ExLibrisMortis
2018-10-02, 09:28 PM
It's fun to tinker around with low-level builds. The 3.5 rules, in all their glorious intricacy, often throw up interesting world-building hooks. Tonight, I thought I'd share some blacksmiths I've statted up.
Assumptions
The smiths are a mix of NPCs and PCs at levels 1 and 2, and one third-level legendary smith. They're built using the standard array (13/12/11/10/9/8) and the elite array (15/14/13/12/10/8) for NPCs and PCs respectively.
I've avoided some things that I think would make it too easy, primarily spells above first level (guidance of the avatar, especially) and stacking Aid Another. On the other hand, several smiths are over WBL, and I've used a houserule: Knowledge (architecture and engineering) provides a +2 synergy bonus on Craft (blacksmithing) and becomes a dwarf paragon class skill. It may seem a little silly to add this houserule in an otherwise fairly RAW exposition, but one of the things I like about the 3.5 skill system is the little synergy skill-bump at level 2, and in this case, the houserule helps cement the difference between 1st- and 2nd-level smiths.
Alternate Races
Any dwarf can instead be an earth dwarf, increasing their racial bonus on Craft checks by 2 to +4.
A human with Lesser Dragonmark (Mark of Making) equals a dwarf in all these builds. For the Forge Director, the lack of a Charisma penalty increases the aura’s granted bonus by 1.
Any race with an Intelligence bonus can do almost as well as a dwarf, especially if they have a Director and no racial Charisma penalty.
Artificer's Guild
The Artificer’s Guild is essentially a mercantile guild with Craft (blacksmithing) and Use Magic Device as associated skills. The default Mercantile guild doesn't have UMD, and the default Arcane Guild only has Craft (alchemy).
Buff Spells and WBL
For the purposes of this thread, I’ve assumed that only a bonus that remains active for the entirety of an eight-hour work day (or near enough) contributes towards the final craft check. This is not because of RAW reasons, but because of fluff reasons.
Magecraft is, for some reason, not an artificer infusion. As such, artificer smiths need a minor schema, scroll, (eternal) wand, or other item to get the benefit, which puts the first-level artificer well over WBL, and makes them require UMD to boot.
Skill enhancement is an artificer infusion with a duration of ten minutes per level, meaning that only Sindri can reasonably use it, and then only by going well over WBL with duration enhancers. I suppose this buff is only used when it’s really necessary.
Unity wine is a massively flavourful cleric spell with a duration of one hour per level. It provides a bonus to all skill checks, so it can be used to improve Appraise, Knowledge (architecture and engineering), and Use Magic Device as well. Here's the best part: you cast it on some wine, giving you four doses—but you have to share them, the duration starts right away. So with this spell, you have a good reason for your dwarven smiths to get together for a cup of mead every hour.
Basically, any four first-level clerics can provide unity wine for one another, each using their two first-level spell slots to create wine in turn, for eight hours total. Any two second-level clerics can provide unity wine for themselves and two others.
Artificers can access unity wine with spell-storing item or by activating a scroll or minor schema. It takes eight minor schemas to buff four artificers for an entire day. Generally speaking, it is easier to cooperate with two second-level clerics.
Item Familiar
Any third-level smith can take Item Familiar for an additional +6 or +7 bonus to Craft. This does require a rather high-priced item for the level (2000 GP out of 2700 GP WBL), but that’s not out of the question for such a focused character.
Taking Skill Focus (Diplomacy) at level 1 and then Marshal 1 at level 3 allows you to take both feats that require three levels to qualify: Item Familiar and Words of Creation.
Traits
Any smith can take the Illiterate trait and gain +1 to Craft, then spend two skill points to become literate.
Any smith can take Specialized to gain +1 to a specific Craft skill, and -2 to all others.
The priest, elder, and director can take Spellgifted (transmutation) to increase the duration of unity wine by one hour.
Item
Source
Apprentice
Dungeon Master's Guide II
armour enhancements, nonmagical
Dragon #358
artificer
Eberron Campaign Setting
cloistered cleric
Unearthed Arcana
commoner
Dungeon Master's Guide
Craft domain
Spell Compendium
dwarf paragon
Unearthed Arcana
dwarvencraft item
Races of Stone
earth dwarf
Unearthed Arcana
expert
Dungeon Master's Guide
fairy dust
Complete Mage
Favored
Cityscape
Flaws
Unearthed Arcana
guild system
Cityscape
Item Familiar
Unearthed Arcana
magecraft
Eberron Campaign Setting
magewright
Eberron Campaign Setting
masterwork tool
Player's Handbook
metamagic rod, lesser
Dungeon Master's Guide
minor schema
Magic of Eberron
Primary Contact
Cityscape
skill enhancement
Eberron Campaign Setting
Skill Focus
Player's Handbook
spell-storing item
Eberron Campaign Setting
unity wine
Player's Guide to Eberron
Wealth domain
Spell Compendium
Words of Creation
Book of Exalted Deeds
Mundane Blacksmiths
All NPCs, and no magic in sight. Your regular apprentices, journeymen, masters, and grandmasters.
Apprentice Blacksmith
Dwarf commoner 1
Abilities: 12/8/12/13/11/7
Feats: Apprentice (Craftsman)
Skills: Appraise +5 (4 ranks), Craft (blacksmithing) +11 (4 ranks), Knowledge (architecture and engineering) +5 (4 ranks)
Items: Masterwork blacksmithing tools
Craft (blacksmithing)
+4 ranks
+1 intelligence
+2 circumstance (tools)
+2 competence (Apprentice)
+2 racial (dwarf)
+11 total
Can buy raw materials with a 10% discount (Apprentice).
