Introduction

The following system is intended for determining the necessary time, cost, materials, knowledge, and level required by a magic-user to create various magic items in AD&D™. Even more than most of AD&D™, it is a set of guidelines, rather than rules, and needs care, attention, and adjustments by the referee to make it effective and balanced. Thus no item creation should be done without the supervision of the referee.

There are a number of assumptions behind this system which anyone using it should be aware of. The first is that of all character classes, the magic-user is the best at general item creation. An experienced dwarven armourer may be better at making weapons, an alchemist at making potions, or a cleric at making holy items, but a good enough magic user can, with the assistance of other spellcasters if necessary, make almost any item that can be made by mortals. While this system does not address item creation by other classes, it is assumed that the time, expense, and materials required by them to make items is roughly comparable, and that while they may be better at some particular type of item enchantment, they do not have a magic-user's flexibility and generality. The second assumption is that the item sale costs given in the Dungeon Master's Guide™, allowing for their vagaries and tendency to undervalue the most expensive items (both understandable given their purpose), reflect the cost of making an item, and that the price a mage would charge to make an item for someone would be a good deal higher than this to give the mage some profit for his time and effort. The third is that the construction of items requires the mage to know various spells resembling the 6th level spell Enchant An Item mentioned in the Player's Handbook™, but does not require the used of the 8th level spell Permanency, or the loss of points of Constitution. Enchant An Item itself has been removed, and is replaced with a set of spells of levels from 4th to 9th. These are designed to allow the construction of scrolls and potions at 7th level; of certain other one-shot and minor items and of +1 items at 9th, of wands, rings of spell storing and +2 items at 12th; of continuously operating items (such as most rings), of items granting some number of uses per day, and of +3 items at 14th; of many items allowing the use of a power at will and of +4 items at 16th; and of almost any item constructible by a mortal at 18th. The fourth assumption is that the primary limitations upon the items a mage may construct are, in decreasing order: his level and knowlege of spells, the money and time available, the availability of obscure components, and the availability of detailed instructions on constructing the item. This produces a fairly flexible system, where a mage is limited mostly by his skill and resources.
 

General Guidelines

A mage can enchant items for any spell which they can cast the correct enchantment spell once per day and obtain (either by casting it themself, or from an associate, or even from a creature or an item if this gives them sufficient control of targeting and form in which the spell is cast) one casting per day of the spell or magical effect required. Thus a mage could write a scroll of Cure Light Wounds if they could find a cleric willing to spend the necessary time casting it for them. If the enchantment spell and the spell or effect enchanted are cast at different levels, the level of effect of the item is calculated from the lower of them. Items can also be made incorporating the magical effects of creatures using their dead remains. This normally requires the relatively intact and well preserved remains of at least one adult creature, with the detailed requirements being determined by the referee. Thus to make a Displacer Cloak you would certainly require the relatively undamaged skin of an adult Displacer Beast, and the referee could decide that you require the unmarked skins of two beasts, skinned on the night of the full moon with a mithril dagger during the enchantment process. For the purpose of calculating the time, difficulty and expense of constructing the item, the referee assigns the creature's power a corresponding spell level. This should be the level at which a magic-user spell producing the same (or very similar effect) could be researched without loading it with too many disadvantages. A mage may not normally enchant just from remains (as opposed with the cooperation of a living creature) an item of a creature effect with a level higher than the highest level spell they can cast.
 

Times and Costs

The basic time required to perform an enchantment is based on multiplying the duration depending on the enchantment spell being used by the Cost Factor (C.F.) of the spell or effect being enchanted. This is 2^{(Spell Level-1)/2} (see the table below).
 

Spell Level		1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th	6th	7th	8th (7th Cl.)	9th
Cost Factor		1	11⁄2	2	3	4	6	8	12	16

In certain cases, such as items casing a certain spell three times per day, this may also by multiplied by the Number Factor (N.F.) of then number of identical charges of the same spell in one item. This is (Number of Uses)^5/9 (see the table below).
 

Number of Uses			1	2	3	5	7	9	12	15	18	21	25	29	33	38
Number Factor			1	11⁄2	2	21⁄2	3	31⁄2	4	41⁄2	5	51⁄2	6	61⁄2	7	71⁄2

The times so calculated include the time needed to learn up the spells being used each day. In fact they are not so much learnt up and then cast, as continuously learnt up into the item over the time spent enchanting, so a mage's spell books must be present during the actual enchantment process.

It should normally be assumed the a mage works about a 40 hour 5 day week. If there is great need, mages can work 60, 80, or even 100 hours a week for short periods, though this tends to considerably increase the chances of mistakes being made. Most magical means of attempting to increase this are not practical, at least in the long term, as they need to eliminate both physical and mental fatigue, and the need to sleep before relearning spells. A notable exception is being a Lich, which does allow continuous item enchantment, given sufficient willpower, with breaks merely at daily intervals to meditate sufficiently to allow relearning spells.

If the casting of the spells and the construction of the item requires no unusual or costly components, but can be done entirely from the stocks of good reasonably priced apothecaries and alchemists, then the cost will be roughly 40GP per hour of construction time. Costs can be reduced by 10% if large stocks are kept and materials are purchased in bulk (eg. by a Mage's College) when they happen to be cheap. Referees wishing to add a little uncertainty can vary costs by (4D10-22)% on each enchantment. The markup a mage chooses to add for their time and effort is their own business, but rates of the order of +100% are common, depending upon competition and demand. Obviously a higher level mage will tend to charge a higher rate.
 

Increases and Reductions

Except for scrolls and rings of spell storing, the range, area, duration, effects, and details of a spell can often be adjusted upwards or downwards when enchanting an item of it. The corresponding increase or decrease in cost and time required must be determined by the referee on grounds of play balance. On some occasions this may be proportional, on others logarithmic, and so on. In some cases doing so will require some spell research, though this will often be easier than researching a new spell from scratch. Costs and times may also be adjusted by other factors. Frequently costs are reduced by cutting corners and accepting some form of limitation or side effect. For example, a Ring of Invisibility using the symbolism of protection, continuation, and eternity in a circular rigid metal ring, and with the disadvantage that it will not function if any similar ring is worn on the same hand, is about 20% cheaper to make than an Amulet of Invisibility. Certain items are easier to make than other due to their basic form. A Cloak of Invisibility, for example, would be perhaps 10% cheaper than an amulet due to the correspondence between form and function. Many other such tricks have been discovered, and any good magical library will have shelves of musty tomes of theory or scrawled working notes on the subject. Adding further enchantments to an extant item which was not built with them in mind costs about an extra 10%, perhaps even 20% if it was made by another mage, and in the latter case the mage doing the new enchantment must be fully aware of how the previous one was done, which may require extensive use of Identify and other divination spells. Costs and times also depend on the experience of the mage. The first use of any Enchant spell will be about 25% more expensive and time consuming than normal, or only 10% more expensive if done under experienced supervision. It will also have an increased chance of failure (x2, or x1¹⁄2, at step 2) of the spell failure system below). New projects involving the construction of a previously unknown enchantment (or to recreate one for which you do not have instructions) might be at an extra 5%, 10%, or 20% cost (only 5% for a Wand of a new spell, and it does not apply to Scrolls and Rings of Spell-Storing). A mage who has produced several similar items before might get a 5% or 10% discount. Someone who had been churning out +1 swords for the last few years might even reach 20% discount. Costs and time also depend on the mage's facilities. A mage with a set of +5 adamant armourers tools, and the skills to use them, could considerably reduce the time and expense involved in the construction of low plus weaponry. Those given assume that the mage has a good well-stocked workshop, access to a good magical library, has all necessary craft skills or the help of highly skilled craftsmen used to working with mages, and has all the necessary spell components, powders, gems, incenses, dragon's blood etc available either in his own stocks or from an extensive array of jewellers, apothecaries, alchemists, adventurers etc. This will usually involve easy access to a major city and/or mage's college. The more powerful the enchantments the mage is performing, the better their facilities and suppliers have to be. All adjustments on time and cost of item enchantment must be determined by the referee, and they are all multiplicative, so two 20% reductions gives a 36% reduction, not a 40% reduction.
 

Material Components

If the spell of which the item is being made requires rare or costly components, such as diamond dust, or has permanent deleterious effect on the caster, such as ageing or the permanent loss of Constitution, then these must be provided in addition to the costs noted above. There are two possibilities: If the item is charged, then the spell components/aging can either be included in sufficient quantities for each charge placed into the item, which can then be used without further expenditure; or only token quantities (~10%) are included, and the full amount of spell components or ageing must be provided by the user of the item at time of use. If the item is uncharged, either the necessary components/ageing are expended each day spent enchanting the item (a considerable expense), but it can then be used without further expenditure; or the required expenditure is made only once during the construction, and the full amount of spell components or ageing must be provided by the user of the item every time it is used.

