Streamlining the Craft Skills in D&D

[Kobold Avenger]

In 3.5 they streamlined the knowledge skills, having a bunch of clearly defined knowledge skills that covered specific areas. However the same wasn't really done for craft skills.

D20 Modern has streamlined craft and knowledge skills. They have Craft (chemical), Craft (electronic), Craft (mechanical), Craft (pharmaceutical), Craft (structural), Craft (visual arts), and Craft (writing). Most of them would translate fine into my setting except for electronics. Chemical would be craft (alchemy), and pharmaceutical could be craft (herbalism). In my opinion craft (mechanical) covers just too much, and probably should be divided into craft (mechanical) and craft (smithing). The first being for mechanical objects, traps, firearms, bows and so on, the second being for armor, swords, and the like. I would add craft (lifesculpting) to the list, for creating and modifying living or dead things such as grafts, symbionts and constructs, generally only used by Illithids, Aboleths, Xixchil, certain necromancers and psions that summon a lot of astral constructs.

So that leaves me so far with:
alchemy
herbalism
lifesculpting
mechanical
structual
visual art
writing

 

[Planesdragon]

alchemy
herbalism
lifesculpting
mechanical
structual
visual art
writing

I'd probably combine alchemy of herbalism, or at least have them each give synergy bonuses to the other.

I'd remove "writing" as a craft skill--it's not common enough in ancient times, and what writing was done wasn't exactly perfect poetry.

I'd add in "smithing" (make all metal goods), "tailoring" (make all cloth or leather goods), "masonry" (stone goods and structures), and "carving" (wood goods, including bows.)

"smithing" would give synergy ranks to "carving" and "tailoring" to make armor.

I'd also remove "structural." The modern techniques of construction are all roughly similiar, but they varried widely in ye olden times.

So, the list would be:

alchemy (syn to herbalism)
herbalism (syn to alchemy)
lifesculpting
mechanical
art
smithing (syn to armor-creation)
tailoring
carving
masonry


I'd also let all craft skills give a synergy bonus to appraise checks on items they could be used to create, and either grant a synergy bonus to profession checks for selling the items or be able to outright be used as professionl checks.

 

[Kobold Avenger]

My campaign modern enough to have writing as a skill since it's somewhere around the late 18th century and early 19th century in equivalent developements, plus it isn't completely western either. Many of the equivalents of literary classics around the world have been written or are being written.

But as for the other craft skills, yeah it's probably good to go by certain materials now that I think of it.

As for structual as a skill well it could be divided among the individual materials. But I do remember there being an old Chinese book on architecture which I saw on display. Also I would think the Romans and the Greeks had different techniques that were recorded.

The other things I can think of, is what reasons would characters have for taking some of these skills? I know some of them could be used in magic item creation. I might even offer certain reductions to costs if the right craft skills were used.

And so far in my mind that Craft (arts) can also be used to adjust some of the flashy displays of magic more to the casters taste. Probably put in a small penalty to an opposing casters spellcraft roll to identify.

 

[Planesdragon]

The other things I can think of, is what reasons would characters have for taking some of these skills?

This is a larger problem with d20, rather than anything specific.

IMC, I allow players to purchase skill ranks with experience points, equal to twice the XP cost of creating an item that gives the same bonus. It's a lot less disruptive to the game than taking levels of expert or commoner, and helps flesh out the game.

btw, I'm going to include the skill list in my rulebook, and probably in a short bit on my (currently offline) website. Would you like an aknowledgement?