Journeyman Blacksmith
Dwarf commoner 1
Abilities: 12/8/12/13/11/7
Feats: Apprentice (Craftman), Skill Focus (Craft), any one flaw
Skills: Appraise +5 (4 ranks), Craft (blacksmithing) +14 (4 ranks), Knowledge (architecture and engineering) +5 (4 ranks)
Items: Masterwork blacksmithing tools
Craft (blacksmithing)
+4 ranks
+1 intelligence
+3 Skill Focus
+2 circumstance (tools)
+2 competence (Apprentice)
+2 racial (dwarf)
+14 total
Can buy raw materials with a 10% discount (Apprentice).
Master Blacksmith
Dwarf expert 1
Abilities: 12/8/12/13/11/7
Feats: Favored, Primary Contact, Skill Focus (Craft), any two flaws
Skills: Appraise +5/+7 (4 ranks), Craft (blacksmithing) +15 (5 ranks), Knowledge (architecture and engineering) +5 (4 ranks)
Items: Masterwork blacksmithing tools
Craft (blacksmithing) bonus:
+5 ranks
+1 intelligence
+3 Skill Focus
+2 circumstance (tools)
+2 competence (Favored)
+2 racial (dwarf)
+15 total
Can buy raw materials with a 10% discount (Blacksmith’s Guild).
Can sell items at a 5% markup in cities with a guildhouse (Favored).
A journeyman becoming a master retrains Apprentice into Favored and Commoner into Expert.
Grandmaster Blacksmith
Middle-aged dwarf expert 2
Abilities: 11/7/11/14/12/8
Feats: Favored, Primary Contact, Skill Focus (Craft), any two flaws
Skills: Appraise +7/+9 (5 ranks), Craft (blacksmithing) +19 (6 ranks), Knowledge (architecture and engineering) +7 (5 ranks)
Items: Masterwork blacksmithing tools
Craft (blacksmithing)
+6 ranks
+2 intelligence
+3 Skill Focus
+2 circumstance (tools)
+2 competence (Favored)
+2 racial (dwarf)
+2 synergy (Knowledge (architecture and engineering))
+19 total
Can buy raw materials with a 10% discount (Blacksmith’s Guild).
Can sell items at a 5% markup in cities with a guildhouse (Favored).
There are lots of interesting things to say about these smiths:
The guild structure makes you a better smith. A non-guild smith has one rank less than a guild smith (Primary Contact).
A smith who’s never had training (no Apprentice) loses out on a +2 competence bonus, unless they managed to get into good standing with a guild without apprenticeship (Favored).
A smith who doesn’t have Knowledge skills (i.e. a commoner without Education) loses out on a +2 synergy bonus, but that doesn’t become relevant until you’re a really good smith (five ranks at second level).
A poor smith is likely to stay poor. Masterwork tools cost 50 gp, and it takes a year before they start being profitable. Joining a guild costs 25 gp up front, and you need Favored to earn a profit. Can't afford them? Enjoy having a +12 bonus against the guild's +15.
To emphasize the last point, let's calculate some sample incomes.
Craft can be used Profession-style to earn half your check result in gp per week, but we don’t want to use that option. Firstly, it’s more profitable to earn through the crafting rules. Secondly, guild benefits don’t show up until you can calculate sale prices and material costs.
A master smith (Craft +15) can take 10 to craft a DC 15 item, accelerated, making 625 sp’s worth of progress.
Their material expenses are 208 sp, reduced by 10% to 187.5 sp thanks to the guild.
Their sale price is increased by 5% to 656.25 sp, thanks to Favored.
Their profits before dues are thus 468.75 sp. The guild takes a 15% tax on profits, which is 70 5/16 sp (leaving a net profit of 398 7/16 sp). The guild benefit is only 20 ⅚ + 31 ¼ = 52 1/12 sp per week, so they’re actually losing money! But clever accounting is older than Rome, and they can probably get the tax down a bit by calculating labour costs, write-offs on the workshop, travel expenses, and so on. It’s reasonable to assume that another third of the weekly take goes up in costs (218.75 sp, for convenience), resulting in a tax of 37.5 sp, and a net monthly profit of 80 gp (versus 50 gp with Profession-style crafting).
The same smith not in a guild will only have a +12 bonus (+14 if they have Apprentice, but there's no DC 14 item to craft). They can take 10 to craft a DC 12 item, accelerated, making 484 sp’s worth of progress. Their material expenses are 161 ⅓ sp, their sundry expenses are the same, so their net profits are 161 ⅓ sp, about 64 gp per month (versus 44 gp with Profession-style crafting).
Note that the +5% sale price is the benefit of Favored, not regular guild membership. A non-Favored smith without Primary Contact won’t earn more than a non-guild smith.
It's nice how the numbers work out, and only a little (very reasonable) creative bookkeeping is required :smalltongue:. The game mechanics—quite accidentally, I'm sure—provide reasonable explanations for all the differences between the various blacksmiths in the world.
Magesmiths
Still NPCs, but now with a little magic.
Magesmith
Dwarf magewright 1
Abilities: 12/8/12/13/11/7
Feats: Favored, Primary Contact, Skill Focus (Craft), any two flaws
Skills: Appraise +3/+5 (2 ranks), Craft (blacksmithing) +18 (5 ranks), Knowledge (architecture and engineering) +5 (4 ranks)
Items: Masterwork blacksmithing tools
Craft (blacksmithing)
+5 ranks
+1 intelligence
+3 Skill Focus
+2 circumstance (tools)
+5 competence (magecraft)
+2 racial (dwarf)
+18 total
Can buy raw materials with a 10% discount (Blacksmith’s Guild).
Can sell items at a 5% markup in cities with a guildhouse (Favored).
