Basic Recipe-Based Crafting System (without named ingredients)

[jamesstreissand]

I go into it in more depth, explain the process, add in optional rules to scale it upwards, etc here, but I don't think people should need to jump sites for the sake of reading it. It also contains a list of biomes (in each of which a recipe is researched for an individual item), but 5e already has one such list. This is intentionally designed as something basic, somewhat passive, and in the goldilocks zone of what people can chop up or modify as they want.

The Item DC used when the player is engaged with stages of crafting in which their individual skill has less sway compared to the limits and rules of the world, tied to the item’s rarity. The Item DC’s are as follows:

• Uncommon: 15
• Rare: 20
• Very Rare: 25
• Legendary: 30

The Crafting DC is used when the player engages in more refined processes over which their individual skill has greater sway. The Crafting DC equals the relevant Item DC minus the player’s bonus to whatever tool will be used to craft the item.

Recipes: the player must researches components for an item in a particular biome, and acquires components for that biome’s recipe in the specific biome. Recipes successfully researched and components successfully aquired are written next to the biome in which they researched/acquired.

Research: the player makes a research check once per day while travelling through the biome, or twice while spending a day’s work to research while in the biome. Upon a number of successful research checks equal to the Crafting DC, the player adds that biome’s recipe next to the item description. Spells and other features that grant advantage on skill checks with a cumulative duration of fewer than 8 hours have no effect on this process.

Aquisition: the player collects ingredients by rolling a search or research check once while travelling, or twice by hunting for them during a work day against the item DC. Each successful check nets one ingredient. The player must collect a number of ingredients equal to the Item DC. Upon collecting the necessary number of ingredients, the players marks one set of components next to the recipe (consumed in crafting). Spells and other features that grant advantage on skill checks with a cumulative duration of fewer than 8 hours have no effect on this process.

Crafting: the player can begin crafting an item by expending a set of components. The player can make a crafting check once per day while travelling, or twice during a work day. If the player succeeds a number of checks equal to the Crafting DC without failing three checks, the item is considered complete. If the player fails three checks, the components are wasted and the player must start again.

If you think of something that could be better worded, a step that could be added or taken out, or optional rules people could attach to it to make it into a more complex system, I'm really curious as to what you have to say.