Actual cost of magic items where the spell has costly material component?

Question

When crafting magic items, one of the perks is that you get to save 50% of market price.

From the crafting magic items rules

Magic supplies for items are always half of the base price in gp. For many items, the market price equals the base price. Armor, shields, weapons, and items with value independent of their magically enhanced properties add their item cost to the market price. The item cost does not influence the base price (which determines the cost of magic supplies), but it does increase the final market price.

In addition, some items cast or replicate spells with costly material components. For these items, the market price equals the base price plus an extra price for the spell component costs. The cost to create these items is the magic supplies cost plus the costs for the components. Descriptions of these items include an entry that gives the total cost of creating the item.

So from the above its clear that the cost of expensive material components is added to the final market price.

So if I were to buy a scroll of raise dead it would cost 1125gp for the scroll and 5000gp for the material component diamond. So final cost would be 6125gp.

So, as the rules are written (not intended), making this scroll myself would only cost 3062.50 gp, correct? Are there rules elsewhere which prevent this savings?

Answer 1

Yes, there's more to it

the cost to make a scroll is not half the market price. It is 12.5 gp times spell level times caster level (which happens to be that number most of the time), but note that the rules also state:

The creator must have prepared the spell to be scribed (or must know the spell, in the case of a sorcerer or bard) and must provide any material component or focus the spell requires.

So the cost to make a scroll is actually half the base cost plus the full cost of said material components and carries a one-time cost for any costly foci.

Other magic items carry similar but distinct cost modifications. For example, wondrous items that duplicate or are similar to a costly material effect (like the Treasurer's Seal) have more expensive base prices to make up for it. Theoretically, these prices are based off or in line with the Estimating Magic Item Gold Piece Values table-- an at-will item costs 50 times the material cost for one casting to create and a uses-per-day item costs the creator 25 times that cost. Charged items do just add the component price in directly, so those will only have half the component's cost, but not if they are subject to additional spellcasting rules like scrolls, potions, and staves are.

Answer 2

The rules are in the part you quote:

Magic supplies for items are always half of the base price in gp.

And

The cost to create these items is the magic supplies cost plus the costs for the components.

So, the base price gets halved, but the components are separate from the "magic supplies", and thus are not halved.

Also, in page on scrolls you linked it is stated that:

If the scroll has a material component cost, it is added to the base price and cost to create.