Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 rosisha Nov 27, 2007 15:17:19	Hello everyone, I came up with these rules a while back and have just finished typing them up. I am putting them here for critique! I have also reserved the first reply for examples I'll make at work tonight. Enjoy! I apologize for the length. Pardon the tables. I am not very good with computers, however, I did get the relevant information up. I have PDF files available if you would prefer to look at the tables as I drew them up. Sincerely, Rosisha Item Creation Rules The standard rules of masterwork items, as found in the Player's Handbook, have always been wanting. I have striven, with these rules, to create a balanced system that allows for the creation of non-magical items that can replace magical items, keep up party power at low levels, and allow for the introduction of fascinating items, story lines, peoples, and places within a game world. This system allows magical items to go back to special unique and valued items, while still allowing players to have the bonuses they need to survive. Magical items now break rules and allow players to do fantastic things, while masterwork items allow the players to survive with superior gear. A magical sword will be treasured instead of calculated into cost. And the costs of these items are significantly cheaper, which allows treasure to go towards other aspects of game play, such as fortifications and home bases, resurrections, and research. Finally, such a system puts item creation into the hands of the player as well as the DM. If a player decides they really need special rope, the DM can now simply let these rules figure out the costs, rather then do so on the fly. It also grants opportunities for role play, such as “Where can we get good high quality (read: high hardness) rope?” Answer: “Oh you need to go find Illrias Cloudweaver, a high elf who lives in the Southern Mountains. Only he could possibly provide what you need...” Rules This system is based off of one feat, and that is followed by a series of rules that effect a value known as the Total Bonus Value. This system is fairly basic, and is built to be used quickly and easily. Master Craftsmen (Craft (X)) [General] Prerequisite: Craft (X) 4 Skill Points, Skill Focus (Craft (X)) General: Allows the character to create masterwork items using one craft skill. Special: Can be taken more then once for different crafts. Players without this feat cannot create masterwork items. When creating an item, the player needs to figure out what it is he or she wants to accomplish and then map it out, gathering all the Bonus Values together, and then adding them up to equal the Total Bonus Value that will become important later. The system is based off a general +1 to +5 bonus system, however, it is important to note that it is open-ended and the Total Bonus Value can go as high as the DM allows. All features of the weapon will have a bonus value, and the Total Bonus Value is used to calculate the DC and cost. Use the following chart to gather the bonus values of the various enhancements the player wishes to create: Table 1: Bonus Value of Statistical Modifiers BV Standard* Weight +Dmg Die** Duration HP +1 +1 -5% 1d2 +5% x1.25 +2 +2 -10% 1d2+1 +10% x1.5 +3 +3 -15% 1d3+1 +15% x1.75 +4 +4 -20% 1d3+2 +20% x2 +5 +5 -25% 1d4+2 +25% x2.25 * - Categories include: Hardness, Skill Bonus, Armor Penalty reduction, Armor Class, Attack Bonus, Damage Bonus. ** - Automatically makes the item exotic. See rules below on "How Do I use my Item?" The changes are pretty self explanatory. A change to any standard item statistic, such as weight, has a corresponding Bonus Value. So if you create a dagger with a +2 attack bonus, and an additional 1d2 points of damage, you have created an exotic dagger with a Total Bonus Value of +3. If you create a longsword with a +5 attack bonus, and +5 damage bonus, you have created a weapon with a Total Bonus Value of +10. Example: Yohan, a halfling weapon smith, has thought up a fairly neat idea for a dagger. He draws out his plans and realizes that he can make a small, but fairly lethal weapon, but that it will take all his skill. However, a dagger with a +3 damage and +2 attack would be a nasty and deadly addition to any belt. Weight, duration, and hit points all have an effect on stats that people normally do not consider. However, weight reduction on plate mail is significant, and thus has an associated bonus cost. Duration directly impacts consumable items, such as lamp oil and torches. If an item says that it can only be used for an hour, that is the base time, and adjust from there. Hit points just adjust the base hit points of the item, which is useful for those items which are important to the party, such as a wizard's spell book, or the above mentioned rope. Note that other changes can be done as well, changes that are not able to be clearly shown on a chart. For example, an instant use item, such as a grenade or alchemist fire, doesn't have a duration. However, its effect can be made to last another round as a +3 enhancement. Changing damage types between the three standard (piercing, slashing, bludgeoning) is a +1 enhancement. Adding a damage type is a +2, and adding an exotic (such as cold or heat) is a +4. Other changes might be allowed by the DM as well, and if so, the DM should assign a value to them. The rule here is to keep it simple, allowing magical items to have a place, thus the restriction to +5 or lower for a single feature. If a feature is so powerful