Another requirement specifies what is being bought with the 40GP/hour, and thus allows the referee to assess whether it is available or whether the mage must obtain it themself (possibly saving money at the cost of a quest). The requirement is that the cost factor of the enchantment, with those modifiers which the referee rules are to do with the raw power of the effect rather than triggering, control, number of charges or uses and the like, is multiplied by the following:
 

Enchantment	Multiplier
Scroll, Wand recharging, Auto. Wand recharging	2
Potion, Minor	3
Single Shot, Auto Single-Shot, Spell Storing, Focus, +1	4
Wand, Auto. Wand, +2	6
Passive, Limited, Intelligent, +3	8
Named, +4	12
Active, +5	16
Unlimited	32

This determines the total number of points of rarity required in components (the amount of the rare components required is given by the 40GP/hour cost). ¹⁄4 of the points for each enchantment must come from one component; ¹⁄10 of the total points for all enchantments on a single item must come from one component. If the cost of obtaining the most expensive component exceeds half the stated cost for the enchantment, the excess is extra cost. For example, a ring of spell storing containing three uses of Fire Shield has Cost Factor 3, with a 20% discount for being in the form of a ring, and a 25% extra cost since Fire Shield is a self-only spell, and spell-storing has rarity multiple 4, for a required total rarity points of 3 x 0.80 x 1.25 x 4 = 12, of which 3 must come from one component.

The rarity points value of a particular component is determined as follows, depending upon its nature, state of preservation, workmanship, and suitability:
 

Rarity	Example	Category
Everyday	Common herbs (foxglove), common animals (cow), ordinary materials (pottery), 1–9GP gems	0
Common	Uncommon herbs (belladona), uncommon animals (eagle), silver, iron, 10–90GP gems	1
Uncommon	Rare herbs (mandrake), common monsters (ogre), humans, gold, steel, 100–900GP gems	2
Rare	Magical monsters (unicorn), platinum, meteor iron, 1k–9kGP gems	3
Very Rare	Very magical monsters (red dragon), mithril, 10k–25kGP gems	4
Unique	Unique monsters (a particular Type VI demon), adamant, 30k–90kGP gems	5
Nonesuch	Demi-Gods (Lolth), rainbow metal, 100k–250kGP gems	6
Minor Divine	Minor Gods (**), 300k–900kGP gems	7
Major Divine	Major Gods (Odin), 1000k–2500kGP gems	8

 

Preservation	Description	Category Modifier
Bad	Dried, pickled, salted, badly damaged	-2
Poor	Carefully dried/pickled/salted, somewhat damaged	-1
Good	Magically preserved, material does not age	+0
Fresh	Obtained from creature during ritual, gems cut during ritual	+1

 

Preparation and Craftsmanship	Description	Category Modifier
Plain	Merely made into item, ordinary workmanship, uncut gems	-2
Prepared	Engraved, good workmanship, treated, gathered at certain time, polished gems	-1
Detailed	Fine workmanship, gathered on special day or in special way, cut or carved gems	+0
Complex	Superb workmanship, complex gathering ritual, specially cut or carved gems	+1
Extreme	Masterly workmanship (+1 non-magical), extremely complex preparations	+2
Incredible	Genius-level workmanship (+2 non-magical), ludicrously complex preparations	+3
Impossible	...wrap the rainbow seven times round the wand and tie in a Turk's head knot...	+4

Category modifiers from this table are not cumulative: if the material was gathered with a complex gathering ritual (+1) and then made into the item with masterly workmanship (+2), it gets the better modifier (+2), not the sum of them (+1+2=+3).
 

Suitability	Description	Category Modifier
Suitable	Referee agrees that this has a suitable symbolism	+0
Excellent	Referee agrees that this has a particularly good symbolism	+1
Ideal	Component chosen by the referee as the ideal one for this purpose	+2

The category is then converted to a rarity points value using the following table:
 

Category	-4	-3	-2	-1	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15
Rarity Points	1⁄4	3⁄8	1⁄2	3⁄4	1	11⁄2	2	3	4	6	8	12	16	24	32	48	64	96	128	192

Thus unprepared (-2) crumbled dried (-2) foxglove leaves (0) are category -4, worth ¹⁄4 point (half that needed for the principal ingredient of a scroll of a 1st level spell), whereas if the referee decides that what you really need (+2) is the heart of Asmodeus (+6), cut ritually from his living body (+1), petrified by the gaze of a basilisk, and then engraved with the entire Koran by the light of the full blue moon on midwinter's night (+4), it would be category 13, worth 96 points (enough for the principle ingredient of an unlimited item of a 8th level spell).

Returning to our ring of spell-storing three uses of Fire Shield, we might choose to make it of gold (2) superbly engraved with flames (+1) (3 points), annealed in a fire burning ritually powdered (+0) carefully dried (-1) red dragon's blood (4) (3 points) and ritually powdered (+0) sulphur (1) (1¹⁄2 points), and set with a cut (+0) 1500GP ruby (2) (2 points). During the ritual we could use an incense made (-2) from dried (-2) mustard and pine needles (0) (¹⁄4 point each), and porcupine quills (1) ground with an iron pestle and mortar (-1) (excellent symbolism (+2), 2 points), for a total of 12 points, of which at least 3 came from one component. Assuming that none of the ingredients will cost over half the construction cost of 28 900GP, there is no extra expense involved.
 

Plus Items and Bracers

There are three series of spells for creating these detailed below. These are Enchant A +N Weapon, Enchant +N Protection, and Enchant Bracers AC 10-2N. Each of these can be performed in several forms. Enchant A +N Weapon can either be used to give a weapon (or tool) general pluses against everything, or special pluses against particular targets. Enchant +N Protection can either be used to give pluses on all the wearers saving throws from a worn item (eg a ring or cloak), or bonuses on their armour class from a worn item (eg armour or a ring), or parrying bonuses on their armour class on a hand-held parrying object (eg a shield). Enchant Bracers AC 10-2N can be enchanted into a worn item to increase the wearers base armour class (to which bonuses are added) to a certain value if it is worse than that. For bookkeeping the odd and even bracer armour classes are counted as different forms of pluses. No item can have more than two forms of pluses enchanted into it. Thus you could make a sword which is +1,+2 vs Pixies, or one which is +1 and gives the wielder a parrying +1 AC, but not both. Since odd and even bracer armour classes are counted as different forms of pluses, any bracers better than AC 9 cannot contain any other sorts of plusses.

No roll can be affected by more than one bonus of any one form. (Thus your AC is your best base AC (real or bracers) plus your best worn AC bonus (armour, ring, cloak, etc) plus your best parrying bonus (shield or defender sword), plus other bonuses such as dexterity, invisibility, barkskin, etc.) The only exception to this rule is that missile weapons receive both the normal pluses of the missile launcher and the normal and special pluses of the missile, so an arrow +5,+10 vs Aardvarks fired from a +5 bow would be +15 vs any unfortunate Aardvark it struck.

To enchant a +3 weapon, for example, it is not necessary to also know Enchant A +1 Weapon or Enchant A +2 Weapon, though this will allow it to be done with less use of high-level spells. It would even be possible for several mages of different levels to cooperate in making a +3 weapon, the 7th level mage first enchanting it to +1, the 9th level mage then taking it from +1 to +2, and finally the 12th level wizard adding the final plus to +3.

The enchantment of plus items and bracers imposes particular constraints on the material used. For hard metals +1 requires at least iron or bronze, +2 requires fine steel, +3 requires obscure alloys such as meteor iron (+0 non-magical), +4 requires (tempered) mithril or similar magical metals (+1 non-magical), while +5 requires adamant, adamantite, or even rarer metals (+2 non-magical). For soft metals +1 requires at least silver or electrum, +2 requires gold, +3 platinum, +4 mithril, and +5 adamant or rarer metals like rainbow metal or orichalcum. For woods +1 requires that the wood be sound and suitable to the nature of the item, +2 requires Oak, Ash, Yew or various other magically significant trees, +3 requires Ebony, Mallorn, or Druid's grove Oak, +4 requires magical woods such as Entwood, and +5 requires wood from a Unique (or otherwise very magical) tree. For cloth, thread, or rope +1 requires at least wool, linen, hemp or other good materials, +2 requires silk or spidersilk or human hair or such like, +3 requires thread from a magical creature such as a pegasus or a unicorn, +4 that from a very magical creature such as storm giant hair, and +5 that from a Unique creature such as Lolth's webs. Materials such as bone or feathers should be treated similarly. If cost of the amount of this material required to construct the item exceeds half the 40GP/hour basic item construction cost, the excess is additional cost. Another likely additional cost is that of finding and paying a craftsman skilled enough to manufacture the item. The craftsmanship required ranges from good at +1, fine at +2, superb at +3, masterly (+1 non-magical) at +4 , to genius-level (+2 non-magical) at +5. Note that if mithril is worked to superb craftsmanship it is automatically +1 non-magical, equivalent to masterly craftsmanship, and if adamant or adamantite are worked to superb craftsmanship they are automatically +2 non-magical, equivalent to genius-level craftsmanship; thus high plus items are normally made of these metals, if their maker had the ability to work them.
 

