Item Details

This section contains additional information about creating various types of items, including required spells and the chance to create the item.

Potions

A potion requires no spells, but the caster must first have the formula. Determining a formula from scratch requires 1d3+1 weeks and costs 100 gp a week. Time and costs are reduced to the minimum if the caster has access to commune or contact other plane spells. If the caster has a potion to analyze or a formula from another caster, the research is free and requires one week. A character must have a full dose of the potion to analyze, but the dose is not consumed in the research. The time requirement listed on Table 23 is the time the character actually spends brewing the potion. Once a potion’s formula has been personally researched and recorded, the character need not research it again unless the record is lost.

The chance to successfully brew a potion is 70%, +1% for every two levels of the creator, and –1% for each 100 gp the potion costs (detailed on Table 23).

Scrolls

The common material required is the paper, parchment, or papyrus as detailed in Chapter 10 of the Dungeon Master Guide. The rare material is the quill; a new quill must be used for each spell written on the scroll.

Blending the ink is the most important process. Ink for spells of levels 1–3 require a rare ingredient, spells of levels 4–6 require an exotic ingredient, and spells of levels 7+ require one rare and one exotic ingredient. Blending the ink takes one day, and the ink must be used within two weeks.

No spells are actually cast when writing a scroll, but the character must know the relevant spell and have any required material components on hand. If normally consumed in the casting, the material components are consumed in writing the scroll. If casting the spell normally imposes a penalty on the caster, such as magical aging, creating the scroll carries the same penalty.

The chance to successfully write a scroll is 80%, +1% for every level of the creator, and –1% for each level of the written spell. There are additional adjustments for the materials used (see DMG, Chapter 10). The DM must roll for success separately for each spell on a scroll. A scroll can hold 1d6 spells, determined secretly by the DM, but the character knows when the scroll is full. A failed attempt to write a spell fills the scroll but usually doesn’t affect spells already written on it (see the Failure section).

Compare protection scrolls to the level of the spell that approximates their effects to determine the success chance and type of ink required. A protection from magic scroll, for example, is similar to antimagic shell, a 6th-level spell.

Rings

Any ring requires one common process in addition to any extra materials or processes needed for multiple functions or limited use. Discovering all the steps required to make a ring requires 1d6+1 weeks of research and costs 200 gp a week. Access to contact other plane or commune spells automatically reduces the required time to two weeks.

A ring also requires the enchant an item and permanency spells—or the equivalent priest ceremony—in addition to whatever spells are needed to create the ring’s powers (see page 90). Multiple-use rings require one spell per use, and multiple-function rings need one set of spells for each function.

The chance to successfully create a ring is 60%, +1% for every level of the creator, and –1% for each spell and special process required (except for the enchant an item spell). Priests, though they do not actually cast any spells, still suffer the penalty for spells. The more complex the enchantment, the more difficult it is to successfully petition the deity to imbue the item with power.

Rods, Staves, and Wands

These items require enchant an item spells—or the equivalent priest ceremonies—and whatever spells are needed to create their powers. Multiple-function rods, staves, and wands need one spell (or set of spells) for each function. A permanency spell is required.

The base chance to successfully create one of these items is the same as for a ring. If the item is rechargeable, it is created with one charge and then additional charges are added using the recharging procedure detailed below.

A rod, staff, or wand loses all its magical properties if it is ever drained of all its charges, even if it is normally rechargeable. Once drained of charges, the item can never be enchanted again.

Miscellaneous Magic, Armor, and Weapons

These items require enchant an item spells—or the equivalent priest ceremonies—and whatever spells are needed to create their powers. Each plus for a weapon or protective device requires a separate spell. Single-use and limited-use items do not require permanency spells, but other items do.

The chance to successfully create one of these items is the same as for a ring. Rechargeable items are created with one charge to reduce the chance for failure.

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