References: Player HB p187: Crafting
You can craft nonmagical objects, including adventuring equipment and works of art. You must be proficient with tools related to the object you are trying to create (typically artisan's tools). You might also need access to special materials or locations necessary to create it. For example, someone proficient with smith's tools needs a forge in order to craft a sword or suit of armor.
For every day of downtime you spend crafting, you can craft one or more items with a total market value not exceeding 5 gp, and you must expend raw materials worth half the total market value. If something you want to craft has a market value greater than 5 gp, you make progress every day in 5-gp increments until you reach the market value of the item. For example, a suit of plate armor (market value 1,500 gp) takes 300 days to craft by yourself.
Multiple characters can combine their efforts toward the crafting of a single item, provided that the characters all have proficiency with the requisite tools and are working together in the same place. Each character contributes 5 gp worth of effort for every day spent helping to craft the item. For example, three characters with the requisite tool proficiency and the proper facilities can craft a suit of plate armor in 100 days, at a total cost of 750 gp.
While crafting, you can maintain a modest lifestyle without having to pay 1 gp per day, or a comfortable lifestyle at half the normal cost (see chapter 5 for more information on lifestyle expenses).
House Rule Addendum
Faster Crafting :: While crafting at a value of 5 GP per day is a normal craft and doesn't require a Check or Roll to know if you succeed, a character may find himself in a rushed position to craft an item faster. Of course, he could find help to get the job done faster, but he could also take a risk at botching the job.
- Typical DC for mundane item would start at 10, which would be the normal job DC. Taking his time (similar to take 10) the character is ensured to succeed.
- Anyone skilled could add +1 GB value per day to his craft, by also adding +1 to the DC and as long as his Tool Skill Bonus +10 would be enough to succeed, the player still doesn't need to roll a check but would produce more per day than normal. He's good at what he does. Example: Joe wants to craft a sword as fast as possible without botching his work. His Proficiency bonus is +3 and his tool/work is said to rest on hi Strength score of 16 (+3) for a total of +6. Joe could add 6 GP per day for a total of 11 GP worth of work per day without having to roll because the DC would be 16.
- Attempting to craft even faster, where the DC is higher then the 10 + Skill + Stats, then Joe would have to roll for his check every day. To perform such a skill check, the character gets a +5 bonus that cannot be calculated when using the take 10 base. This bonus is just to reflect that the character is good at what he does and when taking an actual chance on his craft, he should still have acceptable odds of achieving it.
- A failed roll would mean no progress, but no extra cost, but a Natural 1 would mean he botched the job and ruined part of it. At that moment, take half of the current value in GP he had accumulated to that day and the player has to pay this extra, as well as losing this amount from his total progression and then continue to work on the item. If the job was worth less in GP than the amount that could be produced that day, the entire job is ruined and needs to start over.
- A natural 20 when rolling a check for a fast job also has its benefit and the amount of GP progress for that day is equal to the total roll result - the DC of the craft.
Tools Quality
Magical tools? Should this happen, why not? You got your hands on a Carpenter set of tools that has been enchanted with magic +1? That's your skill check bonus and you can apply it to the take 10 calculation, which translates into a +1 to the GP Value progress one can craft per day.
Batch Crafting
Another way to craft faster is to craft more at the same time. Not all crafts can use this alternative rule, but most should. After all, most craft will require some waiting time, such as letting the metal cool down, waiting for pain to dry, letting the poison's distillation run its course and so on. For all intent and purpose, when crafting an item, your character will produce 1 of them, or one dose. This is what he normally have the ability to do, or this is what his tools allow him to do. Here's how this works:
1) The character needs 1 Tool Kit per item/dose he wants to craft.
2) The character needs to have at least 1 Skilled Helper or Assistant, for each extra Tool Kit after the first.
3) The character needs to have all the materials for all the items and the character must pay 60% in materials instead of 50% of the item's value.
Note: This does not include the possibility of having to pay for your Helper. (See Skilled Help and Assistant below)
In game terms, the character would simply be the supervisor of a team of crafters, therefor end up with more items or doses in the end.
Playing it safe and keeping it on the Take 10 threshold would provide as many items or doses as the number of Tool Kits on hands.
The same rules apply for this form of crafting, so the character could increase the DC beyond the Take 10 and make the rolls for every day of crafting. He could also increase the DC by +1 for each Assistant (if any) to gain their full Proficiency Bonus instead of Half.
