D&D 5E What do you want out of crafting rules?

[Mind of tempest]

Given the broad scope of ways people play DnD, the answer might need to be "stuff that can be made in-setting." So for weapons, anything short of an artifact (since those are made by gods) should be at least 'possible within the rules' even if they're not practical in most games.

we could start at the low end and work up, keep the dragon tears and mind flayer dust till much later as far as components go.

 

[NotAYakk]

A story. What I want are rules that are designed to generate narrative and gameplay.

I want vermissiltude and some game balance and simplicity as well.

Rules that simulate crafting, point systems that only balance things, or hand wavey quest tracking system are all insufficient.

 

[hopeless]

So for example the Cleric has access to her temple in the Feywild via any shrine she creates and establishes.
As long as one if present in the settlement that downtime takes place in she can make use of the limited resources as long as she has the money necessary to pay for these crafting.
She just needs the relevant tool kit, the proficiency to use them both she has to learn in the Prime Material World she's adventuring within as well as buy the tool kit and any other stuff needed to help with her research. This is ultimately intended to help eventually repair and restore her Temple.
As a Knowledge domain Cleric this research and using her downtime to pick up and eventually learn how all these tool kits work to at some stage pick up proficiency in the Arcana skill as this knowledge passes from the mundane uses of these tools to how they can be used for enchanting items.

I'm trying to express this in a way that makes this both interesting and more than about improving her existing gear.

How would you handle this for your character or as a DM how would you react to something like this?

 

[CleverNickName]

If a skill check is needed what are the DC's?

My answer will always and forever be "whatever the DM decides is appropriate." It should vary depending on the power and rarity of the item, the type and level of craftsmanship required, and especially the needs and pacing of the story. I don't think it should ever be just a fixed number in a table.

The same answer should also be applied to questions like "What ingredients are needed?" "What tools are required?" and "How much time will it take?"

 

[Mind of tempest]

My answer will always and forever be "whatever the DM decides is appropriate." It should vary depending on the power and rarity of the item, the type and level of craftsmanship required, and especially the needs and pacing of the story. I don't think it should ever be just a fixed number in a table.

The same answer should also be applied to questions like "What ingredients are needed?" "What tools are required?" and "How much time will it take?"

suggestions would be good so dm do not have to do all the work, plus it makes it easier to build a crafting system in the first place.

 

[Vael]

So, an in game example. The party I'm DMing for just finished Dragon Heist, and they have decided to keep the bar they acquire as a base of operations. So, upgrading their bar has been an actual desire of the group, and I do have PCs interested in crafting. The Dwarven Paladin is a smith, he spends his free time working at the smithy down the street. The Druid set himself the personal quest of wanting to craft his own "Staff of the Woodlands".

And yes, I feel a little abandoned by 5e's loosey-goosey crafting rules. I've done my best, but I've more or less had to take what Xanathar's gave me and make up stuff on the spot and ... I'm not super sure what the larger ramifications of my decisions are going to be. The largess they received at the end of the campaign is a challenge, as I more or less gave them unrestricted access to any magic item of Uncommon or Common they desired. (Within budget, but they have a lot of money)

So, what do I need?

• Clearer guidelines on what is too much
• Better ideas on timing and costing of both crafting and just purchasing items
• Maybe some more things? I feel like that while I get the desire to de-emphasize loot and equipment has made magic items feel a little samey. I want to avoid the Magic Christmas Tree, but I feel like there aren't enough interesting choices though.
• Better pricing, some more granularity between just rarity levels.

So, I see this as two problems, both on the crafting side of equipment, but also just the need for more stuff?

 

[smetzger]

1) I like the idea of exotic items needed. It would be nice to have a list of exotic ingredients needed for magic items. But for more common and consumable items the exotic materials should be a bit more common and easier to come by.
2) It should cost gold in addition to the exotic materials
3) It should cost time
4) not unbalance the game
5) non-spellcasters should be able to make appropriate items

 

[Greenstone.Walker]

Oh, good grief, no! That would be incredibly tedious. Not only for the players, but for the DM and designers as well.

Cue a very angry man.

Crafting a Crafting System – The Angry GM

The Angry GM finally chases down his white whale: hacking a crafting system for D&D that doesn’t actually suck. So, jump aboard the Pequod and come along. There's no way this can go wrong.

theangrygm.com

 

[loverdrive]

When you set your mind on crafting a wonderous item, state what you want to achieve. The GM will state one or more of the requirements below:

• It must be forged in a place of power. What gives this place importance beyond mortal comprehension?
• You'll need a great personal sacrifice. Your first born? Your family heirloom? Your soul?
• It requires something rare and/or dangerous. Eye of a True Dragon? Stone that was used to kill the first human?
• You'll need help from someone you don't want to deal with. A trickster god? An abomination from the Great Beyond?

If the thing you want is too mundane for any of the above to make sense, come up with a reason why it can't be mass-produced. You don't want an industrial revolution, right?


Here, I've written crafting rules.

 

[The Green Hermit]

When you set your mind on crafting a wonderous item, state what you want to achieve. The GM will state one or more of the requirements below:

• It must be forged in a place of power. What gives this place importance beyond mortal comprehension?
• You'll need a great personal sacrifice. Your first born? Your family heirloom? Your soul?
• It requires something rare and/or dangerous. Eye of a True Dragon? Stone that was used to kill the first human?
• You'll need help from someone you don't want to deal with. A trickster god? An abomination from the Great Beyond?

If the thing you want is too mundane for any of the above to make sense, come up with a reason why it can't be mass-produced. You don't want an industrial revolution, right?


Here, I've written crafting rules.

Actually, I want to craft things in a mundane fashion. I WANT good crafting rules that my players can create during their downtime.