Craft or Profession? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Craft or Profession? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Elrinade
03-10-07, 10:48 PM Hokay, here's the deal. I have an idea for a Ranger, with good Wis but relatively low Int. I also want her to be a reasonably good cook. Should I put ranks in Craft (cooking), or Profession (chef)? I'm tempted to go with Profession, because I'd get a bonus for high Wis, but I'm fairly sure that Profession dictates buisness sense and the ability to run a resturant, while Craft dictates the actual cooking. The PHB is somewhat ambiguous on the subject; it states that you are familiar with the tools of your profession but it dosen't mention talent. I'm really in the dark here, anyone got any thoughts?
stargate525
03-10-07, 11:37 PM Profession (chef) is what you're looking for. Unless you're wanting to be able to craft masterwork soufflés, you'll want profession and not craft.

Although you're right, the distinction between crafting and profession gets fuzzy for things like this. In general I use profession for service-jobs and craft for, well, crafting.
ShinAkuma2
03-11-07, 04:17 AM Indeed, Craft is for stuff you can build. You don't "build" food over the course of a few days.
Bedevere
03-11-07, 04:42 AM I've got a character 'signature' so to speak, that everything I play, with almost no exceptions, can cook well. Thus, I've devoted some previous thought to the matter.

Craft: cook I feel would represent fine cooking, such as a lord, rich merchant, or similar might expect to be served. This will always take a fair amount of time to do, even for relatively simple food, but the end result will be spectacular (assuming a decent skill check, of course)

Profession: cook represents day to day routine food. Instead of a high class restaurant, maybe you worked in a school canteen. :P
A lot quicker, a lot easier, less dependant on expensive ingredients, but the end result is a lot less impressive, even if still nourishing, etc.
Derren S.
03-11-07, 05:01 AM Imo it is craft. You do fabricate and end product as cook (the meal)
Profession is more for service based jobs like barber or sailor who do not create a product with their work.

Indeed, Craft is for stuff you can build. You don't "build" food over the course of a few days.

What do you then? Magically will it into existence? You take some raw materials (meat, grain) and create a product out of that (meal). Thats craft.
Fireclave
03-11-07, 05:25 AM Craft is for making items. Profession is for service industries. If the end result is an item, it's probably a craft skill. If not, it's probably a profession.

For some skills, its hard to tell. Craft and Profession tend to have a lot of overlap. Both can be used to make a day-to-day living. Both give you the assumed ability to handle daily task and supervise others. But in this case, I would categorize cooking under profession since food is a service industry.

You could use Profession (Chef) to be like Emerill, but if you wanted to make cakes shaped like the Effiel Tower, you'd probably need something like Craft (Decorative Cakes).

Here's how I would rule it: Cooking would fall under the Profession skill since food is a service industry. Like a perform check, the quality of your cooking will depend on your Profession (Chef) check.
Elrinade
03-11-07, 02:40 PM Thanks for the replies, guys. I'm going with Profession, with the quality of the food dependant on my check, as Fireclave suggested. It just seems to make more sense. Plus, I get a bonus, and I'd be stupid to pass that up :P
paladin2019
03-11-07, 02:55 PM Profession (chef), at least the modern understanding of the term "chef", is the skill of running a kitchen. The chef may or may not be great cook, but he is the one running the show; seting the menu, approving the shopping list, supervising preparation, etc.

Given this, I think you want Craft (cooking). The mechanics get a little wonky when actually trying to cook a good meal (5 sp, meaning a DC 50 to get 1 done in a day), but here is somewhere a house rule is truly appropriate. Especially considering a common meal, at 3 sp or a DC 30 Craft check for one diner, is replicated by a DC 10 +2/additional person Survival check.
Nephlite
03-11-07, 08:03 PM Note: there is no Profession (chef). It is listed Professkion (Cook), b ut yuo may call it what you want.
paladin2019
03-12-07, 12:28 AM Note: there is no Profession (chef). It is listed Professkion (Cook), b ut yuo may call it what you want.

