Masterwork gear

[c2k]

Now, I will admit before posting this that I am unfamiliar with the flexibility the NWN2 crafting system offers. But, if there is a way, what about Masterwork arms and armor? Its not something that would replace enchanting weapons, since there is so much more you can do with enchanting, but perhaps it might allow blacksmiths and tanners to get in on the economy of the server.

I think there is even a blacksmith's masterwork chance table in one of the PnP DnD books, though I'm not sure how easy that system would be implemented into NWN2.

[darcane]

What do you mean? Like a smith that can mix metals and such to get master crafted, exotic forged weapons and armor.That would be kind of neat..Im not quite sure what it would take for it to happen,but Im sure it would require very high skill ranks to do such if implemented. 18-30 skill ranks? Dunno.

[Urithrand]

Masterwork items would actually be very appropriate for Sundren, given the low-magic setting it would mean people could have improved weapons and armour without magically enhancing them. Good call, let's see what the boss thinks.

[darcane]

It would most likely call for new recipes.

[Kaeldorn]

A few better quality blacksmithing made weapons were already made and I think the scripts have been put in, but the recipe books haven't been made available.

Either way, I'm for this as well. Simple masterwork weapons would actually be really easy to put in without chance tables, just with a single added ingredient or something.

[Anks]

I like this idea.. it gets two thumbs up from me!

[Jai_V]

MW weapons shouldn't have anything to do with ingredients and everything to do with skill. But, with the way the game engine works, I'm not sure if it's possible to make that happen.

Either way, Sundren being low-magic, I'm 100% behind it. In the absence of great magic, great technology shall empower the masses.

[darcane]

Good thing I got skills eh

[Kaeldorn]

The thing is, it's really easy to just add a simple ingredient and up the skill requirement to make a masterwork item. Making one single recipe able to produce multiple different items probably isn't.

[Areaus]

On this topic, I would like to suggest a simple concept of something working along the lines of Parry/Riposte.

If your skill is "X" points higher than the required amount to craft the item, it becomes a masterwork item. Making iron equipment useful again.

IE: IF you've got 20 ranks in the craft armor skill and decide to make a simple suit of full plate (DC 8) out of regular ol' iron, it should simply default to a masterwork product simply because you're so darn good at it.

Obviously, this also keeps the special materials from being funked out unless someone has invested 20 feats into Skill focus crafting...

[Kaeldorn]

Crafting skills can't be made to work like that unless you would overhaul the system. Although it can still be tried to simply insert two entries of a recipe (One with masterwork skill requirement, followed by a normal one. Both with the same materials).

I'm unsure if this will work though. It depends entirely on the question if a failed skill requirement check will cause the script to scan through the rest of the recipes coming after it, or if it will simply skip to the end and return an 'insufficient skill' message straight away.

Unfortunately, I think it's most likely that the latter is the case.

[Larando]

I'm liking this idea, as I just rolled a dwarven crafter (a female for my personal comical relief). And I did some research on Citadel Adbar (where she is hailing from) and everything that comes out of there is considered Masterwork. So, she will be boasting Masterwork craftsmanship...It would be handy if she were actually able to pull one off from time to time

[Elusa]

From the D&D wiki:

You can make a masterwork item—a weapon, suit of armor, shield, or tool that conveys a bonus on its use through its exceptional craftsmanship, not through being magical. To create a masterwork item, you create the masterwork component as if it were a separate item in addition to the standard item. The masterwork component has its own price (300 gp for a weapon or 150 gp for a suit of armor or a shield) and a Craft DC of 20. Once both the standard component and the masterwork component are completed, the masterwork item is finished. Note: The cost you pay for the masterwork component is one-third of the given amount, just as it is for the cost in raw materials.

So this shouldn't be too difficult to implement. You just make a recipe for the masterwork component, and then another recipe for the masterwork weapon. Weapon + component = masterwork weapon. The masterwork component can be generic, since it costs the same for every weapon. To incorporate the 300 gp cost, you could add in a "masterwork materials" item that can be bought at armor/weapon shops for ~300 gp.

As for skill requirements, you'd have to decide on the number of ranks required. I would say 15 ranks, with the absolute maximum being 19. The reason being that in 3.5, if you have 19 ranks in craft weapon, you succeed at the masterwork check 100% of the time.

[Urithrand]

As there would not be a check involved, it should be set at 19. Master work is just that. the work of a master. Considering a high INT character with a couple of specialist items can have 15 ranks at a very early level it would be ridiculous to assume that this n00b would be classed as a master.

[Ceyrus Hawke]

Don't forget that you would still have to add in the DC adjustments for the material type and weapon/armor type... But on a similar note remember that there are only 3 slots for enchanting, and having a MW weapon with adjusted stats would fill some of those slots.