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View Full Version : Pathfinder Master of Artifice - Magic Item Crafting PrC



Toilet Cobra
2016-02-12, 03:27 PM
A campaign or two ago, my player wanted a character focused solely on crafting magic items so I made this prestige class for him. I'm sure there are plenty of this kind of class already, and I don't do much homebrewing so it may not be up to the Playground's standards... but anyway here's my take on this old concept.

Master of Artifice

Prereqs: Spellcraft 5 ranks, any craft 5 ranks, Craft Wondrous Item, any one of the following: Craft Rod, Craft Staff, Forge Ring, or Forge Magic Arms and Armor

Hit Dice: 1d8
Skill ranks per level: 4 + Int mod
BAB: As wizard
Saves: As cleric
Class skills: As alchemist




Level
Abilities gained
Spell Levels


1st
Great Minds, Efficient Construction
+ Spell Level


2nd
Shortcut to Greatness 1
+ Spell Level


3rd
Siphon Power 1/day, Bonus Feat
+ Spell Level


4th
Shortcut to Greatness 2
+ Spell Level


5th
Improvisational Enchantment
-----


6th
Shortcut to Greatness 3, Siphon Power 2/day
+ Spell Level


7th
Retribution Strike, Bonus Feat
+ Spell Level


8th
Shortcut to Greatness 4
+ Spell Level


9th
Siphon Power 3/day
+ Spell Level


10th
Mastercraft, Once in an Era
-----



Great Minds - When creating an appropriate magic item, a Master of Artifice may choose to imbue the item with intelligence by increasing the cost of the item's crafting by 50% (the resale price of the item increases by a similar amount). Due to the need for superior craftsmanship in such an item, she cannot use this ability with the discount from Efficient Construction (see below). The DM determines the final details, powers, and personality of the item, but the item's alignment is always the same as its creator's.

A Master of Artifice never suffers a conflict of personality with an intelligent item, regardless of alignment or goals (though an item of differing alignment might still refuse to function normally for her). This ability does not affect the behavior of Artifacts.

Tenneson has found a magic ring of dark and evil intelligence. Normally it would attempt to seduce the Good-aligned cleric to the side of evil, but it respects his power and knowledge too much to do more than simply refuse to turn him invisible.

Efficient Construction - Starting at 1st level, the Master of Artifice may reduce the cost of enchanting items by substituting cheaper components, sacrificing decorative elements, and eliminating redundancies in the item's enchantment. The Master of Artifice reduces the cost to create all magic items except potions, scrolls, and wands by 5% per class level. However, the time required to create an item this way does not change, and the final product appears inferior, reducing the selling price by an equal amount. Masters of Artifice who take pride in their craftsmanship may forego this price reduction if they so choose.

Tenneson creates a Bag of Holding IV, normal price to craft: 5,000 gp. However, as a 7th-level Master of Artifice he can cut enough corners to finish the construction for a mere 3,250 gp. But the final product, while fully functional, looks shoddy in comparison to similar items and will sell for only 3,250 gp if he ever parts with it.

Shortcut to Greatness - Starting at 2nd level, and every even-numbered level thereafter, the Master of Artifice reduces the penalty to her Spellcraft check by 1 when making a magic item without the normal prerequisites, to a maximum reduction of 4 at 8th level. This reduction applies per each missing prerequisite, so a larger total reduction is possible.

Tenneson, a sixth-level Master of Artifice, only suffers a -2 penalty for each prerequisite he does not meet when crafting a magic item. He wishes to craft a Staff of Fire but he does not have any of the three required spells; his total penalty to the spellcraft check is -6, rather than the normal -15 penalty he would suffer.

Siphon Power - A Master of Artifice can draw on the power of magic items to fuel her spellcasting. Once per day for every three class levels, as a standard action she can choose a magic item on her person (it does not have to be worn or held, merely in her possession). That item loses all magical properties just as if it were placed in an antimagic field. The Master of Artifice gains a Spellcharge, which lasts for one round per class level (if unused, the Spellcharge is lost after this duration). The Spellcharge can be used to spontaneously cast any spell that the caster knows (or in the case of clerics and druids, any spell on their respective spell list) that is of a level equal to or less than half the drained item's caster level, rounded down. A Spellcharge cannot be used to cast spells that the Master of Artifice could not normally cast (such as a trying to cast a spell with a level higher than their highest-level spell slot). If the Master of Artifice uses this ability to cast a spell with an expensive material component or focus, they must supply them or else the spell fails.