Master Magesmith
Middle-aged dwarf magewright 2
Abilities: 11/7/11/14/12/8
Feats: Favored, Primary Contact, Skill Focus (Craft), any two flaws
Skills: Appraise +4/+6 (2.5 ranks), Craft (blacksmithing) +22 (6 ranks), Knowledge (architecture and engineering) +7 (5 ranks)
Items: Masterwork blacksmithing tools
Craft (blacksmithing)
+6 ranks
+2 intelligence
+3 Skill Focus
+2 circumstance (tools)
+5 competence (magecraft)
+2 racial (dwarf)
+2 synergy (Knowledge (architecture and engineering))
+22 total
Can buy raw materials with a 10% discount (Blacksmith’s Guild).
Can sell items at a 5% markup in cities with a guildhouse (Favored).
Interestingly enough, the overlapping competence bonus of magecraft and Favored means these smiths are only +3 ahead of the non-magical competetion. Luckily, they can simply pick another skill to apply the Favored bonus to, such as Appraise, which is cross-class for magewrights and thus lagging behind a bit.
Exemplary Smiths
More dwarven than most. PC-classed.
Exemplar
Dwarf paragon 1
Abilities: 12/8/12/15/13/12
Feats: Favored, Primary Contact, Skill Focus (Craft), any two flaws
Skills: Appraise +6/+8 (4 ranks), Craft (blacksmithing) +19 (5 ranks), Knowledge (architecture and engineering) +6 (4 ranks)
Items: Masterwork blacksmithing tools
Craft (blacksmithing)
+5 ranks
+2 intelligence
+3 Skill Focus
+2 circumstance (tools)
+2 competence (Favored)
+2 racial (dwarf)
+1 racial (paragon)
+17 total
Can buy raw materials with a 10% discount (Blacksmith’s Guild).
Can sell items at a 5% markup in cities with a guildhouse (Favored).
Paragon
Middle-aged dwarf paragon 2
Abilities: 11/7/11/16/14/13
Feats: Favored, Primary Contact, Skill Focus (Craft), any two flaws
Skills: Appraise +8/+10 (5 ranks), Craft (blacksmithing) +22 (6 ranks), Knowledge (architecture and engineering) +8 (5 ranks)
Items: Masterwork blacksmithing tools
Craft (blacksmithing)
+6 ranks
+3 intelligence
+3 Skill Focus
+2 circumstance (tools)
+2 competence (Favored)
+2 racial (dwarf)
+2 racial (paragon)
+2 synergy (Knowledge (architecture and engineering))
+22 total
Can buy raw materials with a 10% discount (Blacksmith’s Guild).
Can sell items at a 5% markup in cities with a guildhouse (Favored).
Priest-smiths
PC-classed smiths with divine crafting abilities.
Priest of the Forge
Dwarf cloistered cleric 1
Craft domain, Wealth domain, Knowledge domain
Abilities: 12/8/12/15/14/11
Feats: Favored, Primary Contact, Skill Focus (Appraise)B, Skill Focus (Craft)B, any one flaw
Skills: Appraise +10/+12 (4 ranks), Craft (blacksmithing) +17 (5 ranks), Knowledge (architecture and engineering) +7 (4 ranks)
Items: Masterwork blacksmithing tools
Craft (blacksmithing)
+5 ranks
+2 intelligence
+3 Skill Focus
+2 circumstance (tools)
+2 competence (Favored)
+1 morale (unity wine)
+2 racial (dwarf)
+17 total
Can buy raw materials with a 10% discount (Blacksmith’s Guild).
Can sell items at a 5% markup in cities with a guildhouse (Favored).
Elder of the Forge
Middle-aged dwarf cloistered cleric 2
Craft domain, Wealth domain, Knowledge domain
Abilities: 11/7/11/16/15/12
Feats: Favored, Primary Contact, Skill Focus (Appraise)B, Skill Focus (Craft)B, any one flaw
Skills: Appraise +12/+14 (5 ranks), Craft (blacksmithing) +21 (6 ranks), Knowledge (architecture and engineering) +9 (5 ranks)
Items: Masterwork blacksmithing tools
Craft (blacksmithing)
+6 ranks
+3 intelligence
+3 Skill Focus
+2 circumstance (tools)
+2 competence (Favored)
+1 morale (unity wine)
+2 racial (dwarf)
+2 synergy (Knowledge (architecture and engineering))
+21 total
Can buy raw materials with a 10% discount (Blacksmith’s Guild).
Can sell items at a 5% markup in cities with a guildhouse (Favored).
Magic-blooded Blacksmiths
PC-classed smiths with need for extra Charisma.
Artificer
Magic-blooded dwarf artificer 1
Abilities: 12/8/12/15/11/14
Feats: Favored, Primary Contact, Skill Focus (Craft), any two flaws
Skills: Appraise +6/+8 (4 ranks), Craft (blacksmithing) +19 (5 ranks), Knowledge (architecture and engineering) +6 (4 ranks), Use Magic Device +10 (4 ranks)
Items: Masterwork blacksmithing tools, masterwork arcanometer (UMD tool), minor schema of magecraft
Craft (blacksmithing)
+5 ranks
+2 intelligence
+3 Skill Focus
+2 circumstance (tools)
+5 competence (magecraft)
+2 racial (dwarf)
+19 total
Use Magic Device
+2 charisma
+2 circumstance (tools)
+2 competence (Favored)
+10 total
Can buy raw materials with a 10% discount (Artificer’s Guild).
Can sell items at a 5% markup in cities with a guildhouse (Favored).
