Level Up (A5E) The numbers on artisan tools

[thuter]

I saw the Dwarf's Creator's Blessing, and started wondering which artisan tool would net you the most money. I know making money is not hard, nor a goal in itself, but I felt like running some numbers. So below is a simple chart that calculates the flat gold per hour reward at DC for each of the different artisan tools (so reward minus material cost divided by time), and the factor increase (reward divided by material cost divided by time). I wanted to include expected reward given a certain skill bonus, but didn't bother in the end

Numbers explanation: 1,25 means 1 gold, 2 silver, 5 copper. My Excel is Dutch, hence the commas.

With "Reasonably portable" I mean how reasonable it seems (to me) that you can do this in the field at night during your adventures. Masonry is out, for example, as I don't see you building a house or repairing a wall during your adventure and getting paid for it. But these are just opinions.

Jeweler's tools are the lonely king of gold per hour, but material cost is high so expect loss if you don't meet the DC. Woodcarver's tools are the king of low-skill money multiplication, as material costs are very low, but with 5 silver per hour, don't expect it to fund your floating castle anytime soon.

By the way, going Human for Resident Expert will allow you to at least roll 10 on for example Jeweler's tools, which can be fun combined with the Nightwatch Soldiering Knack for less sleeping and more moneymaking.

 

[thuter]

I wanted to include expected reward given a certain skill bonus, but didn't bother in the end

In the end I bothered anyways...

An update to the table which shows the expected profit per hour given a few skill bonuses.

Even though the initial cost of Jeweler's tools are high, the expected turnout of a single roll (8 hours) is 10 gp. If you are unlucky in the beginning, you could quickly lose all your money to failed crafts, but on average even with a +5 skill bonus, it nets you a healthy profit. Glassblower's tools come second, probably mostly due to dirt cheap material costs.