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In the DMG on page 129 regarding the crafting of a magic item:

If a spell will be produced by the item being created, the creator must expend one spell slot of the spell's level for each day of the creation process. The spells material components must also be at hand throughout the process.If the spell normally consumes those components, they are consumed by the creation process.

It goes on later to specify that an item that can cast the spell more than once you need to provide components for each day creation/casting.

Does the cost for each magical item in the table account for this?

For example, if you wanted to create a wand that casts Arcane Lock, a 2nd level spell that has a component requirement of at least 25GP worth of gold dust and would be considered an uncommon item, what would the total item cost to create?

500 GP and 20 days, which includes the cost of the spell components? OR 500 GP and 20 days, + 500 GP worth of Gold dust (25 GP/Day over 20 days)?

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  • \$\begingroup\$ Rarity of magical items is determined by the DM in his game, are you stating that a Wand of Arcane Lock (Which is not detailed in any source book (yet)) is uncommon in your world or is the PC creating the first one ever? The rarity is a bad design pattern for creation imho but it is what it is. \$\endgroup\$
    – Slagmoth
    Commented Mar 17, 2017 at 12:32

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Yes, they add to the cost.

The first paragraph after the "Crafting Magic Items" table talks about costs that are inherent in the creation of any magic item.

The next paragraph--the one you quote--is easiest thought of as a sequence of nested if-clauses (in my opinion). Unfortunately for your clarity they only use the word "also" once, but I believe the "also"-ness of all the clauses is implicit in their if-construction. So the flowchart would end up something like:

Creating magic item? Spend x days and 25x gp.
Produces spells? (also) spend appropriate spell slot each day.
  Has components? also have those at hand.
    Consumable? Still consumed.
      Produces spell only once? Consumed only once.
      Produces spell more than once? Consumed each day.

Given that you need to have the components for your wand of arcane lock at hand on days 2-20 but they were consumed the previous day, you now need to provide them again. At cost to you.

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  • \$\begingroup\$ Would it be reasonable to convert that code-list to a nested set of list items like “• Has components? → also have those at hand.”? \$\endgroup\$ Commented Mar 17, 2017 at 17:10
  • \$\begingroup\$ @SevenSidedDie maybe? I wavered a few times while writing it... first-pass was actual if () {... blocks, then I went to text-bullets, then I was trying in text to describe what's really a flowchart.... I do deplore the use of code-blocks for non-code, so please feel free to whack away at it if you think there's a better presentation/organization. \$\endgroup\$
    – nitsua60
    Commented Mar 17, 2017 at 17:52
  • \$\begingroup\$ Maybe this calls for an actual flow-chart graphic… \$\endgroup\$ Commented Mar 17, 2017 at 18:00

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