A thought exercise to get me back into the 3.X swing of things.

[X-Codes]

Trying to come up with an optimization idea with regards to item creation. I want to make a character that is completely incapable of spellcasting, and yet still makes magical items. Completely means Completely -- no Chameleon.  Warlock is a no-go mostly because it takes 12 levels to get it, and I really want to be able to pull this off at much lower levels.  For the same reason, Midgard Dwarf is also out, but I can bet that somehow hacking Master Smith onto something else is going to be the way this gets done.

Side Note on the Master Smith thing: Has errata or FAQ clarified if that could be applied to Constructs?  If so, does the Midgard Dwarf need to take Craft Construct to... craft constructs?

[Demelain]

Ironsoul Forgemaster (MoI) comes to mind, as does Battlesmith (RoS).
Binder (Astaroth) could be used, but I'm not sure if Binding is too close to spellcasting for you.

[linklord231]

I'm assuming you're counting an Artificer's Infusions as spells?

[X-Codes]

I'm assuming you're counting an Artificer's Infusions as spells?

Yes.

I'll check MoI, RoS, and ToM.

EDIT: Ok, my issue with MoI and RoS is that they're just CMA&A. Craft Wondrous Item is really the money feat (or, while we're at it, Craft Universal Item would also be acceptable). Also, none of the above bypass the spell requirements. I know you can still do so with party help or wands/scrolls + UMD or whatever, but I'm hoping to avoid those as well.

[Demelain]

Astaroth is a vestige from http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/we/20070307a.
Of note is the Master Craftsman ability.

[X-Codes]

Astaroth is a vestige from http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/we/20070307a.
Of note is the Master Craftsman ability.

Yep, thought that might have been one of the WE vestiges, but there are so many A-something vestiges that sound kinda alike, so...

Anyway, that might work.  Binder isn't so bad, I'd probably not even count it as being quite as magical as Warlock, honestly, since you get your power by channeling otherworldly beings.

EDIT: Alright, Astaroth definitely makes the short list of how I want this to happen, but if I bring it online at the earliest possible level of 5 then we're talking about the character being a nearly-pure Binder, which might be OK but I would like to do some other stuff, too, so if there's some way to hack Master Smith onto some other race then I'm still interested in that.

Also, Astaroth's abilities still require some capacity for spellcasting.  Other than Warlock 12 and the previously mentioned Master Smith, what are some ways to get around (or at least mitigate the cost of faking) those requirements?

[kitep]

I forget who, but someone started a thread on how wonderful the Duergar (MM-92) are.  The key phrase

Spell-Like Abilities: 1/day—enlarge person and invisibility as a
wizard of twice the duergar’s class level (minimum caster level 3rd);
these abilities affect only the duergar and whatever it carries.

Craft Wondrous Item

Prerequisite: Caster level 3rd.

So a Duergar can take the CWI feat at level 1!  Woohoo!
FYI: LA +1

Good luck!

[X-Codes]

That is kinda awesome and I may even use it, but there is at least one character I have in mind that is not going to be a short, balding, gray-skinned dwarf that's been beaten with an ugly stick.

Hmm... on the other hand, I suppose there is also one character that I played, before, that was exactly that...  This is getting interesting.

[Empirate]

Funny, wanted to put the Duergar too.

[Demelain]

That is kinda awesome and I may even use it, but there is at least one character I have in mind that is not going to be a short, balding, gray-skinned dwarf that's been beaten with an ugly stick.

Hmm... on the other hand, I suppose there is also one character that I played, before, that was exactly that...  This is getting interesting.

Magic-Blooded is a template from Dragon Magazine which you can use to give pretty much any PC spell-like abilities. CL is equal to Character Level, but it is a way to qualify for Item Creation feats.
As far as faking the spells, that's a short list and I can't think of any off the top of my head that aren't too magical for this purpose. Maybe Factotum? It's still spells, but the guy can cast, like,, 8 spells a day at max level so...

[linklord231]

Maybe Factotum? It's still spells, but the guy can cast, like,, 8 spells a day at max level so...

Factotums use Spell-Like Abilities, so I'm not sure if they work for supplying the spells to create magic items.  According to the SRD, they don't, because it specifies that you have to have the spell prepared (or known, if applicable).  This also rules out providing the prerequisite spells off of scrolls. 
However, I know the item creation rules were updated somewhere, because I know you have the option of having someone other than you cast the necessary spell and even share XP costs.  I just don't know if the rules for providing the spell changed in other ways, too. 

[zook1shoe]

Artificer was mentioned above, by the way the Item Creation ability is written, gains nearly ALL the item creation feats out there (anything that has a min CL requirement).

but you could do a Psionic Artificer for non-'spellcasting'

otherwise, you're stuck with PrCs to maybe help you.
the Gnome Artificer in Magic of FR is fun, but it doesn't make traditional magic items.

[Nunkuruji]

I believe one of the factions from Planescape has feats available to do such a thing (maybe even non faction specific)

[Prime32]

That is kinda awesome and I may even use it, but there is at least one character I have in mind that is not going to be a short, balding, gray-skinned dwarf that's been beaten with an ugly stick.

There's plenty of races with SLAs, they just don't all have that enormous CL. If you want something prettier then you could go with kalashtar for Universal Items (or the nonpsionic adaptation for Wondrous ones) - there's a feat that sets their mindlink's ML to their character level (it defaults to half).

Duergarthread

[Amechra]

Does that allow you to craft epic magic weapons?

[Arz]

Other bits:

Forge of Thautam - for arms/armor

DMG2 rituals - for one wondrous item.

[awaken_D_M_golem]

(cross threaded links)

Midgard Dwarf , OA Samurai.
Quite a # of the things Craft Wondrous or Universal
can make, require little or nothing else ... like Shards.
http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/items/universalItems.htm#shards

[Demelain]

A number of Graft ___ require a specific race rather than spellcasting, and can mostly be qualified for through Changeling+Racial Emulation.

[X-Codes]

Forge of Thautam - for arms/armor

Where's the source on this?

Also, is there... let's call it a Pun-Pun compendium? I remember that the Sarrukh played a key role in one of the original builds thanks to it's ability manipulation, and maybe something from a less obscure/OP source book can be applied in a more limited fashion to hack the desired SQ onto a given character. I do realize that this is like trying to take a global nuclear doomsday device and using it to do something of a low-key fireworks display, but like with the global nuclear doomsday device, maybe I can rely on the concept of mutually assured destruction to garner the necessary trust with a potential DM that I'm not going to irradiate his gaming table.

[Endarire]

What about an Artificer whose INT is too low to use his infusions?