[3.5e NPC PrC] Blacksmith (PEACH)

[Welknair]

Hey, you remember these things, right? Well I'm participating in a PbP game where everyone is using them. A fellow player was at a loss, as his character concept was a smith. And I did not have a smith PrC. And now I do.

Blacksmith

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"Need something fixed?"

-Levi, a Blacksmith

Commoners need money. Adventurers have money. Commoners can learn to make things. Adventurers need things. This results in a mutually beneficial relationship. As long as the adventurers don't try to rob the commoner, that is. Blacksmiths make a living by making stuff. They usually own a small forge and scrape by by supplying weapons and armor to reckless individuals that will likely be dead in a sessio- day or two. But hey, money's money.

Entry Requirements
Skills: Craft (Armorsmithing) 6 or Craft (Weaponsmithing) 6

Skill points at each level: 6 + Intelligence Modifier
Class Skills: Appraise, Climb, Craft, Jump, Knowledge (Architecture and Engineering), Listen, Profession, Ride, Spot, Swim, and Use Rope.

Hit Die: d8

Level	BAB	Fort	Ref	Will	Special
1st	+0	+2	+0	+0	Craftsman, Trick of the Trade
2nd	+1	+3	+0	+0	Trick of the Trade
3rd	+2	+3	+1	+1	Trick of the Trade
4th	+3	+4	+1	+1	Trick of the Trade
5th	+3	+4	+1	+1	Trick of the Trade

Weapon and Armor Proficiencies: Blacksmiths are proficient with all simple weapons, one martial weapon of their choice, and has improvised weapon proficiency with crafting tools such as hammers, pokers, tongs and the like. They are also proficient with light armor.

Craftsman: Blacksmiths make things. It's only common sense that they'd be good at making things. They add their Blacksmith level to all Craft checks.

Trick of the Trade: When you've been in the business a while, you pick up a couple of tricks to make things easier. Pick one Trick to learn at each level.

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Practiced Laborer
You have been working long enough to know how to go at a steady, consistent pace without making mistakes.
Benefit: You can take 10 on Craft checks.

Traveling Merchant
You are an established merchant and people treat you as such. You've actually quite good at peddling on the side of the road.
Benefit: As long as you are traveling along major roads that have people moving along them, you make Craft checks for money just as you could if you were in a town or city.

Use What You Make
It's always nice to be able to use what you make. So you learned how.
Prerequisite: 6 Ranks in the corresponding Craft skill
Benefit: You gain proficiency either with all martial weapons or all armor and shields.
Special: This Trick may be gotten twice, selecting the other option.

Sweet Deals
You know a guy who knows a guy. Who happens to sell raw iron.
Benefit: You only pay 1/5 an items market price for raw materials and Masterwork materials instead of 1/3.

Part-Time Job
Not everyone can fit in an eight-hour workday.
Benefit: You can work by the hour. For each hour spent crafting, make a Craft check as if you had worked for a day and divide the result by eight. You may not craft for more than eight hours a day.

Weapon Intricacies
You made the sword. Of course you're good with it.
Benefit: You gain a +1 on all attack rolls made with any weapon you created.

Know Your Limits
You know how much you can push things and cut corners. And you can do so within a hair's breadth of your limits.
Prerequisites: Practiced Laborer
Benefit: You may voluntarily increase the DC of a Craft check by increments of 1 instead of 10.

Master Craftsman
Your skills at creating items are so powerful, that you can imbue them with magical abilities.
Benefit: You gain Master Craftsman as a bonus feat. You must still meet the prerequisites for this feat.

So... yeah.

[Silva Stormrage]

This is certainly interesting, but I am wondering why? I don't think this will come up in a campaign... ever, because pretty much any expert (the class) blacksmith will be able to craft mundane weapons. Adventures would then go to magic mart for their other needs.

The class would be useful for an npc only campaign or a low powered low combat game. The abilities are useful and make sense but also don't make him a god at blacksmithing.

The class is interesting and well thought out but I don't think it will be used much in a campaign.

[Welknair]

This is certainly interesting, but I am wondering why? I don't think this will come up in a campaign... ever, because pretty much any expert (the class) blacksmith will be able to craft mundane weapons. Adventures would then go to magic mart for their other needs.

The class would be useful for an npc only campaign or a low powered low combat game. The abilities are useful and make sense but also don't make him a god at blacksmithing.

The class is interesting and well thought out but I don't think it will be used much in a campaign.

It's funny you bring that up. Because, as I mentioned at the top, I am playing in an NPC-only campaign that is low-powered and low-combat. And one of the players specifically required a blacksmith PrC. So I made one.

[Seerow]

Practiced Laborer
You have been working long enough to know how to go at a steady, consistent pace without making mistakes.
Benefit: You can take 10 on Craft checks.

Can't you already do that by default? You're almost never involved with stress when you could be using craft. This would be more impressive if you could take 15 or take 20.


