A bit of a wierd request: How can I get the time I need to craft items? [Archive] - Wizards Community

A bit of a wierd request: How can I get the time I need to craft items? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Judging Eagle
10-08-06, 11:09 PM Wierd thing to ask, but I guess I should explain:

My character (a lvl 7 Archivist; not an Artificer) has started to become the parties one of two crafters with my Craft Wonderous Item feat (as well as Legendary/Extraordinary Artisan feats to reduce costs both Gp and Xp); the other being the cleric with Craft Arms & Armour.

Now, after this last mission we have a huge haul to divy up between the party.

With the Diplomancer's checks of 37 for Diplomacy; and good appraise cehcks by other characters with a variety of craft skills we should be able to get roughly 90-100k gp to split among 7 PCs/NPCs.

Now, I've got some plans for some custom items that I've been floating to the rest of the group; and they're pretty receptive to them, but the main problem is this:

I don't and may very well not; have the time to craft what needs to be crafted.

I could be spending as much as over 200 days crafting items and although there are no 'pressing' in-game missions to go on, I very much doubt that the DM will let me and the other cleric get away with burning 200 days.

The setting is Eberron, we're based in Sharn (a huge port metropolis).

Some options that I've thought up so far include:

-Visit a fishing village along the coast that saved one of our party members and hole up there for a while; have the party practise several Teamwork Benefits in the time there; while myself and the cleric craft gear. I might get the ranger to craft gear as well since she can cast the spells she needs to make certain items that the party will want to get.

-Invite the whole group to go on a trip to New Cyre (my character's former nation's new capital) an get away from Sharn

The thing is, I can only think of mundane methods.

So, my question is: "What else can I do to have crafting time 'sped up'?"

I know that accessing a demiplane with 'faster' or 'mutable' or something 'time' might fit the bill' but I can't pull that sort of trick off myself; and I fear it may be very costly to planeshift out somewhere (and bring 3 scrolls to try and get back).

Rope Trick or some other dimensional space spell don't really work for what I need, but I'm not sure really what to do.

Any advice?
NoldorForce
10-08-06, 11:18 PM Get a Bag of Holding big enough to fit a small magical laboratory in it. Ask your DM how big he views to be reasonable.

Make yourself a homunculus. Specifically, a Dedicated Wright (ECS). Have the thing craft stuff for you in the bag. You'll still have to pay for materials and XP, but it'll do the crafting after you put in the required investments.

If your DM tries to say no, point out that this sort of thing is in fact precisely what the critter is designed to do: craft stuff for you so you don't have to spend oodles of time doing the crafting yourself.
Rutibex
10-08-06, 11:25 PM First thing that comes to mind is a Rod of Security. Lets you and your Cleric friend chill out in a pocket plane for up to 100 days. The good thing is that the rod recharges every week, so you can just reactivate it within the plane itself and stay away forever. You don't even age.

Only hang up: it costs 61,000gp, so it's in your price range but doesn't leave you with much to work with afterwards.
hogarth
10-08-06, 11:34 PM Maybe you can sell your DM on converting to the Craft Points system from Unearthed Arcana: http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/buildingCharacters/craftPoints.htm

It simulates the fact that you can do some item creation in your down time; you trade craft points (from a limited reserve) in order to speed up the creation time.
Judging Eagle
10-09-06, 12:06 AM I think that I might have to buy a Dedicated Wright though... bleh, I remember now, I have to make it.

Yeah, that's not going to happen for a looong while. I need Craft Arms and Armour to get Craft construct.

Rutibex:

Oh, this is so good. Expensive, but good.

hogarth:

Great idea. Thanks as well

That should be more than enough ideas and help. I'll post again to reoprt how it went.
Tempest Stormwind
10-09-06, 12:11 AM Actually, I'm reasonably certain you can get someone else to craft most of the homunculus for you so long as you're present the whole time and provide the prerequisites OTHER than the feat (i.e. people can use surrogates for requirements when creating items). It MIGHT be odd in the case of a homunculus, though.

I'll look up the rules on this.

(Oh, and if you do this, a portable hole's the way to go, not a bag of holding.)
Judging Eagle
10-10-06, 02:34 PM Nevermind, after this next adventure we've got a large amount of time to rest, recuperate and prepare for an expedition.

