Help with item crafting ruling by DM

Essentially my situation is that my DM will not allow my crafter to make items at a reduced price, by using the restriction on alignment for 30% off, and for skill by 10%, due to the fact that those restrictions benefited me, and imposed no penalties on me. part of the ruling is that another player pointed out that the d20srd page had it under variant rules at the top. Arguments I have tried include

- I'm already spending feats and xp towards these items, and the restrictions are in the DMG.
- I'm making the item, but I'm leaving the parts that make it user friendly out.

my real question is: Is the DM right? Does it make my custom magic items too cheap? And if not, any thoughts on convincing him?

I don't know the exact variant rules you are talking about, but the crux of it is this: if the DM previously said that those rules were in play, and is now changing them on the fly, you should figure out a set of rules that both players and DM agree on. If he never said they were in play, and you just saw them on the d20srd and want him to use them, he is well within his rights to refuse you access to them.

Lots of dms don't like the alignment etc restrictions, and I don't blame them. Why not make bog standard items and use other ways of lowering cost?

http://brilliantgameologists.com/boa...php?topic=7274

You honestly don't have a leg to stand on here. The custom item rules are guidlines only and the section explicitly tells you to work with your DM. If he says the alignment and skill discounts are out, they're out; end of discussion.

Besides, you're still getting exactly the items you want, rather than whatever you can find, at half-price. The xp loss is self-correcting to the point that you'd have to burn off XP at an utterly absurd rate to ever have even a chance of falling more than a level behind.

Be glad you're not restricted to just published items and get on with your fun.

Edit: also, as I look at the section in question it's entirely possible, probable even, that those discounts were supposed to apply only to the market price of the item, not its base price or cost to create.

This honestly makes more sense to me than the idea that those discounts were supposed to be applied to the creation of the item. The magic woven into the item has to be able to read your alignment and determine whether or not you can use it skillfully. Why would that magic be less complex, and thus cheaper, than the standard version of the same that will work for anyone?

All right. Thanks to all for posting, and I guess I will just take magic items at only half price. :smallbiggrin: