Crafting Guide

Like much of our ruleset, ALFA's crafting system tries to be as faithful as is reasonable to the 3.5 D&D ruleset. Currently, only magical crafting is implemented, and of that only consumable crafting is fully automated.

Costs are not discussed here. To compute the costs of items, in GP or XP, see Pricing Documentation.

Player's Guide

Magical crafting requires several things:

1. A crafting project. This is an item signifying a work in progress. Consumable crafting projects can be created by players with the appropriate consumable crafting feats. Other projects must be DM-created.
2. A quiet work area. In ALFA this means PCs can only work on crafting projects in places where they'd ordinarily be able to rest comfortably (inside rest triggers). Tents out in the wilderness do not cut it.
3. The necessary feat (Craft Wand, Brew Potion, Scribe Scroll, Craft Arms and Armor, etc.).
4. The proper spells imbued into the item. In the case of consumables, the needed spell is always the spell cast by the consumable. In the case of permanent magic items, the needed spells (if any) are automatically picked by the crafting system and depend on the nature of the item. These spells can come from anything: a scroll, wand, another PC, etc.
5. Gold. The cost to create consumables is paid for up-front, though other crafting projects are pay-as-you-go.
6. Experience. Crafting is a drain on experience. A PC loses experience as they craft, though they cannot lose a level doing so. If their XP total would drop below their last level, crafting becomes impossible.
7. Magic power. The person doing the crafting work (not imbuing the spell) must have a caster level equal to or exceeding the minimum caster level required to craft the item.

To examine the costs, needed spells, and minimum caster level of a crafting project, simply examine it.

DM Guide

Players can "purchase" consumable crafting projects by using the appropriate feat (Brew Potion, Scribe Scroll, Craft Wand). This will open a store allowing the player to purchase any item they have a high enough caster level to create. Note the store includes items the character may not have the ability to imbue with the proper spells - this is intentional, as the character may wish to create something which needs the help of others.

Purchasing something from the "store" represents the character gathering the necissary ingredients to create the purchased item, and should be roleplayed as such. There are no refunds, so chose wisely.

Experimental

DMs can create crafting projects out of any item. To do this, they simply use their Craft feat (in the same manner a player would) on an item. This turns it into a crafting project, which can be worked on like any other. Note that if a DM saves a crafting project on their avatar, the project will be ruined due to technical limitations. The game will worn a DM acquiring a crafting project. They should be left in the hands of PCs.

DMs can complete a crafting projects by using the Craft feat from their avatar on it. Note this will destroy any saved progress made by PCs.

Doing the Work

To craft:

1. Examine the item to see what spells are needed (if any).
2. Cast those spell(s) on the item.
3. Acquire the necissary GP and XP.
4. Use the 'Craft' feat (which all characters have; it can be dragged onto a toolbar slot from the feats list in the character window) on the item while inside a rest zone.
5. Repeat as necissary to complete the item. Crafting projects can be progressed only once per day.

Known Issues

• Many consumable prices are a few percent off, due to the annoying way NWN2 calculates item prices. I'm looking into this.
• In the case of oddball crafters (rangers, paladins, bards, sometimes even clerics or druids) the price of some consubles will be off. Because we are limited in how many different combinations of items, prices and caster levels we can represent, we have to make best guesses on who will be crafting what. This means guessing the most common spell level, and going with it.
• DMs cannot convert stacks of items into crafting projects.
• Trying to "use" an unfinished project will make a potion unusable until resting. It will also deplete charges of an ability which consumes multiple charges per use. Don't use unfinished projects. They don't work anyhow.
• Long descriptions on crafted items are sometimes destroyed. I'm looking into this one.
• Projects saved into DM or local-vault character files will be made uncraftable and unusable.