We've got to lead an expedition into the Mournland to investigate the remains of the former Cyrean Fochlucan College.

The Player's Handbook II web enhancement section relating to creating magical gear is going to be exactly what this group needs, we have a pair of crafters, but neigther of us wants to supply the large amounts of XP for the crafting of items.

Anyway, I'm gonna make up a list of gear we're gonna want to get and post the GP/XP costs for the rest of our group's members.

Thanks for the help, and Tempest, you're right (aren't you usually right though?). I could track down some artificers or golem makers to make a pair of Dedicated Wrights.
Psionx
10-10-06, 02:49 PM First thing that comes to mind is a Rod of Security. Lets you and your Cleric friend chill out in a pocket plane for up to 100 days. The good thing is that the rod recharges every week, so you can just reactivate it within the plane itself and stay away forever. You don't even age.

Only hang up: it costs 61,000gp, so it's in your price range but doesn't leave you with much to work with afterwards.
with the inf power points generation you literally could get infinite power points as no time actually passes and you technically spent "forever" in an instant. Party: "dude that took forever!", psion: "but it was totally worth it!"
or just do an everfull purse thingy if you get ur hands on one.
Goon_for_Hire
10-12-06, 04:00 PM My players just hie themselves off to the Astral plane and take advantage of it's timeless quality.

Eventually I had to work out a functional ratio for the tiem period, but even if you are willing to give as little as 1 day on the Astral for 1 hour on the Material, it cuts the manufacture of every minor and medium magic item down to one day. Plus, with no need to eat or sleep while on the plane the DM can increase their efficiency as s/he sees fit.

Of course you have to find a planar breach, colour pool, portal, or have a handy casting of plane shift, but with the material in the Planar Handbook anyone who wants to jump planes usually can.
Tempest Stormwind
10-12-06, 04:41 PM with the inf power points generation you literally could get infinite power points as no time actually passes and you technically spent "forever" in an instant. Party: "dude that took forever!", psion: "but it was totally worth it!"
or just do an everfull purse thingy if you get ur hands on one.
1) Please, the combination you found doesn't work, and if you assume it does, it's nothing new.
2) Infinite actions in short span of time != actual time passing. You need to spend 8 hours a day, for one day per 1000 gp in the base price, building your items. This is TIME, not ACTIONS. An infinite-action loop won't help here. (However, the trick about jumping into a timefrozen plane -- i.e. the Far Realms or a perfect demiplane made by the arcane Genesis spell -- still works.)

I should note that the astral plane is timeless in that no time flows for the people who are on it. This is NOT the same as saying time spent on the Astral doesn't count in the material. If I spend 3 months in the Astral crafting a weapon, I'm the same age (physically) as when I started, but 3 months have passed on the Material.
Judging Eagle
10-13-06, 02:29 PM 1) Please, the combination you found doesn't work, and if you assume it does, it's nothing new.
2) Infinite actions in short span of time != actual time passing. You need to spend 8 hours a day, for one day per 1000 gp in the base price, building your items. This is TIME, not ACTIONS. An infinite-action loop won't help here. (However, the trick about jumping into a timefrozen plane -- i.e. the Far Realms or a perfect demiplane made by the arcane Genesis spell -- still works.)

I should note that the astral plane is timeless in that no time flows for the people who are on it. This is NOT the same as saying time spent on the Astral doesn't count in the material. If I spend 3 months in the Astral crafting a weapon, I'm the same age (physically) as when I started, but 3 months have passed on the Material.

That's why I said that the astral plane was useless.

The Rod of Security trick 'could' work, but I'm not sure if time passes there and none passes elsewhere or what.

In any case, I'm thinking that finding a demiplane where time passes faster than in the real world is problably the best.

I think I'm gonna spend the next few days and weeks finding such a place, getting planeshifted there and back.

To make the caster lvl check for a cleric 5 version of the scroll; I'l have to make a check of DC 10 with my caster lvl of 7 + 1d20.

I'll probably buy 3 scrolls. Or have the spell caster that I hire to come with me (plus anyone else for whom gear will be crafted or crafted by; the PHBII web enhancment where crafters no longer get the xp drain shaft is great).