*** Note: The character only needs to make 1 Check/Roll per day, regardless of the number of items/doses, so yeah, a failed means everything went wrong, but a 20 also means everything went well. Keep track of the GP per day progress as if he was crafting only 1 item, so in the end, he either gets all of it or none of it.
Skilled Help
Anyone can combine their work, so two person with the same crafting skill and tools can work on the same craft (maximum 3 person on the same craft) and increase the GP progress made every day as explained in the basic Crafting Rule above.
- When trying to craft Faster, both can increase the DC and make a check every day as well, it will craft faster, but there is still a little more chance one of them will botch the job.
Note: Skilled help may require some form of payment. A Good rule of thumb would be to pay them 2% of the item cost for every +1 bonus they provide. This payment is usually asked to be paid in advance, but for longer project, it could be divided into weekly or monthly pay as well.
Assistant / Unskilled Help
Someone without the skill or tools can still help, after all, not every second of the crafting is spent doing something only the crafter can do. Assistant will prepare stuff, clean stuff, carry stuff, hold stuff, keep the fire on, and so on. This counts for something.
- Every Assistant/Helper can increase the GP progress by Half their Proficiency bonus (round down - Minimum +1)
- The crafter may take a risk with the assistant and let them do a little more work than they should be able to and add the whole Proficiency Bonus of his assistant, but the DC of his own craft goes up by +1. Should this +1 bring the DC higher than the Take 10 threshold, the crafter would have to roll for his check every day or risk botching the job.
- One crafter can only have 1 Assistant, but should 3 crafters combine their efforts, and each have 1 assistant, the work could progress relatively fast.
Example: Joe, crafter with +6 Bonus, Jane, crafter with +5 bonus and June, crafter with +5 bonus all combine their efforts and each of them have 1 assistant. They decide to play it safe but maximizing their time and efforts. Each assistant have a +2 proficiency bonus. Joe's progress would give him 12 GP (10 + 5 = DC 15, +1 DC for his assistant to gain full Proficiency bonus pf +2 GP), Jane and June would progress at 11 GP per day (10 + 4 = DC 14, +1 DC for +2 GP). The total progress per day would be 34 GP, and that's playing it safe.
Note: Assistants may require some form of payment. A Good rule of thumb would be to pay them 2% of the item cost for every +1 bonus they provide. This payment is usually asked to be paid in advance, but for longer project, it could be divided into weekly or monthly pay as well.
Crafting Items without value
When crafting thinks such as art or when performing a job using musical instruments, the player can roll a Performance Check.
During Downtime: If this is to make money during downtime, the character is considered to be playing and/or performing for a whole day. The environment in which the performance is produced may alter these numbers at GM discretion. But in general, in a low income place or small town, it would be in SP, not in GP, while in a good place or larger city, it would be in GP. The number of 'Coins' the player gets as reward is (Performance check - 10) / 3. The GM can vary the number to substract between 5 and 15 instead of 10, depending on the general mood of the place or clients, or where it's happening.
On the spot Performance: If the character is performing on the spot, and not much as a down time, it means that he spends a lot less time, but the reward could still be greater. The calculation is the same as above, but the GM is encouraged to set the number between 5 and 15 accordingly, based on the RP and the Situation. Same can go for painting a portrait for a client, and other things similar.
Magic can help?
Tools is one thing and when crafting mundane things, magic can still help. The following spells could be used to help craft most things. If you think a spell would help you for your crafting, the GM will set a possible bonus based on the spell itself and what you are trying to achieve.
Guidance: Yes, it works. But whoever cast the spell, if it isn't the crafter himself, must spend the whole day helping/casting the spell. After all it can be cast at will and would provide the extra 1d4 bonus to the skill check roll. The spell would be cast at every moment during the process. Note that whoever is casting the spell can also be a Skilled Helper or an Assistant.
Mage Hand: Having an extra hand is certainly of help. If the crafter has that spell, he gets a bonus of +1 to his Crafting Skill, which can be calculated to determine the take 10 value of his progress. Note that whoever is casting the spell can also be a Skilled Helper or an Assistant.