that the DM is considering a +6 or higher, it might be better to leave that feature for true magical items. Item enhancement features, those features that have a bonus value, can be stacked to any limit, or to a limit set by a DM. Low power games should stay under +5 or +10 at the extreme. High power games should not have a restriction at all. Finally remember that there are two types of item creation: Quality Quality items are made by a single crafter focusing on the quality of the item he is working on. A blacksmith, for example, making quality weapons and armor. The changes are a result of technique, skill, and modifications, and use the standard rules to calculate cost and DC. Enhancement Enhancements are done by any crafter that is attempting to modify another characters work. The base work must have a Total Bonus Value of +1, and then any additional bonuses will be added by the enhancer. This is usually done with mechanical, springs and clockwork, or alchemical, pseudo magical, changes. The cost to create such items is increased by 50% and the DC is increased by 5%. DC & Cost In order to calculate cost and DC, the player must first create the basic item, as a non-masterwork, calculating the cost to create as per the standard rules, and then roll a DC check, again, using the standard rules. Example: Our friend, Yuhan, wishes to create that unique and special dagger for a wizard friend of his. First, Yuhan must create a standard dagger. The cost to do so is 6sp 6cp. The DC is 12, which Yuhan must beat. With skill focus, +3, and maxed out ranks in Craft, he easily does this. His first step is now complete and he may now proceed to the next step, mapping out his item. The price of the raw materials, as calculated to create the standard item, is converted into gold. The two prices are then added together to represent the current base cost of the item. Example: Continuing from above, Yohan's simple dagger cost of 6sp 6cp cost is added to 6gp 6sp for a total price of 7gp 2sp 6cp. Already the item is pretty pricy, and isn't even a masterwork item yet! The price increases fairly evenly as it moves from +1 to +5 Total Bonus Value. The modifier is the base cost of the item multiplied by a simple formula to gain the cost. Take the value and add 50% plus an additional 50% of the base cost for each bonus over +1. The chart below shows the formula: Table 2: Cost Multiplier for TBV of +1 to +5 TBV Cost Multiplier +1 x1.5 +2 x2 +3 x2.5 +4 x3 +5 x3.5 Example: Yohan's dagger has a TBV of +5, thus making the cost 7gp, 2sp, 6cp and multiplying it by 3.5. The new total for the dagger is 25gp 4sp 1cp. This dagger will make a mighty fine present for his friend. For weapons over +5 TBV, calculate the cost normally, and then add a percentage of the new cost to the total. The percentage is calculated as 2%(TBV – 5). So if the TBV is 6 it would be 2%(1) to equal 2%. If it was TBV of 10, then it would be 2% (5) for a total of 10% added to the total cost. This chart shows the system here: Table 3: Cost Multiplier for +6 TBV and Above TBV Cost Multiplier +1 x4 + 2% +2 x4.5 + 4% +3 x5 + 6% +4 x5.5 + 8% +5 x6 + 10% Example: If Yohan also sought to reduce the weight by 10% this would increase the TBV to +7 which would mean that the base cost is now 7gp 2sp 6cp multiplied by 4.5 to get 32gp 6sp 7cp. Then 4% of that is added onto the final cost, for a total of 33gp 9sp and 8cp. The DC to create these items, unlike cost, is easy enough to calculate. The Base DC is 15 + 5xTBV. A +10 item will have a DC of 65. Note that items created with enhancements will have an additional +5 to their final DC. The DM should feel free to adjust the DC or price as they wish. Note that the player can take ten to make an item, but they may not take 20. All items require 1 week +1 multiplied by the TBV of uninterpreted time to create. How do I use my new item? As long as the TBV is +5 or less, the item can be used normally. However, exotic items, those whose value is +6 or higher, need training and practice to use. To deal with this concept, the player can choose one of three paths to gain the skill they need to use the item: Expert Training The player consults experts who use similar items. They can then train the player in its use. This can also be done with magical texts as well. The process takes one month and the cost should be equal to the cost of creating the item. Self Training the player studies and uses the item for one month + 1d4 weeks. Each week the player makes a DC 30 intelligence check plus any bonus from related knowledge fields. If, at the end of the time, there are equal or more passed checks, the player is proficient with the item. Note, the player cannot take 10 or 20 while doing this. Creation If the player created the item, and has equal ranks in Knowledge (X), they can make another DC check equal to creating the item, with no 10 or 20 check. If they pass, they can use the item normally. If they fail, then they gain a +10 to all checks while self training if they choose to take that approach instead. A player who does not know how to use the item gains a -2 penalty to use it. This is increased by -2 for each point of TBV over 5. Magical Items In order to enchant an item, and make it magical, the item must be crafted to a masterwork +3 item. Alchemists, note, can create a base +5 masterwork item, using the enhancement rules. This item has no other bonus, but is considered magical. No other abilities are gained with those five points, however, other features can be stacked on to the item.