So,

1. Find a plane where time passes at a rate of ... 1 day there for 1 hour/minute/or more on the material plane.

2. Find a 9th lvl cleric, probably won't be too hard to find a Cyran, or Brelish cleric, although both my character and the cleric know of a higher lvl cleric we did a task for in Zilargo. Explain what we want to do

3. Pay him the 450 gp to port us there (with him as well).

4. Craft what we need to

5. Port back (paying an other 450 gp). Find our way back to New Cyre/Sharn/Trolanport (5-500 miles off target when you Plane Shift... :grumble grumble: ).

6. Repeat 3 to 5 until everything we need it crafted.

With a location that takes 1 day there per 1 hour on the material; I'll need a little over week and a half to craft everything we'll need.

The check to find a Plane like that would border along the lines of...25 or 30? Perhaps 35.

Making a DC 35 Knowledge (the Planes) check might be a bit tough. I might spend some time buying texts on the planes (ie. just like an item that increases a skill check, the bonus provided squared times 100 gp).

My current Know (Planes) check is along the lines of 5 + 10 + 2 for +17, so checks in the high 20's and low 30's aren't impossible.

However, this can't be left to chance.

I'm gonna spend an other week improving my headband of intellect (add +3 to all int checks and int-based skill checks (a la Circlet of Persuasion, only changed from Cha to Int). that will increase the checks by +3.

So +20.

Then I'm going to take some time and do research and create a series of notes and research on the various planes to create a series of books that will grant me +5 on my Know (the Planes) checks. This would cost 2500 to buy; 937.5 gp 75 xp to craft.

So, +25.

That should do the trick. I'll have everyone who I can to assist me (the changeling rogue and the cleric should help me add +3 to +2 to my checks each).

Moving the check to +29 up to +31.

Hopefully I roll over 4... Wait, I can take 10 for something like this, can't I? I mean, I have tons of ranks in Proffession Librarian and my search check modifiers aren't horrible (+9-+12).

So, some time invested looking up the planes; then burn a bit of cash getting what we need to craft the gear, pay the cleric.

Shiesse, this is a whole mini-adventure in it's own right. All to find the [i]fastest way to burn xp. Usually players never try to find out how to do that.

Thanks for the help so far everyone .
jean-jacques
10-13-06, 09:44 PM unseen crafter second level cleric spell from races of eberron i believe. It really solves the clerics time problem though.
cheezgrater
10-13-06, 10:33 PM There's a feat (Magical Artisan?) That reduces all costs of crafting by 25%.
This stacks with the three Artisan Feats in the ECS.

Grab the Time feat.

Two feats reduces your crafting time by 50% and your XP and GP costs by 25%.
Judging Eagle
10-14-06, 03:57 PM There's a feat (Magical Artisan?) That reduces all costs of crafting by 25%.
This stacks with the three Artisan Feats in the ECS.

Grab the Time feat.

Two feats reduces your crafting time by 50% and your XP and GP costs by 25%.

Yeah... at like lvl 9.

I've already got Extraordianry and Legendary Artisan. I might change one for Magical Artisan However.

[gonna go look it up 1st]

Well, if I take it, I have to apply it to a single item creation feat. While Legendary/Extraordianry Artisan apply to all my craft feats (scroll and wonderous, but also arms and armour via the cleric's crafting feats).

jean-jacques; I'm not seeing how Unseen Servant helps with anyhting except for the 'crafting' of non-magical gear and repairing the warforged PC in our group. Also, it doesn't speed anything up, it merely gives you a potentially, slightly more skilled person to assist in crafting non-magical items.
PhaedrusXY
10-14-06, 08:56 PM I don't see anything in the description of the Rod of Security that makes me think that time passes differently inside the pocket dimension it creates and the Material Plane.
DMPugLW
10-14-06, 09:22 PM This falls under the mundane solution, but you might be able to convince the DM to give you the time while other members of the party go off on their own to make contacts and such to get prestige classes. Anything that needs to be roleplayed could be done between sessions and when you meet back you could simply pick up where you left off. This is what my group does as we all have our little obligations to meet for prestige classes, teaching, temple duty, and military training/service.

