Catamaran Special Materials and Magic Item Creation System

Materials

In Catamaran the players don't get magic items that grant bonuses; they get those through the Glory system.  They have gotten weapons made of special materials though, that have the following advantages:

• Adamantium
• Weapons: Treat damage rolls of 1 or 2 as 3.  
• Helmet: Ignore two crit hits per long rest
• Armor: As per DMG
• Mithral
• Weapons: Treat damage rolls of 1 as 2
• Helmet: Ignore one crit hit per long rest
• Armor: As per DMG
• Shield: As a reaction can grant advantage on a save vs. spell once per long rest
• Ironwood: Wood as hard, if not harder, than iron.
• Weapons: Treat damage rolls of 1 as 2
• Shield: Plant creatures have disadvantage attacking the wielder
• Ship: Increases ship AC without increasing weight, taking up cargo space, etc
• Burnwood: Wood that burns with normal intensity but a fist sized piece will burn for longer than a human lifespan.  
• Weapons: Bonus action to light on fire, add Dex bonus in fire damage to melee attacks.  
• Liftwood: Flying wood that naturally levitates up to its own weight at 5 feet per round.  
• Ship: When built into the hull of a ship it increases the speed of the ship by reducing drag and how deep the ship sits in the water.  
• Skysteel: Found in meteors.  Highly magnetic.  
• Weapon: +1d6 damage against constructs
• Shield: Constructs have disadvantage attacking the wielder
• Eog: Special enchanted glass that is harder than steel and spirits cannot penetrate.
• Weapon: +1d6 vs noncorporeal creatures
• Shield: Noncorporeal creatures have disadvantage attacking the wielder
• Orachalum: A special gold/mithral alloy with magical uses.
• Weapon: Ignore spell based defenses, like stoneskin or shield.  
• Armor: Gain advantage on spell saving throws.  
• Shield: As a reaction gain advantage on a spell saving throw
• Moonkelp Treated Whalebone:
• Weapon: +1d6 damage against any creature not in its true form (lycanthropes, wild shape druids, etc).  

Plus I told the players they were useful in making magic items.  So they asked about making magic items.  

