Crafter: To Be Or Not To Be

[Beltfedweapon]

All,
I am recently new to the community and I've got a crafting question.
My character is a Paladin (Galatea DeRilea) and has spent a good amount of time running around doing some NPC quest, so I have a bit of a feel for things now, but outside of my reading here on the forum, I have no crafting experience, but I want/need to get involved eventually.

In your varied opinions, is it better for RP and chances of success to be a 'magic-user' when it comes to crafting, or can a warrior-type pick up some weaponsmithing skill and help a mage friend fashion him a magic sword? Or is that a waste of skills? There is so many ways to spread points and I would hate to be marginal in a bunch of skills and when I need them later in higher levels, I can't do anything because I don't excel in anything and warrior types don't get a lot of points.

My thought is for a warrior-type to simply collect components and pay for another PC to make him X while a 'magic-user' character can do most of the work themselves and get commissioned for various works from others.

Thoughts, corrections, comments? Thanks.

-BeltFedWeapon

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They reduced the crafting skill list for wizards, so yes it makes sense. Fighter types are very common miners and smiths because of their high con and str lets them recover from fatigue faster. Generally what happens is the fighter puts the skills in and a magic user (especially a bard) buffs them to get their skills up higher.

[gbbishop]

with the current system being a part of a collective is almost a necessity. find a group and try to pool crafting abilities. for instance having a miner separate from your lumber jack effectively doubles you supply rate. in other words do not multi focus on things that cost fatigue.

have your weapon smith focus on smithing and let you wiz/caster toss the item creation feats.

whole lot more to this question than i am giving justice to in my response. feel it out find some friends.

[Urithrand]

Or just create an insane gnomish family...

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Or just create an insane gnomish family...

That works too, of course redundancy is also important or a low level might have to adjust their skills to compensate for a lost member.

[Doubtful]

As Team America once sang: Teamwork - Fuck yeah.

The system in place on Sundren emphasises the need for communication and teamplay over the supremicy of the individual - Yes, you need a mage (Or cleric/druid if you prefer your weapons divine rather than arcane) to enchant your weapons, but you'll also need a miner / wood cutter to mine the ore, someone to refine the ore and someone to hammer the ore into a weapon.

The 'Traditional' engine approach favoured a single individual (Typically a mage with a massive pool of skill points) who could do pretty much everything, the Sundren system limits this type of ultra-crafter approach and encourages interaction and economic growth.

The most successful groups on the server have realised the implications of the system, and have embraced it, quickly becoming an effective team and geting kitted out in shiny stuff. The least successful arn't groups, but are individuals who've simply gone 'Waaaa! I'm not the king of everything any more! Waaa! I'm a baby!'

So, yes, put skill points into crafting, take part in the economy and enjoy making stuff, just don't expect to be able to do everything yourself.

[gbbishop]

As Team America once sang: Teamwork - Fuck yeah.

doubt.... they never said that! Teamwork? thats not very American now is it?

It was most assuredly "AMERICA! FUCK YEAH!"

glad that has been cleared up.

[thaelis]

Yeah the crafting system on Sundren requires a system shock roll (argh 2nd ed reference!) when you first try it. Take from someone who tried, finding ingredients on your own is a nightmare, but as soon as you have 4 or 5 friends, it becomes blessedly easy.

My only complaint would be that you only seem to find gems from random drops, never in stores, which seems a little weird. So even if you're a priest of Eldath whose sworn a vow of pacificm...you wana craft, you gota kill

Having said this, maybe miners can dig up gems too? In which case, its all good

[Fezzik]

Miners get gems on occasion.

And System Shock was a 1st edition thing... gah... I'm old.

[Urithrand]

System shock was also implemented in AD&D 2e, I DMed a number of those campaigns myself.

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System shock? Anyone going to explain for poor me, I didn't start till 3rd ed.

[Urithrand]

System shock was a percentile roll that you had to pass in order to survive a polymorph or petrification or ressurrection. If you failed the roll, you died, end of.

[JuneyGnomey]

I remember it being in 2e

[JuneyGnomey]

i'm young in Gnome years.