Master Artificer
Middle-aged magic-blooded dwarf artificer 2
Abilities: 11/7/11/16/12/15
Feats: Favored, Primary Contact, Skill Focus (Craft), any two flaws
Skills: Appraise +8/+10 (5 ranks), Craft (blacksmithing) +23 (6 ranks), Knowledge (architecture and engineering) +8 (5 ranks), Use Magic Device +11 (5 ranks)
Items: Masterwork blacksmithing tools, masterwork arcanometer (UMD tool), minor schema of magecraft
Craft (blacksmithing)
+6 ranks
+3 intelligence
+3 Skill Focus
+2 circumstance (tools)
+5 competence (magecraft)
+2 racial (dwarf)
+2 synergy (Knowledge (architecture and engineering))
+23 total
Use Magic Device
+5 ranks
+2 charisma
+2 circumstance (tools)
+2 competence (Favored)
+11 total
Can buy raw materials with a 10% discount (Artificer’s Guild).
Can sell items at a 5% markup in cities with a guildhouse (Favored).
Forge Director
Middle-aged magic-blooded dwarf marshal 1/cloistered cleric 1
Minor Aura (Motivate Intelligence), Craft domain, Wealth domain, Knowledge domain
Abilities: 11/7/11/15/12/16
Feats: Favored, Primary Contact, Skill Focus (Appraise)B, Skill Focus (Craft)B, Skill Focus (Diplomacy)B, any one flaw
Skills: Appraise +11/+13 (5 ranks), Craft (blacksmithing) +23 (6 ranks), Knowledge (architecture and engineering) +8 (5 ranks)
Items: Masterwork blacksmithing tools
Craft (blacksmithing)
+6 ranks
+2 intelligence
+3 charisma (Minor Aura)
+3 Skill Focus
+2 circumstance (tools)
+2 competence (Favored)
+1 morale (unity wine)
+2 racial (dwarf)
+2 synergy (Knowledge (architecture and engineering))
+23 total
Can buy raw materials with a 10% discount (Blacksmith’s Guild).
Can sell items at a 5% markup in cities with a guildhouse (Favored).
Sindri, Legendary Blacksmith
The greatest blacksmith alive, and still only third level.
Sindri, legendary blacksmith
Venerable magic-blooded earth dwarf cloistered cleric 1/marshal 1/artificer 1
Minor Aura (Motivate Intelligence), Craft domain, Wealth domain, Knowledge domain
Abilities: 4/2/8/18/14/17
Feats: Favored, Practiced Spellcaster (artificer), Primary Contact, Skill Focus (Appraise)B, Skill Focus (Craft)B, Skill Focus (Diplomacy)B, Words of Creation, any two flaws
Traits: Spellgifted (transmutation)
Skills: Appraise +14/+16 (6 ranks), Craft (blacksmithing) +39 (7 ranks), Knowledge (architecture and engineering) +11 (6 ranks), Spellcraft +11 (6 ranks), Use Magic Device +14 (6 ranks)
Items: 300 gp’s worth of fairy dust, lesser metamagic rod of extend spell, masterwork blacksmithing tools, masterwork arcanometer (UMD tool), minor schema of magecraft
Craft (blacksmithing)
+7 ranks
+4 intelligence
+3 charisma (Minor Aura)
+3 Skill Focus
+2 circumstance (tools)
+4 circumstance (skill enhancement)
+5 competence (magecraft)
+4 sacred (Words of Creation)
+1 morale (unity wine)
+4 racial (earth dwarf)
+2 synergy (Knowledge (architecture and engineering))
+39 total
Use Magic Device
+6 ranks
+3 charisma
+2 circumstance (tools)
+2 competence (Favored)
+1 morale (unity wine)
+14 total
Can buy raw materials with a 10% discount (Artificer’s Guild).
Can sell items at a 5% markup in cities with a guildhouse (Favored).
Cooperation
For the purposes of this thread, I'll assume a blacksmith can benefit from at most one Aid Another bonus, but an assisted smith can assist a third smith. This becomes important when the assisted smith has a bonus just a little too low to hit the next point of Aid Another bonus.
Any smith can use Aid Another to provide a +2 bonus to any other smith. All smiths have at least +9 to their check, so success is guaranteed. But there’s more: per Complete Adventurer page 96, any smith who can hit a DC 20 check can provide a +3 Aid Another bonus. Beyond that, a DC 30 check provides a +4 bonus, a DC 40 check a +5 bonus, and so on. Both the assister and the assistee must have 5 ranks in Craft (blacksmithing) to benefit from bonuses higher than +2.
With the scaling Aid Another bonuses, Sindri's forge has an organizational structure like this:
An apprentice (Craft +14) assists a master smith (Craft +20).
The master smith assists a forge elder (Craft +27).
The forge elder attempts (90% chance) to assist a master artificer (Craft +30-31)
Several master artificers attempt (55-60% chance) to assist Sindri (Craft +43-44).
Sindri takes 10 and crafts 53 × 50 = 2650 SP worth of masterwork component in one week, for a profit of 176 GP… except that it’s split between four smiths, and they used 2100 gp’s worth of fairy dust. Yes, crafting is still terrible money.
A little more seriously: Sindri can hit a DC 50 check every week—with plenty of help, but without fairy dust—so there are some pretty epic pieces in the dwarven armoury. When it's really necessary, fairy dust is unlimited, and nobody's whining about ruined materials, it's possible to craft an item requiring a DC 60 check, which is probably the most expensive mundane item ever made.
Using Dragon #358 material (minus the feat requirement, that's just crazy), you can actually determine what you get for a DC 50 check.
A DC 50 check is required to make a razor sharp, perfectly balanced, ornate dwarvencraft greatsword from folded metal and with a blood groove, which costs 2550 gp, though if I were going to that effort, I'd pay for adamantine, as well. Mainly, the sword gets +6 hardness and +10 hp, and the wielder gets +2 to Diplomacy or Intimidate, and +1 to damage.
A DC 51 check can also craft you a reinforced lightweight mithral dwarvencraft suit of full plate caster armour (13 500 gp), which is notable for having a +9 armour bonus, +4 maximum dexterity bonus, 20% ASF, and weighing only 40 lb.