#2 rosisha Nov 27, 2007 15:18:02	This space is being reserved for changes, new items, and other thoughts as I come up with them, or as they are shared by you, the readers! Thanks! Rosisha
#3 FriendlyBiscuit Mar 10, 2008 22:02:08	I don't know if you were aware of it at the time, but news about 4e's coming was already hitting the streets when you did this thing. It's cool... it might be overcomplicated. I would have tried it in my current campaign when I started on Jan 2nd if I had seen the post, but it's too late. Great idea though, and I'll definitely bookmark it and adapt it into my 4e house rules if it looks like the new system will still need such a treatment.
#4 rosisha Mar 11, 2008 8:14:54	Oh yeah, I knew 4E was coming out, but the whole thing just jumped into my brain at once.... so I posted it! I will probably want to make a more streamlined version soon, but was hoping for feedback. When 4E comes out, if I get it (cash being the big problem there) I will modify the rules to match the new system. Rosisha
#5 guamae Apr 11, 2008 13:16:37	I agree, it seams like craftsmanship in D&D is almost a moot factor. Sure you need to get Masterwork to make it magic, but 300 gp on a 18,000 gp +3 enchantment is still negligible. A few things on your rule set tho: Example: Yohan's dagger has a TBV of +5, thus making the cost 7gp, 2sp, 6cp and multiplying it by 3.5. The new total for the dagger is 25gp 4sp 1cp. This dagger will make a mighty fine present for his friend.[/i] My this makes things cheap, doesn't it? The equivalent of a +2 magic dagger (instead of costing 8,000 gp) is 21 gp and some change. If it's this cheap to make, no way would it sell for it's actual value (relative to other items). I would suggest keeping the prices fairly similar to what's outlined in the book. I.e, a +1 MW item would add 300 gp to the cost and then it would increase at an exponential pace (similar to how magic items do). Of course Magic Items give a +1 to attack and to damage, where as Master Works have to buy them separately, so that would change things, and i'd like the increase to be more steep at later levels for MW. +2 to damage and attack would translate into a +4 MW weapon. Do the simple equation (150 * 2 ^TBV) and you have your price, 2,400 gp. Significantly cheaper than the Magic Equivalent. But then you get fancier and fancier, and sooner or later you want your +5/+5 MW weapon which finally costs (150 * 2 ^10) 153,600 gp ... significantly more than the magic equivalent (50,000 gp). Of course you could fiddle around with this, (i'd recommended changing the base number), maybe modify it for the type of item you're producing (a MW quarterstaff would probably be a lot cheaper than a MW Crossbow[maybe have the multiplier be 15x the normal cost of the weapon .... ] or maybe lower the exponent multiplier so that the increase in cost is more gentle .... do we want folk to have swords with -10% weight, +3 to hit and an extra 1d2+2 damage??). The DC to create these items, unlike cost, is easy enough to calculate. The Base DC is 15 + 5xTBV. A +10 item will have a DC of 65. Note that items created with enhancements will have an additional +5 to their final DC. The DM should feel free to adjust the DC or price as they wish. DC 65!?!?!? Do you want this to be possible or not!? Average roll is 10, lets say +10 from items/feats/ability (unless you gear your epic character specfically for crafting ... and i don't think commoners and experts get to epic levels usually), that means you need to have 45 ranks in the skill and a whomping lvl of 42!?! For your +5 TBV dagger you'd need to be lvl 17. Do you think a lvl 17 character would care much for a +2/+3 weapon? If they're as cheap to make as you said, do you think any NPC of that rank would bother to make such low-profit yet blazingly difficult items? (assuming we follow the basic rule that items craft for their resale value of 1/2 sales price). The base DC according to your post is 12, so why not start with that ... by the time you hit lvl 20 it should be a basic adventuring item to have equivalent to +5 magic weapon (TBV 10). Based off of linear progression from 12 to a specialized lvl 20 being able to reliably create TBV 10, the equation would be 12 + 2 *TBV. Expert Training[/i] The player consults experts who use similar items. They can then train the player in its use. This can also be done with magical texts as well. The process takes one month and the cost should be