Punching – Using a chisel to create holes, slits, and patterns.Swaging – Altering the dimensions of an item by forcing it into dies.Shrinking – Upsetting technique used on compound curves.Upsetting – Making metal thicker in one dimension by shortening another.Bending – Bending heated and ductile metal to the desired angle.Drawing Down – Lengthening one dimension by narrowing another.There is a great deal of nuance to the art of smithing, however at its core it can be broken down into the following 7 techniques: There was some experimentation with cast-iron and wrought-iron, but eventually they all gave way to the cast-steel anvils used today. Eventually the bronze anvil would give way to the iron anvil which remained the most popular type of anvil until the process for making steel was discovered. Initially smiths used stones and stone hammers to hammer copper and lead, but around 1200 BC the bronze anvil was invented. This lead to the creation of the bloomery which was eventually superseded by the blast furnace in modern times. Eventually it was discovered that the intensity of the heat could be increased by blasting it with air. These early smiths likely heated iron using wood fires, but they would eventually would discover that wood converted to charcoal would produce a better flame for smithing. Getting Hammered – The History of SmithingĪlthough there are some examples of metalwork as far back as 4500 BC, the first evidence found of smithing with a hammer is a dagger found in ancient Egypt dated to 1350 BC. Satisfied with this definition, I moved on to the historical analysis of the crafting kit. However before we dig into the history and mechanics of the kit, it is important that we settle in on the definition of the craft.Īfter assessing the options I felt that the Cambridge dictionary had the most relevant definition:ĭefinition: Someone who makes things out of metal, especially by heating it and hitting it with a hammer: Everybody from dwarves to elves have their own smithing styles. After all, the blacksmith is the quintessential crafting profession in fantasy settings. My initial assumption was that the smith’s tools would be the strongest crafting kit in 5th edition. With the weaver’s tools all wrapped up we are coming up on the final pages of this crafting compendium. Other similar crafting systems may utilitize a different list of items. * These items are specific to the Questionable Arcana system. Structure Building: Can participate in but not lead the creation of a structuresĪdventuring Utility: Able to modify metal forged items, and use their knowledge of forged items in the field Magic Item Crafting: An enormous list of metal itemsĪrtwork Creation: Can create a variety of metal artwork objects Mundane Item Crafting: Most medium armors, all heavy armors, most weapons, many pieces of adventuring gear *Example Items: Hammer, tongs, bellows, punches, and chisel
If nothing else I hope this document and its siblings can be used as a source of guidance and inspiration for whatever crafting system you decide to go with. Furthermore, the rules and concepts discussed are intended to work in-tandem with the expanded artisan's tools rules found in Xanathar's Guide to Everything. However, the system as a whole is totally functional and ready to be used in any campaign. The finer details of this system are still being revised, and those changes will slowly be introduced into this document. IMPORTANT NOTICE: Although this crafting system leverages many existing mechanics published under the 5e SRD and OGL, the final product is completely home-brewed.
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