Wouldn't be faster to simply find a sage to do the research? It seems your going to do weeks of work just to find the plane.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Judging Eagle 10-08-06, 11:09 PM	Wierd thing to ask, but I guess I should explain: My character (a lvl 7 Archivist; not an Artificer) has started to become the parties one of two crafters with my Craft Wonderous Item feat (as well as Legendary/Extraordinary Artisan feats to reduce costs both Gp and Xp); the other being the cleric with Craft Arms & Armour. Now, after this last mission we have a huge haul to divy up between the party. With the Diplomancer's checks of 37 for Diplomacy; and good appraise cehcks by other characters with a variety of craft skills we should be able to get roughly 90-100k gp to split among 7 PCs/NPCs. Now, I've got some plans for some custom items that I've been floating to the rest of the group; and they're pretty receptive to them, but the main problem is this: I don't and may very well not; have the time to craft what needs to be crafted. I could be spending as much as over 200 days crafting items and although there are no 'pressing' in-game missions to go on, I very much doubt that the DM will let me and the other cleric get away with burning 200 days. The setting is Eberron, we're based in Sharn (a huge port metropolis). Some options that I've thought up so far include: -Visit a fishing village along the coast that saved one of our party members and hole up there for a while; have the party practise several Teamwork Benefits in the time there; while myself and the cleric craft gear. I might get the ranger to craft gear as well since she can cast the spells she needs to make certain items that the party will want to get. -Invite the whole group to go on a trip to New Cyre (my character's former nation's new capital) an get away from Sharn The thing is, I can only think of mundane methods. So, my question is: "What else can I do to have crafting time 'sped up'?" I know that accessing a demiplane with 'faster' or 'mutable' or something 'time' might fit the bill' but I can't pull that sort of trick off myself; and I fear it may be very costly to planeshift out somewhere (and bring 3 scrolls to try and get back). Rope Trick or some other dimensional space spell don't really work for what I need, but I'm not sure really what to do. Any advice?
NoldorForce 10-08-06, 11:18 PM	Get a Bag of Holding big enough to fit a small magical laboratory in it. Ask your DM how big he views to be reasonable. Make yourself a homunculus. Specifically, a Dedicated Wright (ECS). Have the thing craft stuff for you in the bag. You'll still have to pay for materials and XP, but it'll do the crafting after you put in the required investments. If your DM tries to say no, point out that this sort of thing is in fact precisely what the critter is designed to do: craft stuff for you so you don't have to spend oodles of time doing the crafting yourself.
Rutibex 10-08-06, 11:25 PM	First thing that comes to mind is a Rod of Security. Lets you and your Cleric friend chill out in a pocket plane for up to 100 days. The good thing is that the rod recharges every week, so you can just reactivate it within the plane itself and stay away forever. You don't even age. Only hang up: it costs 61,000gp, so it's in your price range but doesn't leave you with much to work with afterwards.
hogarth 10-08-06, 11:34 PM	Maybe you can sell your DM on converting to the Craft Points system from Unearthed Arcana: http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/buildingCharacters/craftPoints.htm It simulates the fact that you can do some item creation in your down time; you trade craft points (from a limited reserve) in order to speed up the creation time.
Judging Eagle 10-09-06, 12:06 AM	I think that I might have to buy a Dedicated Wright though... bleh, I remember now, I have to make it. Yeah, that's not going to happen for a looong while. I need Craft Arms and Armour to get Craft construct. Rutibex: Oh, this is so good. Expensive, but good. hogarth: Great idea. Thanks as well That should be more than enough ideas and help. I'll post again to reoprt how it went.
Tempest Stormwind 10-09-06, 12:11 AM	Actually, I'm reasonably certain you can get someone else to craft most of the homunculus for you so long as you're present the whole time and provide the prerequisites OTHER than the feat (i.e. people can use surrogates for requirements when creating items). It MIGHT be odd in the case of a homunculus, though. I'll look up the rules on this. (Oh, and if you do this, a portable hole's the way to go, not a bag of holding.)
