Craft
Typically used with: Intellect.
In short: make a thing. When you get that creative itch, the Craft skill lets you scratch it. If you're an artisan or an artist, this skill is your bread and butter.
Craft is used when a character wants to make something from raw materials or repair an existing creation. Your creative itch might come in the form of ammunition, knots, medicines, weapons, meals, suits of armor, or works of art. You might even require a a set of tools or a specialized workshop to produce your creation. The ability to find the tools of the trade and a place suitable for making the item is sometimes as difficult as acquiring the knowledge to construct the thing in the first place.
Your GM has the final say on whether you can attempt to create any given thing, but any creation reasonably within the purview your character's Occupations should be fair game. For instance a sailor can tie knots, but only a shipwright or a carpenter would be able to make ship repairs.
Some creations or repairs might use a Machinery check instead of Craft if those pesky moving and working parts are involved.
Difficulty
When Crafting, the higher the DL, the more valuable, noteworthy, or complicated the item is.
Anybody can try their hand at crafting, but it's only the extremely lucky or the very experienced who can make something truly remarkable. The bonus from ranks in an Occupation relevant to the item being made are what separate the amateurs from the masters. For every 5 points away from the DL to create the item (either up or down), the quality of the item is affected. Unlike most skill checks, a failed Craft check during item creation still results in an item being created — it just sucks. This table demonstrates how the difference between the roll and the DL affect the quality.
| Difference | Quality |
|---|---|
| −10 | Awful (easily ruined, unbearable, sickening) |
| −5 | Not great (sub-par, bland, boring) |
| 0 | Normal (completely average and functional) |
| +5 | Good (above-average, attractive, memorable) |
| +10 | Outstanding (desirable, durable, well-performing) |
| +15 | Perfect (flawless, highly valued, coveted, powerful) |
| +20 | Legendary (rumored far and wide, actively sought after, priceless, nearly impossible to copy) |
Time
Craft checks take a varied amount of time depending on the complexity and size of the object.
Retry
Craft checks can be retried, but any materials used in the process of creating the failure are ruined. Critical Failures are usually pretty comical when creating items (you've dumped the entire pepper shaker into the stew, you've sewn the sleeve on inside-out, or your wooden spoon has a hole in it).
Making Art
You can use the Craft skill to produce decorative works of art: for example, paintings, sculptures, vessels, and tapestries. These can be sold, gifted, or displayed in your own home. Gifting a quality work of art is a clever way to improve someone's mood (see the Negotiate skill). Depending on its size and complexity, it could take days, months, or years to produce a single item. Each time you roll a Craft check, any materials are consumed. Taking the Best requires twice the normal amount of time and materials.
Cooking
You can make a Craft check to create or process any food or beverage, such as to prepare meals, distill spirits, brew ale, or press wine. It can also be used to collect and process certain crops, like sap, resin, or honey. Gifting a quality food item is a clever way to improve someone's mood (see the Negotiate skill). The time it takes to prepare food and drink is widely varied, so ask your GM when you make the check. Each time you roll a Craft check, any ingredients are consumed. Taking the Best requires twice the normal amount of time and ingredients.
Tying Knots
You can use this skill to tie somebody up, splice ropes together, or secure an object. Make a Craft check, adding in any relevant Occupation bonus. The result of your roll is opposed by the Thievery check of the detainee to escape. The creature you're tying up has to accept willingly or have gained the paralyzed, immobilized, or unconscious conditions. It takes several rounds to finish binding another creature. So long as you're not in a hurry, and the creature to be bound can't stop you, you can choose retry as often as you like, or to Take the Best on this check, which requires up to 5 minutes.
You can also roll a Craft check to undo knots tied by someone else (so long as you're not bound by them), such as a ship's rigging. In this case, you're making opposed Craft checks. You can retry as often as you like or Take the Best.