Other than that I like the class. The tricks for improving combat skill seems a bit odd, but it kind of makes sense, but I'd like to see more improving the crafting end of things. Things like a fast crafter ability that makes crafting an item go 10 times faster. A limited leadership that gains you some apprentices to help out with your crafting. A related ability that increases aid another benefits from crafting to +3 or +4. I'd also double the benefit of Craftsman.

[137beth]

Hmm...nice idea. May I suggest taking a look at magewrights (ECS?)

[stack]

Well, I'm the player, and this certainly beats just mixing levels of warrior and expert. Apprentices would be nice, but they could be hired or gotten with leadership. Just taking 10 gets masterwork items made pretty easily.

[Domriso]

Actually, I love this. I've been researching the Craft skill intensely over the past few days because I intend to overhaul some aspects of it, and some of those abilities are terribly helpful (Know Your Limits in particular is a godsend).

And, as for increased time, the Know Your Limits ability actually has the added benefit of decreasing the time it takes to Craft things. With the bonus to Craft checks, this becomes even better. If the Craftsmen ability was doubled, this class would be a monster.

To be perfectly honest, I would love to take this class and turn it into a normal PC class. Since I intend to create magical weapons made through Craft checks (no actual supernatural abilities required) this class would be amazing.

[Silva Stormrage]

It's funny you bring that up. Because, as I mentioned at the top, I am playing in an NPC-only campaign that is low-powered and low-combat. And one of the players specifically required a blacksmith PrC. So I made one.

Oh well than good job and I should read more in depth before making judgements shouldn't I

[stack]

The character is a dwarf with the toilcrafter trait, so at level five he can take craft magic arms & armor to make +1 weapons (that can't be upgraded) without any spellcasting whatsoever. Obviously this makes high crafting checks essential. He has +11 at level 1, so taking ten gets masterwork items made, but output would be low without ways to boost the check higher.

[Cieyrin]

Definitely neat. If you have the chance, Dragon 359 has an article on adding traits to masterwork items that would dovetail nicely with this. It also evokes the image of seeking out a master craftsman renowned for specific items, like crafting a razor sharp edge or armor that allows the flow of magic easier.

As for the nonmagic crafting, you may want to have a look at this from PF: Master Craftsman. Alternately, RoS has the Battlesmith PrC, which is all about dwarven smiths honing their crafts to the point of forging magic weapons without magic.

[Welknair]

As for the nonmagic crafting, you may want to have a look at this from PF: Master Craftsman. Alternately, RoS has the Battlesmith PrC, which is all about dwarven smiths honing their crafts to the point of forging magic weapons without magic.

I believe Master Craftsman was also in the 3.5e Eberron book. Or I at least remember seeing it somewhere in 3.5. AFB right now.

And I actually added Master Craftsman as a Trick shortly before you posted.

[Cieyrin]

I believe Master Craftsman was also in the 3.5e Eberron book. Or I at least remember seeing it somewhere in 3.5. AFB right now.

And I actually added Master Craftsman as a Trick shortly before you posted.

The Eberron feats just reduced the costs of crafting, at least as far as I'm aware.

Also, could you spoiler the image? It's stretching the thread on my monitor...

[EdroGrimshell]

you can always take a look at the Master base class from Dragonlance War of the Lance, the Craftsman and Professional archetypes are perfect for this. The Craftsman archetype gives increased benefits from the Masterwork Quality and halves the time it takes to forge common masterwork items while the Professional archetype is more the fast talking merchant with a bunch of apprentices and a bodyguard.

Also, the feat mentioned earlier is Artisan Craftsman from Dragon 358, I have used it in the past and it is really useful in low magic settings, though it needs to be expanded on slightly it should be good for your kind of game. You'll need to actually get that Issue of Dragon to see the special qualities that can be added, Realmshelp only gives the feat.

[Morph Bark]

With the entry requirements as-is, I can enter this PrC with Craft (straw dolls), which becomes weird when I can suddenly become able to use all manner of weapons because of that through Use What You Make and that the PrC is called Blacksmith, which is kind of weird.

Perhaps limit it to Craft (armorsmithing) or Craft (weaponsmithing)?

[Cieyrin]

Also, the feat mentioned earlier is Artisan Craftsman from Dragon 358, I have used it in the past and it is really useful in low magic settings, though it needs to be expanded on slightly it should be good for your kind of game. You'll need to actually get that Issue of Dragon to see the special qualities that can be added, Realmshelp only gives the feat.

Yeah, that's what I was talking about. I remember it was the second to last magazine before the end, just forgot they stopped on 359, not 360.

[Welknair]

With the entry requirements as-is, I can enter this PrC with Craft (straw dolls), which becomes weird when I can suddenly become able to use all manner of weapons because of that through Use What You Make and that the PrC is called Blacksmith, which is kind of weird.

Perhaps limit it to Craft (armorsmithing) or Craft (weaponsmithing)?

Fixed. Yeah... I shoulda anticipated that problem.