Smithing

The art of smithing is one practiced in one-form or another in most cultures. Whether it involves the crafting of basic utility items, weaponry, armor or jewelry, all require some understanding of the forge. To be able to smith you must be proficient with Smith's tools and must have knowledge of the particular item you wish to craft. For instance, a smith trained in the art of working iron to make horseshoes will have a harder time crafting an iron weapon, and will certainly fail in crafting a silver necklace. Below you will find a guide that acts as a guideline to smithing. In no means is it perfect and all is prone to change at the DM's discretion. Nevertheless, most often the guidelines will be adhered to.

Smithing Prerequisites

1. A workstation appropriate for the job. For working metals you need a forge or you won't smelt them (or be inventive and perhaps use a dragon's breath). But similarly, if the material you wish to work holds magical properties most if not all will be lost if not smelted using a lava source. Magic Ore for instance loses most of its magical properties upon being smelted without a lava forge and Durium can't be smelted without one at all.
2. Knowledge of the item. Each smith has his specialty, which can basically be divided into three classes: Weaponsmith, Armor Smith and Jewel Smith (more info below). When you gain Proficiency with the Smith's tools you will be proficient in one of these crafts and learn to craft the basic items associated with the sub-type. If you don't know how to craft an item you will need a blueprint or something similar. As an example a Weaponsmith knows how to craft a longsword, but not how to craft a necklace. As such he'll need a blueprint to craft a necklace, or be taught how to craft a necklace by a Jewel Smith. Similarly, an armor smith may know how to make Splint Armor but fail at crafting Plate Armor.
3. Knowledge of the material. If you don't know how to work a particular metal, you'll certainly fail at crafting a fair object from it. Depending on what your master taught you, you'll have knowledge on different materials.
4. The materials. As a general rule of thumb you need 75% of the item's base value in material value. For instance an 8 GP steel longsword will require (8*0,75=6 GP) worth of steel. Then again, during the smithing process you may increase the value of the item you are smithing through your proficiency.

An appropriate Workstation

Generally there are three types of workstations, namely an improvised one, a regular one, or a lava/magma fueled one.
An improvised workstation can only result in a product if it is able to mimic a proper workstation.
A regular workstation is your mundane forge with an anvil and hammer. Depending on the material you are working, you may require a better workstation or a particular tool (such as a Durium Hammer).
A lava/magma fueled workstation is the appropriate station for all items that need to retain their magical properties

Knowledge of the Item

Those proficient in the specific smithing field will automatically know how to craft certain items. Short indications are shown below, but these can be adjusted to a player depending on their background. If the adventurer doesn't know how to craft a particular weapon or trait, this will require a blueprint made by a proficient craftsmen (which are generally quite expensive).
A Weaponsmith knows how to craft simple and martial weapons of Iron and Steel by default. In addition, he knows how to apply 2-3 traits as well.
An Armorsmith knows how to craft Breastplate, Chain mail, Chain shirt, Half plate, Scale mail and Shield by default.
A Jewelsmith knows certain Blueprints as well, but these haven't been worked out yet.

The Process

To smith an item you first need to meet the described prerequisites. To quantify the effort required to smith a certain item, each item is assigned a certain amount of Crafting Points (CP). During the smithing process you make checks to gain these Crafting Points, completing the process when you have acquired sufficient CP for the craft. Depending on what item you smith, a different Ability Modifier is used to determine the Smithing Modifier. Strength is however the default Ability Modifier. Depending on the time invested that day, a certain amount of Smithing Checks are made that day. The item can be worked on a maximum of 8 hours per day. To the DC of the Smith's Check shown below, a value may be added depending on the item being crafted.

Crafting References

Below all general items are found with their requirements in terms of CP and such. If the item is followed by a letter in brackets, a different Ability Modifier is used for determining the Smithing Modifier, where C = Constitution and D = Dexterity. Furthermore, a few items are denoted in italics; these are additions to the default items and their stats are shown below.

