best classes for blacksmith

[Kimras]

A buddy of mine wants to make a blacksmith so the group can be more self-sufficient and make some money on the side. He is thinking of being a fire race so he can be his own furnace

[torrasque666]

where's the ironsoul forgemaster guy. Keldrath right?

[JDL]

Wizard.

Maximize Intelligence, do whatever else you want with the character, make sure you pick up Heroism, Fox's Cunning, Polymorph and Fabricate by 9th level. Polymorph into a Dwarf for a +2 racial bonus to your craft check, Fox's Cunning for +2 Int bonus, Heroism for a +2 morale bonus, and have a set of masterwork blacksmithing tools for a +2 circumstance bonus.

If you had at least 16 Int base, that would mean you have a +10 mod on your Craft check now. Cast Fabricate and take 10 on your Craft check to create any masterwork armor, weapon or shield you desire as a standard action, because screw checks by week.

[Zaq]

How magical do you want to be?

If you want to focus a whole lot on crafting magic items, the Artificer is made to do exactly that. You can choose to focus on magic weapons and armor, though it'll give you the tools you need to make other things as well, if you like.

As has been mentioned, Ironsoul Forgemaster is another good choice, if you like incarnum. I've played one, and they're a lot of fun. Much less powerful than an Artificer, but the Artificer is a T1 class, so nearly anything is less powerful than it. Of the options I'm going to list, they're among the least overtly magical.

Wizard does also have some tricks. Magecraft is available from level 1, and I'm sure there are other spells out there that make Craft checks easier. Your real goal, of course, is Fabricate, which is just bonkers for crafting things. Wizards also have easy access to Craft Magic Arms and Armor, if you want to be making magical things.

[Red Fel]

where's the ironsoul forgemaster guy. Keldrath right?

Me, actually. Kimras, check my sig, there's a handbook for the Ironsoul Forgemaster.

If you specifically want a "fire" theme, the Fireblood Dwarf gets you exactly that - a Dwarf whose ancestors were enslaved by Red Dragons, and as a result has been altered by their power. It also grants you access to Draconic soulmelds, because Fireblood Dwarves are a Dragonblood race.

[Mr.Kraken]

Whatever you choose, you may want to start your own business with rules described in the DMG II.

[Kraken]

The business rules in the DMG2 are pretty sketchy in a lot of respects. They're a starting point, but I'd rework them before using them, though it's been so long since I've looked at them I can't provide much more insight.

[JDL]

The cheese possible with Fabricate makes most mundane methods of money generation like shop ownership worthless anyhow.

Use the above example to take a gemstone, apply Fabricate with a Craft (Gemcutting) DC 20, triple its value, rinse and repeat.

Magic is weird.