equal to the cost of creating the item. Self Training the player studies and uses the item for one month + 1d4 weeks. Each week the player makes a DC 30 intelligence check plus any bonus from related knowledge fields. If, at the end of the time, there are equal or more passed checks, the player is proficient with the item. Note, the player cannot take 10 or 20 while doing this. A sword is a sword is a sword ... isn't it? If anything having a finely crafted and expertly made sword should make it easier for anyone to pick up and use. Maybe have some sort of system where you must attune to the blade in order to get maximum power out of it (normally this sword is TBV 8, but until you can harness it's power, it's only TBV 6 for you...) But that should be something you must learn from the sword and can't have taught to you. And DC 30 intelligence check ... honestly? The base DC should 10+whatever bonuses you expect the player to have. How about 15? 3xTBV if you get to add your BAB to it. (plus i'd say wisdom). You shouldn't need to be an expert sword-crafter, or know the history of bladed weaponry to know how to use a weapon properly. You should need to know how to balance the blade well and how to get the most force out of a swing (i.e. BAB). What i would like to see, ultimately, is that the best weapons would need a combination of expert craftsmanship and magical oompf, with all the "heroic" (and maybe half the "paragon") items just being masterwork. The only way to effectively do this is to have MW start cheaper and easier, and then get to a point where you just can't effectively make it more special without magic.
#6 guamae Apr 11, 2008 13:23:28	Or, alternatively, to encourage equal-building, you could charge full price (in DC and coin) for only the largest bonus and maybe 1/2 price for each bonus of equal or lesser value. Of course the first bonus would have to cost more than the equations i put up a moment ago, but i don't know yet how they should be modded for this.
#7 rosisha Apr 11, 2008 15:54:41	OoO! That was a critique that was useful :D I haven't thought about these rules in a while (other things have taken over sadly) but will reappraoch them this weekend. Let me see if I can answer some of these critiques.. though to be honest I think my base system might have to be scrapped in favor of a new system. As to the value of magic items vs. non-magic items... non-magical bonuses are useless against anything immune to mundane damage or with heavy DR. Rosisha
#8 guamae Apr 11, 2008 16:33:46	As to the value of magic items vs. non-magic items... non-magical bonuses are useless against anything immune to mundane damage or with heavy DR. Well that rule was put in the books assuming that any non-magical weapon is low powered and would shame a mid lvl adventurer in the first place. If MasterWork got an overhaul making it useful for levels above 3, that rule would have to be changed as well. Maybe enchantments made more expensive also ... when i thought about this back in the day i decided it would be too much trouble. But in all sorts mythology the magic swords were things of great power that could shape continents and had dragons invested into the blade. Even in 4th edition there are weakly enchanted lvl 3 swords ... i guess if anyone with a decent amount of training could shoot bolts made out of pure etheric force ... it's not that much of a stretch.
#9 rosisha Apr 11, 2008 19:53:42	Hmm... well one way to handle it would be to get rid of the low level powered items, and replace them with a masterwork system.... LOL Let me see what I can do over this weekend... no promises though! this is daunting! Also, if anyone else wants to contribute to the discussion they can!
#10 guamae Apr 11, 2008 21:33:29	Hmm... well one way to handle it would be to get rid of the low level powered items, and replace them with a masterwork system.... LOL Well, in the world of Mythology magic was never that potent or accessible. Tho i'm not saying D&D is based on this, the most impressive thing i ever remember Gandalf doing is lighting a wet log for a fire. I imagine Merlin could do stuff a bit more flashy, but still nothing like what is possible in D&D. So i don't really mind that low level adventurers get mini-magic items ... specially if entertainers in major cities can cast fireballs instead of using fireworks. .... I still think that a talented blacksmith should be able to do more than prep items for enchantment...
