Mastercraft items are extraordinarily well-made items. They are more expensive, but they benefit the user with improved quality. They are not magical in any way, but only mastercraft items can be enhanced to become magic armor and weapons. (Items that are not weapons or armor may or may not be mastercraft items.)
Creating Mastercraft Items
A character can make a mastercraft item - a weapon, suit of armor, shield, or tool that conveys a bonus on its use through its exceptional craftsmanship, not through being magical. A mastercraft item costs three times normal because of the materials and craftsmanship used, has a Craft DC 4 higher than normal, and takes 1.5 times longer (round up) to make. Everything else (paying 1/3 the base cost, making Craft checks by the day, etc.) remains the same. So, for example, a well-crafted longsword would be DC 19, cost 45 gp, and take 23 days.
This rule reflects the superior materials and craftsmanship that go into making such an item. The cost covers all the materials – there is no "masterwork component" in this system; it is assumed that the entire item is made of superior materials and/or craftsmanship, not just part of it.
In order make a mastercraft item using this system, the crafter must have at least 6 ranks in the relevant Craft skill. This reflects the fact that only someone who has been making items of that type for some time (a journeyman blacksmith, for instance) should be able to do something like this. A crafter with more ranks, however, can create items with better than a +1 bonus. The number of ranks required, Craft DC modifier, price increase, and crafting time multiplier for each level are noted on Table 1.
Table 1: Craftsmanship Levels
Level | Bonus | Ranks | DC Adj. | Price | Crafting Time |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Well | +1 | 6 | +4 | x3 | x1.5 |
Fine | +2 | 10 | +10 | x6 | x2 |
Superb | +3 | 14 | +16 | x9 | x3 |
Excellent | +4 | 18 | +22 | x12 | x4 |
Expert | +5 | 22 | +28 | x15 | x5 |
Exceptional | +6 | 26 | +34 | x18 | x6 |
Extraordinary | +7 | 30 | +40 | x21 | x7 |
Legendary | +8 | 34 | +46 | x24 | x8 |
Perfect | +9 | 38 | +52 | x27 | x9 |
Divine* | +10 | 42 | +58 | x30 | x10 |
*Maximum level of craftsmanship.
Level: This is used to refer to the item – a well-crafted suit of armor, for instance, has a +1 bonus. Someone can determine the item's craftsmanship level by making an appropriate Craft or Appraise check (DC 10 + craft level). Failure means the person knows the item is of superior craftsmanship, but not what level, exactly. Someone must know the correct craft level before the item can be reforged.
Bonus: The item's craft bonus. Weapons' craft bonuses can be applied to attack and/or damage rolls; the bonus can be split between them in any manner, as long as the total number of points is no more than the bonus itself. For example: A superb longsword (+4) can have a +2 bonus to attack and damage, +1 to attack and +3 to damage, or any other combination totalling 4.)
Armor gains half the craft bonus to AC (round down), and the craft bonus is split between Dex penalty (round down) and the Concentration check penalty (round up). Dex penalty can't be reduced to below 0, and the Concentration check penalty can't be reduced to below half its original value. For example: A suit of expert (+5) full plate has a +2 craft bonus to AC, a -3 Dex penalty, and a -7 Concentration check penalty.
Ranks: The minimum number of ranks in the appropriate Craft skill the crafter must have to be able to make an item of that quality.
DC Adjustment: The number added to the Craft DC.
Cost Modifier: Mastercraft items add a modifier based on the quality (see below); the multiplier is then applied to the total price.
For example: Jalya wants to buy a set of superbly crafted half-plate. Half-plate is heavy armor (+500 gp); superb craftsmanship has a cost multiplier of x9. The end price is 600 + (500 x 9) = 5,100 gp.
Table 2: Mastercraft Item Price Modifiers
Item | Modifier |
---|---|
Light armor, tower shield | +100 gp |
Medium armor | +250 gp |
Heavy armor | +500 gp |
Ammunition | +15 gp |
Light weapon, buckler | +25 gp |
One-handed weapon, light shield | +50 gp |
Two-handed weapon, heavy shield | +75 gp |
Other items | +50 gp/lb. |
Crafting Time: This number is multiplied by the base crafting time to get the new crafting time.
Since mastercrafting grants a craft bonus, it stacks with magical enhancement bonuses. Craft levels, unlike magical bonuses, cannot be changed, however – once the item is created, it cannot be made better without melting it down and remaking it.
Variant Materials
If a character makes an item from a variant material (adamantine, mithril, etc.) and wishes to make it mastercraft also, the Craft DC and crafting time stack with those applied from the mastercraft level. Materials multiply half the Craft DC modifier (round up) times the crafting time. If half the craft modifier is 1 or below, then multiply the crafting time by 1.5 (round up). Price always uses both modifiers.
For example: A normal longsword is DC 15, 15 gp, and takes 5 days to make.
