In order to create a magic item, the creator must be of a certain skill level. For an arcane caster such as an artificer, the skill required is arcana. In addition, different time periods are required to construct magical items of differing rarities.
| Item Rarity | Minimum Skill | Creation Time (weeks) |
|---|---|---|
| Common | +2 | 1 |
| Uncommon | +4 | 2 |
| Rare | +6 | 10 |
| Very Rare | +8 | 25 |
| Legendary | +10 | 50 |
In addition to the skill and time requirements needed to create an item, creators must also have the components on hand required to create the item. While most mundane components (and some specialized components) for magic items can be purchased, some rarer components might be more challenging to obtain. For example, a Rare Item may require a scale from a Young Blue Dragon (CR 9), while the creation of an Uncommon Item might require something more mundane, such as a plant found only in Q'Barra.
Just as Dragon Shards can be used to replace components in spells, in many cases Dragon Shards or other powerful magic amplifiers can be used to replace rare components. The Dragon Shard can replace a rare component of equal value in the creation of the item.
Costs for the tools, and components, as well as the CR of challenge required to obtain rare components, are listed in the table below.
| Item Rarity | Creation Cost (gp) | Rare Component CR |
|---|---|---|
| Common | 50 | 1-3 |
| Uncommon | 200 | 4-8 |
| Rare | 2,000 | 9-12 |
| Very Rare | 20,000 | 13-18 |
| Legendary | 100,000 | 19+ |
Once all the components are obtained, crafting of the item can begin. Crafting will require using tools a character is proficient in to create the magic item. A tool check can be made near the end of the time frame at a "critical point" in the crafting to determine how successful creation of the magic item is.
| Item Rarity | DC of Tool Check |
|---|---|
| Common | 12 |
| Uncommon | 16 |
| Rare | 20 |
| Very Rare | 24 |
| Legendary | 28 |
The DC of the tool check matches with the skill it would take to complete an item in the average amount of time. Rolling high enough causes the item to be finished quicker. Rolling lower causes the item to take longer to complete, or even causes item creation to fail. If the roll is especially bad, the components for the magic item may even be destroyed.
| Roll vs DC | Result |
|---|---|
| roll <= (DC - 10) | Item creation fails & components are destroyed |
| (DC - 10) < roll <= (DC - 5) | Item creation fails, but components are ok |
| (DC - 5) <= roll < DC | Item creation succeeds, but takes longer than normal |
| DC <= roll < (DC + 5) | Item creation succeeds in the normal time frame |
| (DC + 5) <= roll | Item creation succeeds, taking less time than normal |
Schematics offer a way for item creation to be a little less risky. If a schematic can be found or created for a magic item, the tool check for creating the item can be made with advantage. You can generally obtain schemas for magic items from House Cannith, the library of Arcanix, or from an experienced artificer.
You can also create your own schema using the table below. The minimum skill required to create a schema is the same as the minimum skill required to craft an item.
| Item Rarity | Minimum Skill | Work Weeks |
|---|---|---|
| Common | +2 | 3 days |
| Uncommon | +4 | 1 |
| Rare | +6 | 3 |
| Very Rare | +8 | 8 |
| Legendary | +10 | 16 |