Magic Item Creation

• This is a system I'm still in the process of hacking together so it's just a series of bullet points right now, but still any feedback welcome.
• Magic items are created by spellcasters sacrificing spell slots of at least third level for a period of a month to generate points that are then used to purchase magical traits for items. 
• To make an item the character must have a specific item they are making and all components needed, along with necessary tools. During the creation process they must have access to the item for at least 2 hours a day. If the character misses a day, they lose all progress for that month. If they miss five days in a row, all progress is lost and they must start over again, though all components and materials remain. 
• Any spellcaster can sacrifice spell slots to make magic items, but they can only be used to create items that line up with the magical focus of the spellcaster. For example, clerics could make items tied to their domain or more general cleric abilities (like healing), while sorcerers could make items that are more related to their bloodline and its abilities.
• Wizards and bards get more wide range of magic item options here, but they are still limited by their core spell competencies. For example, wizards cannot make healing items. 
• If an item allows the use of a specific spell, you must know that spell to create the item. For example, if you want to create a Helm of Telepathy you must know detect thoughts. 
• If a spellcaster sacrifices a spell slot for a month, they get magical resource points. These points come in three categories: minor, moderate, and major. Enchantments require a specific number of these points. 
• Spell slot sacrificed:
• 3rd Level: 1 Minor enchantment point
• 4th Level: 2 Minor enchantment points
• 5th Level: 3 Minor enchantment points or 1 moderate enchantment point
• 6th Level: 2 moderate enchantment points
• 7th Level: 3 moderate enchantment points or 1 major enchantment point
• 8th Level: 2 major enchantment points
• 9th Level: 3 major enchantment points
• Non spellcasters that have Expertise in a crafting tool can get enchantment points if they make an item from a special material and sacrifice hit dice instead of spell slots. So a smith can make a magic weapon without using magic by sacrificing his own lifeforce and using a special material like mithral.  
• Sacrifice 3 hit dice: 1 minor enchantment point
• Sacrifice 8 hit dice: 1 moderate enchantment point
• Sacrifice 18 hit dice: 1 major enchantment point
• Ability score points can also be permanently sacrificed, 1 ability score point for one major enchantment point. Ability scores may not be lowered below 8 in such fashion without GM approval.  
• If a character who has sacrificed spell slots or hit dice uses those sacrificed resources for any reason, such as being stuck in a life or death situation, all enchantment points for that month are lost. 
• Multiple characters can sacrifice spell slots and hit dice for a single item as long as they have access to it each day for at least two hours a day. If access is lost, the enchantments points for that month are lost. 
• When a player decides to make an item, they must detail out the item before it is made to figure out its point cost, and then acquire the requisite enchantment points. You do not generate a pool of points and then spend it. Magic is a thing of ritual and process, not an ad hoc free for all. Magic items are useless until the full number of points necessary are obtained. 
• Once an item is completed, additional enchantment points must be added, but this requires an additional enchantment point of the largest type being added to be spent “reopening” the magic in the item. So if you are adding an enchantment to an item that requires two minor and one moderate enchantment point, you must spend an additional moderate enchantment point to The item will be unusable until the new enchantments are finished. 
• The type and number of points that can be put into an item are limited by its material and form:
• Material:
• Steel, Bone: Minor enchantment points only
• Wood, Obsidian, Silver, Gold, Adamantine, Eog, Skysteel: Minor or moderate enchantment points, +5 total enchantment point. Generally cost x10 times the normal cost for the item. 
• Mithral, Legendary Bones, Ironwood, Burnwood, Magewood: Minor, moderate, or major enchantment points, +10 total enchantment points. Generally cost x100 times the normal cost for the item. 
• Item
• Weapon/Shield: 5
• Ring: 4
• Armor: 10
• Staff: 10
• Wand: 5
• Rod: 7
• Casting Implement: 5
• Helmet/Hat: 5
• Cloak/Robe: 5
• Amulet: 4
• Ritual Components
• Minor Enchantment Points x10 resource goods
• Moderate Enchantment points x10 trade goods
• Major Enchantment Points x10 luxury goods
• Some magic items may be consumed for additional enchantment points. Generally this the same number of points used to create the item reduced by one category. This means items created using minor enchantment points are not salvageable. 
• All items created through this system require attunement unless they are single use items. 
• Item categories:
• Activate spell:
• You must know the spell
• Costs 1 minor for 1-3rd level spells, 1 moderate for 4-5th level spells, and 1 major for 6th level spells. You can’t make items that produce higher level spells.
• If the item can cast more than one spell you must pay the above cost for each spell. 
• This is for a once per long rest item. 
• For an item to be an “at will” item you must spend x10 time the number of enchantment points needed to make the item. 
• Each additional charge you want the item to have charges, you must spend on additional point of the highest type for each charge. So if you are making a wand that can cast 1st and a 4th level spell, costing a minor and a moderate enchantment point, each additional charge requires a moderate enchantment point. 
• Specific Point Costs:
• Resistance Brooches: Gain resistance to one element that just hit you as a reaction until beginning of your next turn. 1 minor enchantment point.
• Leadership Brooches: Grant Charisma Bonus + Level in temp hit points to all allies as bonus action. 2 moderate enchantment points. 
• Weightless Shoes: Walk on any surface as if you weighed nothing. 2 minor enchantment points. 
• All Minor Properties in the DMG: 1 minor enchantment point. 
• Alchemy Jug: 8 moderate enchantment point
• Amulet of Health: 6 moderate enchantment points
• Amulet Against Proof of Detection and Location: 10 minor enchantment points
• Amulet of the Planes: 3 major enchantment points
• Animated Shield: 10 moderate enchantment points
• Armor of Invulnerability: 10 moderate enchantment points and 2 major enchantment points. 
• Armor of Resistance: 10 minor enchantment points
• Arrow Catching Shield: 10 minor enchantment points
• Arrow of Slaying: 1 moderate enchantment point
• Bag of holding: 5 minor enchantment points
• Bag of Beans: 4 minor enchantment points
• Wand of Fireballs: 8 minor enchantment points