Creatures

Living creatures, or anything else which saves vs magic as a creature not an object (except intelligent magic items), cannot be enchanted. If enchanted while dead, this will either render them unraiseable or the enchantment will be broken when they are raised. Previously enchanted objects can be animated or rendered undead however...
 

Failure Chances

There are three basic ways in which an enchantment can fail. The first is that the spell being enchanted in backfires, perhaps causing a laboratory accident, perhaps merely causing a slight delay. The second is the spell, while apparently cast successfully in the laboratory, turns out to be flawed in actual use, and the Wand of Fireball the mage so proudly created turns out to be a Wand of Ground-Zero Fireball. The third is that there is some flaw in the enchantment process, which causes the enchantment to fail partially, totally, or even disastrously, with attendant waste of time, effort, money, and possible hit points. As a result, when item enchantment is performed in a locale where spell failure is possible, there are usually three separate spell failure rolls made (exceptions to this are noted in the spell descriptions below). Even if spell failures are not normally possible, it is strongly recommended that at least the second of the rolls detailed below be required.

The first roll is for the spell or effect being enchanted in. (If this is being supplied by another spellcaster, the corresponding spell failure system should be used.) A failure in this indicates that a laboratory accident took place at some point during the enchantment process. This immediately has the normal effects of a fumbled spell. It should be remembered that the magic-user is sitting their laboratory surrounded by valuable equipment and with their spell-book open on the table in front of them. In addition to any effects this may have, if the mage cannot obtain another casting of the spell the same day that the accident took place (eg. if they can only cast one spell of that level after casting the Enchant spell being used), this causes an unscheduled interruption in the enchantment, which has deleterious effect on the roll for enchantment success. Finally, if this first roll is failed, further rolls for laboratory accidents must be made until a successful roll is obtained. An enhanced effect on first type of roll has no effect.

The second roll that must be made is for the success or failure of the enchantment itself. Success chances are decreased by 10% if adding a further enchantment to an item not originally enchanted with the later addition in mind. This subtraction may be 20% or more if the earlier enchantment was done by another mage who is not available to discuss the techniques used. Success chances are decreased by 10% for each day's unscheduled interruption in the enchantment process. The mage can normally, with some warning, arrange for a pause of a few days in the enchantment. This may depend upon the particular stage that the enchantment has got to, and should be agreed by the referee. Most mages, for example, take one or two days off a week for rest and relaxation, perhaps dropping in for half an hour to add some more vinegar to the bat's blood and check how the refluxing is going (indeed if they do not take such breaks, they risk getting overworked and careless). It is not normally possible to halt an enchantment for more than a few days, however, unless the item has had a particular enchantment finished. It need not be in its finished state, but should correspond to a possible item. For example, during the construction of a Wand of Fire, a mage could pause once he had a wand of Fireball and Pyrotechnics, say, and even use it on expeditions before adding Burning Hands and Wall of Fire. In the case of enchantments involving Number Factor calculations, these are made separately for each period of enchantment. (Thus while it might take 960 hours work to enchant a cloak to do Polymorph Self thrice per day, if this was done in two 480 hour pieces each would add only one use per day for a total of but twice per day.) Failure in this second roll indicates that the enchantment has failed. This may be apparent after 1–100% of the time and cost has been expended, or only when the item is tested. Possibly the item and/or any earlier enchantments on it have been damaged or ruined. Sufficiently bad failures may have other side effects along the same lines as a normal spell backfire. A marginal success might indicate that while this enchantment has been a success, any further enchantments added to the item have their chance of failure increased by 1D10x5%. A success indicates that the item was successfully enchanted, while an enhanced effect might indicate that the item was made with corresponding savings in time and effort.

The third type of roll that must be made determines what effect the item will have on use. This will not usually be apparent until the item is tested (either by using it or by Identify spells). Failures on this roll are one of the sources of flawed items. This roll is made as is normal for a spell failure roll. The only exception is that if the spell or effect is being supplied by some other caster, the corresponding rolls must be made for both the mage and the other caster, and their effects combined. Notice that a 12th level mage attempting along with a 16th level cleric to construct a Staff of Resurrection is trying to cast an effectively 8th level spell (though only counted as 7th clerical due to their odd spell progression table) as a 12th level mage, which may give him some trouble, depending upon the local spell failure system. Enhanced effects on this roll may at the referee's option give extra effect, or the referee may rule that while the potential for extra effect exists, additional enchantment work is required to power it.

All these rolls should be more difficult if the mage is attempting to create an item for which he does not have (and adhere to) full details of a tried and tested technique. In the system below, the multiple for step 2) should be x1¹⁄2 for an incomplete description or a minor modification of a standard item, and x2 for a major modification or a new item the mage has invented. The technique is only tried and tested once it has been succesfully used to create an item with no failures on any rolls. Books listing techniques for constructing standard items are among mage's prized possessions; on occasion they can be consulted in the libraries of mage's colleges, for a suitable fee. Since for most items the second roll is the most difficult, this has the effect that constructing a new scroll or adding an extra power to a wand is easy, while designing a new Active Item is difficult. At the referee's option, successfully researching of a new spell may automatically include discovering the correct technique for writing a scroll of it (and even writing one, in campaigns where a mage's spellbook is a collection of scrolls).

The final sort of roll that may be required when using an item is that to trigger the item correctly, and to provide the correct targeting and control information if neccessary. These are treated individually under the appropriate item, and for the most part are only a problem with the lower level enchantments.
 

Spell Backfire System

Those referees who do not have their own spell failure system, but wish to use one for item creation, may be interested in the following system.

1. Roll D20.
    
2. Subtract the level of the spell (x1¹⁄2 or x2 if unfamiliar, or for new enchantments).
    
3. Add the number of levels since the caster became able to cast spells of that level (eg 0 for a 1st level mage casting a 1st level spell).
    
4. Modify for the magic-user's intelligence:

   Int	0–3	4	5	6	7	8	9–12	13–14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21
   Bonus	S.N.C.	-15	-10	-6	-4	-2	+0	+1	+2	+3	+4	+5	+6	+7	+9

   
    
5. Subtract if the MU is below full hits at any point during the casting:

   Percentage wounded	0–24%	25–49%	50–74%	75–99%	100%+
   Modifier	+0	-2	-4	-8	Spell Not Completed

   (During item creation it may be better to suffer a day's unscheduled interruption while being healed.)
    
6. Add +1 if the mage is unhurried and calm; add +1 if the mage is on home ground. (Both these are normally true in item creation, unless the mage is overworked or in some-one else's workshop.)
    
7. Subtract for attacks on MU while spell-casting (maximum total -12):

   Successful attacks:	- points of damage done
   Unsuccessful attacks:	- maximum possible damage (MU's estimate)/10
   Noticeable mental ST's (eg vs Magic) made:	-2 each
   Noticeable mental ST's (eg vs Magic) failed:	-4 each (plus possible other effects)

   (These do not usually apply during item creation. Use unscheduled interruption modifier instead.)
    
8. Subtract for components problems (maximum total -25, minimum 0):
   • Spell Not Completed: -25
     There is a chance equal to the proportion of the spell not completed that nothing happens and the spell is used up, ie result 0–1.
   • Verbal

     Quiet surroundings:	0
     Shouting, melee etc going on:	-1
     Dragon roars, Lightning Bolts, or similar noises:	-2
     Caster temporarily deaf, or has minor speech impediment:	-4
     Caster deaf for years, or has serious speech impediment:	-8
     No verbals, verbals not completed:	-12

   • Somatic

     Standing still, unencumbered, AC at -4-Dex mod:	0
     Walking, encumbered, sitting, AC at -2-Dex mod:	-1
     Jogging, heavily encumbered, riding, falling, AC at -Dex mod:	-2
     Running, dodging, prone, crippled, full AC:	-4
     Entangled, ST vs area effect:	-8
     No somatics, somatics not completed:	-12

   • Material

     Correct materials:	0
     Substandard, faulty, skimped, or substitute materials:	-1 to -12
     No materials, materials lost during casting:	-12, or -16 if costly/rare

   • Dexterity Pluses are possible only if somatic or verbal components are used and the spell was completed, minuses possible if any components are used. Both are halved (round towards 0) if only verbals are used.