Elven steel has a Craft modifier of +6 and a cost modifier of x2.5. An elven steel longsword would be DC 21 and cost 37 gp. The crafting time would be 8 days – half the Craft modifier is 1.5, times 5 equals 7.5 (rounded up to 8).
Making the same sword finely crafted (+2) would add another +10 to the DC, x6 to the price, and x2 to the time: DC 31, 188 gp, and 15 days.
Mastercraft Enhancements
Instead of simply adding a +1 bonus to attack rolls and damage, a crafter can add one or more enhancements to the weapon or armor. These work just like magical enchantments – each has a mastercraft value – and stack with magical enchantments (they're craft bonuses). The same enhancement can be added to a weapon multiple times, unless otherwise noted; this merely means the weapon has been specially crafted to be an exception example of its type. Sample enhancements for weapons and armor are listed below.
Weapon Enhancements
The following enhancements can be added to mastercraft weapons. The Bonus listed below is the minimum mastercraft bonus required to apply the particular enhancement. For example, a well-crafted weapon can have any enhancement with a +1 bonus cost added to it; a finely-crafted weapon can have two +1 enhancements or a single +2, etc.
Enhancement | Bonus |
---|---|
Balanced | +1 |
Crushing | +1 |
Heavy | +2 |
Penetrating | +1 |
Serrated | +2 |
Sharpened | +2 |
Strength | Var. |
Strong | +1 |
Balanced: The weapon is exceptionally well-balanced; it grants a +1 craft bonus to attack rolls.
Crushing: This enhancement can be applied to bludgeoning weapons only. The weapon has a heavier head, giving it more crushing power. It has a +1 craft bonus to damage.
Heavy: The weapon weighs 10% more than usual, but has a +2 craft bonus to damage and deals double damage against objects. This enhancement cannot be applied to Light weapons, and can be added to a weapon only once.
Penetrating: This enhancement can only be applied to piercing weapons. The weapon is weighted toward the head, which is reinforced, giving it much greater penetration power. It has a +1 craft bonus to damage.
Serrated: The weapon's blade is serrated, enabling it to open horrible wounds. The blade deals +1d3 points of damage. This enhancement can only be applied to bladed weapons or arrows, and only once.
Sharp: The weapon's blade is exceptionally sharp, enabling it to slice through even the thickest hide. It has a +1 craft bonus to damage. This enhancement can only be applied to edged weapons.
Strength: The weapon has been specially modified to take advantage of a high Strength bonus. This enhancement is most often added to bows (composite short or long only), but can be added to any ranged weapon. Each +1 of the Strength bonus equals a +1 craft bonus.
A ranged weapon can receive only so much of a Strength bonus before it must be increased in size to take advantage of greater Strength, as noted below:
Weapon Size | |||
---|---|---|---|
Weapon Type | Medium | Large | Huge |
Bow | +1 to +5 | +6 to +10 | — |
Long1 | +1 to +4 | +5 to +8 | +9 to +10 |
One-handed2 | +1 to +3 | +4 to +6 | +7 to +10 |
Sling | +1 to +3 | +4 to +6 | +7 to +10 |
Tiny3 | +1 | +2 to +3 | +4 to +5 |
1 Javelin, spear (all sizes), trident.
2 Dagger, dart, sai, shuriken.
3 Club, hammer, throwing axe.
Strong: The weapon has been specially reinforced, giving it half again as many hit points as a normal item of its type. This enhancement can be applied only once.
Armor and Shield Enhancements
The following enhancements can be added to mastercraft armor and shields. The bonus listed below is the minimum mastercraft bonus required to apply the particular enhancement. For example, a well-crafted set of armor can have any enhancement with a +1 bonus cost added to it; a finely-crafted set of armor can have two +1 enhancements or a single +2, etc.
Enhancement | Bonus |
---|---|
Defensive | +1 |
Mobile | +2 |
Spellcaster | +2 |
Strong | +1 |
Defensive: The armor or shield is constructed in such a way that it provides greater protection for its wearer without sacrificing mobility. In effect, it grants a +1 enhancement bonus to Armor Class without having its weight, Dex penalty, or Concentration check penalty increased. This enhancement can be added multiple times; the AC bonus stacks.
Mobile: The armor is much more flexible and generally fitted to its wearer, enabling greater range of motion. The Dex penalty and Concentration check penalty are reduced by 1 each. This enhancement can only be added to armor, not shields. It can be added multiple times, but the Dex penalty cannot be reduced below 0 or the Concentration penalty below half its original value.
Spellcaster: Armor with this enhancement has been made with spellcasters in mind – it is less restrictive, but at the cost of armor bonus. This enhancement can be added multiple times; each time, it reduces the effective armor bonus by +1 (to a minimum of +1) and the Concentration check penalty by 3. If the armor's bonus is +1, this enhancement cannot be added again.
Strong: The armor or shield has been specially reinforced, giving it half again as many hit points as a normal item of its type. This enhancement can be added only once.
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