Armors

Item Name	Crafting Cost (CP)	Classification	Base Cost (GP)
Buckler	1	Shield	20
Breastplate (C)	48	Medium	400
Chain mail	4	Heavy	75
Chain shirt	3	Medium	50
Half plate (C)	90	Medium	750
Scale mail	3	Medium	50
Shield	2	Shield	10
Splint (C)	24	Heavy	200
Tower Shield (C)	3	Shield	50
Plate (C)	180	Heavy	1500

Simple Weapons

Item Name	Crafting Cost (CP)	Classification	Base Cost (GP)
Dagger	1	Sword	2
Greatclub	1	Hammer	0.2
Handaxe	1	Axe	5
Javelin	1	Spear	0.5
Kukri (D)	2	Sword	25
Light Hammer	1	Hammer	2
Mace	1	Hammer	5
Sickle	1	Sword	1
Spear	1	Spear	1

Martial Weapons

Item Name	Crafting Cost (CP)	Classification	Base Cost (GP)
Battleaxe	2	Axe	10
Flail	2	Hammer	10
Falchion (D)	2	Sword	25
Glaive	2	Spear	20
Greataxe	3	Axe	30
Greatsword	3	Sword	50
Halberd	2	Spear	20
Lance	1	Spear	20
Longsword	2	Sword	15
Morningstar	2	Hammer	15
Pike	1	Spear	5
Rapier (D)	2	Sword	25
Scimitar	2	Sword	25
Shortsword (D)	2	Sword	10
Maul	2	Hammer	10
Trident (D)	1	Spear	5
War pick	1	Axe	5
Warhammer	2	Hammer	15

Miscellaneous

Item Name	Crafting Cost (CP)	Classification	Base Cost (GP)
Chain (10 ft.) (D)	1	Other	5
Hunting Trap	1	Other	5
Manacles	1	Other	2
20 Crossbow bolts	1	Ammunition	1
50 Blowgun needles (D)	1	Ammunition	2
20 Arrows	1	Ammunition	1

New Items

These items were included as new items from the Homebrew source:

Name	Cost (gp)	AC/Damage	Weight	Properties
Buckler	5	+0	3 lbs	When struck in melee combat, you may use your Reaction to interpose this shield between you and the attacker to gain AC equal to your proficiency bonus. Any attack made with a Buckler suffers -1 to damage rolls (to a minimum of 1).
Tower Shield	50	+3	10 lbs	Requires proficiency in Heavy Armor as well as in Shields. Wearing this shield gives Disadvantage to Stealth checks and reduces your speed by 5 feet. Small creatures cannot gain the AC bonus from wearing this shield. Any attack made with a Tower Shield gains +1 to damage rolls. A tower shield requires an Action to don/doff
Falchion	25	1d8 slashing	4 lbs	Finesse
Kukri	25	1d6 slashing	2 lbs	Finesse, light

Craftable Traits

Apart from crafting new objects, existing objects may also be altered by adding a trait. Keep in mind however that this may ruin the altered item. If you crafted the item yourself, the DC for applying the trait stays the same as that of the original item. If you didn't craft the original item the DC is altered with +2, +5 DC if the item is magical and +7 if both apply. A Ruined result on a Smith's Tools check destroys the item and leaves 50% of its value in Material of whatever type it was made. In terms of resources, you only require 10% of the item's gp value in material to apply the trait. If you immediately apply the trait while crafting the item, the amount of CP is increased by *1.25. If you apply the trait after crafting the item, you require Original CP * 0.5 to complete the crafting of the item.

Weapon Traits

Name	DC	Effect	Weapon Classifications	Cost Modifier
Balanced Weight	+3	Adds thrown (15/40)	Any with light	x 2
Slim Design	+3	Gain Advantage on skill checks to conceal this weapon	Any with light	x 2
Serrated Edge	+4	Reroll 1s on damage rolls, keep new result	Swords, Spears, Axes	x 5
Keen Edge (D)	+4	+1 to Crit range	Swords, Spears, Axes	x 5
Deep Fuller	+4	+1 to Save DC of poisons inflicted by attacks	Swords	x 2.5
Thick Blade/Haft	+4	Grant Advantage on shove/push attempts with this weapon	Any with two-handed	x 2
Extended Grip	+5	Lose finesse, increase versatile die size or gain versatile 2 sizes up	Swords without two-handed	x 5
Extended Haft	+5	Gain reach and unwieldy	Axes, Hammers with two-handed	x 2.5
Fitted Grip (D)	+5	May take -3 to Attack Rolls for +Dex Mod to damage rolls	Any	x 3
Weighted End	+6	On Crit, knock target prone (Str Save)	Hammers, Axes	x 2.5
Spiked End	+6	On Crit, reduce target AC by 1 (solid armor only)	Hammers	x 2.5
Hooked Blade (D)	+6	On Crit, free grapple attempt with Advantage if Medium or Smaller	Axes	x 2