I was going by the OP's terminology. Mechanically, there is no difference between Profession (cook) and Profession (chef). Unless the fluff interferes, that is.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Elrinade 03-10-07, 10:48 PM	Hokay, here's the deal. I have an idea for a Ranger, with good Wis but relatively low Int. I also want her to be a reasonably good cook. Should I put ranks in Craft (cooking), or Profession (chef)? I'm tempted to go with Profession, because I'd get a bonus for high Wis, but I'm fairly sure that Profession dictates buisness sense and the ability to run a resturant, while Craft dictates the actual cooking. The PHB is somewhat ambiguous on the subject; it states that you are familiar with the tools of your profession but it dosen't mention talent. I'm really in the dark here, anyone got any thoughts?
stargate525 03-10-07, 11:37 PM	Profession (chef) is what you're looking for. Unless you're wanting to be able to craft masterwork soufflés, you'll want profession and not craft. Although you're right, the distinction between crafting and profession gets fuzzy for things like this. In general I use profession for service-jobs and craft for, well, crafting.
ShinAkuma2 03-11-07, 04:17 AM	Indeed, Craft is for stuff you can build. You don't "build" food over the course of a few days.
Bedevere 03-11-07, 04:42 AM	I've got a character 'signature' so to speak, that everything I play, with almost no exceptions, can cook well. Thus, I've devoted some previous thought to the matter. Craft: cook I feel would represent fine cooking, such as a lord, rich merchant, or similar might expect to be served. This will always take a fair amount of time to do, even for relatively simple food, but the end result will be spectacular (assuming a decent skill check, of course) Profession: cook represents day to day routine food. Instead of a high class restaurant, maybe you worked in a school canteen. :P A lot quicker, a lot easier, less dependant on expensive ingredients, but the end result is a lot less impressive, even if still nourishing, etc.
Derren S. 03-11-07, 05:01 AM	Imo it is craft. You do fabricate and end product as cook (the meal) Profession is more for service based jobs like barber or sailor who do not create a product with their work. Indeed, Craft is for stuff you can build. You don't "build" food over the course of a few days. What do you then? Magically will it into existence? You take some raw materials (meat, grain) and create a product out of that (meal). Thats craft.
Fireclave 03-11-07, 05:25 AM	Craft is for making items. Profession is for service industries. If the end result is an item, it's probably a craft skill. If not, it's probably a profession. For some skills, its hard to tell. Craft and Profession tend to have a lot of overlap. Both can be used to make a day-to-day living. Both give you the assumed ability to handle daily task and supervise others. But in this case, I would categorize cooking under profession since food is a service industry. You could use Profession (Chef) to be like Emerill, but if you wanted to make cakes shaped like the Effiel Tower, you'd probably need something like Craft (Decorative Cakes). Here's how I would rule it: Cooking would fall under the Profession skill since food is a service industry. Like a perform check, the quality of your cooking will depend on your Profession (Chef) check.
Elrinade 03-11-07, 02:40 PM	Thanks for the replies, guys. I'm going with Profession, with the quality of the food dependant on my check, as Fireclave suggested. It just seems to make more sense. Plus, I get a bonus, and I'd be stupid to pass that up :P
paladin2019 03-11-07, 02:55 PM	Profession (chef), at least the modern understanding of the term "chef", is the skill of running a kitchen. The chef may or may not be great cook, but he is the one running the show; seting the menu, approving the shopping list, supervising preparation, etc. Given this, I think you want Craft (cooking). The mechanics get a little wonky when actually trying to cook a good meal (5 sp, meaning a DC 50 to get 1 done in a day), but here is somewhere a house rule is truly appropriate. Especially considering a common meal, at 3 sp or a DC 30 Craft check for one diner, is replicated by a DC 10 +2/additional person Survival check.
Nephlite 03-11-07, 08:03 PM	Note: there is no Profession (chef). It is listed Professkion (Cook), b ut yuo may call it what you want.
paladin2019 03-12-07, 12:28 AM	Note: there is no Profession (chef). It is listed Professkion (Cook), b ut yuo may call it what you want. I was going by the OP's terminology. Mechanically, there is no difference between Profession (cook) and Profession (chef). Unless the fluff interferes, that is.