D&D 5E Crafting System

I've begun reading articles about crafting items in tabletop RPGs by The Angry GM. I recommend you read his stuff. I must learn at least one new thing each article, but maybe that's because I'm inexperienced. After reading three of his 5000 word articles I'm disappointed. I just finished "Crafting Disappointment." He delivered what we already knew about crafting: convert materials into equipment. OK, cool. Except, no.

I've taken the liberty of sorting this crafting shit out once and for all! And, I'm going to publish this blog post before 6th Edition drops and potentially beats me to it.

First things first: Adventurers can't craft! There, I said it. Think about it, you're some kind of mercenary fighter, former criminal, a drop-out wizard, a priest on a pilgrimage, or a frickin' sorcerer doing sorcerer stuff! You can't craft! The only way your ass can craft anything is if you took the guild artisan background. That's it! Well, no, actually that's not it! I have ideas. Let's begin with something else, first. Or you know, second.

Second, let's identify your 5E character's crafting stat. Class, take out your PHBs and turn to page 182 and find the section CRAFTING. Ahem "You can craft nonmagical objects...You must be proficient with tools related to the object you are trying to create (typically artisan's tools.)" Your crafting stat is equal to your proficiency score and is limited, let's call it specialized, to the tool! That's it! Pop quiz. What is the crafting skill of a level 1 fighter who is proficient with blacksmiths tools? It's +2. 

If you don't have a proficiency with a tool, YOUR CHARACTER CAN'T CRAFT. This is because making effective weapons, tools, gear, etc., takes actual skill. I can't make a sword. I imagine if I tried making a sword it would turn out like shit. Why? Because some untrained dude cannot make a good sword.  You can't even make student quality goods if you don't have a teacher. 

Of course, this game is completely modular! Remember that. It's modular. Instead of what I just said, you could create a new skill called crafting. You could make up a reason to apply an ability score to it. Whatever. I'm going with what I said in the last paragraph because It's less complicated and it makes no changes to the rules. To reiterate, your crafting stat is your proficiency score and the tool you are proficient in. That's important for reasons that are also important. I mean, you don't want someone to be able to make ANYTHING. You'll break the game balance or something. A new skill called Crafting is too vague and applies to potentially too many things. Alternatively, you could make several different craft skills, but you already have that on page 154 of the PHB, in the table for Artisan Tools!

Third, how do you craft stuff? OK, let's say your characters want to make a sword. In addition to your proficiency with smiting tools, you also need the tools handy and smith facilities such as a forge and anvil. What else do they need? Materials! That's right! Reference the TRADE GOODS table on page 157 of the PHB. For ordinary, nonmagical crafting materials, I would either pull things straight off that table or base the the values of materials one similar stuff to that table. What materials go into a sword? Iron for the blade. The handle is going to be wood with a leather wrap.

I'm only going to work with quantities as abstractly as possible and make up with a price that seems fair. If the player says "I go to the store and I buy materials," I would just say "you have bought the right amount of materials, x,y, and z for your project. It cost 4 sp." I am not going to get crunchy. In fact, I might not even name x,y,z. I might just say "you bought the materials you need, 4sp." Easy. In fact, as long as you're not working with exotic or rare materials, keep it simple. What do you need to make your thing? You need materials. Where do you get them? The shop. That'll be 2 gp.

To craft a +0 item, a common, ordinary, regular, average item, a longsword without any bonuses or penalties, I would just rule that you can do it if you meet all the criteria above. No dice rolls, no nothing. If you want to be able to craft without having met this criteria, take a feat to get proficiency in one artisan tool. I'm making up a Feat: Tool proficiency. Choose one artisan tool. You are now proficient with that tool. You could also take this feat to gain proficiency in another tool for even more crafting possibilities.

To improve crafting, take a feat. To craft a +1 item, well, that takes talent. That takes investment. Dare I say, you the player have to make a choice. When you hit level 4, do you take the ability score improvement or do you take a feat that improves your crafting ability? You've played Skyrim, right? You don't just get to MAKE glass equipment. You have to INVEST perks. In other words, you have to BUILD your character to be able to craft. I don't see why D&D would be any different! The player has to make choices with consequences. Everything has an opportunity cost. Do I take a +1 to an ability score or do I get to make +1 items? What are the pros and cons?