Armor Traits

Name	DC	Effect	Armor Types	Cost Modifier
Sturdy Leg Plates (C)	+2	Armor: Gain Advantage to resist push/knock prone. -5 ft. speed	Heavy	x 2
Plate/Ring Padding	+2	Armor: Removes Disadvantage for Stealth checks	Medium	x 10
Spiked	+3	Armor: Deal 1d4 piercing damage at start of turn while grappled or grappling Shields: Counts as weapon and shield, may be used for attacking, 1d4 piercing	All	x 2.5
Reinforced (C)	+5	Armor: Advantage on push/shove attempts if moved 15 or more ft. in straight line Shields: May use Bonus Action to push target 5 ft. after making melee attack	All	x 3
Extra Plating (C)	+5	Armor & Shields: Reduce non-magical damage taken by 1.	All	x 5

Crafting Materials

As mentioned before, the material used in the crafting has a significant effect on both the time/experience required for the craft, as well as the properties the item will hold. In addition, a 'Cost Modifier' has been added. Keep in mind this serves as an indication. Particularly for Plate Armor the modifier results in way too high numbers. Below you find a short summary on these effects:

Material Traits

Name	DC	Effect (Armor)	Effect (Shield)	Effect (Weapon)	Effect (Other Item)	Cost Modifier
Iron	-1	-1 to AC	-1 to AC	-1 to damage rolls (minimum of 1)	-1 to damage rolls (minimum 1), -1 to DC to break item	x 0.8
Steel	0	-	-	-	-	x 1.0
Mithral (D) (CP*2)	+2	Removes Strength requirement. Add a maximum of +3 Dex modifier instead of +2.	Light, +shield AC to Dex Saves against spells/harmful effects while aware.	One-handed weapons gain light, two-handed weapons lose heavy	Weight reduction	x 20
Adamantium (C) (CP *1.5)	+4	Any Crit becomes a normal hit	-	Hits against an object, count as Crits	Double HP, +5 to DC to break item.	x 50
Deepiron	+5	Advantage on saves from Demons and Celestials	+shield AC to saves from Demons and Celestials	May reroll damage on Demons and Celestials, keep new result	-	x 5
Dimeritium (Cannot cast)	+5	Advantage on Constitution Saving Throws from spells	If successful spell save deals 1/2 damage, take no damage instead	Damage imposes disadvantage on Concentration	While bound or trapped, creatures cannot cast spells.	x 200
Skyrite	+6	Advantage on saves against being frightened	Deal 1 radiant damage to melee/spell attackers	Crits stun Fiend, Aberration and Undead (Constitution Save)	Fiend, Aberration and Undead take 1d4 radiant damage on any attempt to break/escape	x 150
Voidstone (CP * 3)	+6	If attacker rolls 1 or a 20, deal 1d6 fire damage (Dex Save)	Crit saves against Fire damage grant Fire resistance for 1 min	+1 to Crit Range against creatures with vulnerability to fire, 1/2 Crit damage is fire damage	The item is resistant to fire damage.	x 150
Erudite (D)	+6	Gain Advantage on Saves to maintain Concentration	May be used as Spell Focus, grants +2 to Spellcasting Modifer	May be used as a Spell Focus, grants +2 to Spellcasting Modifier	-	x 250
Magic Ore (alloy) (CP * 1.5)	+3	+1 AC	+1 AC	+1/+1 weapon	-	x 75
Magic Ore (Pure) (CP*2.5)	+6	+1 AC, can be enchanted	+1 AC, can be enchanted	+2/+2 weapon, can be enchanted	Can be enchanted	x 300
Durium (C) (CP*3)	+6	+2 AC. Resistance to non-magic damage.	+2 AC	+1/+1 weapon. Increase weapon die by one category.	+15 DC for breaking.	x 300
Silver	+2	-	-	Counts as magical for the purpose of overcoming Resistance & Immunity	Counts as magical for the purpose of overcoming Resistance & Immunity	x 2.5
Obdurium (CP *2)	+4	+1 AC, enemies that grapple you receive 1d4 piercing damage. Can be enchanted	Can be enchanted.	If weapon deals piercing or slashing damage, does an extra 1d4 of this damage.	-	x 3

Examples of Smithing

Here a few examples follow to illustrate the Smithing process. All examples are performed by Brolof, a dwarven smith with Str = 16 (+3 Dex = 12 (+1 Con = 18 (+4 Proficiency Bonus = +3. Brolof is of course proficient with the Smith's Tools.