     Dex		1	2	3	4	5	6–8	9–15	16	17	18–20	21–23	24+
     Modifier		-12	-8	-6	-4	-2	-1	0	+1	+2	+3	+4	+5

   • Enchantment Interupted: (item enchantment only) -2 per day's unscheduled interruption.
   
    
9. Results

   Roll	Spell casting, spells enchanted	Item enchantment spell
   29–32	+15% effect	-15% time and cost
   25–28	+10% effect	-10% time and cost
   21–24	+5% effect	-5% time and cost
   5–20	Spell works normally	Ench. works
   4	-10% effect	Ench. works, further enchs. are at -D10
   3	Reduced, minor, odd, or symbolic effect	Flawed: weaker, non-perm., or has problem
   2	Spell fails, not used up	D100% of time and cost obviously wasted
   0–1	Spell fails, is used up	All seems well, but item is non-functional
   -1	Warped version of spell, same target*	Warped version of enchantment spell*
   -2	Spell has opposite effect, or is mistargeted	One ench. on item ST vs. dispel
   -3	MU stunned 2xP.F. rounds (ST 1⁄2)	All enchs. on item ST vs dispel
   -4	MU takes P.F. D4 damage (ST 1⁄2)	Item saves vs random attack type
   -5	Random new same level spell, same target†	Random new same level spell on item†
   -6	Random new same level spell on MU†	Random new same level spell on MU†
   -7	MU incapacitated 2xP.F. days (ST 1⁄2)	MU incapacitated 2xP.F. days (ST 1⁄2)
   -8	MU aged P.F. years (ST 1⁄2)	MU aged P.F. years (ST 1⁄2)
   -9	P.F.x10%: Terithran attracted	P.F.x10%: Terithran attracted
   -10	MU goes insane	MU goes insane
   -11	Random new same level spell, any target†	Random new same level spell, any target†
   -12	Divide P.F. into random new spells	Divide P.F. into random new spells
   -13	MU drained of all todays spells	Item disenchanted
   -14	MU can not use that spell again (Lim.Wish cures)	MU can not do that ench. again (Lim.Wish cures)
   -15	MU Feebleminded (ST-4 Neg.)	MU Feebleminded (ST-4 Neg.)
   -16	MU looses 1 point Int (Wish cures)	MU looses 1 point Int (Wish cures)
   -17	All MU's spells go off, random target	All MU's spells go off, random target
   -18	P.F.x10%: MU goes to random plane	P.F.x10%: MU goes to random plane
   -19	P.F.x10%: target goes to random plane	P.F.x10%: item disappears to random plane
   -20	P.F. of artifact minor malev. effects or sim.	P.F. of artifact minor malev. effects or sim.
   -21	MU drained P.F. levels (return 1/P.F. weeks)	MU drained P.F. levels (return 1/P.F. weeks)
   -22	+ve energy: (D6-1)D6" r. cures P.F. D6 damage, excess requires resurr. roll/D6 or ST vs death
   -23	MU looses ability to cast spells (Wish cures)	MU looses ability to cast spells (Wish cures)
   -24	MU has heart attack (ST vs Death Neg.)	MU has heart attack (ST vs Death Neg.)
   -25	Random new same level attack spell, any trg.	Random new same level attack spell, any trg.
   -26	(D6-1)D6" r. P.F./2 xD6/level rnd. damage	(D6-1)D6" r. P.F./2 xD6/level rnd. damage
   -27	MU effect.ly Psi Blasted at -P.F. on ST. Gain P.F.x10 000XP due to sudden insight if ST made
   -28	Referee's option from above	Referee's option from above
   -29	Something odd happens	Something odd happens
   -30...	Take result of +20 and reroll at +20	Take result of +20 and reroll at +20

   * 6D6 under Int. roll to remember well enough to research at x2 chance and no initial research.
   † 8D6 under Int. roll to remember well enough to research at x2 chance and no initial research.

   Spell Level		1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9
   Power Factor (P.F.)		1	11⁄2	2	3	4	6	8	12	16

Item Enchantment Spells

The spell Enchant an Item is replaced by the following spells of 4th to 9th level.
 

Enchant A Scroll (Item Enchantment)

Level: 4	Components: V, S, M
Range: Touch	Casting Time: 8 hours per Cost Factor
Duration: Permanent	Saving Throw: None
Area of Effect: One scroll

Explanation/Description: This spell is used to enchant scrolls. A scroll is written in magical symbols, and is very difficult (and unreliable) to figure out without use of the spell Read Magic. Once a mage has deciphered a scroll using Read Magic, they can remember what it said and which notations it used, allowing them to use it freely without Read Magic. A scroll of a magic-user spell may be used repeatedly to learn the spell it is of (if the mage has successfully made their roll to understand the spell), or once learnt to memorise or "learn up" a spell from it, or may be used once (destroying the scroll in the process) to cast the spell without having it learnt up. (A mage's spell books include, along with a great deal of other information, a scroll of each spell they know.) A scroll of a non-magic-user spell may be used only by the appropriate class, who can cast the spell from it, and if relevant can learn and memorise the spell from it.

Casting the spell from a scroll renders it non-magical, and usually also causes it to go blank, crumble, or is otherwise immediately obvious on inspection of the scroll. Casting a spell from a scroll takes the same time and components as casting it normally, except that usually (where possible) the material components required are already present in the ink (or paper) of the scroll. A mage can attempt to cast from a scroll a spell which is of too high level for them to learn, with a chance of failure as detailed in the DMG or local magic rules.

A scroll is normally of one particular variant of one spell, such as could be memorised by a mage. Thus for reversible spell, only one version of the spell can be learnt, memorised, or cast from it. To construct a scroll from which two versions of a spell can be learnt, memorised, or cast costs +15%. If one version is cast from it, the scroll becomes non-magical, so this is not the same as two separate scrolls of the spell and its reverse. A scroll of three different versions of a spell would cost +30%, and so on.

Scrolls are normally written in various magical inks (a mix of powdered gems, dragon's blood, giant squid ink etc) on magical vellum or paper, often using quills from magical beasts. They are typically a page or so long (shorter for low level spells, longer for high level ones). At an increased cost they may be made in a more durable format. If they are still painted or enameled onto a suitable material, the cost is +25%. If they are to be engraved, then the cost is +50%, and the surface on which they are engraved must be suitable for enchantment to +3, ie mithril, adamant, platinum, meteor iron, fancy gem stones, etc.

For scrolls, four spell failure rolls must be made. In addition to the normal laboratory accident, enchantment, and effect rolls, a roll must also be made at the time a spell is cast from the scroll to see whether this is done successfully.

Spells cast from scrolls take effect at the level of their writer at the time of writing.
 

Enchant A Potion (Item Enchantment)

Level: 4	Components: V, S, M
Range: Touch	Casting Time: 8 hours per Cost Factor
Duration: Permanent	Saving Throw: None
Area of Effect: One potion

Explanation/Description: This spell is used to enchant potions. Potions cannot normally be constructed of spells affecting anyone other than the imbiber. An exception to this is that potions allowing the control of a particular type of creature can be constructed using parts of that creature and an appropriate Charm spell. Potions normally take 1 segment to drink, and a further 1D4 segments to take effect. The duration of any spell enchanted into a potion is reduced to 4+1D4 turns if it is normally longer than that, unless extra time and cost are spent. It is inadvisable to be under the effect of two (or more) potions of non-instant spells at the same time. (Note that normal healing spells are duration instant, whatever the Player's Handbook™ may claim.)

The area of effect, and all other targeting and control information normally supplied by the caster at time of casting or by concentration afterwards must be built into the potion at time of enchantment. Other information normally supplied subsequently by the caster without concentration (such as the control of a Levitate spell) can either be built in to the enchantment, or can be provided by the imbiber at +15% cost. Other information usually supplied by the spell recipient (such as the control of a Fly spell) works normally.

