CRAFTING

[mosheh]

Greetings friends!

Time to discuss CRAFTING!

So here is the direction we are heading with the crafting system so far, EVERYTHING is up to discussion, and no final decisions have been confirmed yet.

1) Crafting will no longer be a skill/ability that costs training points
2) Crafting is something you have to improve via usage
3) As a general rule, crafted gear will be slightly more powerful than equivalent level random loot drops

All these points are up to discussion, additionally the questions that follow:

How about special crafting, for instance dwarven smithing? Bone armor? Masterwork crafting? Elven craftmanship? Draconic crafting?

Should these be feats? How should these exist?

Etc… Please put all points of discussion on crafting here!

Regards,
Mosheh

[Gritch]

Definitely like the idea of crafting through use instead of training points, and special high level crafting sounds ideal, since it provides a sort of goal to shoot for.

Here’s a few thoughts I’ve had while compulsively gathering like fiend:

1. Storage lockers: There are bench rooms in the crafting area in Sanctus that might be ideal for this. Or, if you want to make them more general storage, put them near the post office or banks, so they make sense in context. Basically it’s just a room where you can ‘locker’ items to be retrieved whenever.

2. Guide: If this stuff is already in the help files, sorry! But an in-game guide book to crafting would be interesting. You could make one for the general basics of crafting, or make one for each craft trade that covers the basics and maybe some mild advanced stuff (though leave enough for the player to discover on their own). Things to include might be info on crystals, recommended recipes, and some technical stuff like how to tell if you can work a specific material or what materials a mold will work with.

3. Item Descriptions: allow players to set a line of text or so for a description. Again, sorry if this is already possible and I just didn’t figure it out yet.

4. Trinket/Gift molds: okay, fine, I admit it, secretly I want to see some more woodworking molds since one of my RL hobbies is woodworking, haha. However, my desire to craft fine oak chests or gorgeous writing desks got me thinking; what if we had some small trinkets we could craft for the sake of giving fun gifts to other players, or use in a quest, etc? Animal totems, wooden puzzles, or some sort of toy would be some examples. Alternatively, some of them could be useful, like making small capacity leather hip bags for potions or herbs, or making your own personalized backpack. Items could be enchanted in some way, etc.

Crafting can help with RP, as well. Ideally, a player should maybe focus on only one or two areas. For example, I’d probably focus on woodworking and leather working since they tie into both my characters needs and a real life hobby of mine. Another player might go strictly jewelry, so if I ever needed a ring, I’d probably contact him/her and see if we can’t work out a deal.

I’m on the fence about player-run shops being an option, but it’s an idea to talk about. The problem is everyone will likely want them, and when you have more supply than demand, it sort of removes incentive to upkeep one’s shop. Besides, I think there’s an auction system in place already? At any rate, as much as I wouldn’t want to see a diluted or stagnant economy happen, part of me still wouldn’t mind owning a shop (though I’ve never done it). Hard to say. You might end up with half the population not really being into crafting, and just preferring to purchase what they want as opposed to gathering materials to make it, and you might not. This might be something to consider later down the road, though.

• This reply was modified 10 years ago by Gritch.

[Ornir Elunari]

Here is my take on crafting –

I would like to have patterns/blueprints/what have you that define the different things i can make in a GENERAL way. F

For example:

Item: Studded Leather Jerkin
Materials: 5 Hard Metal, 50 Hide

This description means that I can use any type of hard metal and any type of hide for this armor. What I use is entirely up to me. I could use regular tanned leather and iron for a standard studded leather jerkin. Assuming I do this, the description would be:

An iron studded leather jerkin lies here.

> look jerkin

This jerkin is made of tanned leather, studded with iron studs.

Were I to use, for example, Adamantine and Dragonhide, the description might be:

An adamantine studded dragonhide jerkin lies here.

> look jerkin

this jerkin is made of dragonhide, studded with adamantine studs.

In addition, the materials used would impact the final product in a meaningful way – Dragonhide might provide resistances, adamantine would give additional DR, etc.

Patterns could be placed as loot and would be valuable in their own right. They could be collected in a pattern journal and kept safe. Additionally, some patterns might allow mixing of materials, for example, banded mail.

Item: Banded Mail Hauberk
Materials: 50 Hard Metal, 50 Hard Metal, 50 Hard Metal

So this would require 150 hard metal – but that metal can come from up to three types. Thus, you could combine effects in this way.

Adding enchantments would require one of two things:

1.) The crafter memorizes the required spells, which are then used during crafting.
2.) The crafter provides scrolls of the required spells, which are then consumed during crafting.

