99. CRAFTSMAN
The Craftsman skill is a generic mold for any particular craft not covered by some other skill. The character does not take up rank in "Craftsman" skill, but rather in a specific craft. This means that a character can learn several craft trades (i.e. blacksmith, potter, etc), but each must be taken as a separate skill, using this Craftsman skill as the archetype. Because of this, formulas for the chance of success in various tasks are subject to GM modification.
[99.1] When a character takes a craftsman skill, he/she must declare what craft is being learned.
Some examples of possible crafts are: Blacksmith, Carpenter, Mason, Cook, Potter, Artist, Glass Worker, Jeweler, Distiller, Tailor, Leatherworker, Cloth Maker, Miner, or Ropemaker. In the spirit of DragonQuest, the crafts should be kept as general as possible, so as to encompass any specialty crafts which actually draw upon the same knowledge and techniques (i.e. blacksmith, armourer, weaponsmith).
[99.2] In most crafts, the craftsmen are referred to by titles appropriate to their rank.
Ranks 0-1 are Apprentices
Ranks 2-3 are Journeymen
Ranks 4-7 are Craftsman
Ranks 8+ are Master Craftsman
[99.3] Upon reaching rank 2, the character must decide on an area of his/her craft in which to specialize, if applicable.
Examples of such areas might be:
Artist: Painting, drawing, murals, sculptures, or mosaics.
Carpenter: cooper, buildings, shipwright, wheelwright, or furniture.
Glass Worker: glass blowing, lenses, staining, glazing.
Blacksmith: weapons, armor, smelting, or tools.
Jeweler: gemcutting, metalworking, or insets.
Specializing does not mean the character is unable to perform tasks outside of his/her area of specialization, but rather that they are most familiar with the tasks that do fall within that area. Attempting other tasks may be subject to a penalty. Some crafts may not lend themselves to subspecialties (which may be a sign that the craft chosen was too specific to begin with).
Further specializations may be learned after rank 4 at a cost of 750 EP and (11 - rank) weeks of study each.
[99.4] Upon reaching rank 4, the character may take on an apprentice.
Prior to rank 4, the character does not have sufficient understanding of and confidence with the craft to take on an apprentice, nor would their public image be sufficient for anyone to want to apprentice to them.
[99.5] Upon reaching rank 6, the craftsman can experiment with designs.
Prior to reaching rank 6, a craftsman can only start projects of standard or traditional designs, using traditional methods.
[99.6] At any time after reaching rank 8, the character may decide to develop a new "school" of that craft.
If the character decides to develop a new "school" in their craft, they may then gather students to follow this new style.
[99.7] The success of the character's attempt at using this skill is dependent on the rank achieved, the difficulty of this task, and the character's Manual Dexterity (or appropriate attribute).
The base chance of success on a project is ([Manual Dexterity + Rank with craft] x Difficulty)% where the Difficulty is a value from 1 to 5 assigned by the GM. The GM should also determine what the time requirement is to finish the project. The character may spend extra time on the project to put extra care and effort into it. For each additional amount of time equal to the base requirement, the character must make a roll against [4 x Will Power]% or else the time is wasted. For each successful extra period of time, there is a +20% modifier to the success chance of the project.
Craftsmen may declare that there is a specific goal (a sword of exceptional balance giving +5% to the SC, a finely detailed tapestry, an exquisite necklace) for the project and the GM should determine how this would affect the chance of success and the time frame needed.
If the attempt is a failure, then the product will be faulty to an extent proportional to the die roll. Thus, if a Blacksmith is not successful at making a sword, the sword may be too brittle (breaks more easily), too soft (won't keep an edge - does less damage), or poorly balanced (making it harder to hit with). Similarly, an exceptional success at the skill might mean that the weapon has been finely crafted with an exceptional edge or balance. Another example would be an Artist who fails may not get paid as much (if at all) for his/her artwork (or worse if the material is particularly offensive to the Patron!)
Effects of outstanding successes (< 15% or 5% of the chance of success) should be negotiated between the GM and the player.
[99.8] A craftsman can judge the quality or assess the value of the work of another craftsman in their field.
The craftsman has a chance of ([4 x Perception] + [5 x Rank] - [2 x Creator’s Rank])% of correctly judging the quality of an item of his/her craft. He/she gets an additional +20% if it is within his/her particular specialty. Note that this formula accounts for higher rank craftsman hiding the flaws in their work, as well as making it perhaps look better than it is.
Assessing the value is the same as the ability under the Merchant skill, only using the Craftsman’s rank.
[99.9] A craftsman must pay for the necessary supplies and tools of the trade each year.
The cost of these supplies will vary depending on the craft, but will typically be on the order of [200 + (300 x rank)] silver pennies (check with GM for specific craft). Failure to spend this sum will result in the craftsman operating as if two Ranks less proficient. If the Rank is reduced to a negative number, the craftsman temporarily loses the use of this skill.
[99.10] The GM may deem that certain races are more adept at certain crafts and therefore should either get bonuses on projects or reduced experience cost for advancing the skill.