I am trying to come up with a list of Craft sub-skills akin to the way D20 Modern's Craft skill is organized: instead of a seemingly innumerable list of specialized subskills, a fixed set of broad skill fields. So far this is what I have come up with; my history knowledge of medieval day-to-day life and technology is sketchy, however.
Agriculture: growing and tilling fruits, vegetables, grains, etc.
Alchemy: chemicals & special (non-medicinal) substances
Architecture: safe and efficient construction of buildings, monuments, roads, aqueducts, as well as creative expression through architecture
Blacksmithing: metal armor, metal shields, metal weapons, metal pots, fences, portcullises, other metal items
Brewing: preparing and preserving alcohols, liquors, wines, mead, etc.
Carpentry: furniture, bows & arrows carts, wheels, wooden weapons & shields, other wooden items, and paper
Cooking: preparing and preserving food; collecting, identifying and mixing spices.
Engineering: building things like water wheels, windmills, traps, gadgets, and clocks
Herbalism: organic medicines, poisons, tobacco, drugs, etc.
Leatherworking: fashioning leather & hide clothing, armor, boots, saddles, blankets, coats, parchment
Painting: using oils, watercolors, pencils charcoal, wax, etc.; visual arts & cartography
Pottery: mixing, shaping, firing, and decorating clay and ceramic bowls, cups, dishes, etc.
Weaving: mending, sewing, and weaving clothing, tapestries, rugs, etc. out of threads of cotton, silk, and so on; also covers making baskets, bowls, clothing (hats), rugs, carpeting, etc. out of grasses, wicker, palms, etc.
Stoneworking: creative sculpture and stonemasonry
Writing: technical writing, creative writing, chronicling
Notes:
These fields of study encompass several formerly separate Craft skills mentioned in the D&D rules. If you think about it, the crafting of a longword is merely a more advanced project (higher DC) for a blacksmith than a cooking pot. The same general skills apply, although balance and the chemical recipe is more important for a longsword than for a cooking pot.
Beyond these fields of study, I am hard pressed to come up with any completely new ones that would be known to medieval/fantasy science or culture.
How about yall?
Agriculture: growing and tilling fruits, vegetables, grains, etc.
Alchemy: chemicals & special (non-medicinal) substances
Architecture: safe and efficient construction of buildings, monuments, roads, aqueducts, as well as creative expression through architecture
Blacksmithing: metal armor, metal shields, metal weapons, metal pots, fences, portcullises, other metal items
Brewing: preparing and preserving alcohols, liquors, wines, mead, etc.
Carpentry: furniture, bows & arrows carts, wheels, wooden weapons & shields, other wooden items, and paper
Cooking: preparing and preserving food; collecting, identifying and mixing spices.
Engineering: building things like water wheels, windmills, traps, gadgets, and clocks
Herbalism: organic medicines, poisons, tobacco, drugs, etc.
Leatherworking: fashioning leather & hide clothing, armor, boots, saddles, blankets, coats, parchment
Painting: using oils, watercolors, pencils charcoal, wax, etc.; visual arts & cartography
Pottery: mixing, shaping, firing, and decorating clay and ceramic bowls, cups, dishes, etc.
Weaving: mending, sewing, and weaving clothing, tapestries, rugs, etc. out of threads of cotton, silk, and so on; also covers making baskets, bowls, clothing (hats), rugs, carpeting, etc. out of grasses, wicker, palms, etc.
Stoneworking: creative sculpture and stonemasonry
Writing: technical writing, creative writing, chronicling
Notes:
These fields of study encompass several formerly separate Craft skills mentioned in the D&D rules. If you think about it, the crafting of a longword is merely a more advanced project (higher DC) for a blacksmith than a cooking pot. The same general skills apply, although balance and the chemical recipe is more important for a longsword than for a cooking pot.
Beyond these fields of study, I am hard pressed to come up with any completely new ones that would be known to medieval/fantasy science or culture.
How about yall?
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