To enchant an item, a wizard needs the correct Spells, materials, time, and Strength. The amount of ST required can easily exceed a wizard’s reserves, and often teams of wizards work together to enchant items. The materials required must be of master quality, and a GM may require specific additional materials to perform the proper rituals. When magical items are found for sale, they commonly cost twice as much as the materials expense.
Enchanting items takes several days and requires the wizard to make a successful casting check (3/DX) each day. Common failures (>15 on 3d) mean the day is wasted, serious failures (16-17) means the process must start again at the beginning, and a critical failure (18+) destroys the materials as well as the process.
Temporary Items are single-use enchantments that are consumed in use. They require the IQ18 Lesser Magic Item Creation Spell, as well as the Spell to be infused. Depending on their use, temporary items take the form of potions, bombs, or crystals. These items can be made at various power levels, but are commonly craft to last 6 rounds.
- Bombs are sealed spheres that are thrown at targets as thrown weapons. They take effect immediately, unless the Spell contained allows for a save test. A missed throw lands like a molotail (ITL, p.124).
- Crystals are containers for Spells, that can be released in an adjacent space to the wielder. This cannot be done in an occupied space. Crystals commonly hold summoned creatures, fire, or shadows.
- Potions are ingested and effect the drinker. The magic of the potion is immediate. Common potions include, Heal, Flight, and Invisibility.
To create a temporary item, it takes a number of days equal to the IQ level of the Spell + the ST that would be used in casting. The wizard must make a successful casting test each day of the ritual. The actual ST needed to enchant the item is the IQ X ST. The cost of materials is 10 times the ST investment, plus the cost of a masterwork item (for bombs and crystals) that is to be enchanted. Note that this cost does include the price of any special components/ingredients that the GM wishes to add like gargoyle gallbladders or ground unicorn horn.
| Days | ST Investment | Material Cost |
| IQ + ST | IQ x ST | ST Investment x $10 |
For example: to make a potion of blur to last 6 rounds, a wizard would need 15 days (IQ8+7ST), 56ST (8×7), and $560 in materials (56×10), plus any specific ingredients the GM might require.
- Scrolls are a specific type of temporary magic, and are created with the Write Scroll Spell. The scribing wizard must know the Spell to written as well. Scrolls take a number of days equal to the IQ level of the Spell to write, and the wizard must make a successful casting check each day. Scrolls require ST equal to the IQ level x the minimum ST. The material cost is 10 times the ST investment. That means to create a scroll of Avert, a wizard would need 9 days(IQ9 level Spell), 18 ST (IQ9 x min2ST), and $160.
| Days | ST Investment | Material Cost |
| IQ | IQ x min. ST | ST Investment x $10 |
Note that a wizard casting from a scroll can invest their own ST into the Spell, to increase its power or duration. See Casting from Scrolls for more information.
Weapon/armor enchantments are created with IQ14 Spell of the same name, and the process is the same as a temporary item. The number of days required equals 14 (the IQ level) + the ST of the casting. The ST investment is 14 x the casting ST, and the cost is 10 times the ST investment plus the cost of a masterwork weapon or armor.
| Days | ST Investment | Material Cost |
| IQ (14) + ST | IQ x ST | ST Investment x $10 |
To enchant a weapon for +1adjDX or damage it would take 19 days (IQ14 plus 5 min. ST), require 70ST (14 x 5) , and cost $7800 (70ST x $10 plus $800 for the master quality blade.
To make the weapon +2, it would take 29 days (IQ14 plus 15 min. ST), require 210ST (14 x 15), and cost $2900 (70ST x $10 plus $800).
Armor and weapons can be further enchanted with Spell effects (such as a shield of reverse missiles) by the process for permanent items below.
Permanent items are created with the IQ20 Greater Magic Item Creation Spell. There are two main types of permanent items, fatiguing and empowered. Fatiguing items require the user to expend ST to activate the item’s powers, while empowered items do not. Empowered items are often limited to a number of uses per day.
Creating a permanent fatiguing item is very similar to other item creation rituals. The number of days required is the IQ level of the Spell x the minimum ST to cast the Spell. The ST investment is 5 times the number of days, and the material cost is 10 times that.
| Days | ST Investment | Material Cost |
| IQ + min. ST | Days X 5 | ST Investment x $10 |
If a wizard were to craft a cloak of shock shield, it would take 20 days (IQ10 x min2ST), require 100ST (20 x 5), and cost $1000.
Activating the cloak would take 1ST/round.
To craft an empowered item, the days required would be the IQ level x the casting ST x uses per day.
| Days | ST Investment | Material Cost |
| IQ x ST X Uses/day | Days X 5 | ST Investment x $10 |
So, the same cloak empowered for three 6-round uses per day would take 240 (10IQ x 8ST x 3 Uses) days, require 960ST, and cost $9600. Beyond 12 uses per day, an item is considered usable at will.
These are the costs for putting a single spell on an item. If a wizard were to add a second spell (like Blur on top of Shock Shield), the casting would cost twice as much for the second spell, which would be an additional 288 days, 1440ST, and $14,400. A third spell would add three times the cost, and the fourth would quadruple it, up to the limit of the Rule of Five.
Cursed items are created in the same way as beneficial magical items, only the spells infused in the item are changed. All permanent cursed items are empowered. Cursed weapons and armor can be created with the Enchant Weapons and Armor Spell