"Optimized" characters or parties?

[Roethke]

Guess what my warrior does in between adventures... he whittles. He sells those figurines. It's a paltry sum compared to what can be acquired adventuring, but it makes me feel better about the character's personality / work ethic / etc. Instead of loafing around spending money from treasure hoards, he's still earning a living. I've actually had it come into play. We were hired to guard the vault of a wealthy merchant during a rather decadent festival. Thieves liked to use that time, when everyone's drunk and partying, to break into places.

We sent the thieves packing, but not before a small statue that was worth a tidy sum was broken. So I carved a fake and we used an illusion to finish the look of it until we could get the real one mended and replaced the next day.

Ah, but the pertinent question is "Did your character put ranks in Craft(Whittlin')?" (or similar skill).