Judging Eagle 10-10-06, 02:34 PM	Nevermind, after this next adventure we've got a large amount of time to rest, recuperate and prepare for an expedition. We've got to lead an expedition into the Mournland to investigate the remains of the former Cyrean Fochlucan College. The Player's Handbook II web enhancement section relating to creating magical gear is going to be exactly what this group needs, we have a pair of crafters, but neigther of us wants to supply the large amounts of XP for the crafting of items. Anyway, I'm gonna make up a list of gear we're gonna want to get and post the GP/XP costs for the rest of our group's members. Thanks for the help, and Tempest, you're right (aren't you usually right though?). I could track down some artificers or golem makers to make a pair of Dedicated Wrights.
Psionx 10-10-06, 02:49 PM	First thing that comes to mind is a Rod of Security. Lets you and your Cleric friend chill out in a pocket plane for up to 100 days. The good thing is that the rod recharges every week, so you can just reactivate it within the plane itself and stay away forever. You don't even age. Only hang up: it costs 61,000gp, so it's in your price range but doesn't leave you with much to work with afterwards. with the inf power points generation you literally could get infinite power points as no time actually passes and you technically spent "forever" in an instant. Party: "dude that took forever!", psion: "but it was totally worth it!" or just do an everfull purse thingy if you get ur hands on one.
Goon_for_Hire 10-12-06, 04:00 PM	My players just hie themselves off to the Astral plane and take advantage of it's timeless quality. Eventually I had to work out a functional ratio for the tiem period, but even if you are willing to give as little as 1 day on the Astral for 1 hour on the Material, it cuts the manufacture of every minor and medium magic item down to one day. Plus, with no need to eat or sleep while on the plane the DM can increase their efficiency as s/he sees fit. Of course you have to find a planar breach, colour pool, portal, or have a handy casting of plane shift, but with the material in the Planar Handbook anyone who wants to jump planes usually can.
Tempest Stormwind 10-12-06, 04:41 PM	with the inf power points generation you literally could get infinite power points as no time actually passes and you technically spent "forever" in an instant. Party: "dude that took forever!", psion: "but it was totally worth it!" or just do an everfull purse thingy if you get ur hands on one. 1) Please, the combination you found doesn't work, and if you assume it does, it's nothing new. 2) Infinite actions in short span of time != actual time passing. You need to spend 8 hours a day, for one day per 1000 gp in the base price, building your items. This is TIME, not ACTIONS. An infinite-action loop won't help here. (However, the trick about jumping into a timefrozen plane -- i.e. the Far Realms or a perfect demiplane made by the arcane Genesis spell -- still works.) I should note that the astral plane is timeless in that no time flows for the people who are on it. This is NOT the same as saying time spent on the Astral doesn't count in the material. If I spend 3 months in the Astral crafting a weapon, I'm the same age (physically) as when I started, but 3 months have passed on the Material.
Judging Eagle 10-13-06, 02:29 PM	1) Please, the combination you found doesn't work, and if you assume it does, it's nothing new. 2) Infinite actions in short span of time != actual time passing. You need to spend 8 hours a day, for one day per 1000 gp in the base price, building your items. This is TIME, not ACTIONS. An infinite-action loop won't help here. (However, the trick about jumping into a timefrozen plane -- i.e. the Far Realms or a perfect demiplane made by the arcane Genesis spell -- still works.) I should note that the astral plane is timeless in that no time flows for the people who are on it. This is NOT the same as saying time spent on the Astral doesn't count in the material. If I spend 3 months in the Astral crafting a weapon, I'm the same age (physically) as when I started, but 3 months have passed on the Material. That's why I said that the astral plane was useless. The Rod of Security trick 'could' work, but I'm not sure if time passes there and none passes elsewhere or what. In any case, I'm thinking that finding a demiplane where time passes faster than in the real world is problably the best. I think I'm gonna spend the next few days and weeks finding such a place, getting planeshifted there and back. To make the caster lvl check for a cleric 5 version of the scroll; I'l have to make a check of DC 10 with my caster lvl of 7 + 1d20. I'll probably buy 3 scrolls. Or have the spell caster that I hire to come with me (plus anyone else for whom gear will be crafted or crafted by; the PHBII web enhancment where crafters no longer get the xp drain shaft is great). So, 1. Find a plane where time passes at a rate of ... 