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Is Enchant Magic Item (a 6th level AD&D spell) is written up anywhere in the OD&D books, supplements, or Strategic Review? I am researching the difference between OD&D magic item creation and AD&D magic item creation.

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It doesn't appear anywhere in either edition of Basic D&D, which leads me to suspect it might have been original to AD&D. – SevenSidedDie Jul 9 '12 at 21:18
Sorry, wasn't able to find a box set other than a forgotten realms original. – JohnP Jul 10 '12 at 14:08
@JohnP - I'm thinking your comment deserves to be an answer... – gomad Jul 10 '12 at 14:40
@gomad - Moved it to an answer. – JohnP Jul 10 '12 at 15:03

2 Answers

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The only reference to creating Magic Items in the 1974 edition of Dungeons & Dragons is found on page 6 and 7 of Volume I (Men & Magic). In there it says

Wizards and above may manufacture for their own use (or for sale) such items as potions, scrolls, and just about anything else magical.

Looking at the level chart on page 16 of Volume I we see that the title "Wizard" refers to a 11th level magic user.

After looking through copies of the Strategic Review and Dragon magazine from issues #1 to #20, with help from fans of older editions, I found no reference to an Enchant Magic Item until the advent of AD&D 1st edition.

There it was made into a 6th level spell which can be cast by a 12th level wizard. In addition the 8th level permanency spell has been altered to make it a requirement for the creation of permanent magic items. This meant that in AD&D, compared to OD&D, the level of making permanent magic items has been increased from 11th level to 16th level.

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Do you need to cast Permanency to make potions and scrolls? – Dakeyras Nov 11 '12 at 12:13
Scrolls and Potions are permanent once created. You can see this by the rule in various editions that they are good until consumed or used. – RS Conley Nov 12 '12 at 18:26
up vote 4 down vote

Found this in a 2009 WotC blog post:

1st Edition AD&D allowed for PCs to create magic items, but the #1 piece of advice given to the DM in this regard was, "Do not tell them how this is to be accomplished!" (DMG, pg. 116). Characters had to discover every aspect of the process through quests or trial-and-error. The challenge was so daunting for players and DMs alike that few campaigns ever attempted it.

Here is the link, as it talks about creating magic items in various editions: wizards.com/DnD/Article.aspx?x=dnd/4alum/2009august

So, I would guess that it if wasn't covered in the 1e version, that pre 1e it wouldn't have even been addressed.

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