I’m sure they’d do very well at lots of tables, but I think most of my players would ignore it because they aren’t those types of players!

[@yomama211]

Cool system i really like it. To avoid economy disasters perhaps the ritual takes a lot of willpower or spiritual energy therefore the creation process could cause levels of exhaustion based on output thereby preventing a magic item factory scenario.

[@ConstructedChaos]

Love this idea too!! It did cross my mind but thought I might work some exhaustion effects into some of the failure risks!

[@cobhallagames6997]

The Campaign setting I have built for my players is built speciffically to handle Crafting and Selling Magic Items on mass if that is something the party eventually wants to do. My players are very keen on finding a way to abuse economies for profit, so I made that a mechanic with baked in rules and specific tasks to give them an opportunity to establish business routes and access to valuable materials at better than market rate. By gating access to the materials and areas behind shipping costs, completing quests, and making alliances; I am rewarding their ingenuity to maximize profits by making it a central theme of the campaign. You want to make a thousand swords? Ok, you need a factory, access to XYZ materials, you need to pay workers and shipping costs, where are you going g to sell it? Now you have to find a Marlet for your wares. But that's the game they want so it is a lot of fun

[@ConstructedChaos]

Hey, if that's what your table enjoys and you're having a good time with it there's absolutely no reason to avoid it! Good on ya!

[@ADiceySituation]

I'm writing a story where in order to get around a drow companion's Sunlight Sensitivity, the wizard of the party learns a spell called Shade, which normally gives 8 hours of immunity to the feature in question. After learning the spell, he had to save one 1st lvl spell slot for several days until he could get an amulet to enchant with the spell's magic. The rules I used were similar to I think Xhanathar's where it takes 1 work week since he was only level 3 or 4, but I also like that as he grows in power, a PC can enchant items at faster rates.

[@ConstructedChaos]

Fair enough! it sounds like that worked pretty well in your group!!

[@ashwynnnewkirk]

When it comes to avoiding tool proficiencies... I think that is a terrible idea. If you don't know how to handle a needle, you should not be sowing a dress. Quite the opposite, I made it the sole requirement. Being a caster does not help you make items (with exception of scrolls) at all. You can be an Elminster yourself for what I care but unless you have a proficiency with blacksmithing tools, you are not forging a magical sword. I've despised the necessity for a potion maker to actually know and be able to cast a spell in a world where every other rock is inherently magical. So If you got a nymph's hair, I have no problem letting you create a magical dress. I don't need you to be a caster to make potions, just have the right resources. If you want to play a Thief with a healer feat and proficiency with alchemy kit and be the traveling alchemist - I will gladly allow you to do so. If the warrior took the blackmithing kit and decided to turn a minotaur's horn into a warhammer I have no problem with that at all.

[@ConstructedChaos]

I think that approach is perfectly viable as well. I toyed with the idea myself in making this system. However, I removed the REQUIREMENT of tool proficiencies but I did allow the player to add double their proficiency bonus to their checks if they have tool proficiency. I think this more than makes up for it and still makes it possible for anyone to enchant!

[@joshuamcfadden427]

Because crafting items has been either too long or the process is not existent, I've adapted crafting for campaigns within my games for my players. They can buy or find ingredients and learn crafting techniques through out the game. Because I've given crafting as an option my players will opt for crafting instead of buying from a shop if they have the knowledge that could lead to better items.

[@ConstructedChaos]

I think that’s totally viable! I bet your group enjoys that a lot. I do find that trying to streamline certain downtime activities like shopping and crafting goes a long way for me since we do stream some of our games and not many are interested in watching that haha

[@justinfarmer4089]

A great sword vould be made in a day bt it would be a piece of crap. 4 Days at least. Here are a few of the many reasons why: 1, It takes many years to earn the title of master smith 2,. The ingredients for the steel to be made must be avilable. (could be a quest) . How many layers of steel in the blade needed to make a strong yet flexible steel. 3, any additional artistry put into the design. Etc... 4 days minimum

[@ConstructedChaos]

Haha You're not wrong, and I've stated as much in other comments. But, I know nothing about blacksmithing. Regardless of that lack of real life experience, we're playing in a fantasy world and I think it's worth forgoing that small element of realism in order to create a system that's more likely to be used and enjoyed by the players!

