Crafting System

Greetings and welcome!

The World of Darkness books often introduce various crafting systems and guides. However, these systems can vary significantly from book to book. To ensure consistency, integrity, and a dash of enjoyment, we've developed a guide that standardizes the crafting experience.

Within our WoD chronicle, we are excited to present our official crafting system, consisting of three key stages:

Blueprinting: This initial stage involves meticulous preparation before diving into the crafting process.
Crafting: At the heart of it all, this stage is where the actual creation of an item takes place.
Upgrading: An optional stage that allows only the most skilled artisans to transform an item into an extraordinary masterpiece.

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Blueprinting
In the beginning, the artisan initiates a meticulous process encompassing planning, sketching, and material evaluation for the intended creation. However, it's essential to note that the artisan's ability to plan and craft items is constrained. Specifically, they can only undertake projects where the combined Complexity Level and Rarity Level (see below) does not surpass their respective Crafts rating multiplied by 3. During this planning phase, the artisan engages in an Intelligence + Crafts roll against difficulty 6 plus the Complexity Level of the item. This roll unfolds as an extended action (with a fixed difficulty), permitting one attempt daily. Success in this planning phase necessitates a cumulative number of successes equal to the combined Complexity Level and Rarity Level of the item.

* Note: Blueprints will be spawned as an in-game item upon completion.

Example: Meet Josh — an intermediate craftsman. Josh possesses a Crafts rating of 2 and benefits from a Metallurgy Workshop (1pt. Background), which bolsters his Crafts rating by an additional dot exclusively within the workshop's confines. With a desire to craft a weapon, Josh contemplates an AK-47 (Complexity Level: 3, Rarity Level: 15).

As he endeavors to draft precise blueprints, a realization dawns upon him: the project surpasses his current capabilities. His total Crafts rating, multiplied by 3 while in the workshop, equals 9—falling short of the required 18. Adjusting his approach, Josh recognizes the feasibility of crafting a simpler weapon devoid of intricate moving parts. He embarks on delineating sketches and evaluating the requisites for a traditional Katana (Complexity Level: 1, Rarity Level: 8). This endeavor aligns with his capabilities since his total Crafts rating multiplied by 3 amounts to 9, and the combined Complexity Level and Rarity Level of the Katana is also 9.

Josh enters the phase of making an Intelligence + Crafts roll, aiming to surmount a difficulty of 8 (which corresponds to 6 + Complexity Level 2). This effort yields a notable outcome as he secures 4 successes. This places him a mere 5 successes away from concluding the Blueprinting stage, with the opportunity to undertake another roll at the same difficulty on the following day.




Crafting
To proceed with the crafting process, a clear understanding of the item's blueprints is imperative. Players who have personally sketched these blueprints automatically possess this understanding. However, if one has obtained the blueprints through alternative means, they must succeed in a Perception + Crafts (whichever is appropriate) roll against a difficulty of 6 plus the Complexity Level of the item. It's important to note that an artisan can only craft or understand blueprints of items if their respective Crafts skill is equal to or exceeds the Complexity Level of the item plus 1. This limitation ensures that the artisan's expertise aligns appropriately with the intricacy of the item being crafted.

Crafting endeavors for items of Complexity Level 0 or 1 are exempt from the requirement of having the blueprints at hand, provided the artisan has previously comprehended them. Nonetheless, this approach does introduce a +1 difficulty to the crafting roll. For items of greater complexity, attempting to craft without the requisite blueprints is rendered unfeasible.

For successful crafting, the artisan needs access to the appropriate tools, which implies that they must be situated within a fitting workshop when endeavoring to craft an item of complexity level greater than 0. The crafting process entails skillfully manipulating materials to shape them into the desired object. To initiate this process, the artisan engages in a Dexterity + Crafts roll, with the difficulty set at 6 plus the Complexity Level of the item being created.

This roll unfolds as an extended action (with a fixed difficulty), allowing one attempt per day. The required amount of successes is equal to the combined value of the item's Complexity Level and Rarity level.




Upgrading
Elevating items to higher levels is a task that only the most seasoned artisans can undertake. It's a meticulous and intricate process riddled with the risk of utterly spoiling the item. To engage in item upgrading, the artisan must possess a Crafts skill of at least 4 (without Workshop modifiers), and their Crafts skill must match the rating of the item's Complexity Level + 5 (with Workshop modifiers). Furthermore, this delicate process can only take place within a Workshop whose level is at least one higher than the item's Complexity Level.

Moreover, the artisan must be intimately acquainted with the item in question. In instances where the artisan wasn't the original creator, they must gain an intuitive understanding of the item through tactile exploration, keen observation, and contemplation. This involves making a Perception + Crafts roll against a difficulty of 6 plus the item's Complexity Level.

