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View Full Version : Blacksmith (3.5 Base Class) - *Work In progress*



Dulenheim
2011-11-12, 02:39 PM
I haven been working this idea for a while. The best inspiration was the Bartender class I found in the d&d wiki, making an unlikely job a powerful class in its own right.

This class is meant to be focused on making weapons & armor via craft, and using them for testing.

Making a Blacksmith

Abilities: Intelligence helps the blacksmith improve his crafting skill, leading to better and stronger weapons. Strength and Constitution improve the blacksmith's damage output, and HP.
Races: Most civilized races have at least one blacksmith in each town, as they are useful for arming the soldiers and making utility items for the commoners.
Alignment: Blacksmith's can be of any alignment.
Starting Gold: As a Fighter: 6d4 x10 (150 gp)
Starting Age: As a Fighter.

Hit Die: D8
BAB: Good.
Fort. Save: Good.
Refex Save: Poor.
Will Save: Poor.

Class skills: (6 + Int Modifier per level, x4 at first level)
Appraise (Int), Craft (Weaponsmith) (Int), Craft (Armorsmith) (Int), Craft (Metalwork) (Int), Gather Information (Cha), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (Int), Preform (Cha), Profession (Smith), Sense Motive (Wis), Use Rope (Dex).

Class Features:
All of the following are class features of the Blacksmith.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Blacksmith are proficient with all simple and martial weapons, and with all armors and shields, except tower shields.

Ant's Force: At 1st level, the blacksmith can carry twice as much as other characters with the same strength. A blacksmith is used to caring most of her tools with her on adventures, which often includes ores, hammers and a small anvil.

*This is all for now, if anyone has advice on how to improve, or how to nerf this class, all is welcomed, I'll expand this entry as the class gets closer to been finished. Thank you all for your patience. :smallsmile:

Elfin
2011-11-12, 03:07 PM
The problem is, blacksmiths are already represented in-game by the Craft (blacksmithing) skill. There's no need to create a class just to represent a blacksmith; if you want a character who is a fighting smith (as indicated by the full BAB), just make a fighter or warblade and give them ranks in Craft (blacksmithing).

If you want to continue, I'd change your class concept so that it's differentiated from a common smith and more suited to adventuring. Perhaps you could make it, rather than a base class, a prestige class for martial characters that somehow incorporates blacksmithing into combat?

Ziegander
2011-11-12, 03:37 PM
This class is meant to be focused on making weapons & armor via craft, and using them for testing.

I like the idea of the class, and I support your effort (Craft (Blacksmithing) does not a proper blacksmith make), but the above quoted text confuses me, especially the bolded portion. What do you mean by that?

EdroGrimshell
2011-11-12, 03:45 PM
Actually i have done this before, a long time ago. The class was actually fairly different from what you'd expect, using special designs, runes, templates, gems, and alloys to make superior arms and armor while mimicking some magic qualities through sheer craftsmanship.

My version also had a number of abilities related to fire and metal that were not about smithing but those were when i first started homebrewing and had no idea how to truly balance a class.

I actually made it effective, but it was overpowered because of some of the features i made at the time.

If you'd like some help making this thing i can help, and i'd also like to point you to Welknaire's Blacksmith NPC PrC which has some useful class features that you could adapt for this class, like bonuses when wielding weapons or armor you crafted and the life.

Dulenheim
2011-11-12, 10:08 PM
I like the idea of the class, and I support your effort (Craft (Blacksmithing) does not a proper blacksmith make), but the above quoted text confuses me, especially the bolded portion. What do you mean by that?

At some level (I'm thinking 8?) The blacksmith gets an exotic weapon prof with any exotic weapon it crafts for free. Making the weapon will be twice as difficult, but you get an extra feat if you succeed.

does that sound like a good idea?

GuyFawkes
2011-11-13, 08:38 AM
Interesting concept. Looking forward for the rest of the class.

Fruchtkracher
2011-11-13, 08:39 AM
At some level (I'm thinking 8?) The blacksmith gets an exotic weapon prof with any exotic weapon it crafts for free. Making the weapon will be twice as difficult, but you get an extra feat if you succeed.

does that sound like a good idea?

In Pathfinder, Gnomes can choose to trade away some racial traits to be proficient in any weapon they have crafted themselves.

That might work better and easier.

Ziegander
2011-11-13, 11:17 AM
At some level (I'm thinking 8?) The blacksmith gets an exotic weapon prof with any exotic weapon it crafts for free. Making the weapon will be twice as difficult, but you get an extra feat if you succeed.

does that sound like a good idea?

Level 8 is probably a little late for something like that. Maybe level 2 or 3? And yeah, just simplify it like Frucht suggested. The Blacksmith becomes proficient with any weapon or armor he's crafted (but doesn't get the feat, so he's proficient with spiked chains that he makes, but not ones made by others).

I do hope you're planning on letting the Blacksmith make magical or somehow otherwise level-appropriate weapons and armors. Remember, magic gear is a HUGE part of this game, often times more important to characters than all of their class features combined. A character really doesn't function beyond 4th level or so with only masterwork weapons, armors, and tools.

