Intelligence.
Craft skills are the hope upon which the future of the Gamma World rests. The ability to build and use tools saved humanity from an animalistic existence tens of thousands of years ago and it will do so again, for humankind as well as its descendent, in the Gamma Age. This skill encompasses several categories, each of them treated as a separate skill: Craft (chemical), Craft (electronic), Craft (mechanical), Craft (metalworking), Craft (nanotech), Craft (pharmaceutical), Craft (structural), Craft (visual arts), and Craft (writing).
Craft skills are specifically focused on creating objects. To use a Craft skill effectively, a character must have a kit or some other set of basic tools. The purchase DC of this equipment varies according to the particular Craft skill.
To use Craft, first decide what the character is trying to make and consult the category descriptions below. Make a Wealth check against the given purchase DC for the object to see if the character succeeds in acquiring the raw materials. If the character succeeds at that check, make the Craft check against the given DC for the object in question. If the character fails the check, he or she does not make the object, and the raw materials are wasted (unless otherwise noted).
Generally, a character can take 10 when using a Craft skill to construct an object, but can’t take 20 (since doing so represents multiple attempts, and the character uses up the raw materials after the first attempt). The exception is Craft (writing a character can take 20 because the character does not use up any raw materials (and thus no Wealth check is required to use the skill).
Action: Creating a work of writing requires at least 1 hour, but usually takes a day, a week, or more, depending on the scope of the project.
Craft (chemical)
Trained Only.
This skill allows a character to mix chemicals to create acids, bases, explosives, and poisonous substances.
Acids and Bases: Acids are corrosives substances. Bases neutralize acids but do not deal damage. A base of a certain type counteracts an acid of the same type or a less potent type.
* The dice rolls in parentheses are typical splash damage/immersion damage caused per round of exposure to the acid.
Explosives: Building an explosive from scratch is dangerous. If the Craft (chemical) check fails, the raw materials are wasted. If the check fails by 5 or more, the explosive compound detonates as it is being made, dealing half of its intended damage to the builder and anyone else in the burst radius. Scratch-built explosives deal concussion damage.
If the check succeeds, the final product is a solid material, about the size of a brick. An explosive compound does not include a fuse or detonator. Connecting a fuse or detonator requires a Demolitions check.
* The figures in parentheses are typical damage/burst radius for each type of explosive.
Poisonous Substances: Solid poisons are usually ingested. Liquid poisons are most effective when injected directly into the bloodstream. Gaseous poisons must be inhaled to be effective. The table below summarizes the characteristics of various poisons.
Save DC: The Difficulty Class of the Fortitude save to negate the effects of the poison.
Initial Damage: The damage a character takes immediately upon failing his or her Fortitude save.
Secondary Damage: The damage a character takes after 1 minute of exposure to the poison if the character fails a second saving throw. Ability score damage is temporary, unless marked as drain in which case the damage is permanent. Unconsciousness lasts for 1d3 hours, and paralysis lasts 2d6 minutes.
Purchase DC: The DC for the Wealth check necessary to obtain the raw materials to craft the poison, or to purchase one bottle of solid or liquid poison or one high-pressure cylinder of gaseous poison. A bottle holds four doses, while a cylinder holds enough gas to fill a 10-foot-radius area.
Restriction: The restriction rating for the poison, if any, and the appropriate black market purchase DC modifier. Remember to apply this modifier to the purchase DC when making a Wealth check to acquire the poison on the black market.
Craft DC: The DC of the Craft check to create a quantity of the poison.
Time: The amount of time required for the Craft check.
If the Craft check succeeds, the final product is a synthesized solid or liquid poison stored in a bottle (containing 4 doses) or a gas stored in a pressurized cylinder. When released, the gas is sufficient to fill a 10-foot-radius area and takes 1 round to fill the area.
* Chloroform gives off vapor that causes unconsciousness. Applying chloroform to an unwilling subject requires a successful grapple check and pin.
n/a: Certain poisons can’t be made with the Craft skill. Instead, such a poison must be obtained by extracting it from the creature in question.
Special: A character without a chemical kit takes a –4 penalty on Craft (chemical) checks.
A character with the
Builder feat can get a +2 bonus on all Craft (chemical) checks.
Craft (electronic)
Trained Only.
This skill allows a character to build electronic equipment from scratch, such as audio and video equipment, timers and listening devices, or radios and communication devices.
When building an electronic device from scratch, the character describes the kind of device she wants to construct; then the Gamemaster decides whether the device is simple, moderate, complex, or advanced compared to current technology.
Craft (electronics) also includes the intricate wiring require for building robots, computer-guided vehicles and weapons, and other fusions of mechanical as well as electronic. If an object is mechanical as well as electronic, the DC for producing it is increased by +5. However, the character gains a +2 synergy bonus on the skill roll if she possesses at least 5 ranks in Craft (mechanical).
Special: A character without an electrical tool kit takes a –4 penalty on Craft (electronic) checks.
A character with the
Builder feat can get a +2 bonus on all Craft (electronic) checks.