#11 rosisha Apr 11, 2008 22:33:27	I agree! I have some ideas that I'm now working on. Hopefully they will sound good. I'll put em up online sometime in the near future!
#12 rosisha Apr 14, 2008 13:53:32	"... the hammer, son, you have to apply it swiftly, like a snake striking a rabbit! Feel the heat in your hand, the temper of the steel, and let your instincts guide you. Thats right. Steel is a living thing, and you must tame it." ~ Master Terrendin, Dwarf Master Blacksmith to his Apprentice Item creation allows a player to create items of value and worth, things that can be used by the party, but also things that can be sold. Item creation is, therefore, not just about gear, but also about income. As a result, it is a great skill to place a few points in as it allows you to contribute to the party, and make some side cash during down time. However, is that all it needs to be? One of my greatest disappointments with the crafting system has always been the lack of imagination that went into it. It had the potential to be great, but was relegated to a field of other skills, in order to keep the game more focused on combat. Understandable, since a lot of the game focuses on combat, and not so much on the craft skill. Yet, I think this is a mistake. I think that ignoring such a potential for player contribution to the game world prevents an avenue of roleplaying and exploration that can be exploited by the DM for the benefit of the players. Of course, creating a short sword for your halfling friend when you can just purchase one as easily doesn't really do a lot, except for make friends of the two. But what if your character was the only one who knew the secret to creating exceptional blades, those that just seem to bite a little harder? Now you have something to contribute. Of course, finding that blacksmith, if none is in the party, is also of value, quest worthy even. What we are talking about is masterwork items. Creations of such value that they should be sought out by the players, instead of just ignored. The following rules will consider item creation and masterwork items from the ground up. Hopefully they will be an improvement over the last system offered, and will allow DMs to provide interesting weapons and items at low level play, before magic items replace the system. Crafting (X) (Intelligence) The basic craft skill is essentially a good skill. It provides a system to allow players to contribute to their surroundings. Unfortanitly, the system is not complete. I will now present the basic rules of crafting here for easy reference. These rules are part of the SRD and can reproduced as needed. Determining Time and Price to Create an Item: Find the item's price. Put the price in silver pieces (1 gp = 10 sp). Find the DC from the table below. Pay one third the item's price for the cost of raw materials. Make an appropriate craft check representing one weeks work. If the check succeeds, multiply your check result by the DC. If the result x the DC equals the price of the item in SP, then you have completed the item (if the result x the DC equals double or triple the price of the item in silver pieces, then you've completed the task in one-half or one-third of the time. Other multiples of the DC reduce the time in the same manner). If the result x the DC doesn't equal the price, then it represents the progress you've made this week. Record the result and make a new craft check for the next week. Each week, you make more progress until your total reaches the price of the item in silver pieces. If you fail a check by 4 or less, you make no progress this week.If you fail by 5 or more, you ruin half the raw materials and have to pay half the original raw material cost again. Progress by the Day: You can make checks by the day instead of by the week. In this case your progress (check result
#13 guamae Apr 14, 2008 15:46:42	I still think the modifications for items (+1 dagger) is undervalued in your system. As a player i would never bother with the cost of alchemicalizing if i could get a +3 bonus for 18 silver .... goodness that's cheap .... No matter how you look at it, the base cost of an item is a pittance to any adventurer. The economies of adventurers is completely different than that of towns or anything else. For goodness sake, a war ship costs half as much as a +5 sword. And that's about as much Cash on Hand a 9th level character starts with. What level range do you want your MasterWork items to be for? I really like the bonuses being inherent in what materials you use ... tho i think there should be more options on that. Plus could you give an example of how that works?