DualShadow
2011-11-13, 11:40 AM
Personally I think you would need to create or borrow a mechanic that will allow the blacksmith to create better mundane weapons, because as it was said, magic gear is a BIG portion of character growth in DnD.

Kurtmuran
2011-11-14, 09:59 AM
well for a while i want to do a class like your smith but i start to think was a hard work i search for info and i the best i can get is this class

http://www.dnd-wiki.org/wiki/Battlesmith_%283.5e_Class%29

i hope you like its i think was fine for me

Dulenheim
2011-11-14, 10:02 PM
I like the idea of making it prof. only with the weapon the blacksmith makes. I think that can be added right off the bat at level 1. at level 10, the blacksmith would become prof. with the weapon he makes, in general.

Now, something tells me that in order to make it work as a magical item maker/ass kicker, the smith would need to cast spells... perhaps he casts fire related spells like an adept would?

EdroGrimshell
2011-11-14, 10:15 PM
Actually i have done this before, a long time ago. The class was actually fairly different from what you'd expect, using special designs, runes, templates, gems, and alloys to make superior arms and armor while mimicking some magic qualities through sheer craftsmanship.

I stated this earlier and i'll reitterate the statement, honestly just because you can make magic items does not mean you have to have abilities in the arcane. I used only this part added to the Master class from Dragonlance: War of the Lance (page 20 if you're interested) and i literally became the teams weapon expert, moreso than the fighter, esspecially after gaining the Sage focus. The alloys part was the main priority and made the weapons very useful (esspecially the Mithral/Adamantine/Cyrite mix i used most of the time). Add in the runes, gems, and special designs and you can have a great variety of nonmagic magic weapons and armor.

Granted i was also a trapmaker and poison expert but those were support roles more than anything but they were still a contriputing factor to the character.

jiriku
2011-11-14, 11:39 PM
Class skills: should have access to all Craft skills.
I'd suggest a Medium base attack bonus for a craftsman. It's more thematically fitting (plus, you can add the lost attack bonus back in with a feature like With these Hands, below).

Features (in no particular order)

With These Hands: Proficient with any weapon or armor he has crafted himself. Gains a +1 competence bonus per 4 levels to attack and damage with weapons he has crafted himself.

Expert Crafter: Gains a competence bonus on Craft (armorsmith, blacksmith, weaponsmith) checks equal to class level.

Rapid Forging: Crafts at check result = gold pieces instead of check result = silver pieces when using Craft (armorsmith, blacksmith, weaponsmith).

Enchanted Crafting: Can enchant magic weapons, armors, constructs, and wondrous items, ignoring feat and spell prerequisites, if enchanting an item he made himself.

Steal the Forge Fire: Can break down a found enchanted item while forging a new one, granting the newly forged item all the properties of the destroyed item.

Reforge: Can restore lost enchantments to broken items at lower than normal cost.

Frenetic Forging: Crafts at check result = platinum pieces instead of check result = gold pieces when using Craft (armorsmith, blacksmith, weaponsmith).

absolmorph
2011-11-15, 12:18 AM
Class skills: should have access to all Craft skills.
I'd suggest a Medium base attack bonus for a craftsman. It's more thematically fitting (plus, you can add the lost attack bonus back in with a feature like With these Hands, below).

Features (in no particular order)

With These Hands: Proficient with any weapon or armor he has crafted himself. Gains a +1 competence bonus per 4 levels to attack and damage with weapons he has crafted himself.

Expert Crafter: Gains a competence bonus on Craft (armorsmith, blacksmith, weaponsmith) checks equal to class level.

Rapid Forging: Crafts at check result = gold pieces instead of check result = silver pieces when using Craft (armorsmith, blacksmith, weaponsmith).

Enchanted Crafting: Can enchant magic weapons, armors, constructs, and wondrous items, ignoring feat and spell prerequisites, if enchanting an item he made himself.

Steal the Forge Fire: Can break down a found enchanted item while forging a new one, granting the newly forged item all the properties of the destroyed item.

Reforge: Can restore lost enchantments to broken items at lower than normal cost.

Frenetic Forging: Crafts at check result = platinum pieces instead of check result = gold pieces when using Craft (armorsmith, blacksmith, weaponsmith).

Rapid Forging and Frenetic Forging should also increase the daily progress check by one step.
Also, perhaps they should have to make a Craft check (based on the required caster level) to be able to ignore the required spell when using Enchanted Crafting.

TravelLog
2011-11-15, 09:53 AM
For a capstone, I'd recommend something like "Once in a Lifetime" or "Magnum Opus" wherein the blacksmith is able to distill all their life experience into the forging of a single object that transcends normal limitation (I.e. artifact level). Better still, it's a real life thing. Many artists, authors, and musicians talk about how they'll never be able to recreate their life's masterpiece, and how they'll always remember that feeling of transcendence, however brief it may have been.