Craft (mechanical)
Trained Only.
This skill allows a character to build mechanical devices from scratch, including engines and engine parts, weapons, armour, and other gadgets. When building a mechanical device from scratch, the character describes the kind of device he or she wants to construct; then the Gamemaster decides if the device is simple, moderate, complex, or advanced compared to current technology.
This category of the Craft skill also includes steam-age technology, including clock-making, the creation of black-powder firearms, and steam engines. The difficulties for creating steam-age technological devices are the same a more modern counterparts. For example, the DC for creating a locomotive engine is the same (DC 30) as it is for creating an airplane engine.
Special: A character without a mechanical tool kit takes a –4 penalty on Craft (mechanical) checks.
A character with the
Builder feat can get a +2 bonus on all Craft (mechanical) checks.
Craft (metalworking)
This skill includes such trades as blacksmithing, weaponsmithing, and metallurgy. Among less-advanced communities, Craft (metalworking) is often the highest form of technology; the tools produced using this skill, ranging from swords and shields to ploughs and heavy chain mean the difference between life and death.
Special: A character needs a forge or other similar heat source to use Craft (metalworking).
A character with the
Builder feat can get a +2 bonus on all Craft (metalworking) checks.
Craft (nanotech)
Trained Only
Nanotech is arguably the most complex technology. This skill allows characters to manipulate nanotechnology and even create it. See the Gamma World Player’s Handbook Chapter Three: FX for full details on nanotech and the application of Craft (nanotech).
Craft (pharmaceutical)
Trained Only
This skill allows a character to compound medicinal drugs to aid in recovery from treatable illnesses. A medicinal drug gives a +2 circumstance bonus on Fortitude saves made to resist the effects of a disease.
The Craft (pharmaceutical) check is based on the severity of the disease to be countered as measured by the DC of the Fortitude save needed to resist it.
Biotech Drugs: This skill also allows a character to produce all manner of biotech drugs. Given the proper materials, time, and equipment, a character with this skill can create mutagens, mutation inhibitors, genetically engineered pathogens, and even entirely new forms of life. See the Gamma World Player’s Handbook Chapter Three: FX for full detals on biotech and this use of Craft (pharmaceuticals).
Special: A character without a pharmacist kit takes a –4 penalty on Craft (pharmaceutical) checks.
A character with the
Medical Expert feat gets a +2 bonus on all Craft (pharmaceutical) checks.
Craft (structural)
This skill allows a character to build wooden, concrete, or metal structures from scratch, including bookcases, desks, walls, houses, and so forth, and includes such handyman skills as plumbing, house painting, drywall, laying cement, and building cabinets. When building a structure from scratch, the character describes the kind of structure he or she wants to construct; then the Gamemaster decides if the structure is simple, moderate, complex, or advanced in scope and difficulty.
Special: A character without a mechanical tool kit takes a –4 penalty on Craft (structural) checks.
A character with the
Builder feat can get a +2 bonus on all Craft (structural) checks.
Craft (textiles)
This skill allows a character to work with various yarns and threads, and includes abilities like weaving, knitting, crocheting, and so on.
Special: A character without an appropriate took kit takes a -4 penalty on Craft (textile) checks.
Craft (visual art)
This skill allows a character to create paintings or drawings, take photographs, use a video camera, or in some other way create a work of visual art.
When attempting to create a work of visual art, the character simply makes a Craft (visual art) check, the result of which determines the quality of the work.
Unless the effort is particularly elaborate or the character must acquire an expensive piece of equipment, the basic components have a purchase DC of 5.
Action: Creating a work of visual art requires at least a full-round action, but usually takes an hour, a day, or more, depending on the scope of the project.
Special: A character with the
Creative feat can get a +2 bonus on all Craft (visual art) checks.
Craft (writing)
This skill allows a character to create short stories, novels, scripts and screenplays, newspaper articles and columns, and similar works of writing.
When creating a work of writing, the player simply makes a Craft (writing) check, the result of which determines the quality of the work.
No Wealth check is necessary to use this Craft skill.
Action: Creating a work of writing requires at least 1 hour, but usually takes a day, a week, or more, depending on the scope of the project.
Special: A character with the
Creative feat can get a +2 bonus on all Craft (writing) checks.
Time on Long Projects
Many projects covered under the Craft skill take hours to complete—some take 24 hours or more. The time shown is the number of hours spent working, and these hours may have to be spread over a period of several days or longer.
In general, a character can spend up to 12 hours a day working on a project—but that doesn’t leave much time for anything else. In a pinch, a character can work longer hours. However, any character working working more than 12 hours in a single day must make a Fortitude save (DC 15) or become fatigued (see the Character Condition Summary, page 140 of the d20 Modern Core Rulebook). The penalties for being fatigued apply to any checks made for projects being worked on.
A character who works more than 18 hours in a day automatically becomes fatigued (no save allowed).
A fatigued character loses the fatigued condition after getting a full night's sleep (8 hours).