I don't really have a point here, other than that it's great—worldbuilding-wise—to have rules for NPCs. Stealth edition war jab!
Assumptions
The smiths are a mix of NPCs and PCs at levels 1 and 2, and one third-level legendary smith. They're built using the standard array (13/12/11/10/9/8) and the elite array (15/14/13/12/10/8) for NPCs and PCs respectively.
I've avoided some things that I think would make it too easy, primarily spells above first level (guidance of the avatar, especially) and stacking Aid Another. On the other hand, several smiths are over WBL, and I've used a houserule: Knowledge (architecture and engineering) provides a +2 synergy bonus on Craft (blacksmithing) and becomes a dwarf paragon class skill. It may seem a little silly to add this houserule in an otherwise fairly RAW exposition, but one of the things I like about the 3.5 skill system is the little synergy skill-bump at level 2, and in this case, the houserule helps cement the difference between 1st- and 2nd-level smiths.
Alternate Races
Any dwarf can instead be an earth dwarf, increasing their racial bonus on Craft checks by 2 to +4.
A human with Lesser Dragonmark (Mark of Making) equals a dwarf in all these builds. For the Forge Director, the lack of a Charisma penalty increases the aura’s granted bonus by 1.
Any race with an Intelligence bonus can do almost as well as a dwarf, especially if they have a Director and no racial Charisma penalty.
Artificer's Guild
The Artificer’s Guild is essentially a mercantile guild with Craft (blacksmithing) and Use Magic Device as associated skills. The default Mercantile guild doesn't have UMD, and the default Arcane Guild only has Craft (alchemy).
Buff Spells and WBL
For the purposes of this thread, I’ve assumed that only a bonus that remains active for the entirety of an eight-hour work day (or near enough) contributes towards the final craft check. This is not because of RAW reasons, but because of fluff reasons.
Magecraft is, for some reason, not an artificer infusion. As such, artificer smiths need a minor schema, scroll, (eternal) wand, or other item to get the benefit, which puts the first-level artificer well over WBL, and makes them require UMD to boot.
Skill enhancement is an artificer infusion with a duration of ten minutes per level, meaning that only Sindri can reasonably use it, and then only by going well over WBL with duration enhancers. I suppose this buff is only used when it’s really necessary.
Unity wine is a massively flavourful cleric spell with a duration of one hour per level. It provides a bonus to all skill checks, so it can be used to improve Appraise, Knowledge (architecture and engineering), and Use Magic Device as well. Here's the best part: you cast it on some wine, giving you four doses—but you have to share them, the duration starts right away. So with this spell, you have a good reason for your dwarven smiths to get together for a cup of mead every hour.
Basically, any four first-level clerics can provide unity wine for one another, each using their two first-level spell slots to create wine in turn, for eight hours total. Any two second-level clerics can provide unity wine for themselves and two others.
Artificers can access unity wine with spell-storing item or by activating a scroll or minor schema. It takes eight minor schemas to buff four artificers for an entire day. Generally speaking, it is easier to cooperate with two second-level clerics.
Item Familiar
Any third-level smith can take Item Familiar for an additional +6 or +7 bonus to Craft. This does require a rather high-priced item for the level (2000 GP out of 2700 GP WBL), but that’s not out of the question for such a focused character.
Taking Skill Focus (Diplomacy) at level 1 and then Marshal 1 at level 3 allows you to take both feats that require three levels to qualify: Item Familiar and Words of Creation.
Traits
Any smith can take the Illiterate trait and gain +1 to Craft, then spend two skill points to become literate.
Any smith can take Specialized to gain +1 to a specific Craft skill, and -2 to all others.
The priest, elder, and director can take Spellgifted (transmutation) to increase the duration of unity wine by one hour.
Item
Source
Apprentice
Dungeon Master's Guide II
armour enhancements, nonmagical
Dragon #358
artificer
Eberron Campaign Setting
cloistered cleric
Unearthed Arcana
commoner
Dungeon Master's Guide
Craft domain
Spell Compendium
dwarf paragon
Unearthed Arcana
dwarvencraft item
Races of Stone
earth dwarf
Unearthed Arcana
expert
Dungeon Master's Guide
fairy dust
Complete Mage
Favored
Cityscape
Flaws
Unearthed Arcana
guild system
Cityscape
Item Familiar
Unearthed Arcana
magecraft
Eberron Campaign Setting
magewright
Eberron Campaign Setting
masterwork tool
Player's Handbook
metamagic rod, lesser
Dungeon Master's Guide
minor schema
Magic of Eberron
Primary Contact
Cityscape
skill enhancement
Eberron Campaign Setting
Skill Focus
Player's Handbook
spell-storing item
Eberron Campaign Setting
unity wine
Player's Guide to Eberron
Wealth domain
Spell Compendium
Words of Creation
Book of Exalted Deeds
Mundane Blacksmiths
All NPCs, and no magic in sight. Your regular apprentices, journeymen, masters, and grandmasters.
Apprentice Blacksmith
Dwarf commoner 1
Abilities: 12/8/12/13/11/7
Feats: Apprentice (Craftsman)
Skills: Appraise +5 (4 ranks), Craft (blacksmithing) +11 (4 ranks), Knowledge (architecture and engineering) +5 (4 ranks)
Items: Masterwork blacksmithing tools
Craft (blacksmithing)
+4 ranks
+1 intelligence
+2 circumstance (tools)
+2 competence (Apprentice)
+2 racial (dwarf)
+11 total
Can buy raw materials with a 10% discount (Apprentice).