I would not apply the restrictions to reciting scrolls to crafting with scrolls. Having the ‘craft magic *’ feats implies that you are able to transfer the spell from the scroll directly into the item. Creating magic items requires the use of crystalline arcanite to bind the magic with the materials. The grade of arcanite will determine the maximum power (and level) of the item. This is similar to the use of crafting crystals in the current crafting system and ties crafting in with the lore.

Thanks for taking the time to read this.

– O

[Gritch]

I like Ornir’s ideas. Especially that last part regarding enchanting, though I favor a PC that is not strong in magic needing a scroll or some other method of enchantment that doesn’t involve them seeking out a mage. What about introducing a crafting material (like a particular crystal) that imbues a random enchantment on the item, so there is an element of luck and surprise when crafting?

[reinhart]

I love the idea of a pattern book. Instead of molds. Maybe as you level the crafting ability you gain more knowledge of patterns. And the ability to use better materials.

Book of Knitting Patterns
Book of Leatherworking Patterns
So on and so forth.

• This reply was modified 9 years, 4 months ago by reinhart.
• This reply was modified 9 years, 4 months ago by reinhart.

[kordon]

I like how you have the crafting system set up. I think there’s a lot of potential for it with a few more things added to it. I love the ideas of patterns that you would keep in your “craft book”. This would allow you to store the blueprints, etc. for making a variety of items. Maybe you could also include variations of items using different materials if that wouldn’t be too excessive. For example, having different materials be learned and recorded in your book so that you would not only have to have access to the blueprint for a specific item but also have to know how to use a certain material to make it as well. I can imagine reading through your book to check what is needed to make each item. Also the mold npcs would be useful by being able to buy molds which you could add to your book the way wizards would learn new spells. If this were to happen, I would imagine that the prices for those molds should go up since if it’s in your book then you know it and wouldn’t have to buy it more than once. It also gives excited crafters an opportunity to find molds/patterns through combat, or buy them from other people who have. That would help give non-crafters a way of getting in on the action, especially if the pattern is something that’s really rare. I love the idea of being able to add spell effects to what you craft as well. This would allow you to be able to make items similar to what is for right now only available as random combat drops. It would also allow crafters to fine-tune their work by being able to make things that are in high demand from other players or allow them to create an order for another player on an as-needed basis and also be able to have specialization with different crafters depending on what they are able to make. Something also to consider is being able to show other players what you know in your craft book so they can see what you know and decide what if anything they want to commission you to make for them.

• This reply was modified 8 years, 2 months ago by kordon.

[Roran]

Arcanite crystals need some love too. Currently you can only put in one and crystal attributes don’t matter as long as they match for upgrading via augmentation, only crystal level does.

I propose that we get the ability to add an additional crystal every fifth of the way to max in that crafting skill, to allow up to six crystals to be added at once, but without the ability to add duplicate types (such as two strength bonuses).

There’s an artifact in the game that gives +3 intelligence, +3 wisdom, +3 charisma and +60 health. Why can’t we make something just as good or slightly better with enough work?

Augmentation needs a rework to focus more on risk and reward, additionally. Add a +2 strength crystal and a +3 strength crystal and attempt to combine them while risking destroying both of them. If you succeed, you should get a +5 strength crystal. Obviously this needs some kind of hard cap so we don’t run around with people having +20 strength rings. Success rate should be based on your chemistry skill and how high the bonus is going. A +10 health combination crystal should not be extremely hard to make, for example, but a +5 intelligence one should be difficult.

I’d also like to see high end materials have innate qualities when forged into armor and weapons so that people pick and choose based on what they need. One might give slightly better AC for armor and a small damage bonus for weapons, for example.

[English]

Crafting is close to my heart – and I’ve also got a hankering to play a crafter / enchanter style character, who creates magical items to supplement their own lack of skills in other areas.

This kind of makes me lean more towards crafting skills – as otherwise everybody can craft, and it takes away the point of having a character that specialises in this stuff. That said if it requires feats to actually produce decent stuff then I suppose that still makes crafting something to shoot for, as you will still be able to make things that other people can’t.

I’d love to see a system whereby you can ’embed’ spells into items, allowing them to be cast by a character that wouldn’t be able to do so otherwise – typically with a limited amount of casts, that require an enchanter to recharge them.

This gives the enchanter a good role in a team, as they can supplement what others do, but also keeps them relevant as they are needed to keep using the items.

Examples might be a brooch that casts a shield and absorbs a certain amount of damage taken for example, or staff that can shoot a fireball on command, but can only store 5 fireballs before needing to be recharged.

[Author]

Posts