1 day there for 1 hour/minute/or more on the material plane. 2. Find a 9th lvl cleric, probably won't be too hard to find a Cyran, or Brelish cleric, although both my character and the cleric know of a higher lvl cleric we did a task for in Zilargo. Explain what we want to do 3. Pay him the 450 gp to port us there (with him as well). 4. Craft what we need to 5. Port back (paying an other 450 gp). Find our way back to New Cyre/Sharn/Trolanport (5-500 miles off target when you Plane Shift... :grumble grumble: ). 6. Repeat 3 to 5 until everything we need it crafted. With a location that takes 1 day there per 1 hour on the material; I'll need a little over week and a half to craft everything we'll need. The check to find a Plane like that would border along the lines of...25 or 30? Perhaps 35. Making a DC 35 Knowledge (the Planes) check might be a bit tough. I might spend some time buying texts on the planes (ie. just like an item that increases a skill check, the bonus provided squared times 100 gp). My current Know (Planes) check is along the lines of 5 + 10 + 2 for +17, so checks in the high 20's and low 30's aren't impossible. However, this can't be left to chance. I'm gonna spend an other week improving my headband of intellect (add +3 to all int checks and int-based skill checks (a la Circlet of Persuasion, only changed from Cha to Int). that will increase the checks by +3. So +20. Then I'm going to take some time and do research and create a series of notes and research on the various planes to create a series of books that will grant me +5 on my Know (the Planes) checks. This would cost 2500 to buy; 937.5 gp 75 xp to craft. So, +25. That should do the trick. I'll have everyone who I can to assist me (the changeling rogue and the cleric should help me add +3 to +2 to my checks each). Moving the check to +29 up to +31. Hopefully I roll over 4... Wait, I can take 10 for something like this, can't I? I mean, I have tons of ranks in Proffession Librarian and my search check modifiers aren't horrible (+9-+12). So, some time invested looking up the planes; then burn a bit of cash getting what we need to craft the gear, pay the cleric. Shiesse, this is a whole mini-adventure in it's own right. All to find the [i]fastest way to burn xp. Usually players never try to find out how to do that. Thanks for the help so far everyone .
jean-jacques 10-13-06, 09:44 PM	unseen crafter second level cleric spell from races of eberron i believe. It really solves the clerics time problem though.
cheezgrater 10-13-06, 10:33 PM	There's a feat (Magical Artisan?) That reduces all costs of crafting by 25%. This stacks with the three Artisan Feats in the ECS. Grab the Time feat. Two feats reduces your crafting time by 50% and your XP and GP costs by 25%.
Judging Eagle 10-14-06, 03:57 PM	There's a feat (Magical Artisan?) That reduces all costs of crafting by 25%. This stacks with the three Artisan Feats in the ECS. Grab the Time feat. Two feats reduces your crafting time by 50% and your XP and GP costs by 25%. Yeah... at like lvl 9. I've already got Extraordianry and Legendary Artisan. I might change one for Magical Artisan However. [gonna go look it up 1st] Well, if I take it, I have to apply it to a single item creation feat. While Legendary/Extraordianry Artisan apply to all my craft feats (scroll and wonderous, but also arms and armour via the cleric's crafting feats). jean-jacques; I'm not seeing how Unseen Servant helps with anyhting except for the 'crafting' of non-magical gear and repairing the warforged PC in our group. Also, it doesn't speed anything up, it merely gives you a potentially, slightly more skilled person to assist in crafting non-magical items.
PhaedrusXY 10-14-06, 08:56 PM	I don't see anything in the description of the Rod of Security that makes me think that time passes differently inside the pocket dimension it creates and the Material Plane.
DMPugLW 10-14-06, 09:22 PM	This falls under the mundane solution, but you might be able to convince the DM to give you the time while other members of the party go off on their own to make contacts and such to get prestige classes. Anything that needs to be roleplayed could be done between sessions and when you meet back you could simply pick up where you left off. This is what my group does as we all have our little obligations to meet for prestige classes, teaching, temple duty, and military training/service. Wouldn't be faster to simply find a sage to do the research? It seems your going to do weeks of work just to find the plane.