Journeyman Blacksmith
Dwarf commoner 1
Abilities: 12/8/12/13/11/7
Feats: Apprentice (Craftman), Skill Focus (Craft), any one flaw
Skills: Appraise +5 (4 ranks), Craft (blacksmithing) +14 (4 ranks), Knowledge (architecture and engineering) +5 (4 ranks)
Items: Masterwork blacksmithing tools
Craft (blacksmithing)
+4 ranks
+1 intelligence
+3 Skill Focus
+2 circumstance (tools)
+2 competence (Apprentice)
+2 racial (dwarf)
+14 total
Can buy raw materials with a 10% discount (Apprentice).
Master Blacksmith
Dwarf expert 1
Abilities: 12/8/12/13/11/7
Feats: Favored, Primary Contact, Skill Focus (Craft), any two flaws
Skills: Appraise +5/+7 (4 ranks), Craft (blacksmithing) +15 (5 ranks), Knowledge (architecture and engineering) +5 (4 ranks)
Items: Masterwork blacksmithing tools
Craft (blacksmithing) bonus:
+5 ranks
+1 intelligence
+3 Skill Focus
+2 circumstance (tools)
+2 competence (Favored)
+2 racial (dwarf)
+15 total
Can buy raw materials with a 10% discount (Blacksmith’s Guild).
Can sell items at a 5% markup in cities with a guildhouse (Favored).
A journeyman becoming a master retrains Apprentice into Favored and Commoner into Expert.
Grandmaster Blacksmith
Middle-aged dwarf expert 2
Abilities: 11/7/11/14/12/8
Feats: Favored, Primary Contact, Skill Focus (Craft), any two flaws
Skills: Appraise +7/+9 (5 ranks), Craft (blacksmithing) +19 (6 ranks), Knowledge (architecture and engineering) +7 (5 ranks)
Items: Masterwork blacksmithing tools
Craft (blacksmithing)
+6 ranks
+2 intelligence
+3 Skill Focus
+2 circumstance (tools)
+2 competence (Favored)
+2 racial (dwarf)
+2 synergy (Knowledge (architecture and engineering))
+19 total
Can buy raw materials with a 10% discount (Blacksmith’s Guild).
Can sell items at a 5% markup in cities with a guildhouse (Favored).
There are lots of interesting things to say about these smiths:
The guild structure makes you a better smith. A non-guild smith has one rank less than a guild smith (Primary Contact).
A smith who’s never had training (no Apprentice) loses out on a +2 competence bonus, unless they managed to get into good standing with a guild without apprenticeship (Favored).
A smith who doesn’t have Knowledge skills (i.e. a commoner without Education) loses out on a +2 synergy bonus, but that doesn’t become relevant until you’re a really good smith (five ranks at second level).
A poor smith is likely to stay poor. Masterwork tools cost 50 gp, and it takes a year before they start being profitable. Joining a guild costs 25 gp up front, and you need Favored to earn a profit. Can't afford them? Enjoy having a +12 bonus against the guild's +15.
To emphasize the last point, let's calculate some sample incomes.
Craft can be used Profession-style to earn half your check result in gp per week, but we don’t want to use that option. Firstly, it’s more profitable to earn through the crafting rules. Secondly, guild benefits don’t show up until you can calculate sale prices and material costs.
A master smith (Craft +15) can take 10 to craft a DC 15 item, accelerated, making 625 sp’s worth of progress.
Their material expenses are 208 sp, reduced by 10% to 187.5 sp thanks to the guild.
Their sale price is increased by 5% to 656.25 sp, thanks to Favored.
Their profits before dues are thus 468.75 sp. The guild takes a 15% tax on profits, which is 70 5/16 sp (leaving a net profit of 398 7/16 sp). The guild benefit is only 20 ⅚ + 31 ¼ = 52 1/12 sp per week, so they’re actually losing money! But clever accounting is older than Rome, and they can probably get the tax down a bit by calculating labour costs, write-offs on the workshop, travel expenses, and so on. It’s reasonable to assume that another third of the weekly take goes up in costs (218.75 sp, for convenience), resulting in a tax of 37.5 sp, and a net monthly profit of 80 gp (versus 50 gp with Profession-style crafting).
The same smith not in a guild will only have a +12 bonus (+14 if they have Apprentice, but there's no DC 14 item to craft). They can take 10 to craft a DC 12 item, accelerated, making 484 sp’s worth of progress. Their material expenses are 161 ⅓ sp, their sundry expenses are the same, so their net profits are 161 ⅓ sp, about 64 gp per month (versus 44 gp with Profession-style crafting).
Note that the +5% sale price is the benefit of Favored, not regular guild membership. A non-Favored smith without Primary Contact won’t earn more than a non-guild smith.
It's nice how the numbers work out, and only a little (very reasonable) creative bookkeeping is required :smalltongue:. The game mechanics—quite accidentally, I'm sure—provide reasonable explanations for all the differences between the various blacksmiths in the world.
Magesmiths
Still NPCs, but now with a little magic.
Magesmith
Dwarf magewright 1
Abilities: 12/8/12/13/11/7
Feats: Favored, Primary Contact, Skill Focus (Craft), any two flaws
Skills: Appraise +3/+5 (2 ranks), Craft (blacksmithing) +18 (5 ranks), Knowledge (architecture and engineering) +5 (4 ranks)
Items: Masterwork blacksmithing tools
Craft (blacksmithing)
+5 ranks
+1 intelligence
+3 Skill Focus
+2 circumstance (tools)
+5 competence (magecraft)
+2 racial (dwarf)
+18 total
Can buy raw materials with a 10% discount (Blacksmith’s Guild).
Can sell items at a 5% markup in cities with a guildhouse (Favored).
