Crafting System

Sundren Crafting System: The Basics

Sundren uses a heavily modified version of the crafting system originally seen in Neverwinter Nights 2: Storm of Zehir. To create items, the player must possess a recipe. Aditionally - depending on the recipe - requirements can be gold, item components, tools, a certain level of skill, ability to cast a spell at a certain caster level, feats, a low enough crafting fatigue level and lastly a proper location.

The system introduces several new skills feats and slightly modifies uses of existing ones.

The skills are as follows:

Craft: Alchemy
Craft: Armorsmithing
Craft: Jewelcrafting
Craft: Tailoring & Leatherwork
Craft: Trap & Contraption Making
Craft: Weaponsmithing
Craft: Woodworking
Profession: Cook
Profession: Fisher
Profession: Miner
Profession: Woodcutter

And the feats:

Imbue Material
Craft Magical Arms and Armor
Craft Wondrous Item

Applications of these skills and feats are explained in each of the individual links. Craft and Profession skills are frequently used to supply each other with the necessary materials. This is especially the case for the Miner and Woodcutter professions, which solely function as gathering skills.

Crafting Fatigue

One of the most notable additions to the system is Crafting Fatigue. Crafting fatigue is incurred while gathering natural resources, as well as in the production of items from most - but not all - recipes. Crafting Fatigue is meant to symbolize the time and effort that goes into the work involved in the production process, and sets limits to how much any one individual character can accomplish in a certain amount of time.

If a recipe will incur a fatigue cost on the crafting player, an amount will be displayed on the description of the recipe itself. This value is modified depending on the player's physical ability scores, of which only the base score (before item and spell bonuses come into play), to a minimum of 1. Which physical ability scores influence the fatigue incurred varies per skill/feat.

It is important to note that, when making use of the crafting assistant option, the one actually providing a skill (such as Armorsmithing or Woodworking) will be the one who is subject to fatigue. While in case of spell requirements, the craft master providing the feat is the one who takes the hit. Recipes with multiple skill requirements or skill and spell requirements will subject all participating in the crafting with the penalty (except the ones providing spells without being the craft master). If multiple of these requirements are fulfilled by the same character, that character shall also take the penalty multiple times.

An example:

Soandso activates his recipe to create Robes of the Archmagi in an area with all the required workbenches (in this case, a Fabric and Leatherworking Station and a Magician's Workbench). He has the Craft Wondrous Item feat as well as all materials that are needed, so his crafting screen opens. However, while Soandso has the recipe and materials, he is a sorcerer and did not choose Spell Mantle from his spell selection list. So he gets Tharianis, his wizard companion, to provide it for him. His Craft: Tailoring & Leatherwork skill is high enough to always match or beat the skill check, so he provides that himself.

After taking all the necessary steps on his crafting screen, Soandso initiates crafting. Both the skill check for Tailoring & Leatherwork and the Spell Mantle spell power DC are passed succesfully and the item is made. Now the crafting fatigue penalties are handed out. Soandso provided the skill himself, so he also pays for that himself. Soandso has a base constitution score of 14 and a dexterity score of 16, so he is given a 50-2-3 = 45 fatigue penalty. Tharianis cast the needed spell, but it was Soandso who was the craft master providing the Craft Wondrous Item feat, so that penalty goes to him as well. Another 50-2*2 = 46 penalty.

He started out crafting with 0 crafting fatigue, but now he has 91. More than enough to be applied the harsh penalties of being badly fatigued for many weeks. He might have been a lot better off if he had found another to supply the Tailoring skill. Or he could have given his recipe to Tharianis to make him the craft master instead... if he was willing to take that hit, possibly for a handsome fee.