Mending: For anything related to crafting an item that can be damaged, it would also help. For example, it would help craft an armor, but not craft poison. WHat is broken really? Can two pieces of tissue meant to be sewed together be considered broken? I think so. Therefor, mending them should work and voila you just saved a lot of time puting them together. As a general rule of thumb, Mending can increase the total GP value progress by +50%
Mold Earth: Crafting anything involving eart, soil, dirt, clay? This spell will increase the GP value progress by +50%
Crafting Poison
During downtime between adventures, a character can use the crafting rules in the Player's Handbook to create basic poison if the character has proficiency with a poisoner's kit. At your discretion, the character can craft other kinds of poison. Not all poison ingredients are available for purchase, and tracking down certain ingredients might form the basis of an entire adventure.
Harvesting Poison
A character can instead attempt to harvest poison from a poisonous creature, such as a snake, wyvern, or carrion crawler. The creature must be incapacitated or dead, and the harvesting requires 1d6 minutes followed by a DC 20 Intelligence (Nature) check. (Proficiency with the poisoner's kit applies to this check if the character doesn't have proficiency in Nature.) On a successful check, the character harvests enough poison for a single dose. On a failed check, the character is unable to extract any poison. If the character fails the check by 5 or more, the character is subjected to the creature's poison.
More Poison / New Poisons
A character can try to weaken or strengthen existing poisons, or create a new one entirely by mixing other kind of ingredients that would be used to make the usual Poisons.
To do so, keep in mind that each poison should work like a spell in a Wizard's book. It requires a formula/recipe. Only experienced character would try and craft new poisons, but adjusting existing recipe is a little easier and some tenacious apprentices often take their chances.
Once the Poisoner has a recipe that works, he can then create more of that poison following his recipe.
GM may decide which recipe the character has access to from the default list of poisons, and the character would then have to find recipe for other poisons.
Poisons that are actually collected from a creature doesn't need a recipe, but the character may still try and create his own poison and recipe to recreate such poison or similar effects.
List of Default Poisons:
The Cost in [white] overwrites the cost in the player handbook. The difference is usually very little, but is to be used for the crafting cost and time.
- Assassin's blood, Ingested, 150 gp
- Burnt othur fumes, Inhaled,
500 gp [510 gp]
- Carrion crawler mucus, Contact, 200 gp
- Drow poison, Injury,
200 gp [250 gp]
- Essence of ether, Inhaled, 300 gp
- Malice, Inhaled,
250 gp [285 gp]
- Midnight tears, Ingested, 1,500 gp
- Oil of taggit, Contact,
400 gp [350 gp]
- Pale tincture, Ingested,
250 gp [315 gp]
- Purple worm poison, Injury, 2,000 gp
- Serpent venom, Injury,
200 gp [180 gp]
- Torpor, Ingested,
600 gp [620 gp]
- Truth serum, Ingested, 150 gp
- Wyvern poison, Injury,
1,200 gp [1110 gp]
Assassin’s Blood (Ingested): A creature subjected to this poison must make a DC 10 Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, it takes 6 (1d12) poison damage and is Poisoned for 24 hours. On a successful save, the creature takes half damage and isn’t Poisoned.
Burnt othur fumes (Inhaled): A creature subjected to this poison must succeed on a DC 13 Constitution saving throw or take 10 (3d6) poison damage, and must repeat the saving throw at the start of each of its turns. On each successive failed save, the character takes 3 (1d6) poison damage. After three successful saves, the poison ends.
Crawler Mucus (Contact): This poison must be harvested from a dead or Incapacitated crawler. A creature subjected to this poison must succeed on a DC 13 Constitution saving throw or be Poisoned for 1 minute. The Poisoned creature is Paralyzed. The creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, Ending the Effect on itself on a success.
Drow Poison (Injury): This poison is typically made only by the drow, and only in a place far removed from sunlight. A creature subjected to this poison must succeed on a DC 13 Constitution saving throw or be Poisoned for 1 hour. If the saving throw fails by 5 or more, the creature is also Unconscious while Poisoned in this way. The creature wakes up if it takes damage or if another creature takes an action to shake it awake.
Essence of ether (Inhaled): A creature subjected to this poison must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or become Poisoned for 8 hours. The Poisoned creature is Unconscious. The creature wakes up if it takes damage or if another creature takes an action to shake it awake.
Malice (Inhaled): A creature subjected to this poison must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or become Poisoned for 1 hour. The Poisoned creature is Blinded.