Master Magesmith
Middle-aged dwarf magewright 2
Abilities: 11/7/11/14/12/8
Feats: Favored, Primary Contact, Skill Focus (Craft), any two flaws
Skills: Appraise +4/+6 (2.5 ranks), Craft (blacksmithing) +22 (6 ranks), Knowledge (architecture and engineering) +7 (5 ranks)
Items: Masterwork blacksmithing tools
Craft (blacksmithing)
+6 ranks
+2 intelligence
+3 Skill Focus
+2 circumstance (tools)
+5 competence (magecraft)
+2 racial (dwarf)
+2 synergy (Knowledge (architecture and engineering))
+22 total
Can buy raw materials with a 10% discount (Blacksmith’s Guild).
Can sell items at a 5% markup in cities with a guildhouse (Favored).
Interestingly enough, the overlapping competence bonus of magecraft and Favored means these smiths are only +3 ahead of the non-magical competetion. Luckily, they can simply pick another skill to apply the Favored bonus to, such as Appraise, which is cross-class for magewrights and thus lagging behind a bit.
Exemplary Smiths
More dwarven than most. PC-classed.
Exemplar
Dwarf paragon 1
Abilities: 12/8/12/15/13/12
Feats: Favored, Primary Contact, Skill Focus (Craft), any two flaws
Skills: Appraise +6/+8 (4 ranks), Craft (blacksmithing) +19 (5 ranks), Knowledge (architecture and engineering) +6 (4 ranks)
Items: Masterwork blacksmithing tools
Craft (blacksmithing)
+5 ranks
+2 intelligence
+3 Skill Focus
+2 circumstance (tools)
+2 competence (Favored)
+2 racial (dwarf)
+1 racial (paragon)
+17 total
Can buy raw materials with a 10% discount (Blacksmith’s Guild).
Can sell items at a 5% markup in cities with a guildhouse (Favored).
Paragon
Middle-aged dwarf paragon 2
Abilities: 11/7/11/16/14/13
Feats: Favored, Primary Contact, Skill Focus (Craft), any two flaws
Skills: Appraise +8/+10 (5 ranks), Craft (blacksmithing) +22 (6 ranks), Knowledge (architecture and engineering) +8 (5 ranks)
Items: Masterwork blacksmithing tools
Craft (blacksmithing)
+6 ranks
+3 intelligence
+3 Skill Focus
+2 circumstance (tools)
+2 competence (Favored)
+2 racial (dwarf)
+2 racial (paragon)
+2 synergy (Knowledge (architecture and engineering))
+22 total
Can buy raw materials with a 10% discount (Blacksmith’s Guild).
Can sell items at a 5% markup in cities with a guildhouse (Favored).
Priest-smiths
PC-classed smiths with divine crafting abilities.
Priest of the Forge
Dwarf cloistered cleric 1
Craft domain, Wealth domain, Knowledge domain
Abilities: 12/8/12/15/14/11
Feats: Favored, Primary Contact, Skill Focus (Appraise)B, Skill Focus (Craft)B, any one flaw
Skills: Appraise +10/+12 (4 ranks), Craft (blacksmithing) +17 (5 ranks), Knowledge (architecture and engineering) +7 (4 ranks)
Items: Masterwork blacksmithing tools
Craft (blacksmithing)
+5 ranks
+2 intelligence
+3 Skill Focus
+2 circumstance (tools)
+2 competence (Favored)
+1 morale (unity wine)
+2 racial (dwarf)
+17 total
Can buy raw materials with a 10% discount (Blacksmith’s Guild).
Can sell items at a 5% markup in cities with a guildhouse (Favored).
Elder of the Forge
Middle-aged dwarf cloistered cleric 2
Craft domain, Wealth domain, Knowledge domain
Abilities: 11/7/11/16/15/12
Feats: Favored, Primary Contact, Skill Focus (Appraise)B, Skill Focus (Craft)B, any one flaw
Skills: Appraise +12/+14 (5 ranks), Craft (blacksmithing) +21 (6 ranks), Knowledge (architecture and engineering) +9 (5 ranks)
Items: Masterwork blacksmithing tools
Craft (blacksmithing)
+6 ranks
+3 intelligence
+3 Skill Focus
+2 circumstance (tools)
+2 competence (Favored)
+1 morale (unity wine)
+2 racial (dwarf)
+2 synergy (Knowledge (architecture and engineering))
+21 total
Can buy raw materials with a 10% discount (Blacksmith’s Guild).
Can sell items at a 5% markup in cities with a guildhouse (Favored).
Magic-blooded Blacksmiths
PC-classed smiths with need for extra Charisma.
Artificer
Magic-blooded dwarf artificer 1
Abilities: 12/8/12/15/11/14
Feats: Favored, Primary Contact, Skill Focus (Craft), any two flaws
Skills: Appraise +6/+8 (4 ranks), Craft (blacksmithing) +19 (5 ranks), Knowledge (architecture and engineering) +6 (4 ranks), Use Magic Device +10 (4 ranks)
Items: Masterwork blacksmithing tools, masterwork arcanometer (UMD tool), minor schema of magecraft
Craft (blacksmithing)
+5 ranks
+2 intelligence
+3 Skill Focus
+2 circumstance (tools)
+5 competence (magecraft)
+2 racial (dwarf)
+19 total
Use Magic Device
+2 charisma
+2 circumstance (tools)
+2 competence (Favored)
+10 total
Can buy raw materials with a 10% discount (Artificer’s Guild).
Can sell items at a 5% markup in cities with a guildhouse (Favored).
Master Artificer
Middle-aged magic-blooded dwarf artificer 2
Abilities: 11/7/11/16/12/15
Feats: Favored, Primary Contact, Skill Focus (Craft), any two flaws
Skills: Appraise +8/+10 (5 ranks), Craft (blacksmithing) +23 (6 ranks), Knowledge (architecture and engineering) +8 (5 ranks), Use Magic Device +11 (5 ranks)
Items: Masterwork blacksmithing tools, masterwork arcanometer (UMD tool), minor schema of magecraft
Craft (blacksmithing)
+6 ranks
+3 intelligence
+3 Skill Focus
+2 circumstance (tools)
+5 competence (magecraft)
+2 racial (dwarf)
+2 synergy (Knowledge (architecture and engineering))
+23 total
Use Magic Device
+5 ranks
+2 charisma
+2 circumstance (tools)
+2 competence (Favored)
+11 total
Can buy raw materials with a 10% discount (Artificer’s Guild).