[@etienneripoche4704]

What about dispel magic and magic items (almost) indestructibility ? I get what you say, and it feels like a good idea, but i try to get around all the implications. A magic item is supposed to stay pristine through time, corrosion, weather, etc; but if my barbarian turns its makeshift rope-binded orc axe into an indestructible magic item just by shoving a dragon nail into the pummel, it gets kinda funny. Also, if it's this easy to make an item, it should be given that a well placed dispell magic would whither away all the runes you carved into it the day before. At least i feel it should. I would probably meet you halfway : cut the time needed to a few days, require proficiency in the skill/tools used to make it, and require some ingredients added in the fabrication of the item before even getting into the enchantment part : that way you get something that is inherently magical (hence its resistance and undispellable properties) and it serves as a canvas for an enchantment to be channeled into it.

[@ConstructedChaos]

You make some great points here! But I think, for me at least, one can justify a lot of this simply with the existence of magic in your world. An old ratty axe is now indestructible due to the presence of a dragon's tooth? I'm okay with that. For some background, my settings are traditionally not high magic. So items of this kind are still a bit on the rare side and SHOULD feel super potent! Can't be afraid to add in that extra flavor too! Perhaps the axe falls apart often but the ropes that bind it together glow with a bright light and reassimilate because the tooth has an unfed bloodlust that manifests in this magic and keeps the barb killing for it.

[@VAHelix]

It only takes one or two corrupted items or potions, purchased with hard earned gold, to send a party into a steep learning curve of make it yourself, makes it reliable mode. When instructions are requested or found it always takes more than one party members skill set. A magic shield requires smithing, leaterwork, and a magic worker.

[@ConstructedChaos]

In my experience, too many cursed or dysfunctional magic items have turned my groups off to magic items entirely. I'm sure it might play out differently depending on the group but just something to be cautious of.

[@salimufari]

I like this idea but I would have to limit the nonskilled crafting like the Barb with a dragon tooth to be a max +1 enchantment. I have always liked the idea that to make an enchanted item you should need a scroll to do it with the relevant spell to be placed in the item. This extra step I explain as the enchantment takes some life force from the enchanter & the scroll is a safeguard from this killing the caster. The DC for this would be just 10 + 5 per bonus. If a caster still wants to do it themselves the dc I use is 10 + whatever the spell level + 5dc per total desired enchantment level with a Con save vs the drain at the same number on top of the creation check. So a + 5 Holy Avenger say would be dc 35 + the spell level. The sword in this case would need to be of an adequate quality & take the length of time suiting such a powerful item. The DC can be aided by a number of assistants to use a help action at each critical step (one per bonus pt max) to reduce the DC by 5. Those assistants would need to be just as capable as the caster or at least capable of enchanting or creating the item to the needed quality. A bit convoluted but this seems to add the right amount of difficulty while still making it an exciting endeavor for the player / maker.

[@ConstructedChaos]

Group enchanting was something I’d considered at a point as well but felt it was a bit too complex for many of my groups to really enjoy it. That said, I think you’ve got a lot of great ideas here!

[@kitsuned.m.4550]

running toa you got me thinking about running a dwarf river boat. it's actually a small forge. as they hex crawl down the river downtime would mean something

[@ConstructedChaos]

Oh that's a pretty cool thought! Crafting on the go!

[@jonathanstern5537]

I completely agree with changing weeks to days, but I'd like to reverse the skill and tool proficiency. I don't know, it just seems to me that making stuff without tools makes less sense than making them with tools. I do think that they should be given a bonus or advantage if they use a skill to go along with it.

[@ConstructedChaos]

That's totally a respectable decision! Traditionally, you do get to add your tool proficiency to the check so it is usually accounted for. I just wanted to open things up but that doesn't mean my approach is right for every table!

[@obsidiannightwolfe13]

Adds a chance for role-playing flavor? Your DMs care about character development?

[@ConstructedChaos]

Hahaha it *is* a main concern of mine but I can't speak for everyone!

[@raphaelphenix9809]

If you guys think that DeD5 rules for creating magic itens discourage players you dont wanna know how they were creates in DeD3.

[@ConstructedChaos]

Hehehe Yea I probably don't 😅

[@RakaiThwei]

I just want to know if this is possible in DnD since I had this weapon created in free form roleplaying but... Is it possible to create a Ki empowered sword that can released Ki based projectiles that can cut enemies while also having the ability to summon Anti-Magic fields and dispel capabilities?

[@ConstructedChaos]

One of the key wonders of this game is that anything is possible! Creating such an item would be up to you and the DM!