Potions cost +25% if the spell enchanted is normally self-affecting only (as opposed to range touch or ranged). Potions normally consist of about half a pint of unpleasant tasting strongly coloured liquid made from a wide variety of (unappetising but non-poisonous) magical substances. Potions can also be made as pills, at a cost of +10% if they take 1D4+2 segments to take effect, and +20% if they take only 1D4 segments. Pills are more portable, but it should be remembered that unlike liquids they cannot be fed to unconscious characters. Potions of certain spells can also be made as oils, affecting anything upon which they are spread, or as dusts, either affecting creatures that inhale them or anything that the settle on. Prices and feasibilities of these should be discussed with a referee. (Some such items are in fact not Potions but Single-Shots.)

The magic of potions takes effect at the level of their maker at the time of making.
 

Enchant A Single Shot Item (Item Enchantment)

Level: 5	Components: V, S, M
Range: Touch	Casting Time: 24 hours per Cost Factor
Duration: Permanent	Saving Throw: None
Area of Effect: One item

Explanation/Description: This rare spell is used to enchant single-shot items such as Javelins of Lightning or Necklace of Missiles beads. Such items are rare in the Dungeon Master's Guide™, and mages will soon discover that this is because of their high cost. They can however produce quite powerful one-use weapons and traps. A Single-Shot item will cast a particular spell upon some particular simple magically significant thing happening to the item. This can be one of: the item being broken, the item coming into contact with some magically well defined substance, such as fire, blood, gold, air, water, etc, some simple mechanical event happening to the item such as being opened for a door, the item having a particular spell cast upon it, and so on. All targeting and control information must be defined fully at time of casting, and all positions and directions must be defined with respect only to the item (so "Fire a 10'x40' Lightning Bolt forwards down your axis" is possible, but "Fire a 10'x40' Lightning Bolt vertically upwards" is not). Referees may wish to modify or disallow saving throws for creatures that have a single-shot of an area effect spell stuck in them when it goes off. Touch range spells normally affect only the single-shot item. At +20% cost they can be made to affect a creature (or object) touching the item. Self-only spells only affect the item (so a single-shot Shield of Fire Shield would cast Fire Shield upon itself, probably burning its wielder). Spells affecting only a certain number of creatures, or otherwise limited in effect, will have their targets chosen randomly unless some simple criterion of the sort a mage could use when casting a spell blind is given (eg "the nearest"). No item can have more than one Single-Shot Enchantment cast upon it at any one time. Referees should not allow various parts of an object to have separate enchantments. (The Necklace of Missiles works because individual beads are normally removed from it before use. It is also noticeable that it has drawbacks!)

Single-shot items cast spells at half the level of their maker at the time of making. They activate instantaneously.
 

Enchant A Minor Item (Item Enchantment)

Enchant A Minor Item (Item Enchantment)

Level: 5	Components: V, S, M
Range: Touch	Casting Time: 16 hours per Cost Factor
Duration: Permanent	Saving Throw: None
Area of Effect: One object

Explanation/Description: This rare spell is used to enchant items of spells with permanent or indefinite duration. In the case of a spell normally cast on the object, the only effects of the minor item enchantment are that the spell will come up again the round after it is dispelled, and that the item counts as an enchanted item for purposes such as saving throws, whether attacks affect it, and so forth. Items can also be made which affect their wearer, but there is a saving throw on putting them on if one would normally be applicable to that spell. Note that while an Invisibility item could be constructed this way, it would become unenchanted the first time someone wearing it attacked; similarly a Magic Mouth would become unenchanted after delivering its message. At the referee's option, the spell can also be used to enchant other minor continuing effects, without particular spells to perform them; some of these may alternatively be minor items of Cantrip or Definitely Not a Wish.

Minor items take effect at the level of their maker at the time of making.
 

Enchant A Focus Item (Item Enchantment)

Level: 5	Components: V, S, M
Range: Touch	Casting Time: 60 hours per Cost Factor
Duration: Permanent	Saving Throw: None
Area of Effect: One object

Explanation/Description: This extremely rare spell is used to enchant an item which will cast a particular spell out whenever a spell of the same level and character class is cast into it. Such spells must be cast in at touch range. Targeting for the spell coming out is controlled by the person casting the spell in: if none is specified it will be centred on the focus item. The spell coming out is at a level of effect equal to the lower of the level of the maker of the focus item at it's time of making and the level of effect of the spell cast in.
 

Enchant A +1 Weapon (Item Enchantment)

Level: 5	Components: V, S, M
Range: Touch	Casting Time: 120 hours per plus
Duration: Permanent	Saving Throw: None
Area of Effect: One weapon, or a number of small missile weapons or tools

Explanation/Description: This spell is used to enchant +1 weapons. It can also be used to enchant tools such as hammers, saws, drills, etc. It can be done in two forms. The first gives the item +1 (+5%) on rolls for its normal use (eg +1 to hit with a weapon), and makes it slightly more effective when used successfully (weapons do +1 damage). The second gives the item further similar increases under certain special conditions. Thus a sword could be +1, with a second +1 for +2 total when used to fight lycanthropes, for example. A saw might be +1, +2 vs. Oakwood. The first sort of enchantment is done at standard cost, and requires no special material beyond those required to make the weapon or tool (or remake it, if it is already enchanted). The cost of the second form varies wildly according to how widespread and how important the special category is. A sword +1, +2 vs lycanthropes for example costs only an extra 60 hours for the special plus (ie 50% discount). A special plus versus giant class might cost 50–100% extra on the other hand. It will certainly require that the item is successfully used during the enchantment on a representative example of the objects to be affected. Thus for a weapon, it alone must be used (without the special plus) to kill in combat a creature of the type to be affected. The wider and more important the class, the more powerful a representative is needed. (The corresponding higher plus enchantments at higher levels also require more powerful representatives. Thus constructing a Sword +5,+10 vs Demons would require that it alone was used (at just +5) to slay a Demon Prince during its enchantment process.)

This spell may be used under certain conditions to enchant sets of items. A small set of tools can be enchanted at about the price given. Large sets (such as a complete set of armourers tools not including anvil) might cost twice as much or more. A set of small missiles can be enchanted at once at the quoted price. For +1 a set consists of 24 arrows, bolts, or slingshot, 12 darts, 6 throwing daggers, or 3 throwing axes or hammers. Note that the latter will only be +1 if thrown, not if used hand-held. (At higher pluses this quantity is reduced in the same way that cost factors go up, to a minimum of one, ie 16 +2 arrows, 12 +3 arrows, 8 +4 arrows, and 6 +5 arrows.) Notice that for missiles, for the purpose of determining roll to hit and damage, but not for the purpose of determining whether they can harm targets immune to non- or low-magic weaponry, get the general plus of the device from which they are fired, as well as their own general plus and any specific plus they may have vs their target. +1 weapons can be enchanted at -80% cost (only 24 hours per plus) if they are single use, ie only retain their plus for one attack (successful or unsuccessful). This is normally only done with batches of low plus missiles. (A single one-use +1 arrow costs only 40GP and one hours work from a 9th level mage to enchant as part of a batch, with possible further discounts for equipment or long practice, and a few may well be a good investment for a low level party with no other magic weaponry.)
 

Enchant +1 Protection (Item Enchantment)

Level: 5	Components: V, S, M
Range: Touch	Casting Time: 120 hours per plus
Duration: Permanent	Saving Throw: None
Area of Effect: One item, or a number of small tools

Explanation/Description: This spell is used to enchant +1 armour, shields, and protection items. It can also be used to enchant +1 tools such as anvils, containers, doors, etc. It can be enchanted in three forms. The first gives the item and any thing protected by it a bonus on all their saving throws. The second gives the item and any thing protected by it a bonus on their AC. The third gives the wielder of an item suitable for parrying a bonus on their AC vs parryable attacks.

This spell may be used under certain conditions to enchant sets of items. A small set of tools can be enchanted at about the price given. Large sets (such as a complete set of alchemical glassware) might cost several times more.
 

Enchant Bracers of AC 8 (Item Enchantment)

Level: 5	Components: V, S, M
Range: Touch	Casting Time: 120 hours per AC above 10
Duration: Permanent	Saving Throw: None
Area of Effect: One item

Explanation/Description: This spell is used to enchant items of improving base armour class, such as Bracers, up to AC 8. It can also be used to enchant objects such as doors, containers, wall, etc. For the purpose of the maximum of two forms of plus per item, the even and the odd ACs count as separate types. This enchantment costs -10% if enchanted into a worn item whose innate form is one giving the wearer armour-like protection, such a pair of bracers (leather forearm armour) or a helm.

