D&D 5E What do you want out of crafting rules?

[CapnZapp]

Np, Dave

 

[doctorbadwolf]

That's kinda isn't how game design works....

Though, yeah, I'd agree, D&D has some serious problems with maintaining focus.

It’s a feature, not a bug.

 

[el-remmen]

To phrase this perhaps shockingly bluntly: if crafting is intended as fluff, I have no opinions except I don't think rules are really necessary. Only if crafting is intended as crunch - where it become possible and even necessary to balance it and compare it numerically to other options - call me.

The fallacy of the fluff/crunch dichotomy.

 

[Mind of tempest]

The fallacy of the fluff/crunch dichotomy.

fluff and crunch most work together and be properly connected so it does not feel wrong.

 

[Baron Opal II]

Managing inventory via pen and paper sucks. A magic item crafting system should be less about collecting bits of crap from all over the map or saving up money, and more about giving the DM keys to send the party off questing to forge the blade.

I disagree in that sometimes a player will see a situation that can present an intriguing opportunity. For example, in the depths of a cave the part finds a spring. One of the characters has everyone quench their lights for an appropriate time, and then collects a jar of water that has never been exposed to the light of sun, star, or fire. This could be a necessary component to dyeing a cloak of stealth or quenching a blade for a thief. And it can sit on they PCs shelf in their house until they think of something.

Most of the ti e when a PC finds useful components I will at least mention "this jewel is worth 300sp, but if you are enchanting something involving ice or light, it's worth 500sp".

Although, if you don't want to keep track of things, discovering quests to find A, B, C and the wise crafter is certainly valid. As is "hey wizard / priest / helpful one, we have a bag of neat stuff and a second sack of gold, what can you make for us?" Works too.

 

[fearsomepirate]

I disagree in that sometimes a player will see a situation that can present an intriguing opportunity. For example, in the depths of a cave the part finds a spring. One of the characters has everyone quench their lights for an appropriate time, and then collects a jar of water that has never been exposed to the light of sun, star, or fire. This could be a necessary component to dyeing a cloak of stealth or quenching a blade for a thief. And it can sit on they PCs shelf in their house until they think of something.

Collect-a-thons aren't even fun in video games, where you have a computer to do the boring tallying for you and pop up a notification or highlight one of your innumerable recipes when you can finally craft a Level 42 Venom Axe of Striking. Sure, you can do something like add specific relics as treasure that can, say, turn any blade into a +1 weapon, but that's more like slightly expanding the treasure list.

 

[tetrasodium]

Collect-a-thons aren't even fun in video games, where you have a computer to do the boring tallying for you and pop up a notification or highlight one of your innumerable recipes when you can finally craft a Level 42 Venom Axe of Striking. Sure, you can do something like add specific relics as treasure that can, say, turn any blade into a +1 weapon, but that's more like slightly expanding the treasure list.

They can however make a random doodad exciting & give players something to look forward to without actually doing anything right now or maybe ever. In the situation that @Baron Opal II tossed out, it went from a random bit of detail in a random meaningless room to something the party worked together to make into what might eventually be awesome. Later the players can bring it up at an appropriate time & fish out that flask they gathered way way wayyy back.

 

[fearsomepirate]

I guess I need more context, then. Because I'm thinking of a system where every magic item in the DMG (and inevitable expansions) has a list of ingredients in the PHB, and players are constantly trying to scavenge what they need to get something. And, since you never know if you'll get exactly what you need to get the coveted Staff of Striking, best not to leave any moon-touched butterfly uncollected. Room after room, the party reviews the DMG's list of ingredients to see if there's anything they need (they'd all be highlighted and clickable in a video game). Because, hey, at least you might be able to craft a +2 warhammer or something. And now you're doing the book-keeping to cart around loads of junk on the off chance that you get the final reagent you need for something useful.

There's an additional wrinkle: in video games with crafting, magic items are typically pretty mundane. IIRC, you could craft items in Divinity: Original Sin II, and none of them were memorable. You can stick gems in your sword in Diablo II, which is neat, yet common. By contrast, every edition of D&D (other than 4e) has items like the Robe of Game-Breaking Bullcrap and the DM's Best Friend's Sword. That's really not so bad when item distribution is under the DM's control, but not when players have fairly ready access to the item list.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

By contrast, every edition of D&D (other than 4e) has items like the Robe of Game-Breaking Bullcrap and the DM's Best Friend's Sword.

Tbf, 4e had that stuff too. It just had a level, and a bonus if it was a weapon, armor, or amulet/cloak/whatever.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

• Simple bookkeeping. Ie, only tracking rare ingredients, and gold worth of crafting components.
• Rolling dice. I don’t care if it just determines how long it takes, or costs to make, or whatever, it’s unsatisfying to not roll dice. Make it like a lot of downtime stuff, and be 1-3 dice rolls that determine how much time and gold it costs (going up or down from a baseline value), if there is a complication, etc.
• Reasonable (in gameplay terms) time investments
• A balance between ease of use and personalization of the item.