Crafting & Imbuing LiteCrafting & Imbuing LiteCrafting & Imbuing LiteCrafting & Imbuing LiteCrafting & Imbuing Lite

Crafting and Imbuing Lite is a lightweight ruleset for use in

D&D 5e campaigns featuring item crafting. The complexity

and mechanical heft of other crafting rules are traded for

streamlined simplicity.

The intent is to provide a flexible framework for characters

to construct mundane items and imbue them with magical

enhancements, while facilitating intermittent progress rather

than requiring contiguous downtime.

It is not intended to be a step-by-step guide for DMs to

balance homebrewed items, calculate how much these items

are worth, or prescribe the materials required to craft them.

These details are purposefully omitted - DMs and players

should work together to come to an agreement on what is

required to create a specific item.

Created by Eric J. Earley using GM Binder

Last updated 2020/12/06

The desire to create is ubiquitous amongst the civilized races.

Be it the roof over one's head, the clothes on one's shoulders,

the shoes on one's feet, the weapon in one's hand, or the food

in one's belly, artisans of all vocations, skills, and walks of life

form the backbone of society.

It behooves many adventurers, who have chosen (or been

thrust into) a life of danger and unpredictability, to learn a

crafting skill of their own, whether to maintain their

equipment, use rare materials and components they come

across in their travels, or simply to unwind by creating art for

art's sake.

Regardless of their motivations, many craftspeople cut

their teeth by creating common items, but eventually feel the

gnawing presence of invention pushing them to create, to

learn, and to grow as artisans. Some choose to design never-

before-seen creations, while others seek to imbue their crafts

with magical effects.

Crafting is the manufacture of mundane items - items with

no connection to the Weave and no magical capabilities.

Artisans trained in crafting are no common workers; on the

contrary, craftspeople are skilled laborers, often occupying

positions of prestige in local villages and forming the middle

class in more metropolitan societies.

Depending on the craft, artisans may use a wide range of

abilities. Carpenters and Leatherworkers use strength and

dexterity to ply their trade, but alchemists use intelligence to

select synergistic reagents, and calligraphers use charisma to

fuse art and language.

All artisans require a Blueprint before beginning a craft.

Regardless of the ability dominating their craft, drafting new

Blueprints is an endeavor requiring intelligence.

While even commoners can train in a craft in a manner of

months, very few can learn to Imbue a mundane item with

the Weave. It takes years of dedicated study (or gift, inborn or

granted) to learn the intricacies of imbuing.

The process of weaving magic into mundane items is not

dissimilar to that of weaving magic into spells. Any

adventurer capable of casting spells is also able to imbue

magic, and the manner in which they imbue varies - clerics

and paladins might channel their deity's power into an item,

whereas bards and wizards might instead directly manipulate

the Weave to their will.

All magi require a Formula to imbue. Furthermore,

designing new Formulae is a highly-cognitive task -

regardless of how casters normally manifest their spells,

designing new Formulae is an intellectual endeavor.

Crafting and imbuing progress is broken down into 8-hour

increments. Progress can be accumulated in smaller periods

- for example, an hour a day during one's free time - but

players only roll to determine the success of their work after

8 hours.

Crafting and imbuing are physically and mentally taxing

activities, and doing so for more than 8 hours in a day places

one at risk of exhaustion. Thus, artisans are limited to 8

hours of progress per day, after which they must take a Long

Rest before continuing their work.

Artisans crafting mundane or magic items, or creating

Blueprints or Formulae for these items, will need to track

their total number of Successful Artisan Checks. A

notecard with the appropriate number of empty circles

accomplishes this purpose.

Part 1 | The Vocation of Creation

2

This is unofficial Fan Content permitted under the Fan Content Policy. Not approved/endorsed by Wizards. Portions of the materials used

are property of Wizards of the Coast. ©Wizards of the Coast LLC.