The item that was drained remains suppressed and non-magical for one day per level of the spell cast using its Spellcharge. If a Spellcharge is not used and is lost, the item remains unusable for one day. This ability may not be used with any single-use item (scrolls, potions, etc.) or any item that has a finite number of charges (wands, staves, etc.).

Tenneson has run out of spells, but Ditchberg's life hangs by a thread- he needs a Cure spell, and fast. Tenneson chooses to draw on the power of his +2 Chain Shirt to save his friend's life.The Caster Level of his armor is 6, so he gains a Spellcharge that can be used to cast any cleric spell of 3rd level or lower. He chooses Cure Light Wounds, which he can cast as soon as his next turn begins. He has saved Ditchberg's life, but since he cast a 1st-level spell, his armor will be a mere non-magical masterwork item for one day. Alternatively, he could have cast a third-level Cure Serious Wounds, but then he would have been left without magical armor for a full three days.

Bonus Feat- A Master of Artifice gains one bonus feat at 3rd level and another at 7th level. These may be any Item Creation or Metamagic feat for which the Master of Artifice qualifies.

Improvisational Enchantment - In times of great need, a Master of Artifice can create a magic item on the fly, even in the heat of battle-- but such things are flawed, temporary creations, suitable only for brief use. Once per week starting at 5th level, as a standard action, the Master of Artifice can imbue any appropriate item within arm's reach, turning it into whatever magic item he wishes by drawing on the strength of his own soul to power the enchantment. The Master of Artifice suffers two points of ability drain to his Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma, which may not be healed by any normal means. The item is then created and ready to use. A Master of Artifice who is immune to ability drain cannot use this ability.

An item created this way does not need a masterwork item as its base material, but will function on anything in roughly the right shape and composed of similar materials (a magic rod could be created out of a chair leg, a magic cloak could be created from a rug or blanket, etc.). A weapon or armor so enchanted must be of its own base type, i.e., a chain shirt could become a +1 Chain Shirt of Energy Resistance, but could not become a +1 Full Plate Suit of Energy Resistance, nor could a longsword be used to make a magic spiked chain, and so on. An item that is already magical may not be used as the target of this ability. Items created with this ability lack the power required to activate a Retributive Strike (see Retributive Strike, below).

The item remains enchanted for up to 24 hours, though the Master of Artifice may choose to end this effect earlier. As soon as the item ceases to be imbued, it crumbles to dust, and the Master of Artifice automatically recovers his lost ability scores after one day per five Caster Levels of the item created, rounded up. This ability drain can be cured by normal means, but only if the imbued item has already been destroyed.

Such an item is so shoddy in appearance and function that no buyer would confuse it for an item created through normal means. A Master of Artifice may not use this ability to craft an item of Caster Level higher than his character level. Staves, wands, scrolls, potions, and other items with finite charges cannot be created with this ability. This ability may not be used on an an item not in the Master of Artifice’s possession, nor can it be used to make cursed items. Items created this way never have intelligence.

Tenneson's ship is sinking, and he's hours away from shore. Thinking quickly, he climbs the main mast and snatches down the ship's flag, imbuing it and turning it into a Cloak of the Manta Ray. He uses it to swim safely away from the wreck and discards the Cloak after he reaches the shore some time later. The Cloak was CL 9th, so he will suffer a penalty to his mental ability scores for two days, but it's certainly preferable to drowning.

Retributive Strike - As a standard action, a 7th-level Master of Artifice may willingly destroy any magic item she holds, causing it to unleash power in an explosive torrent. The item is ruined, and deals force damage equal to 1d6 per Caster Level of the item to all creatures in a 30' blast centered on the character. The Master of Artifice has a 50% chance to avoid all damage by disappearing to the Astral Plane (though she may willingly fail this roll if she wishes to stay on her current plane and suffer the consequences). An item broken in a Retributive Strike cannot be repaired by mortal means. This ability cannot be used on an item that has been temporarily or permanently drained of its magic, whether by the Siphon Power ability, an antimagic field, or any similar effect. Potions, scrolls, and other consumable items cannot be used with this ability; the only exception are wands and staves that have at least 50% of their original charges remaining. This effect does not offer a saving throw and ignores spell resistance.

Surrounded by enemies,Tenneson acts out of desperation and snaps his +3 Warmace (caster level 15) over his knee. He attempts to flee into the Astral Plane, but fails, and suffers 15d6 damage, along with all his foes and one unlucky ally caught in the explosion.

