A few ideas from a new face...

[Tolomon]

According to the kismet command in-game, I have logged 47 hours total playing time. Keep that in mind when reading my suggestions.

• I haven't experienced crafting yet, but I am way too excited to get started as an in-game smithy. I'm just waiting for the right RP opportunity and I'll be crafting all day long! Now, with no crafting experience I don't know what quality of items can be crafted. I'm assuming that as you progress in level, the quality gradually increases with your PC. I'm also assuming a PC can't craft "wonderous items". Here's the suggestion (assuming what I've stated above is, in fact, true): what about group crafting to achieve wonderous items?
  
  For example, Bob is a master armoursmith and Martha is a master lapidary-ist (jeweler). The two have decided they want to come together and craft a wonderous item. The item they have chosen is called "Barricade Buckler" (see D&D Magic Item Compendium, page 16). According to the compendium, it's described as having numerous polished green stones, one in the center and the others forming concentric circles around the center one. By speaking a command word, it transforms into a wall of force for 1 minute or until the command word is spoken again. The wall of force spell can only be used 3 times a day. The pre-reqs: craft armour and wall of force. It costs 2k gold, 160XP, and 4 days to craft. In-game this means that Bob crafts a regular buckler and Martha crafts the green stones. Once they have crafted their individual portions, they come together to start the group craft. They will also need to bring some extra materials (a scroll containing the spells, some gold to melt down into fasteners for the stones, etc.). They pass the items back and forth, he melts the gold, she recites the spells, it's a long a grueling process, but the finished product is...well, wonderous. Finally, four days later, Bob and Martha have successfully crafted a Barricade Buckler. This thing is magnificent! Both Bob and Martha are super, super proud of their achievement. And they should be! It's amazing!

This group crafting does, however bring up a few questions:

• Who gets to keep the item?
• What's the RP purpose of group crafting? (Meaning, why would they work together to begin with)
• What do wonderous items do to the economy of the game?

I can try to answer a few of those questions. First, I think the crafters would need to decide who keeps it. Possibly it could be shared. The RP question is difficult to answer as the PCs can think up whatever they want. Maybe they worship two different deities that are allies and they wish to strengthen the bond. Perhaps the PCs are simply friends. Maybe on PC wants a special item and the other agrees to help. Possibilities are endless! Unfortunately, I do not have a good grasp on the economy of the game just yet. I imagine it's fairly well-regulated to prevent millionaire halflings from running around.

I think adding that co-op crafting feel will help bring about some more RP opportunities that aren't purely social. You could even have masters working with apprentices, but wonderous items aren't the outcome in that situation. I'm going to pull on a past experience of mine to help drive my point home. When I played LOTRO (Lord of the Rings Online), one thing I enjoyed doing was crafting with a guild-mate. Often times we chatted while crafting, but that wasn't the point of it. We crafted together because we could help each other. I might have a few materials he needed and he had those I needed. In one case, I was an armorsmith and my guild-mate a weaponsmith. I crafted beautiful armour for him while he crafted a sword for me. That is what the game is all about.

I have no idea what this would take to implement, but I always like to dream big. Thanks for reading to the bottom.

[Selveem]

That's a really cool idea. As a player who has had a few crafters, I admit I find our system frustrating and even a bit bland. That's not to say, however, that I am not thankful for its in-game additions it brings such as roleplaying a tradesman and the like.

To be honest, what we can craft is a bit pitiful; there's a low percentage of success and a high count required advance to the point where you can make the upper crust of armors (you know, the ones that are actually more useful). Ultimately, you should have just bought them from an NPC vendor because the thousands of hours you're going to pour into it doesn't produce any better than what you can purchase (with exception to special materials, which unfortunately are still not worth it as they can't be enchanted).

Adding an additional tier to this would be cool, but I do think before such a thing is attempted we really need to work on the success rates and no material (or no coin cost, if you have said materials) requirement for crafting.

[Brar]

I really like the idea of group crafting.

Just a quick explanation on FK crafting system.
There is two kind of trades, gathering which are boring alone and big fun in group (like everything I would say), it is grinding and grinding and more grinding, but do that with 2 or 3 peoples and it can be a lot of fun for it gives you plenty of time to roleplay.

And there is the crafting part, which have nothing to do with graphical MMO crafting.
It is a launch and forget process, don't expect to have a set of armor after seeing a timer goes down in a few second.

In FK, you are crafting only when offline. You launch the construction in a room and log out, then when you come back it checks against the IC time spend offline and makes the check to see how you advanced and if you haven't finished the item, you would need to log off in the same room next time you quit, so no
FK crafting system is heavily dependant on stats and most construction trades are based of intelligence (and feat can help but are not a requirement at all).

The whole crafting system is in a complete overhaull period, with the introduction of masterwork items, several new types of armour and weapons, new materials, ect.
I think (if I'm remember the old posts correctly) that magical items crafting in underway and a continuity of the random loot tables that are implemented currently.

Now, to be honest, crafting can be tedious, requires lot of dedication and is a very long term goal with very little (if any) short term benefits.
Do not expect to grandmaster anything in less than a few years of complete dedication, again, it's not like in graphical MMO where you master your craft it in a term of days/weeks.

I like it how it is, only wait for the magical items creation to be implemented because it is the only thing missing for now in my eyes (excpet for leatherworking where leather managment is a pain as it is today...), and you can already do group crafting, I have for a long time not crafted anything but mine and smelting for another character to use my ressource to bolster her item creation trades.

It all comes down to your character in fact, like it always do

Brar

[Nysan]

Hello new person and welcome to the world of FK crafting. Bare with me as I rattle off a few points.

1. Leveling and success rates. No matter what trade it is, leveling is slow. The "years to GM" comment mentioned above is not an stretch. Success rates are not that bad really. Granted, you'll have a lot of failures at lower levels but that is expected. Trade stats (stats in () next to trade), feats, and the hidden stat (luck) have a high impact on your success and if you don't plan ahead, it will show. Regardless, expect an uphill climb to the higher tiers no matter how you prepare.

2. If you can level in groups, do it. Though it has no real impact on leveling, it helps to pass the time. Falls under the old saying: "a watched pot never boils". It is better to chat and be social than staring at the screen, waiting for the next mv% tick. Trust the bitter, old dwarf on that one.

3. As for your suggested wonderous items, it is a good idea. A method to enchant PC crafts is in the works, but it is one speck in a large to-do list of ideas. Without seeing a finished enchanting system, it is hard to know what may or may not be covered in it.

4. Group bonuses. Interaction is fine by me, we're not set up for it at the moment. Each crafting trade is pretty self sufficient at the moment. They are good at what they do, but they were never designed to be as detailed or as co-dependant as crafting seen in LOTRO or the original SWG (ahh, good memories) systems. Honestly, beyond high tier stuff, like enchanting or wonderous items, I don't see how we could put it in trades now. *shrug*

Hope this ranting was more helpful than depressing. I started with good intentions! If you do have crafting system questions, feel free to toss them out here. OOC stuff only please, can't tell you stuff like where trainers are, obviously.