Crafting a mundane item has two prerequisites: proficiency

in the relevant artisan’s tools, and a Blueprint. Artisan’s tool

proficiency confers knowledge of Blueprints for items listed

in the PHB (at the DM's discretion). However, complex or

custom items require a working Blueprint, which artisans

may need to create themselves (see Designing a Blueprint)

Crafting is done in three steps:

1. Declare the item's Base Value

2. Declare the Item Quality

3. Craft the item

The Base Value determines the time required to craft an

item, and is based on the cost of materials used in its

creation.

Items listed in the PBH are made of standard materials,

and thus their listed costs are the minimum possible Base

Value. However, experienced artisans may wish to use more

expensive materials, such as precious or rare metals,

gemstones, or monster parts. These materials increase the

Base Value of the crafted item. A gem-encrusted platinum

sword is worth more and takes longer to craft than one made

of iron and steel.

The material cost of crafting an item is half of the Base

Value. Declare the materials from which the item will be

made, and determine the Base Value of the item accordingly.

The Item Quality determines how difficult the item is to

craft, as well as the value of the item upon its completion.

An artisan must decide on the level of detail with which an

item will be crafted. Crafting higher-quality items requires

greater skill and carries with it a greater risk of making no

progress, but increases the final value of the item. A well-

fitted suit may use the same amount of material as an ill-fitted

suit, but it requires greater skill and therefore is worth more.

Item Qualities and their respective Crafting DC and Value

Modifier are as follows:

Item Quality Crafting DC Value Modifier

Standard 10 1x

Refined 15 1.5x

Exceptional 20 2x

Masterwork 25 4x

Declare the Item Quality before crafting, and determine the

Value Modifier accordingly.

While crafting, you make progress in 10gp increments until

the item is complete, expending 5gp worth of crafting

materials each time.

Divide the Base Value, in gp, by 10; this is the number of

Crafting Successes necessary to complete the item.

For every 8 hours of crafting, make an Crafting Check

comprising an appropriate ability check and your artisan's

tools proficiency bonus. The appropriate ability check may

differ depending on the tools being used - stoneworking may

require a STR (mason's tools) check, while mixing a healing

salve may instead require a WIS (herbalism kit) check. The

Crafting DC is determined by the Item Quality.

Once all Successes have been achieved, the item is

complete. Multiply the Base Value by the Value Modifier to

determine the final Item Value.

A Blueprint is required to craft items, and proficiency with

artisan's tools typically only includes Blueprints for common

items (those included in the PHB). For artisans who wish to

craft new items, they must design their own Blueprints.

The process of designing a blueprint is similar to that of

crafting a mundane item. As with crafting, the Base Value of

the item determines the time required to complete the

design, as well as the value of the materials needed to do so.

The Base Value is based on a number of factors including,

but not limited to: utility, rarity, prestige, availability of

materials, novelty and innovation, and other social, political,

and market forces.

Declare the Base Value of the item assuming it is made of

standard materials.

While designing a Blueprint, you make progress in 10gp

increments until it is complete, using 5gp worth of crafting

materials each time.

Divide the Base Value of the item, in gp, by 10. This is the

number of Successes you must accumulate to complete a

Design.

For each 8-hour Design period, roll a Design Check

comprising an INT (artisan's tools) check. The Design DC is

15.

Once you have accumulated the required number of

Successes, the Blueprint is complete, and you now have a

standard quality item.

Part 2 | Crafting

3

This is unofficial Fan Content permitted under the Fan Content Policy. Not approved/endorsed by Wizards. Portions of the materials used

are property of Wizards of the Coast. ©Wizards of the Coast LLC.

To imbue an item with a magical effect, you must be able to

cast spells and have spell slots of a level appropriate for the

desired effect. You also require an imbuing Formula

describing the necessary materials and imbuing process.

Formulae are not easy to come by, but gifted magi may design

their own custom Formulae (see Designing a Formula).