Midnight tears (Ingested): A creature that ingests this poison suffers no Effect until the stroke of midnight. If the poison has not been neutralized before then, the creature must succeed on a DC 17 Constitution saving throw, taking 31 (9d6) poison damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
Oil of Taggit (Contact): A creature subjected to this poison must succeed on a DC 13 Constitution saving throw or become Poisoned for 24 hours. The Poisoned creature is Unconscious. The creature wakes up if it takes damage.
Pale tincture (Ingested): A creature subjected to this poison must succeed on a DC 16 Constitution saving throw or take 3 (1d6) poison damage and become Poisoned. The Poisoned creature must repeat the saving throw every 24 hours, taking 3 (1d6) poison damage on a failed save. Until this poison ends, the damage the poison deals can’t be healed by any means. After seven successful Saving Throws, the Effect ends and the creature can heal normally.
Purple Worm Poison (Injury): This poison must be harvested from a dead or Incapacitated Purple Worm. A creature subjected to this poison must make a DC 19 Constitution saving throw, taking 42 (12d6) poison damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
Serpent venom (Injury): This poison must be harvested from a dead or Incapacitated Giant Poisonous Snake. A creature subjected to this poison must succeed on a DC 11 Constitution saving throw, taking 10 (3d6) poison damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
Torpor (Ingested): A creature subjected to this poison must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or become Poisoned for 4d6 hours. The Poisoned creature is Incapacitated.
Truth serum (Ingested): A creature subjected to this poison must succeed on a DC 11 Constitution saving throw or become Poisoned for 1 hour. The Poisoned creature can’t knowingly speak a lie, as if under the Effect of a Zone of Truth spell.
Wyvern Poison (Injury): This poison must be harvested from a dead or Incapacitated Wyvern. A creature subjected to this poison must make a DC 15 Constitution saving throw, taking 24 (7d6) poison damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
Change/Craft/Modify Poisons
To weaken a Poison :: the character the character must actively create the poison by changing the recipe slightly.
To create his first weakened poison, the character must make ONE extra single Check/Roll DC 15 at the end of the crafting process.
To strengthen a Poison :: the character must actively add new ingredients or combine different procedure to make it more potent by increaser either or both the DC, the Damage, and/or the Duration.
To create his first weakened poison, the character must make ONE extra single Check/Roll DC 20 at the end of the crafting process.
Creating a whole new poison :: the character must have the materials and ingredients (GM May require special and unique ingredients that would be an adventure quest).
To create his first weakened poison, the character must make ONE extra single Check/Roll DC 20 at the end of the crafting process.
Skill Check: For any of the three options above:
- If that check is a success, the character may add the recipe to his book.
- If that check is failed, the poison is ruined and everything is lost.
Cost Creation Chart
This chart is a reference and as much as it brings most existing poison to a price very close to what they all are, not that some of the strongest or more special poison SHOULD have a special ingrediant to them, where its cost can vary greatly depending on what those ingrediants are.
It would be possible to have a poison that has more than 2 effect based on different scales of -5 at the save, as long as the lowest doesn't get under 8. Each effect should be worse or more deadly the lower the DC, the other way around cannot be possible.
*** Some poison may have double effects, or even 2 different set of damage if the Save is Failed by more than 5 (like Drow Poison). To calculate such feature, simply calculate both as if they were two different poison, then use the most expensive of the two, then add +50 GP for.
1) The DC: determines the Base cost of a Poison (The minimum base DC for a poison is 8.)
8 = 50gp
9 = 100gp
10 = 130gp
11 = 145gp
12 = 160gp
13 = 175gp
14 = 190gp
15 = 210gp
16 = 250gp
17 = 300gp
18 = 350gp
19 = 500gp
20 = 1000gp
21 = 2000gp
22 = 3000gp
23 = 4000gp
24 = 5000gp
25 = 10000gp
2) Poison administration type: How can the poison work. Keep in mind that Contact is valid for all modes of administration.
Ingested: If the DC is lower than 16, Reduce total cost by Half. If the DC is 16 or greater, no adjustment.
Injury: Cost is as normal, no adjustment
Contact: Cost +50 GP
Inhaled: This kind of poison is the only one that can be used to affect more than one target per one dose.
- Cost for affecting only one target: no adjustment
- Zone 5 feet radius (2x2 sq): *2 Total Price
- Then Double the current Multiplicator for each 5 feet radius added. So a 15 feet radius zone would have a multiplicator of *8, 20 ft *16, etc.
