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Archives of Nethys

Archives of Nethys

Pathfinder RPG (1st Edition) Pathfinder RPG (2nd Edition) Starfinder RPG

Rules Index | GM Screen | Player's Guide
Treasure Vault / Secrets of Crafting / Crafting Alternate Rules

Complex Crafting

Source Treasure Vault pg. 158 1.1
The Craft action as presented in the Core Rulebook works at a simple rate: you can Craft any item, regardless of the item level, in exactly 4 days, spending additional time for a discount on the item's final cost. While easy to implement at the table, this system focuses on simplicity and leaves some avenues unexplored. For example, items of the highest possible level (your own level) provide you far more value for those 4 days than lower-level items. In addition, the system provides few options for players to attempt to craft an item quickly, even if doing so comes with risk of failure. This complex crafting variant is suitable for groups who view crafting items as a central part of their play experience. For most groups, the simpler crafting system is probably sufficient to complete the occasional item.

This variant adds a choice to the system of crafting, allowing characters to decide how they want to approach a job, taking a slow and methodical approach or rushing the process and risking loss of material or even the creation of a cursed item! This system also incorporates changes in time based on the item's level and whether it's a consumable item or a permanent item.

To begin, you must meet all of the requirements listed in the Craft action of the Crafting skill. At the start of the process, you must determine the setup time based on the type of item and its level compared to yours, then decide on your approach to the job, which is limited by your proficiency. The GM determines the base DC as normal based on the item's level, rarity, and other circumstances.

To determine setup time, check the item's level and whether it's a consumable or permanent item. Compare the item's level to your own and look for the number of days on Table 5–1. This setup time is the base number of days it takes to create the item. If you decide to take the slow and methodical approach, you spend that number of days, and then attempt the Crafting check to determine your success (see Finishing the Item).

You can instead rush the process, taking days off the time needed to setup the item while introducing a greater risk of failure. If you're at least an Expert in Crafting, you can reduce the setup time by 1 day by increasing the DC by 5. If you're at least a Master in Crafting, you can reduce the setup time by 2 days by increasing the DC by 10. If you're Legendary in Crafting, you can reduce the setup time by 3 days by increasing the DC by 15. If you're crafting a consumable, and this reduction would bring the number of days to 0 or less, the crafting time is instead reduced to 4 hours.

Table 5-1: Days of Setup

Item's Relative LevelConsumable Permanent
Equal to your level 4 6
Your level –1 or –2 3 5
Your level –3 or lower 2 4

Finishing the Item

Source Treasure Vault pg. 158 1.1
After the setup time is complete, you must attempt a Crafting check to determine the overall success of your creation. If your check is a success, you expend the raw materials and can complete the item immediately by paying the remaining portion of the item's Price in materials. Alternatively, you can spend additional downtime days working on the item.

For each additional day you spend, reduce the value of the materials you need to expend to complete the item. This value reduction is determined using Table 4–2: Income Earned, based on your proficiency rank in Crafting and using your own level instead of a task level. After any of these downtime days, you can complete the item by spending the remaining portion of its Price in materials. If the time is interrupted, you can return to finish the item later, continuing where you left off.

You can decide to speed up this process as well. If you are at least an Expert in Crafting, you can rush the finishing process, reducing the value of the materials you must expend to complete the item by twice the amount listed in Table 4–2: Income Earned. Doing so comes at a risk; at the end of the creation process, once the item is finished, you must attempt a flat check. The DC of this flat check is equal to 10 + the item's level – your Crafting proficiency bonus. If the check is a success or critical success, the item is complete and works perfectly. If the check is a failure, the item is still completed, but it gains a quirk. If the check is a critical failure, the item is ruined or might become a cursed item attached to you (GM's discretion).

Crafting Items with Adjustments

Source Treasure Vault pg. 159 1.1
Adjustments are item modifications that can provide specific special abilities to a particular type of equipment. Instead of crafting adjustments separately from a suit of armor, you can simply craft the armor with the adjustment already in place by adding the price of the adjustment to the total crafting cost of the base armor and calculating the rest of the crafting process as normal.

Skill Feats

Source Treasure Vault pg. 159 1.1
When using this variant, consider allowing the Quick Setup skill feat to enable characters to Craft exceptionally low-level items even more quickly. This skill feat is listed as rare and is never available to a character except when using this variant. This rapid form of crafting could cause your players to end up with higher treasure values or more items than an adventure expects them to have, so be careful about allowing this feat in campaigns that already provide significant amounts of downtime.