Imbuing is done in four steps:

1. Declare a magical effect to imbue

2. Acquire an appropriate mundane item

3. Acquire Magical Foci

4. Imbue the item

Not all effects are equal - stronger effects require rarer

materials and greater experience, and are more difficult to

imbue.

The strength of the magical effect determines the rarity

and value of the imbued item, the character level required to

complete the magic item, and the imbuing difficulty. Magic

items listed in the DMG provide a good benchmark for what

effects are appropriate for different Item Rarities.

A magical effect must be affixed to a physical object to

become permanent - a magic sword requires a sword, magic

boots require boots, and so on. Furthermore, stronger

magical effects require items crafted with greater skill to

contain the power.

After determining the Item Rarity, you must acquire an

appropriate mundane item of at least the Item Quality listed

in the table below.

A magic item requires more than mundane materials to

permanently hold an imbued magical effect. Items need to be

crafted with Magical Foci to store arcane energy. These

exotic materials often come in the form of gems, rare and

precious metals, or materials from magical or extraplanar

creatures or locales.

Have the DM consult the table below for general

suggestions of the Challenging Rating (CR) of a creature or

encounter that characters may need to face to acquire a

Magical Focus.

Facing a creature can have different meanings, depending on

the Magical Focus. Some Foci may need to be harvested from

a creature’s corpse, while others may only be guarded by the

creature, or given by a creature in exchange for a favor.

Securing Foci can become an adventure in and of itself.

Once the DM has decided on the Foci required to imbue

the item, characters must collect these materials for

consumption during the imbuing process. The total value of

consumed materials is equal to half of the Imbuing Value.

While imbuing, you make progress according the Imbuing

Rate listed in the table below, using half the Imbuing Rate

worth of imbuing materials each time. Divide the Imbuing

Value, in gp, by the Imbuing Rate; this is the number of

Imbuing Successes necessary to complete the item.

For every 8 hours of imbuing, make an Imbuing Check

comprising a spellcasting ability check and your proficiency

bonus. The Imbuing DC is listed on the table below.

Once all Successes have been made, the item has been

imbued with the magical effect.

A Formula is required to imbue items. Characters must track

them down from accomplished magi, or create their own.

The process of researching a formula is similar to that of

imbuing an item. As with imbuing, the strength of the magical

effect determines the rarity and value of the imbued item, the

character level required to complete the magic item, and the

imbuing difficulty. Magic items listed in the DMG and XGtE

provide a good benchmark for what effects are appropriate

for different Item Rarities.

While developing a Formula, you make progress according

to the Imbuing Rate listed in the table below, using half the

Imbuing Rate worth of materials in the process.

Divide the Imbuing Value, in gp, by the Research Rate; this

is the number of Successes you must accumulate to

Research the Formula.

Magic emerges from a myriad of origins, and can be

directed by a magi's intellect, wisdom, or charisma. However,

developing the Formula to imbue items with magical

properties is an intellectual pursuit, ultimately relying on a

keen mind and trained knowledge in arcana.

For every 8 hours of Research, make a Research Check

comprising an INT (arcana) check. The Research DC is

listed on the table below.

Once you have accumulated the required number of

Successes, the Formula is complete, and you now have an

imbued item.

Magic Item Rarity Imbuing Value* Min Item Quality Min. Character Level Foci CR Imbuing DC Research DC Imbuing Rate

Common 100 gp Standard 1st 1-3 10 10 20 gp

Uncommon 400 gp Refined 3rd 4-8 10 15 40 gp

Rare 4,000 gp Exceptional 6th 9-12 15 20 80 gp

Very Rare 40,000 gp Masterwork 11th 13-18 20 25 320 gp

Legendary 200,000 gp Masterwork 17th 19+ 25 30 800 gp

*Halved for consumable magic items like potions and scrolls

Part 3 | Imbuing

4

This is unofficial Fan Content permitted under the Fan Content Policy. Not approved/endorsed by Wizards. Portions of the materials used

are property of Wizards of the Coast. ©Wizards of the Coast LLC.