3) Damage: is based on the maximum damage it can cause
4 (1d4) = 5gp
6 (1d6) = 10gp
12 (2d6 or 1d12) = 15gp
18 (3d6) = 35gp
24 (4d6) = 100gp
30 (5d6) = 250gp
36 (6d6) = 600gp
42 (7d6) = 900gp
48 (8d6) = 1000gp
54 (9d6) = 1100gp
60 (10d6) = 1200gp
66 (11d6) = 1400gp
72 (12d6) = 1500gp
3-B) Duration repeating Damage: Some poison may cause more damage over time, instead of only once.
--- The target will get to save every round/minute/hours/day
- Per Day: Calculate the DC cost + Damage cost + Effect Cost and then divide by 2 (round up 25), this is the amount you need to add in GP value. (Require 7 consecutive Save to stop)
- Per Hour: Calculate the DC cost + Damage cost + Effect Cost, this is the amount you need to add in GP value. (Require 5 consecutive Save to stop)
- Per Minute: Calculate the DC cost + Damage cost + Effect Cost and then multiply by 2, this is the amount you need to add in GP value. (Require 3 consecutive Save to stop)
- Per Round: Calculate the DC cost + Damage cost + Effect Cost and then multiply by 3, this is the amount you need to add in GP value. (Require 3 consecutive Save to stop)
3-C) Delayed / Unset: Some poison don't take effect immediately. There is no direct cost adjustment, but any delay programmed in a poison should require a special ingrediant that may or may not cost more at GM's discretion.
4) Conditions Effect: Almost any
Conditions or Diseases can be added to a Poison. The GM will decide how exactly the condition would work through a poison; for instance, a Grapple condition in a poison could simply mean that the target's legs ceases to function, thus their speed becoming 0.
The Cost of an effect is based on the duration of it, but some effects are harder to achieve and cost more.
First: Calculate based on time ::
- 1 Round: Cost +10 GP
- 1 Minute with a save every Round: Cost +25 GP
- 1 Minute without subsequent save: Cost +50 GP
- 1 Hour without subsequent save: Cost +75 GP
- 2 Hours or more without subsequent save: Cost +78 GP + 1 GP per Hour, so 80 GP for 2 hours, 90 GP for 12 hours, and so on until 99 GP for 21 hours.
- 1 Day without subsequent save: Cost +100 GP
-- Note: To make a poison that would last more than 1 day, but less than two, you must use the Hour calculation instead, so 30 hours would cost +108 GP
- 2 Days or more with a save every Round: Cost +78 GP + 1 GP per Hour, so 80 GP for 2 hours, 90 GP for 12 hours, and so on until 99 GP for 21 hours.
- 2 Days or more without subsequent save: Cost +78 GP + 1 GP per Hour, so 80 GP for 2 hours, 90 GP for 12 hours, and so on until 99 GP for 21 hours.
Special: When a poison's effect may be countered/removed by a simple action from others or by damage, the Duration Cost is divided by half.
Second: Calculate some harder or more intense effect
Blind: Increase the Cost of the time factor by 25% and round up to the nearest 5. So a 1 minute blind without save per round would cost +65gp instead of +50gp.
Exhaustion: If a poison was made to inflict more than 1 level of Exhaustion, the cost of the time factor for this poison must be doubled for every level of exhaustion, so a poison that inflicts 2 levels of Exhaustion for 1 hour cost +150gp, and one that inflicts 3 levels would cost +300gp
Incapacitating, effect can be removed by 1 action or from damage: Any effects that makes the target Incapacitated (such as Paralysed, Petrified, Stunned, Unconscious or others) = Double the Total Cost
Incapacitating++ and cannot be awoken: Total Cost x4
Variable Duration: Adding a variable, such as a number of dice for an undetermined amount of time: Use maximum duration cost -10 GP
5) Other Effect: Anything goes, but it's hard to list every other possible effects, such as the unset timer on a Midnight tears, or
- The cost of such effect could vary greatly, but in general, if it's nothing that causes more damage, inflict a Condition, or provide any disadvantage in combat for the target, the cost either 50 or 100 GP
5-B) Duplicating a Spell Effect: This overwrites the Duration Cost (take the highest of either #4 or This cost)
Level 0: 25gp
Level 1: 50gp
Level 2: 150gp
Level 3: 500gp
It should be impossible to copy a spell effect of higher level.