Can sell items at a 5% markup in cities with a guildhouse (Favored).
Forge Director
Middle-aged magic-blooded dwarf marshal 1/cloistered cleric 1
Minor Aura (Motivate Intelligence), Craft domain, Wealth domain, Knowledge domain
Abilities: 11/7/11/15/12/16
Feats: Favored, Primary Contact, Skill Focus (Appraise)B, Skill Focus (Craft)B, Skill Focus (Diplomacy)B, any one flaw
Skills: Appraise +11/+13 (5 ranks), Craft (blacksmithing) +23 (6 ranks), Knowledge (architecture and engineering) +8 (5 ranks)
Items: Masterwork blacksmithing tools
Craft (blacksmithing)
+6 ranks
+2 intelligence
+3 charisma (Minor Aura)
+3 Skill Focus
+2 circumstance (tools)
+2 competence (Favored)
+1 morale (unity wine)
+2 racial (dwarf)
+2 synergy (Knowledge (architecture and engineering))
+23 total
Can buy raw materials with a 10% discount (Blacksmith’s Guild).
Can sell items at a 5% markup in cities with a guildhouse (Favored).
Sindri, Legendary Blacksmith
The greatest blacksmith alive, and still only third level.
Sindri, legendary blacksmith
Venerable magic-blooded earth dwarf cloistered cleric 1/marshal 1/artificer 1
Minor Aura (Motivate Intelligence), Craft domain, Wealth domain, Knowledge domain
Abilities: 4/2/8/18/14/17
Feats: Favored, Practiced Spellcaster (artificer), Primary Contact, Skill Focus (Appraise)B, Skill Focus (Craft)B, Skill Focus (Diplomacy)B, Words of Creation, any two flaws
Traits: Spellgifted (transmutation)
Skills: Appraise +14/+16 (6 ranks), Craft (blacksmithing) +39 (7 ranks), Knowledge (architecture and engineering) +11 (6 ranks), Spellcraft +11 (6 ranks), Use Magic Device +14 (6 ranks)
Items: 300 gp’s worth of fairy dust, lesser metamagic rod of extend spell, masterwork blacksmithing tools, masterwork arcanometer (UMD tool), minor schema of magecraft
Craft (blacksmithing)
+7 ranks
+4 intelligence
+3 charisma (Minor Aura)
+3 Skill Focus
+2 circumstance (tools)
+4 circumstance (skill enhancement)
+5 competence (magecraft)
+4 sacred (Words of Creation)
+1 morale (unity wine)
+4 racial (earth dwarf)
+2 synergy (Knowledge (architecture and engineering))
+39 total
Use Magic Device
+6 ranks
+3 charisma
+2 circumstance (tools)
+2 competence (Favored)
+1 morale (unity wine)
+14 total
Can buy raw materials with a 10% discount (Artificer’s Guild).
Can sell items at a 5% markup in cities with a guildhouse (Favored).
Cooperation
For the purposes of this thread, I'll assume a blacksmith can benefit from at most one Aid Another bonus, but an assisted smith can assist a third smith. This becomes important when the assisted smith has a bonus just a little too low to hit the next point of Aid Another bonus.
Any smith can use Aid Another to provide a +2 bonus to any other smith. All smiths have at least +9 to their check, so success is guaranteed. But there’s more: per Complete Adventurer page 96, any smith who can hit a DC 20 check can provide a +3 Aid Another bonus. Beyond that, a DC 30 check provides a +4 bonus, a DC 40 check a +5 bonus, and so on. Both the assister and the assistee must have 5 ranks in Craft (blacksmithing) to benefit from bonuses higher than +2.
With the scaling Aid Another bonuses, Sindri's forge has an organizational structure like this:
An apprentice (Craft +14) assists a master smith (Craft +20).
The master smith assists a forge elder (Craft +27).
The forge elder attempts (90% chance) to assist a master artificer (Craft +30-31)
Several master artificers attempt (55-60% chance) to assist Sindri (Craft +43-44).
Sindri takes 10 and crafts 53 × 50 = 2650 SP worth of masterwork component in one week, for a profit of 176 GP… except that it’s split between four smiths, and they used 2100 gp’s worth of fairy dust. Yes, crafting is still terrible money.
A little more seriously: Sindri can hit a DC 50 check every week—with plenty of help, but without fairy dust—so there are some pretty epic pieces in the dwarven armoury. When it's really necessary, fairy dust is unlimited, and nobody's whining about ruined materials, it's possible to craft an item requiring a DC 60 check, which is probably the most expensive mundane item ever made.
Using Dragon #358 material (minus the feat requirement, that's just crazy), you can actually determine what you get for a DC 50 check.
A DC 50 check is required to make a razor sharp, perfectly balanced, ornate dwarvencraft greatsword from folded metal and with a blood groove, which costs 2550 gp, though if I were going to that effort, I'd pay for adamantine, as well. Mainly, the sword gets +6 hardness and +10 hp, and the wielder gets +2 to Diplomacy or Intimidate, and +1 to damage.
A DC 51 check can also craft you a reinforced lightweight mithral dwarvencraft suit of full plate caster armour (13 500 gp), which is notable for having a +9 armour bonus, +4 maximum dexterity bonus, 20% ASF, and weighing only 40 lb.
I don't really have a point here, other than that it's great—worldbuilding-wise—to have rules for NPCs. Stealth edition war jab!