This is the same for a +2 or +3 weapon. You have to give up an ABI to take a feat. "Craft Improved Items" for +1, has prerequisites, "Craft Superior Items," for +2 items, has prerequisites, and finally "Craft Masterwork Items" for +3 items, has prerequisites. If you want to create magical items, I'm going to rule that requires you to have access to a spellcaster who must know the spell you wish to craft into the item. The spellcaster can be you or an assistant. I might even require ANOTHER feat, say, "Craft Magical Items." With this feat, the weapons you make can now do magical damage.

The reason for all this is that I am opposed to players just being able to make shit. You're adventurers. Go get it! Why do some players think they can just craft stuff? If you want to be able to craft stuff, what are you willing to give up? If you want to be a fighter, you give up spellcasting. If you want to be a spellcaster, you give up being good with weapons and armor. If you want to be a crafter, you have to give up being good at magic and fighting. That's how you balance the game. That's how you give weight to your choices. I have added the fourth pillar.

Oh yeah, how much time does this shit take? The PHB says it takes like all day to make progress in increments described as 5gp worth of progress. If the item costs 1825 gp, you spend 8 hours per day for 1 year to make it. Uh, no. Nuts to that. I mean, maybe, but no. It's not practical for a crafting system. Just say your players can make 1 item in a weeks worth of downtime and move on.

I'm going to finish reading The Angry GM's articles now. He has some good ideas and it's definitely not dry, that's for sure.

To summarize:
-You must have proficiency in an artisan tool to craft and you can craft nonmagical goods relevant to that tool.
-You can expand the types of items you can craft by taking a feat for proficiency with additional tools. --Feat: Tool proficiency. Choose one artisan tool. You are now proficient with that tool.
-You can improve your crafting only by sacrificing Ability Score Improvements for feats:
--"Craft Improved Items" for +1 items, has prerequisites
--"Craft Superior Items," for +2 items, has prerequisites
--"Craft Masterwork Items" for +3 items, has prerequisites.
--To craft magic items, either be a spellcaster, get an assist who is a spellcastet, or take another feat "Craft Magical Items."
-Materials and time required are as simple abstract as possible.

Essentially, players make a crafter build in lieu of other build options rather than getting the benefits of being a crafter in addition to other build options. That's game balance. Pardon the swearing in my post.

SAMPLE MAGIC WEAPONS AND ARMOR
Belt of Strength: Improves wearers strength score by 3
Bracers of Strength: Improves wearers strength by 2
Ring of Strength: Improves wearer's melee and throwing weapon damage by +1
Ring of Protection: Improve AC by 1
Winged Boots: Improve movement by 10' and Save vs Death Ray by +1
Circlet of Intelligence: Improves the wearer's intelligence by 3.
Lucky Charm: Required to be worn as jewelry. Improves all saving throws by +1.
Cloak of Flames: Protects wearer from fire damage
Cloak of the Wind: +2 AC against missile weapons
Anti-Magic Talisman: Protects the wearer from 3d6 magic damage per day, then must recharge
Anti-Poison Amulet: Wearer gains a +4 to Save vs Poison.
Crystal Ball +1: Improves scrying
Hammer of Storms +2: A +2 war hammer. Twice daily when outdoors, the wielder call a bolt of lightning and direct it to one creature for 6d6 lightning damage. They may save vs Death Ray for half.
Golden Sword +2: A +2 shortsword that turns gold and flames on command. It does fire damage and creates 30' of light.
Rod of Light +1: A +1 mace that lights on command.
Dagger of Poison: A dagger that produces 1 dose of lethal poison each day. When hit, target takes 1d4 damage and must save vs poison or die.
Mage's Bane: Wielding this long dagger grants a +4 to saves vs spells.
Anti-Magic Ring: Wearer is granted a +2 to saves vs magic wands and spells.