Iron Longsword

Brolof meets the prerequisites to smith an iron longsword. As neither the iron material, nor the longsword imposes a different ability check, Brolof uses his Strength Ability Modifier to calculate the Smithing Modifier. His modifier equals 3+3 = 6. Brolof decides to hammer 8 hours on the blade, allowing him to make 4 attempts at the smithing. For his 1st attempt he rolls a 8, which gives him a smith's check of 8+6 = 14. As he's working iron, the Smith's Check DC receives a -1. If he would have been working Steel, he'd have performed Nominally in his first attempt. Since he's working iron however he has worked Moderately for his first attempts. Therefore he gains 2 CP to completing the iron longsword. Since the longsword requires 2 CP, Brolof finishes his Iron Longsword in his first attempt. As Brolof doesn't want to spend more time by the forge now that his sword is complete, he only used 4 hours of his day in crafting the weapon.

Serrated Edge on Steel Longsword

A customer comes to Brolof asking to apply the 'Serrated Edge' trait to his Steel Longsword. Brolof accepts and requires 10% of the base value of the item in materials (e.g. 15 * 0.1 = 1.5 gp of Steel). Brolof can use the same Smithing Modifier as the above example (=+6), since neither the Steel material nor the trait requires a different Ability Modifier. Brolof will need 1 CP to complete the trait and the crafting DC is altered by +4 by the trait and +2 since Brolof is not the original crafstmen. This results in an altered DC of +6 Brolof works for 8 hours, granting him 4 attemps at the smithing. For his 1st attempt he rolls a 2, which gives him a smith's check of 2+6 = 8. With an increased DC of +4, Brolof makes No Progress during his first attempt. Brolof makes a 2nd attempt after which he succeeds in applying the trait.

Keen Edge on Magic Ore Greatsword

A customer comes to Brolof asking to apply the 'Keen Edge' trait on his Magic Ore Greatsword. Brolof accepts and requires 1000 * 0.1 = 100 GP worth of Magic Ore. Since the Keen Edge trait requires Dexterity, Brolof's Smithing Modifier = 1+3 = 4. Brolof will need (3*1.5)/2 = 2.25 = 3 (rounded up). The Smith's Check DC is altered by +4 by the trait, +7 since it's a magic weapon and Brolof is not the original crafstmen, and +3 by the Material, yielding a +14 in total. For his 1st attempt Brolof rolls a 8, giving him a 16+4 = 20. With the adjusted DC this yields him no progress. For his 2nd attempt Brolof rolls a 8, giving him a 8+4 = 12. With the adjusted DC, Brolof Ruins the crafting and destroys the sword in the process. He is able to retrieve 50% in materials of the original cost of the weapon, thus he retrieves 500 GP worth of Magic Ore.

Career

Qualifications

Requires proficiency with the smith's tools and knowledge of the material to be worked.

Career Progression

Likely those pursuing the art will grow through the ranks of a Blacksmith guild or something similar. Blacksmithing is taught from master to apprentice and after acquiring enough skill one may take on an apprentice themselves.

Payment & Reimbursement

Blacksmiths come in many gradation. From your lowly horse shoe smith, to a journeyman forging swords on army-scale, to masters of the craft creating the most legendary weaponry. Generally the pay starts quite low but increases dramatically once you learn to work more precious metals.

Other Benefits

Craftsman cultures generally hold those practicing the art of Blacksmithing in high regard. Among many cultures however, there is little recognition for those not higher-up in the ranks.

Table of Contents

• Smithing Prerequisites
  • An Appropriate Workstation
  • Knowledge of the Item
• The Process
  • Crafting References
    • Armors
    • Simple Weapons
    • Martial Weapons
    • New Items
  • Craftable Traits
    • Weapon Traits
    • Armor Traits
  • Crafting Materials
• Examples of Smithing