If used to enchant objects, the cost depends logarithmically on the area of the object. A standard door would be about normal cost, with each quadrupling of the area adding the same again.
 

Enchant A Wand (Item Enchantment)

Level: 6	Components: V, S, M
Range: Touch	Casting Time: 120 hours per Cost Factor plus 1 hour per Cost Factor per charge
Duration: Permanent	Saving Throw: None
Area of Effect: One item

Explanation/Description: This spell is used to enchant many-charged items such as wands. They are triggered by a specific word or action and act of will performed by someone in contact with the item. Wands normally have their targeting and control information supplied by the user, in which case the user must be able to cast spells of the class that cast the spell for the construction of item. At +10 to 20% cost (depending on spell) the wand can be made usable by anyone able to cast spells of any class that can cast the spell in the item. At +30% cost they can have their targeting and control completely fixed (as for a single-shot item), in which case they may be used by characters of any class. For +40% they can have their targeting and control completely fixed and be triggered as for a single-shot item. Using a spell from a wand normally requires only one segment, as the user need not gather or direct mana: this has already been done. A wand may not normally cast more than one spell off any particular common power supply per round; increasing this increases the cost of the wand in proportion.

A wand is normally a long pointed object, which is pointed to direct the spell. To enchant other items costs +10%, +25% if the spell in question is directed. A wand normally has some number of charges placed in it during the enchantment. Wands can normally be recharged (requiring only the first "lab accident" variety of backfire roll) by any mage who knows Enchant A Wand and has access to the required spell. If the spell is cast at a higher or lower level than the original maker when recharging then it will be correspondingly faster and cheaper or slower and dearer to do. The wand can be enchanted so as to be non-rechargable at a saving of 25%. If the wand does not require at least 1 charge in it at all time to retain its magical properties, it costs +5%. Wands containing more than one spell normally have all the spells running off a common power store, taking (and recharging) charges in proportion to the cost factors of the spells. This costs +10%. (Such devices are sometimes referred to as staves, though this is also used to describe physically larger versions.) Wands with no specific limit to the number of charges they can contain cost +15%. A limit of 100 charges (of the first spell if more than one is linked) gives standard price; one of 50 gives a 5% reduction; one of 20 gives a 10% reduction; 10 gives a 15% reduction; 5 gives a 20% reduction; 2 gives a 25% reduction; and 1 gives a 30% reduction.

Wands cast spells at half the level of their maker at the time of making.
 

Enchant A Spell-Storing Item (Item Enchantment)

Level: 6	Components: V, S, M
Range: Touch	Casting Time: 120 hours per Cost Factor per Number Factor
Duration: Permanent	Saving Throw: None
Area of Effect: One item

Explanation/Description: This spell is used to enchant rings (and other items) of spell-storing. These store one or more uses of a particular spell. The wearer can cast this spell, taking the normal time to do so and requiring the normal components, even if they cannot normally cast spells, as the ring provides all necessary power storing ability. Material components and deleterious effects such as aging are not required if they were expended at time of charging the ring. In spell failure systems it should be basically fool-proof for any spellcaster to use the ring (perhaps as hard as reading a scroll), while non-spellcasters should have some small chance of failing to activate the spell, or of giving the wrong targeting or controls, but not of getting a different magical effect from that stored.

This enchantment costs -20% if made in the form of a (rigid) ring with the normal ring disadvantage that a creature may only be affected by two such items and only one may be worn per limb. The inclusion of a Number Factor in the cost given above corresponds to a considerable saving if the ring can store several identical copies of the same spell (reversed versions or other variants do not count as identical). Spell storing a spell which is self only costs +25%.

Charging the ring can normally be done by anyone capable of casting the spell involved, as long as they cast it as the same class as cast the spell for the enchantment of the ring (so a cleric could not recharge a ring of magic-user Dispel Magic). On certain planes this may require the use of Enchant A Spell-Storing Item and take 1 or even 8 hours per Cost Factor of time and materials, but normally it is free and simple. A spell failure roll must be made at time of charging to see if there is an immediate accident, and a second to see what spell has actually been stored. On construction, three rolls must be made as usual: if the third results in a flawed version of the spell, the ring will normally store this different version when successfully charged with the original spell.

An item of spell storing casts spells at the lower of the level of its maker at the time of making and the level of casting with which it was last charged. In the case of multiple charges of the same spell charged at different levels, the highest level ones will be used up first.
 

Enchant An Automatic Single-Shot Item (Item Enchantment)

Level: 6	Components: V, S, M
Range: Touch	Casting Time: 32 hours per Cost Factor
Duration: Permanent	Saving Throw: None
Area of Effect: One item

Explanation/Description: This extremely rare spell is similar to Enchant A Single-Shot Item. The principle difference is that is has more flexible triggering. It can be triggered by some particular simple magically significant thing happening to the item or wearer of the item. This includes: the item being broken, the wearer taking cold damage, the wearer dropping below positive hit points, the wearer dying, the wearer having a specific spell cast upon them, and so on. It is otherwise as Enchant A Single-Shot Item.

Automatic single-shot items cast spells at half the level of their maker at the time of making. They activate instantaneously.
 

Enchant A +2 Weapon (Item Enchantment)

Level: 6	Components: V, S, M
Range: Touch	Casting Time: 120 hours per plus
Duration: Permanent	Saving Throw: None
Area of Effect: One weapon, or a number of small missile weapons or tools

Explanation/Description: This spell is similar to Enchant A +1 Weapon, but allows enchantment of weapons or tools up to +2,+4 vs.
 

Enchant +2 Protection (Item Enchantment)

Level: 6	Components: V, S, M
Range: Touch	Casting Time: 120 hours per plus
Duration: Permanent	Saving Throw: None
Area of Effect: One item, or a number of small tools

Explanation/Description: This spell is similar to Enchant +1 Protection, but allows enchantment of items up to +2.
 

Enchant Bracers of AC 6 (Item Enchantment)

Level: 6	Components: V, S, M
Range: Touch	Casting Time: 120 hours per AC above 10
Duration: Permanent	Saving Throw: None
Area of Effect: One item

Explanation/Description: This spell is similar to Enchant Bracers of AC 8, but allows enchantment of items up to AC 6.
 

Enchant A Passive Item (Item Enchantment)

Level: 7	Components: V, S, M
Range: Touch	Casting Time: 120 hours per Cost Factor
Duration: Permanent	Saving Throw: None
Area of Effect: One item

Explanation/Description: This spell is used to enchant passive items such as most rings. A passive item is an item of a non-instant spell which causes that effect to take place continuously in a fixed way and with all the targeting and control information normally supplied by the mage (whether concentration is required or not) fixed at time of enchantment. For example, a Ring of Levitation could be constructed so that it caused any creature wearing it to levitate upwards at a fixed rate. It would not allow the wearer to control the levitation, as such control is normally supplied by the spell-caster. A Ring of Flying, on the other hand, would allow the wearer to control the flight it bestows, just as the recipient of a Fly spell could normally control their flight. Some spells, while eligible for construction as a passive item, are not then very useful. A Crystal Ball constructed as a passive enchantment of Clairvoyance, for example, would only clairvoy one fixed target (a place, person, or thing, as usual for Clairvoyance). The referee may under special conditions allow a passive item to be constructed of a spell which is listed at instant. This will often be very expensive (as the variation of cost with duration of spell given below suggests). A passive Fireball, for example, would be a raging 20' radius ball of fire doing damage (per segment or per round, as the referee sees fit) to anyone entering it.

Certain spells which have unusual or non-obvious effects when made passive include: Charm Person or Monster—the wearer is charmed by a person specified when the item is made, a ST must be made each round that the item is worn; Nystul's Magic Aura—the item seems under Identify and similar spells to be some other comparable item (commonly used on cursed items), there is no special saving throw to discover that this is intended to decieve the unwary; Rope Trick—non-mobile, though the rope can be pulled up; Strength—at base cost the strength increase is just over the average rolled (F +5, C,Th +4, MU +3); Hold Person—a ST must be made each round that the wearer is not held; Dig—can be used to construct a Spade of Colossal Excavation at -50% cost; Glyph of Warding, Fire Trap, Explosive Runes, Symbol etc—allows repeated activations; Passwall—a Portable Hole is a passive item of Passwall at +100% cost, -10% for suitable form = 864 hours work.