The following rules are optional, but may enhance play by

providing additional strategic choices.

Many hands make light work. Multiple artisans can

contribute to the same project, provided they have the

prerequisites to do so, and their successes are applied to the

progress.

One artisan can also choose to assist another, allowing the

lead artisan to add the assistant artisan's ability modifier to

their roll. A lead artisan can only receive help from one

assistant artisan. This is particularly helpful when working

on high-quality items or items with powerful magical effects,

which require great skill to make progress.

Sometimes artisans of different vocations must combine

their efforts to complete an item. For example, catering a

banquet for a dwarven lady and her subjects might require

the services of a chef to provide the food, a brewer to serve

drinks, and a glassblower to craft the glassware for the event.

Required successes can be divided up between different

crafting types, each requiring a different type of Artisan

Check to complete.

Crafting is a physically and mentally taxing activity, and doing

so for more than 8 hours in a day places one at risk of

exhaustion. However, circumstances sometimes necessitate a

period of crunch, of pushing beyond these normal limits.

Weaving a battle banner for a general who is about to march

off to war, setting gems in a ring for an impatient noble, or

painting a landscape to submit into an art gallery before a

rival can submit a similar piece - all are possible reasons why

an artisan may need to extend their working day.

For every 4 hours of crafting or imbuing beyond 8 hours,

make a Constitution saving throw. The DC is 5 + 5 for every

additional 4 hours. On a failed saving throw, you suffer one

level of exhaustion at the END of your next Long Rest.

Some crafted items, and most magic items, require a

significant time investment to complete. Artisans who choose

to dedicate an entire workweek (5 days) to crafting or

imbuing can determine their number of successes for the

week by using the table on this page.

A fledgling artisan may set out to craft a exceptional item,

only to find it too difficult. Alternatively, an artisan may accept

a contract to renovate an standard family heirloom to

masterwork quality. During (or after) crafting, you can decide

to change the quality of an item.

If you change your item to a lower quality, you keep your

current Successes. However, if you change your item to a

higher quality, you lose half of your current Successes

(rounded up). Thus, if you have a finished item and want to

improve its quality, you start with half the required number of

Successes.

In some worlds, there exist tinkerers who craft wondrous

mechanical devices that are indistinguishable from magic.

These craftspeople have been known to make complex

creations that function equivalently to arcane magic items.

Craftspeople who wish to imbue items with magic-like

effects, but are unable to cast spells of their own, can choose

to replace Imbuing Checks and Research Checks with

Artificer Checks comprising an INT (tinker's tools) check.

All other Imbuing requirements are still enforced, including

starting with Formulae and acquiring Magical Foci.

This module draws inspiration from the crafting rules in the

PHB (pg 187), DMG (pg 128), and XGtE (pg 128). For DMs

interested in a different crafting experience, consider the

following modules:

City and Wild – Aeron Drake

Questionable Arcana – Grow Up and Game

Crafting Magic Items: A Guide to Artifice – The Arcane

Athenaeum

Item Crafting Rules for 5e – Charles Stapleford

Credits

Dwarf Craftsman, by R-ValleEberron Artificer, by Matthew RileyFemale Blacksmith by Thomaswievegg

----------------------------------------------- Ability Check Bonus ----------------------------------------------

Artisan DC +0 +1 +2 +3 +4 +5 +6 +7 +8 +9 +10 +11 +12 +13 +14 +15

10 3 4 4 4 5 5 5 6 6 7 7 7 7 7 7 7

15 2 2 2 3 3 3 4 4 4 5 5 5 6 6 7 7

20 - - 1 1 1 2 2 2 3 3 3 4 4 4 5 5

25 - - - - - - - 1 1 1 2 2 2 3 3 3

30 - - - - - - - - - - - - 1 1 1 2

Part 4 | Variant Rules

5

This is unofficial Fan Content permitted under the Fan Content Policy. Not approved/endorsed by Wizards. Portions of the materials used

are property of Wizards of the Coast. ©Wizards of the Coast LLC.