Mastercraft - When a Master of Artifice reaches 10th level, she can apply her knowledge to achieve astonishing feats of craftsmanship. When the Master of Artifice begins creating a magic item of any kind, she can choose to apply any one of the following effects:

* Create an item in only eight hours of continuous work.
* Create an item for 25% of the normal cost but taking 50% more time (resale value is also reduced to 25% of normal). This effect cannot be used in conjunction with the Magic Item Creation Rules for creating an item in half the usual time, or any other effect which would reduce the time it takes to craft the item.
* Bypass the normal limitations of crafting a magic item. Weapons and armor of up to +6 enhancement bonus may be created, and other items exceeding the normal limit of 200,000gp may be crafted. Any item crafted with this option takes eight hours of crafting each day for thirty days to create, and no effect can reduce this crafting time. An item created this way costing at least 250,000gp is suitable for ascending to Artifact status (see Once in an Era, below). The DM has final say on all details and powers of any item built beyond the scope of normal magic items, but the Master of Artifice always knows what the final capabilities of such an item will be before they begin crafting.

Mastercraft requires the utmost craftsmanship and choice materials, and thus the Master of Artifice may not benefit from her Efficient Construction ability if she chooses to use any of these three options while creating her magic item.

Once in an Era - A Master of Artifice of class level 10th and total character level of at least 18th may imbue an eligible item created with the Mastercraft ability (gp value of at least 250,000) with the status of a Major Artifact. Doing so requires two things: the Master of Artifice must find a suitable power source capable of fueling reality-bending powers, and must make a great personal sacrifice to prove her worthiness and devotion. The definition of both of these acts is up to DM discretion, but will surely take a great deal of time and effort, usually in the form of a perilous quest.

An artifact created this way will carry the name of its creator down through history, and will gain powers appropriate for an item of its type and status. It can only be destroyed by difficult means of the creator's choosing, and will behave according to her wishes after she passes on: it might choose a champion and stay by their side until death, or it may disappear and resurface seemingly at random, sowing mischief down the years. It may also communicate or attempt to sway the alignment of its owner, according to its creator's wishes. An artifact’s alignment is always the same as its creator’s.

Regardless of other circumstances, no Master of Artifice can create more than one Artifact in her lifetime.

Tenneson toiled long and hard over his Bag of Holding XI, and decided that such a thing was too wonderful to risk losing to the ages. He set out on a quest to imbue it with the status of an Artifact. Doing so took over a year of questing, requiring him to visit and study the dark depths of the universe, harness the white-hot heart of a star for power, and forced him to sacrifice his right hand, vowing never to craft again after this masterpiece was completed. In the end, he was successful, and he bestowed Tenneson's Pocket Universe upon the world, a Bag of Holding in the form of an unassuming pocket on his jacket. Yet it was so large on the inside that it was nearly a world unto itself, a timeless paradise filled to the brim with all the wonders of the multiverse. Castles and armies have disappeared into the Pocket Universe as quick as a wink, to be unleashed hundreds of years later; whole oceans have disappeared into its depths, leviathans and all. The only way to destroy it would be to drop it inside a Portable Hole of equal size, but surely such a thing has never been created, and until it is, Tenneson's Pocket Universe remains indestructible and inviolate for all time. Some say that the great Tenneson himself wanders the Pocket Universe to this day, charting the infinite, ever-changing topography of the world he created...

noob
2016-02-12, 05:25 PM
Well how would it interact with epic progression.

Toilet Cobra
2016-02-12, 07:06 PM
Well how would it interact with epic progression.

There are a lot of abilities here that don't scale or don't scale well, so I'm guessing it's just not suited for epic progression. In particular, Efficient Construction gets problematic if it progresses as written past 10th level. Without new abilities or scaling versions of the old ones, I can't see any reason someone would take epic levels of this over their primary casting class.

noob
2016-02-13, 07:09 AM
It is rather easy to take with a few levels in PF artificer(there is such thing) and then the first level is one of the best(Great minds is mostly better than all the other class features reunited)
Taking further levels is great until level 5 which loose a caster level.

Toilet Cobra
2016-02-13, 08:06 AM
It is rather easy to take with a few levels in PF artificer(there is such thing) and then the first level is one of the best(Great minds is mostly better than all the other class features reunited)
Taking further levels is great until level 5 which loose a caster level.

Hmm, I guess I can see that. Do you think Great Minds would justify losing a caster level at 1st? Or maybe it should be removed altogether?