Epic Level Handbook

CHAPTER 4:EPIC MAGICITEMSCREATING EPICMAGIC ITEMSThe process of creating an epic magic item is very similarto creating a nonepic magic item. However, certainimportant differences exist, as detailed in this section.CASTER LEVELThanks to metamagic feats and the Improved SpellCapacity feat, spells with an effective level of 10th orhigher are possible in epic games. Because these spellslots aren’t automatically gained at a particular levellike 0- to 9th-level spells are, they don’t have a minimumcaster level. For this reason, the minimum casterlevel for any spell of 10th level or higher is set at 11 +spell level.For example, a magic item that casts a 10th-level spellmust have a caster level of at least 21st, while a 17th-levelspell would have a minimum caster level of 28th.PREREQUISITESIn addition to the materials and tools noted in Chapter 8:Magic Items in the DUNGEON MASTER’s Guide, any epicmagic item requires at least two item creation feats: theepic and nonepic version. For instance, an epic staffrequires the creator to have both Craft Staff and CraftEpic Staff.MARKET PRICEUse the guidelines in the DUNGEON MASTER’s Guide todetermine the market price of an epic magic item, withone addition: If your item gives a bonus beyond thelimit allowed in the DUNGEON MASTER’s Guide, multiplythe portion of the market price derived from that characteristicby 10. Some epic characteristics, such as casterlevel, don’t trigger this multiplier.For example, an ability-boosting item (such as a belt ofgiant strength) normally costs a number of gold piecesequal to the bonus squared × 1,000. Thus, a belt of giantstrength (+6) costs 1,000 × (6 × 6), or 36,000 gp. However,a similar epic belt that granted a +8 enhancementbonus to Strength would cost 1,000 × (8 × 8) × 10, or640,000 gp.A belt that granted a +8 enhancement bonus toStrength and a +6 enhancement bonus to Constitution,would cost 640,000 gp for the Strength enhancement(as calculated above), plus 72,000 gp for the Constitutionenhancement (doubled from 36,000 gp because it’sa second, dissimilar power), for a total of 712,000 gp,Only multiply the epic quality of the item by 10; thenonepic quality (the Constitution enhancement)remains the same.Of course, if you determine the market price for anew epic magic item by comparing it to other epicmagic items in this book, you don’t need to multiplythe new cost by 10. It’s already been done for the existingepic magic items.EXPERIENCE POINT COSTThe experience point cost to create an epic magic itemis determined differently than for a normal magic item.For all epic magic items other than scrolls, divide themarket price by 100, then add 10,000 XP to the result.The final number is the experience point cost to createthe item.For epic scrolls, divide the market price by 25 (asnormal for creating a nonepic scroll), then add 1,000 XPto the result. The final number is the experience pointcost to create the epic scroll.Example: A ring of epic protection +10 has a market priceof 2,000,000 gp. The experience point cost to create thisitem would be 2,000,000 ÷ 100 (which is 20,000 XP) +10,000 XP, for a total of 30,000 XP.Example: An epic scroll with a 10th-level spell on it,such as a quickened antimagic field, has a market price of5,250 gp. The experience point cost to create this scrollwould be 5,250 ÷ 25 (which is 210 XP) + 1,000 XP, for atotal of 1,210 XP.PSIONIC ITEMSKeep in mind that many of the items presented in this chaptermay potentially be reworked as psionic items. For instance, thebonuses conferred by weapons and armor, the resistances ofrings, and the ability boosts of various items can just as easilybe conferred by psionic items as magic items, with a marketvalue equal to the magical equivalent.Magic items that grant extra spells are trickier to rework; forthat reason, the ring of epic psionics has its own description inthis chapter. Use that item as a guideline for building your ownitems that grant extra powers.BEHIND THE CURTAIN: EPIC MAGIC ITEM COSTSThe gold piece cost to create an epic magic item doesn’tfollow the normal rules for creating magic items as given inthe DUNGEON MASTER’s Guide. The multiplier on the marketvalue (and thus the gold piece cost to create the item) placesepic magic items above the reach of most (if not all) nonepiccharacters. If a belt of epic strength that granted a +8 enhancementbonus cost only 64,000 gp, then it would be a commonpossession of most high-level fighters. Because D&D adventuresweren’t designed for magic items more powerful thanthose in the DUNGEON MASTER’s Guide, these items must bepriced beyond the easy reach of nonepic characters.Conversely, the experience point cost to create an epicmagic item would rapidly outstrip the ability of any characterto create it if epic items used the same system of experiencepoint costs. The revised system sets even the most basicepic item as significantly more costly than any nonepic item,but the costs increase at a slower rate than for nonepicitems. This allows characters to strive to create more powerfulitems.124