Magic Item Creation

Material Acquisition

This phase consists of harvesting and/or finding materials with innate magical properties. These items can be anything from a magical plant, to the heart of a giant. In order to collect these materials, a single check based on the creature type must be made to determine how well the material is extracted and preserved for future use. A magical item cannot be made without a magical base.

Skill Check

Monster Type Skill Check
Beast, Dragon, Plant, Monstrosity Survival/Nature
Giant, Humanoid Medicine
Celestial, Fey, Fiend, Undead Religion
Aberration, Construct, Elemental, Ooze Arcana
Each monster type has a check associated with it based on its biology. Other skill checks might apply depending on the situation, so don't be afraid to ask.
  • Beasts, dragons, plants, and monstrosities are things that have biologies similar to what you might come across in nature.
  • Giants and humanoids have biology that someone who heals people would be familiar with.
  • Celestials, fey, fiends, and undead have bodies that someone familiar with the extraplanar would have knowledge of.
  • Abberations, constructs, elementals, and oozes have more magical origins, so arcana would be applicable.

Material Quality

Target DC Quality Modifier
8 Poor +2
10 Mediocre +1
12 Average +0
14 Good -1
16 Excellent -2
20 Perfect -3
Based on how well you do on your check, the DC for the next phase, refinement, is changed. If you do poorly on the check, it becomes harder. If you do well on your check, it becomes easier, as shown on the table. The quality column of the table is for materials that you acquired from others, didn't have to make a check for, and for enchanting materials.

Enchantment materials are components such as gems, certain metals, or thematic components that are appropriate for the kind of item you are making. The DM decides the quality of the material, and rates it from poor to perfect, and the modifier is applied to the enchanting process.

Material Refinement

This phase consists of polishing and combining the collected material into something fit for enchantment. This would be changing a pelt into a cloak, smithing the sword, or weaving a scarf. In addition, if you are using enchantment materials, these would be applied at this stage, though it might not require a check.

Item Rarity Creation DC Time
Common 10 3 days
Uncommon 12 6 days
Rare 14 12 days
Very Rare 16 24 days
Legendary 18 48 days
Over the course of the duration, 3 skill checks are made using the appropriate tools. The tools needed depend on the kind of item you are making, and what you are making it from. A cloak from a pelt would need leatherworker's tools, and a scarf made from silk would need weaver's tools.

The refinement DC is based on the material quality and item rarity, as shown on the tables. A natural 20 counts as two successes, and a natural 1 counts as two failures. Each success decreases the enchanting DC by 1, and each failure increases the enchanting DC by 1. So if you had 2 successes and 1 failure, the enchanting DC would decrease by 1.

The time it takes to complete is divided by the number of creatures working on it, if they have a relevant proficiency.

Item Enchantment

During this phase, a skilled spellcaster weaves magic into the item, in order to control and/or redirect its natural magic. Over the duration, make (time spent / 2) skill checks using your spellcasting ability modifier and tool proficiency if available. The item gets flaws or perks based on how much you succeed or fail.

Item Rarity Base DC Time Spent Caster Level Combined Spell Level
Common 12 1 day 1 2
Uncommon 14 2 days 3 4
Rare 16 4 days 6 7
Very Rare 18 6 days 9 11
Legendary 20 8 days 13 16
A spellcaster of the required level must use spell slots with a combined level equal to the value shown on the table. Multiple spellcasters can participate in this, and help each other.

If the combined spell slots is twice the value on the table, you can choose between reducing the enchanting DC by 1 or reducing the time remaining by a day.

A natural 20 counts as two successes, and a natural 1 counts as two failures.
  • If you get all successes, roll twice on the perks table.
  • If you get more successes than failures, roll on the perks table.
  • If you get more failures than successes, roll on the flaws table.
  • If you get all failures, you must start this process over