#14 guamae Apr 14, 2008 18:12:47	Ok ... here's my idea. It's heavily based off material used, and these bonuses are designed to stack with magical bonuses... which will probably have to be reworked as well. I also don't have the price fully worked out yet. Material ...............Max ...Min....Base.....Cost..................Weight Bone ...................0........-4.....-6.........50%...................50% Stone ..................0........-3.....-4.........70%.................150% Bronze .................0........-2.....-2.........80% Iron .....................2.......-2......0..........Base Wood ...................2.......-2......0..........Base Steel ...................3.......-2.......1.........200% Planar Wood .........5.......-2.......3......1,000gp +300%........50% Alchemical Steel* ..3........-2......6........5000% Elvish Steel* .........4........-2......4.......4000%....................75% Dwarven Steel* .....6.........0......5........7000%..................125% Magical Leather .....3........-2......3........500gp +500%..........75% Dagon Hide* .........6........-4.....10.....5,000gp +2000%........50% Mithral* ...............5........-2......8......4,000gp +1000%........40% Adamantine* ** ....8........-4.....12....10,000gp +2000%......115% Max: the maximum bonus capable using this material. Min: the maximum negative possible using this material. Base: the number of points available from use of this material Cost: adjustment to purchase price of equipment. Weight: change in weight inherent to the material. * Requires Feat to Craft with ** Bonuses from Adamantine can also be used to allow Hardness to be bypassed (5 for 2 points) or grant damage reduction x/- (1 for 2 points) Planar wood is wood harvested from certain planes other than the Prime Material Plane. Alchemical Steel is made using a variety of impurities that give the metal special properties beyond that gained from simple iron and carbon. This is a specialty of human craftsmen. Elvish/Dwarven Steel is imbued with the power of the elves/dwarves. Though it is not unheard of to be used among other races, it is very rare that a non-elf/dwarf be taught the methods of crafting these materials. Magical Leather is made from the hides of Magical Beasts of all sorts. Dragon Hide is far and beyond the ken of normal Magical Leather and requires special skills, materials and time to use to its fullest extent. The hide of a dragon can be used by lesser craftsmen without these precautions, but is then treated as normal Magical Leather. The Base value also functions as the minimum ranks in Craft (X) required to work a certain material. When designing a Master Work item, one aspect of the item can be sacrificed for another, i.e. a weapon could be made heavier in order to increase the damage output. When doing this, a drop of 2 points in one or more areas creates 1 extra point available for improvements. Armor can be modified for: Armor Bonus, Maximum Dex Bonus and Armor Check Penalty, [bonuses and penalties, 1 for 1] Arcane Spell Failure and Weight (change applied after material adjustment). [5% per point. 25 lbs and less = light weight, 40 lbs and more = heavy] Weapons can be modified for: Damage Bonus, Attack Bonus, [bonuses and penalties, 1 for 1] Critical, [Crit Range increase 2 points for 1 (can not be made better than 17-20), multiple increase 3 points for 1] Range Increment, Weight (change applied after material adjustment) [10% per point] Damage Die [2 points per change on Size chart (DMG pg 28)] Items can be made with more bonus points than the base granted by the item (but not with bonuses greater than the maximum allowed by the item). Due to the exceptional workmanship the number of points available can be increased by up to half the base value or 3, whichever is higher. DC = 5* + Normal Value + Base Value for Material + 3x additional points from quality * only for materials requiring special processing.
#15 rosisha Apr 15, 2008 1:44:45	These sound good, but it is almost 3am where I am at :D SO I'm going to digest these as I sleep and respond tomorrow. I did want to let you know I got them. Interesting that you ran with the special materials... I litterely added that today as a tack on. Any thoughts on my attempts to standardize alchemy? Rosisha
#16 guamae Apr 15, 2008 9:06:25	Ehh .. i don't know much about Alchemy. I'm stingy in games and RL so i try not to spend my coins on consumables, lest i absolutely have to. The special materials idea was actually one i had years ago [after reading A Game of Thrones and that series] but never fleshed out/refined until yesterday. I actually forgot about it till i saw your post. I was thinking this morning, that for 4e they were going to make Crafting more accessible, such that you won't need fancy spells and feats for it. That idea could be expanded so that making a Magic Sword is something that a normal blacksmith could do (like making MasterWork items) and be closer to following a recipe for cake than warping reality. I.e.: To make a +1 Flame-Burst Longsword, the final working must be done at sunset on a clear day so that the bright red flames of the dying sun can be invested into the metal. Incense of (x) should be burned to insure that the power takes hold. For the construction of a +1 Icy-Blast spear, the tip must be finished in the light of the full moon and be quenched in a still pool of clear water. If lakes or ponds are not available, a large trough of rain water will suffice. Keep the fires of the forge stoked low as to not disturb the area, or maintain the forge at a distance from where you are hammering. The spirits of Water and Fire do not always get along ...