Passive detection items are frequently made a radius effect rather than a 1" wide path. This gives ¹⁄6 the range at -25% cost, ¹⁄3 the range at standard cost, ¹⁄2 the range at +25% cost, ²⁄3 the range at +50% cost, and so on. Passive items of spells with a duration below that of 1 turn/level (or indefinite, such as Invisibility) cost extra. This cost is calculated as +100% x (28 rounds / Duration), so items of 1 round/level spells are triple cost to a 14th level mage. (Referees may wish to reduce this somewhat for some very short duration spells, as it otherwise becomes prohibitive. A passive item of Feather Fall is more powerful than one of Protection From Evil, but not 7 times a powerful!) Passive items of spells which are self-affecting only (as opposed to range touch or ranged) cost +25%. Passive item enchantments cost -20% if made in the form of a (rigid) ring with the normal ring disadvantage that a creature may only be affected by two such items and only one may be worn per limb. Passive items are often cheaper to make if they are basically non-portable. For example, a 10' radius ring set into the floor providing a Protection From Evil 10' Radius might be 20% cheaper than a finger-ring that gives the wearer PFE10'R, in addition to the 10% bonus for its form fitting its function (both items would also get the ring bonus). Passive items are frequently made with altered areas of effect, for increased or decreased cost depending on circumstances.

At the referee's option, a passive enchantment of a spell which is broken under certain conditions (such as Invisibility) will cause the spell to resume again after one round.

Passive items take effect at the level of their maker at time of making.
 

Enchant A Limited Item (Item Enchantment)

Level: 7	Components: V, S, M
Range: Touch	Casting Time: 120 hours per Cost Factor per Number Factor
Duration: Permanent	Saving Throw: None
Area of Effect: One item

Explanation/Description: This spell is used to construct items which have powers usable some number of times per so often. The normal period for most spells is a day, and cost of construction increases as the number factor of the number of times desired. These items are triggered by a fixed condition, which can be one of those possible for single-shot items (a well defined event happening to the item) or a wand (an act of will and a command word or action from the user), or they can respond to a fixed set of conditions discernible to any senses that the item has enchanted into it. For example, if the item had passive Magic Mouth enchanted in, with 33% discount for not saying anything, it could react to an event discernible to normal human senses. Passive Clairvoyance would allow it to respond to things seen happening at the point where the Clairvoyance was enchanted to look (around the item, perhaps), and so on. The conditions that it responds to can be about as complex as those for a magic mouth (so "the third time an umber hulk moves up the stairs after the door has been locked" is possible), but must not require the exercise of judgment (so "any opponent more dangerous than an ogre" is not). The targeting and control information for the spell can either be fixed at time of construction (allowing the item to activate without a user controlling it) or can be supplied by the wielder of the item. The latter ability is range touch, ie the user must be in contact with the item. The targeting and conditions can respond to the triggering (so "Fireball the largest creature within range" can be used).

The period which the item is usable some number of times per depends upon the spell involved. Standardly it is a day, but for spells where the referee considers that this might unbalance play it can become a week, a month, or even a year. In general, those spells which affect large areas of countryside, bring back the dead, or whose casting involves ageing or loss of constitution (even if using them from the item does not) will have period longer than a day. An item can be made cheaper by increasing this period beyond the minimum. Going from a day to a week reduces cost by 33%, from a week to a month by 25%, and from a month to a year by 50%.

Spells for which a rate of N/week is recommended include: Weather Control, Reincarnation, Part Water, Lower Water. Spells for which a rate of N/month is recommended include: Raise Dead, Limited Wish, Earthquake, Commune, Enchantment spells, inscribe Symbol. Spells for which a rate of N/year is recommended include: Clone, Wish, Resurrection, Alter Reality, Gate.

Limited items activate instantaneously, but using a power from a limited item takes one segment to point it, speak to command word, and so on. Limited items take effect at the casting level of their maker at time of making.
 

Enchant An Automatic Wand (Item Enchantment)

Level: 7	Components: V, S, M
Range: Touch	Casting Time: 160 hours per Cost Factor per Number Factor plus 1 hour per Cost Factor per charge
Duration: Permanent	Saving Throw: None
Area of Effect: One item

Explanation/Description: This extremely rare spell is similar to Enchant A Wand. The principle differences are that its targeting and control information can be fixed or supplied by a user capable of casting magic of any class capable of casting the spell without any additional cost; that the number of uses per round can be increased; and that the wand can be triggered in more complex manners. These items are triggered by a fixed condition, which can be one of those possible for automatic single-shot items (a well defined event happening to the item or its wearer) or a wand (an act of will and a command word or action from the user), or they can respond to a fixed set of conditions discernible to any senses that the item has enchanted into it. For example, if the item had passive Magic Mouth enchanted in, with 33% discount for not saying anything, it could react to an event discernible to normal human senses. Passive Clairvoyance would allow it to respond to things seen happening at the point where the Clairvoyance was enchanted to look (around the item, perhaps), and so on. The conditions that it responds to can be as complex as those for a magic mouth (so "the third time an umber hulk is goes up the stairs after the door has been locked" is possible), but must not require the exercise of judgment (so "any opponent more dangerous than an ogre" is not). The targeting and conditions can respond to the triggering (so "Fireball the largest creature within range" can be used). Automatic wands have no extra cost for not being made long and thin unless they are used to cast directed spells, when the extra cost is +10%.

Automatic wands activate instantaneously, but using a power from an automatic wand takes one segment to point it, speak to command word, and so on. Automatic wands take effect at half the casting level of their maker at time of making.
 

Enchant A Named Item (Item Enchantment)

Level: 7	Components: V, S, M
Range: Touch	Casting Time: 120 hours
Duration: Permanent	Saving Throw: None
Area of Effect: One item

Explanation/Description: This extremely rare spell gives the item it is enchanted into a True Name, which can be chosen by the enchanter (if this is not unique, ie is the same as that of another object or creature that currently exists or has ever existed anywhere, the enchantment will fail in an obvious fashion after 10% expenditure of time and money, and must be restarted with a new name), or discovered during the enchantment process. In addition to the normal effects of True Names, a person only counts for magical purposes as the wearer/user etc of the item if they know its True Name. Thus most such items cannot be used without knowing their True Names. The True Name of an item is as hard to discover by means of Identify and similar spells as the real nature of most cursed items.
 

Enchant A +3 Weapon (Item Enchantment)

Level: 7	Components: V, S, M
Range: Touch	Casting Time: 120 hours per plus
Duration: Permanent	Saving Throw: None
Area of Effect: One weapon, or a number of small missile weapons or tools

Explanation/Description: This spell is similar to Enchant A +2 Weapon, but allows enchantment of weapons or tools up to +3,+6 vs.
 

Enchant +3 Protection (Item Enchantment)

Level: 7	Components: V, S, M
Range: Touch	Casting Time: 120 hours per plus
Duration: Permanent	Saving Throw: None
Area of Effect: One item, or a number of small tools

Explanation/Description: This spell is similar to Enchant +2 Protection, but allows enchantment of items up to +3.
 

Enchant Bracers of AC 4 (Item Enchantment)

Level: 7	Components: V, S, M
Range: Touch	Casting Time: 120 hours per AC above 10
Duration: Permanent	Saving Throw: None
Area of Effect: One item

Explanation/Description: This spell is similar to Enchant Bracers of AC 6, but allows enchantment of bracers up to AC 4.
 

Enchant An Active Item (Item Enchantment)

Level: 8	Components: V, S, M
Range: Touch	Casting Time: 240 hours per Cost Factor per Number Factor
Duration: Permanent	Saving Throw: None
Area of Effect: One item

Explanation/Description: This spell allows the construction of an item which can cast a spell once per round. Certain spells cannot be made into active items, including any attack spell which causes harm even if a saving throw is made, or which has no saving throw (referees may allow exceptions for spells with other strong limitations, such as Sleep), spells that heal physical damage or raise the dead, spells which obtain information from extra-planar or similar sources (such as Commune, Commune With Nature, Augury, Contact Higher Plane, Legend Lore, and so on), spells which summon creatures, spells which have a major effect on the large-scale environment (such as Move Earth), and those for which a rate of less than N/day is possible with Enchant A Limited Item. Rates of spell casting above one per round are possible if the enchantment cost is increased by the appropriate Number Factor; note that this does not increase the number of attacks per round the user can make, and so is only useful for non-directed spells or on fighter items.

