Post/Author/DateTime	Post
hangman1 03-05-07, 08:19 PM	I don't know how necessary this is, but it has always bothered me that the only way for people to get better at being a blacksmith is to kill things. It seems to me that there needs to be a mechanic, primarily for NPCs but perhaps for PCs if you play a more character-based game with long periods of downtime. I am not exactly sure how the mechanic should work, but here is an idea. Profession Ranks Requires one of the Professional Feats Choose a Professional Feat with three skills appropriate to that profession (subject to DM approval). From then on you are able to gain special ‘Profession Ranks’ in those skills. Profession ranks are not gained through class levels and are not limited by character level; they can only be attained through the practice of a craft or profession. You gain a single profession rank for each six-month period spent practicing your craft or profession to the exclusion of all other activities. Any other activity done for more than 5 consecutive days within that period negates the acquisition of professional ranks for that six month stretch. Additionally 20 total days spent on other activities (other than rest or festival periods) will negate the professional progress and negate the acquisition of a professional rank for that period. Other activities include adventuring or practicing a craft or profession not specified in your Craftsman & Professional feat. The profession rank can be placed in any of the three professions specified in your Craftsman & Professional feat but professional ranks in any one skill cannot equal more than 10 for a character below middle age, 15 for a character from middle age to old, or 20 for a character old or above. Special: For the purposes of this mechanic (and only this mechanic) Heal, Forgery, Diplomacy, Handle Animal and Appraise can be considered profession skills and be chosen as one of the three skills related to your profession. Professional Ranks do not count against the normal 3+CL rank limit but count as normal ranks for all other purposes, including qualifying for skill tricks and prestige classes. This allows the best craftspeople in your world to be others than the best killers in your world. Craftsman & Professional [Profession Feat] Pick up to three craft, knowledge, or profession skills that are related* (such as weaponsmith, blacksmith and armorer; brewer, hotelier and chef; or Diplomacy, Knowledge - Nobility and Royalty, and Knowledge - Geography). You can place special 'profession ranks' totaling greater than 3+CL in those skills. *as determined by the DM Entertainer [Profession Feat] Pick up to three perform skills. You can place special 'profession ranks' totaling greater than 3+CL in those skills. Sage [Profession Feat] Pick up to three related* knowledge skills. You can place special 'profession ranks' totaling greater than 3+CL in those skills. For the purposes of gaining Professional Ranks, study, experimentation and writing on these subjects is considered practice of the craft. *as determined by the DM Sample Professions and suggested associated skills Armorer Craft: Blacksmith, Craft: Armorsmith, Craft: Weaponsmith Beasttrainer Handle Animal, Heal, Knowledge: Nature Diplomat Diplomacy, Knowledge: Geography, Knowledge: Nobility and Royalty Forger Forgery, Knowledge: Nobility and Royalty, Knowledge: Local Healer Heal, Knowledge: Nature, Knowledge: Geography Jewler Appraise, Craft: Jewelry, Knowledge: Geography
Kyaran 03-05-07, 09:52 PM	First, I'll review your approach. I don't see any problems with this, as it allows the DM to mechanically create experts that are as gifted as needed at a skill. Players most likely won't want to play a 1st level commoner with 12 fake ranks in armorsmithing, and it requires a feat anyway, so balance shouldn't be an issue. It looks like a decent method for having famous blacksmiths not be level 18. That said, technically, you should give a blacksmith Commoner 1 some XP for overcoming the challenge of crafting a suit of armor or a sword. If you assume that most feats taken by this type of person are Skill Focus and most skill points are put into the crafting skills, this works out just fine. A few levels in Commoner and Expert don't make for a good killing machine.
hangman1 03-05-07, 10:14 PM	I like the idea of XP for crafting particular items or dealing with difficult negotiations or customers, I just don't know how to go about it. I will think about it though. I don't imagine PC's will use it much, but if you play a character-based game with a lot of down time (or a game centered on a home base where the villains come to you as opposed to you going to the villains) characters might find it useful. Anyway, except for Diplomacy, none of the skills is going to break the game. I took your advice and reduced the number of feats by allowing Diplomacy and Forgery to be treated as Profession skills for this mechanic. What I imagine is that these NPC's will be experts. Humans will get them as thier free first level feat, perhaps the longer lived races are more likely to adventure at some time in their lives. Or how about this Craftsman & Professional [Profession Feat] Pick up to three craft, knowledge, or profession skills that are related* (such as weaponsmith, blacksmith and armorer; brewer, hotelier and chef; or Diplomacy, Knowledge - Nobility and Royalty, and Knowledge - Geography). You can place special 'profession ranks' totaling greater than 3+CL in those skills. This feat can be chosen normally due to level adancement, or aquired for free (without spending a feat slot) with an apprenticeship period of five years.