D&D (2024) D&D Beyond Article on Crafting

[Misanthrope Prime]

There is a fundamental conflict in what people think crafting should be. There is simulationist - full plate requires a well equipped workshop, assistants, months of work and a full time professional master craftsman with at least 10 years experience. Or there is the gamist approach, as seen in 3rd edition and many video games. Full plate can be created by an adventurer in the field with a work bench, four iron ingots, and an at most one days work.

I don’t really see a way to thread the needle between the two.

The answer, as always with dungeons & dragons, is naughty word magic. Need a workshop, assistance, and a master Craftsman? Okay, cast magnificent mansion, animate objects and conjure up the soul of a long dead armorer and bind him to your service. Problem naughty word solved.

 

[Charlaquin]

GAMIST: Spend Gold. Instantly craft item.

No. There’s no gameplay there. A gamist crafting system would be one with, well, game mechanics. Maybe like a video game crafting system, where different items have recipes and need specific materials to craft, or maybe some sort of check to determine the overall quality of the item crafted, which you can influence with your actions, like spending longer working on it or using better quality base materials to improve your chance of success.

 

[Minigiant]

No. There’s no gameplay there. A gamist crafting system would be one with, well, game mechanics. Maybe like a video game crafting system, where different items have recipes and need specific materials to craft, or maybe some sort of check to determine the overall quality of the item crafted, which you can influence with your actions, like spending longer working on it or using better quality base materials to improve your chance of success.

That's GAMIST in Crafting is the Game vs GAMIST in Crafting serves the Game.

GAMIST Crafting that is the Game is just LIGHT SIMULATIONIST just with GAMIST values for stuff.

 

[Xeviat]

I want crafting to be a mini game. If the base is 10 gp a day of progress, then why not have it be a DC 10 check and your roll determines how much GP of progress you make in a session's work? Have it be tied to your proficiency bonus so it increases with level, or let people boost the DC to get multipliers and risk losing materials.

 

[Tales and Chronicles]

I want crafting to be a mini game. If the base is 10 gp a day of progress, then why not have it be a DC 10 check and your roll determines how much GP of progress you make in a session's work? Have it be tied to your proficiency bonus so it increases with level, or let people boost the DC to get multipliers and risk losing materials.

Make it a DC 10 (or whatevs) with every point over the DC being cumulated on to reach a specific progress threshold. You make a progress check each 8 hours spent on the project.

Fun fact, the same idea can be used for overland travels or swaying an organization, with different skills and tools.

 

[Veltharis ap Rylix]

"Crafting should be a minigame."

Flashbacks to SAO Abridged, where a blacksmith has to play a rhythm game, a fighting game, and a round of Space Invaders simultaneously to craft a longsword

 

[Charlaquin]

I want crafting to be a mini game. If the base is 10 gp a day of progress, then why not have it be a DC 10 check and your roll determines how much GP of progress you make in a session's work? Have it be tied to your proficiency bonus so it increases with level, or let people boost the DC to get multipliers and risk losing materials.

This is a good idea. I might steal it.

 

[mellored]

"Crafting should be a minigame."

Flashbacks to SAO Abridged, where a blacksmith has to play a rhythm game, a fighting game, and a round of Space Invaders simultaneously to craft a longsword

You have to roll d20s in time with the music.
And use your other hand to stack d6's until they fall.

 

[Yaarel]

The answer, as always with dungeons & dragons, is naughty word magic. Need a workshop, assistance, and a master Craftsman? Okay, cast magnificent mansion, animate objects and conjure up the soul of a long dead armorer and bind him to your service. Problem naughty word solved.

Heh, well, yeah, magic.

Its called Dungeons & Dragons,

not Doldrums & Drudgery.

 

[M.L. Martin]

The answer, as always with dungeons & dragons, is naughty word magic. Need a workshop, assistance, and a master Craftsman? Okay, cast magnificent mansion, animate objects and conjure up the soul of a long dead armorer and bind him to your service. Problem naughty word solved.

Yes. There are games where crafting can be interesting, but it's hard to fit that into the unbounded, low-cost magic paradigm of D&D.