These items are triggered by a fixed condition or conditions, each of which can be one of those possible for single-shot items (a well defined event happening to the item) or a wand (an act of will and a command word or action from the user), or they can respond to a fixed set of conditions discernible to any senses that the item has enchanted into it. For example, if the item had passive Magic Mouth enchanted in, with 33% discount for not saying anything, it could react to an event discernible to normal human senses. Passive Clairvoyance would allow it to respond to things seen happening at the point where the Clairvoyance was enchanted to look (around the item, perhaps), and so on. The conditions that it responds to can be more complex than those for a magic mouth, but must not require the exercise of judgment (unless the item is intelligent). At an increased cost depending upon flexibility, the conditions can be changed by the user. The targeting and control information for the spell can either be fixed at time of construction (allowing the item to activate without a user controlling it) or can be supplied by the wielder of the item (range touch), or could have a default of the first type with user override, or at +10% cost could be set by the user and then left to operate on its own. The targeting and conditions can respond to the triggering (so "Fireball the largest creature within range" can be used). Active items will often have disadvantages and limitations built in so as to reduce construction cost; they also have a tendency to acquire unexpected quirks, disadvantages, and side effects if the enchantment backfire roll produces a result between 4 and 6.

Active items activate instantaneously. Active items take effect at the casting level of their maker at time of making.
 

Enchant An Intelligent Item (Item Enchantment)

Level: 8	Components: V, S, M
Range: Touch	Casting Time: 120 hours per Communication Factor
Duration: Permanent	Saving Throw: None
Area of Effect: One item

Explanation/Description: This spell allows the construction of an intelligent item. The item will be inhabited by a spirit, which will be able to use the powers of the item in the same way that its user can (unless conditions to the contrary are enchanted in). This will give the item an Int equal to the Int of the spirit used. It will have an Ego commensurate with the powers of the item, plus the level that the spirit was at time of death. It will speak those languages known by the spirit, and will have any other intellectual non-weapon proficiencies possessed by the spirit. The level of communication with the user depends upon the Communication Factor used when the item was enchanted. These are Semi-Empathy at x1, Empathy at x1¹⁄2, Speech at x2, Verbal Telepathy at x2¹⁄2, and Non-Verbal Telepathy at x3. The spirit gets use of the user's senses as follows: x1 vague impressions, x1¹⁄2 primary sense (vision), x2 secondary senses (hearing, touch), x2¹⁄2 all normal senses, x3 all normal and magical senses. The spirit can also perceive anything which the item can perceive for triggering purposes, and can use all detection and divination senses enchanted into the item. The spirit must be obtained by other means, such as Speak With Dead, or else a 0th level spirit with Int 3D6, alignment as specified by the mage, and randomly chosen languages as per an intelligent sword can be summoned. Alternatively, if Magic Jar is cast during the enchantment, the item can be left empty, and will absorb the user's spirit upon their dying while wearing the item, or that of the first creature slain with the item to fail its saving throw, or whatever. Items of this type are vulnerable to possession until filled. Removing a spirit from an item so that it can be returned to life requires a Limited Wish, Wish or a Resurrection.

Items containing spirits get improved saving throws. Their saving throw vs an effect is the better of those for a magical item and for a creature of the appropriate level and class, except where the latter involves leaping aside, ducking etc and the item cannot do so. At the referee's option they are immune to spells which will not affect a living creature.
 

Enchant A +4 Weapon (Item Enchantment)

Level: 8	Components: V, S, M
Range: Touch	Casting Time: 120 hours per plus
Duration: Permanent	Saving Throw: None
Area of Effect: One weapon, or a number of small missile weapons or tools

Explanation/Description: This spell is similar to Enchant A +3 Weapon, but allows enchantment of weapons or tools up to +4,+8 vs.
 

Enchant +4 Protection (Item Enchantment)

Level: 8	Components: V, S, M
Range: Touch	Casting Time: 120 hours per plus
Duration: Permanent	Saving Throw: None
Area of Effect: One item, or a number of small tools

Explanation/Description: This spell is similar to Enchant +3 Protection, but allows enchantment of items up to +4.
 

Enchant Bracers of AC 2 (Item Enchantment)

Level: 8	Components: V, S, M
Range: Touch	Casting Time: 120 hours per AC above 10
Duration: Permanent	Saving Throw: None
Area of Effect: One item

Explanation/Description: This spell is similar to Enchant Bracers of AC 4, but allows enchantment of bracers up to AC 2.
 

Enchant An Unlimited Item (Item Enchantment)

Level: 9	Components: V, S, M
Range: Touch	Casting Time: 480 hours per Cost Factor per Number Factor
Duration: Permanent	Saving Throw: None
Area of Effect: One item

Explanation/Description: This spell is similar to Enchant An Active Item, but the referee may allow the construction of items of spells which do ¹⁄2 damage if a saving throw is made, and possibly of certain other of the spells excluded from Enchant An Active Item. This spell is sometimes called Enchant An Artifact: this is a misnomer, since this spell does not allow the construction of many of the items described as "Artifacts" in the Dungeon Master's Guide™, many of which were manufactured by beings of divine status; but it does allow construction of some very powerful items. Items constructed using it will often have disadvantages and limitations built in so as to reduce construction cost; they also have a tendency to acquire unexpected quirks, disadvantages, and side effects if the enchantment backfire roll produces a result between 4 and 9.

The triggering, targeting, and control can be as complex and as flexible as the maker of the item wants, possibly at extra expense if this is extreme. If it requires judgement or other such original independent action, Enchant An Intelligent Item should be used to make it intelligent.

Unlimited Items activate instantaneously. Unlimited Items take effect at the casting level of their maker at time of making.
 

Enchant A +5 Weapon (Item Enchantment)

Level: 9	Components: V, S, M
Range: Touch	Casting Time: 120 hours per plus
Duration: Permanent	Saving Throw: None
Area of Effect: One weapon, or a number of small missile weapons or tools

Explanation/Description: This spell is similar to Enchant A +4 Weapon, but allows enchantment of weapons or tools up to +5,+10 vs.
 

Enchant +5 Protection (Item Enchantment)

Level: 9	Components: V, S, M
Range: Touch	Casting Time: 120 hours per plus
Duration: Permanent	Saving Throw: None
Area of Effect: One item, or a number of small tools

Explanation/Description: This spell is similar to Enchant +4 Protection, but allows enchantment of items up to +5.
 

Enchant Bracers of AC 0 (Item Enchantment)

Level: 9	Components: V, S, M
Range: Touch	Casting Time: 120 hours per AC above 10
Duration: Permanent	Saving Throw: None
Area of Effect: One item

Explanation/Description: This spell is similar to Enchant Bracers of AC 2, but allows enchantment of bracers up to AC 0.
 

How do You Enchant a ...

There are a number of items in the Dungeon Master's Guide™ for which it is not apparent how to enchant them under this system. Many of these can be considered highly variant items, often with combined advantages and disadvantages whose cost should be judged by the referee; some require knowledge of non-standard spells, or variant versions of standard spells, which are often of little use except in item enchantment, while others require parts from various monsters. Details of the requirements for some are given below.

Most of the standard protection scrolls are enchanted using Enchant A Single Shot Item (thus making them usable by non-mages) and Protection From Evil 10' Radius, with material from the type of creature to be protected against. Alternatively, you can use the various specific spells from the Wizard's Spell Compendium. Scrolls of Protection From Magic are made using Enchant A Single Shot Item, both Major Globe of Invulnerability and Anti-Magic Shell, and Disenchanter blood. A Rod of Cancellation is made using Enchant A Single Shot Item and Disenchanter Bone or Mordenkainen's Disjunction. A Wand of Negation is made using Enchant A Wand and the central eye(s) of a Beholder. A Crystal Ball is made using Enchant a Limited Item and the 3rd level magic user spell Magic Mirror. A Displacer Cloak is made using Enchant A Passive Item and the skin of a Displacer Beast. A (short range) Teleport Trap or Teleport Doorway is made using Enchant A Passive Item and the 5th level magic user spell Teleportal. A Portable Hole is made using Enchant A Passive Item and Passwall. A Bag of Holding is made using Enchant A Passive Item and the 5th level magic user spell Holding. The various Figurines of Wondrous Power are made using Enchant A Limited Item, the 9th level magic user spell Ensymbolisation, the appropriate creatures, and in some cases various other enchantments. Many cursed items must be improvised, though Enchant A Passive Item and Bestow Curse and Nystul's Magic Aura (see above, under Passive items) are a useful start. The Alternative Robe of Blending, for example, requires Passive Nystul's and Single-Shot Blade Barrier.

The various Books, Grimoires, Librams, Tomes, etc and Decks of Many Things cannot be made by use of this item creation system (and can probably only be made by divine beings, though it might be possible to enchant the Books by putting at least as much into them as is to come out). Artifacts can normally only be created by divine beings.
 

Summary