Crafting Nonmagical Items

To craft a nonmagical item, you need tools, raw materials, and time, each of which is detailed below. If you meet the requirements, you make the item, and you can use it or sell it at its normal price.

Tools

Each Tool’s Craft entry lists which items it can make. The DM assigns required tools for items not listed there.

You must use the required tool to make an item and have proficiency with that tool. Anyone who helps you must also have proficiency with it.

Raw Materials

To make an item, you need raw materials worth half its purchase cost (round down). For example, you need 750 GP of raw materials to make Plate Armor, which sells for 1,500 GP. The DM determines whether appropriate raw materials are available.

Time

To determine how many days (working 8 hours a day) it takes to make an item, divide its purchase cost in GP by 10 (round a fraction up to a day). For example, you need 5 days to make a Heavy Crossbow, which sells for 50 GP.

If an item requires multiple days, the days needn’t be consecutive.

Characters can combine their efforts to shorten the crafting time. Divide the time needed to create an item by the number of characters working on it. Normally, only one other character can assist you, but the DM might allow more assistants.

Brewing Potions of Healing

A character who has proficiency with the Herbalism Kit can create a Potion of Healing. Doing so requires using that kit and 25 GP of raw material over the course of 1 day (8 hours of work).

Scribing Spell Scrolls

A spellcaster can transfer a spell to a scroll and create a Spell Scroll, using the rules below.

Time and Cost

Scribing a scroll takes an amount of time and money based on the level of the spell, as shown in the Spell Scroll Costs For each day of inscription, you must work for 8 hours. If a scroll requires multiple days, those days needn’t be consecutive.

Prerequisites for the Scribe

To scribe a scroll, you must have proficiency in the Arcana skill or with Calligrapher’s Supplies and have the spell prepared on each day of the inscription. You must also have at hand any Material components required by the spell; if the spell consumes its Material components, they are consumed only when you complete the scroll. The scroll’s spell uses your spell save DC and spell attack bonus.

Cantrips

If the scribed spell is a cantrip, the version on the scroll works as if the caster were your level.

Spell Scroll Costs
Spell LevelTimeCost
Cantrip1 day15 GP
11 day25 GP
23 days100 GP
35 days150 GP
410 days1,000 GP
525 days1,500 GP
640 days10,000 GP
750 days12,500 GP
860 days15,000 GP
9120 days50,000 GP

Crafting Other Magic Items

Arcana Proficiency

To craft a magic item, you and any assistants must have proficiency in the Arcana skill.

Tools

The Magic Item Tools table lists which tool is required to make a magic item of each category. You must use the required tool to make an item and have proficiency with that tool. Any assistants must also have proficiency with it.

Magic Item Tools
Item CategoryRequired Tool
ArmorLeatherworker’s Tools, Smith’s Tools, or Weaver’s Tools depending on the kind of armor as noted in the tools’ descriptions
PotionAlchemist’s Supplies or Herbalism Kit
RingJeweler’s Tools
RodWoodcarver’s Tools
ScrollCalligrapher’s Supplies
StaffWoodcarver’s Tools
WandWoodcarver’s Tools
WeaponLeatherworker’s ToolsSmith’s Tools, or Woodcarver’s Tools depending on the kind of weapon as noted in the tools’ descriptions
Wondrous ItemTinker’s Tools or the tool required to make the nonmagical item on which the magic item is based

Spells

If a magic item allows its user to cast any spells from it, you must have all those spells prepared every day you spend crafting the item.

Time and Cost

Crafting a magic item takes an amount of time and money based on the item’s rarity as shown in the Magic Item Crafting Time and Cost table.

Work per Day. For each day of crafting, you must work for 8 hours. If an item requires multiple days, those days needn’t be consecutive.

Assistants. Characters can combine their efforts to shorten the crafting time. Divide the time needed to create an item by the number of characters working on it. Normally, only one other character can assist you, but the DM might allow more assistants.

Raw Materials. The cost in the table represents the raw materials needed to make a magic item. The DM determines whether appropriate raw materials are available. In a city, there is a 75 percent chance that the materials are available, and in any other settlement, that chance is 25 percent. If materials aren’t available, you must wait at least 7 days before checking on the availability again.

If a magic item incorporates an item that has a purchase cost (such as a weapon or a suit of armor), you must also pay that entire cost or craft that item using the rules for crafting nonmagical items. For example, to make +1 Armor (Plate Armor) you must pay 3,500 GP or pay 2,000 GP and craft the armor.

Magic Item Crafting Time and Cost
Item RarityTime1Cost1
Common5 days50 GP
Uncommon10 days200 GP
Rare50 days2,000 GP
Very Rare125 days20,000 GP
Legendary250 days100,000 GP

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Crafting magic items requires time and research

Footnotes

  1. The time and cost are halved for a consumable item other than a Spell Scroll, whose crafting time and cost are given in the Spell Scroll Costs table. 2