1. Declare the item's Base Value: The Base Value

determines the time required to craft an item.

2. Declare the Item Quality: The Item Quality determines

the Crafting DC the item, as well as the Value Modifier of

the item upon completion.

3. Craft the item: Divide the Base Value, in gp, by 10; this is

your required number of successful Crafting Checks.

For every 8 hours, make a Crafting Check; on a success,

you make 10gp of progress and expend 5gp in materials.

Item Quality Crafting DC Value Modifier

Standard 10 1x

Refined 15 1.5x

Exceptional 20 2x

Masterwork 25 4x

1. Define the Base Value The Base Value is the standard

market value of the completed item. Define the Base Value

assuming it is made of standard materials.

2. Design a Prototype Divide the Base Value, in gp, by 10;

this is your required number of successful Design Checks.

The Design DC is 15.

For every 8 hours, make a Design Check; on a success,

you make 10gp of progress and expend 5gp in materials.

1. Declare a magical effect to imbue The strength of a

magical effect determines the imbued item's rarity and

value, required character level, and Imbuing DC and Rate.

2. Acquire an appropriate mundane item You must

acquire an appropriate mundane item of at least the Item

Rarity listed in the table below.

3. Acquire Magical Foci Magic items must be crafted with

Magical Foci to store arcane energy. The total value of

Magical Foci is equal to half the Imbuing Value

4. Imbue the item Divide the Imbuing Value by the Imbuing

Rate; this is your required number of successful Imbuing

Checks.

For every 8 hours, make an Imbuing Check; on a success,

you make the Imbuing Rate worth of progress, expending

half the Imbuing Rate worth of materials.

1. Declare a magical effect to imbue The strength of the

magical effect determines the rarity and value of the imbued

item, as well as the Research DC and Rate.

2. Research a Formula Divide the Imbuing Value by the

Research Rate; this is your required number of successful

Research Checks.

For every 8 hours, make a Research Check; on a success,

you make the Research Rate worth of progress, expending

half the Research Rate worth of materials.

Magic Item Rarity Imbuing Value* Min Item Quality Min. Character Level Foci CR Imbuing DC Research DC Imbuing Rate

Common 100 gp Standard 3rd 1-3 10 10 20 gp

Uncommon 400 gp Refined 3rd 4-8 10 15 40 gp

Rare 4,000 gp Exceptional 6th 9-12 15 20 80 gp

Very Rare 40,000 gp Masterwork 11th 13-18 20 25 320 gp

Legendary 200,000 gp Masterwork 17th 19+ 25 30 800 gp

*Halved for consumable magic items like potions and scrolls

This is unofficial Fan Content permitted under the Fan Content Policy. Not approved/endorsed by Wizards. Portions of the materials used

are property of Wizards of the Coast. ©Wizards of the Coast LLC.

CraftingCraftingCraftingCraftingCrafting&&&&&

ImbuingImbuingImbuingImbuingImbuingLiteLiteLiteLiteLite

Crafting and Imbuing Lite is a lightweight ruleset

for use in D&D 5e campaigns featuring item

crafting. The complexity and mechanical heft of

other crafting rules are traded for streamlined

simplicity.

The intent is to provide a flexible framework for

characters to construct mundane items and

imbue them with magical enhancements, while

facilitating intermittent progress rather than

requiring contiguous downtime.

For more entries in the Homebrew Lite series,

check out:

Learning & Language Lite

Travel & Exploration Lite

Dueling Lite

This is unofficial Fan Content permitted under the Fan Content Policy. Not approved/endorsed by Wizards. Portions of the materials used

are property of Wizards of the Coast. ©Wizards of the Coast LLC.