The process of upgrading an item pushes its capabilities to the absolute zenith. It involves techniques such as using specialized tools to hone a sword's edge, fine-tuning pressure mechanisms in firearms, integrating energy-absorbent materials into armor, and more. Executing this process necessitates a series of extended Perception + Crafts rolls, with an initial difficulty of 7 plus the Complexity Level of the item. Each successive roll increases the difficulty by 1. It's important to note that Willpower points cannot be expended to ensure automatic success on these rolls. Lastly, a Botch on the roll leads to irreversible destruction of the item. Blades splinter, axes sunder, technology erupts in flames, and so forth.

Accumulated successes from these rolls can be allocated towards the upgrades listed in the charts below.

Melee Upgrades
4 Successes: +1 Damage
7 Successes: -1 Difficulty (minimum 4)

Firearms Upgrades
2 Successes: +10% Range
3 Successes: +1 Damage
5 Successes: +1 Fire Rate
7 Successes: -1 Difficulty (minimum 4)

Armor Upgrades
5 Successes: -1 Dexterity Penalty
6 Successes: +1 Soak Rating

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Complexity Levels Chart

Level 0: Mundane (e.g: Hammers, tables)
Level 1: Refined (e.g Swords, armors, bows, slingers, clothing)
Level 2: Moving Parts (e.g Guns, crossbows, engines)
Level 3: Technological (e.g Arduino, computers)

Rarity Level Formulas

    Melee Weapons

* Damage Type = 1 (Bashing), 2 (Lethal), 3 (Aggravated).
* Effects = Additional effects, +1 for positive and -1 for negative.

Formula: (6 - Difficulty + Damage + Effects) * Damage Type

Example I: Baseball Bat [Difficulty: 5] [Damage: Strength+2/Bashing] [Effects: N/A] = (6 - 5 + 2 + 0) * 1 = Rarity Level 3.
Example II: Dagger [Difficulty: 4] [Damage: Strength+1/Lethal] [Effects: N/A] = (6 - 4 + 1 + 0) * 2 = Rarity Level 6.
Example III: Katana [Difficulty: 6] [Damage: Strength+3/Lethal] [Effects: +1 Damage if employed with both hands] = (6 - 6 + 3 + 1) * 2 = Rarity Level 8.
Example IV: Chainsaw [Difficulty: 8] [Damage: Strength+7/Lethal] [Effects: Inflicts self-damage upon botch] = (6 - 8 + 7 + (-1)) * 2 = Rarity Level 8.

    Ranged Weapons

* Effects = Additional effects, +1 for positive and -1 for negative.

Formula: (Damage + Fire Rate + (Clip / 10) + Effects) * (1 + (6 - Difficulty))

Example I: Revolver [Damage: 4] [Fire Rate: 3] [Clip: 6] [Difficulty: 6] [Effects: N/A] = (4 + 3 + 0 + 0) * (1 + (6 - 6)) = Rarity Level 7.
Example II: Uzi [Damage: 4] [Fire Rate: 3] [Clip: 31] [Difficulty: 6] [Effects: Full-auto/three-round bursts/strafing sprays] = (4 + 3 + 3 + 1) * (1 + (6 - 6)) = Rarity Level 11.
Example III: AK-47 [Damage: 7] [Fire Rate: 3] [Clip: 43] [Difficulty: 6] [Effects: Full-auto/three-round bursts/strafing sprays] = (7 + 3 + 4 + 1) * (1 + (6 - 6)) = Rarity Level 15.
Example IV: Commando Crossbow [Damage: 3] [Fire Rate: 1] [Clip: 1] [Difficulty: 6] [Effects: Collapsible] = (3 + 1 + 0 + 1) * (1 + (6 - 6)) = Rarity Level 5.

    Armor

* Coverage = +1 for every body part (Head, Torso, Legs, Arms).
* Effects= Additional effects, +1 for positive and -1 for negative (excluding Dexterity Penalties).

Formula: (Soak Rating + Coverage + Effects - Dexterity Penalty) * 2

Example I: Biker Jacket [Soak Rating: 1] [Coverage: Torso] [Effects: N/A] [Dexterity Penalty: 1] = (1 + 1 + 0 - 1) * 2 = Rarity Level 2.
Example II: Kevlar Vest [Soak Rating: 3] [Coverage: Torso] [Effects: Can be worn under clothes] [Dexterity Penalty: 1] = (3 + 1 + 1 - 1) * 2 = Rarity Level 8.
Example III: Full Plate [Soak Rating: 4] [Coverage: Full] [Effects: N/A] [Dexterity Penalty: 2] = (4 + 4 + 0 - 2) * 2 = Rarity Level 12.
Example IV: Military Armor [Soak Rating: 5] [Coverage: Full] [Effects: N/A] [Dexterity Penalty: 2] = (5 + 4 + 0 - 2) * 2 = Rarity Level 14.