Crafting Tools

Crafting tools requires the use of either Craft(metal trinkets) or Language*, or very rarely another skill. If using a skill other than Craft, use the crafting rules as normal, substituting in a check in the chosen skill for the standard Craft check.

Tool Categories

• Improvised Tools: Using these tools grants a -2 penalty to the skill check. Only skills which require tools to operate at all will ever use Improvised Tools. Improvised tools are typically free, as they are composed of whatever happens to be lying around.
• Simple Tools: Using these tools allows you to use skills which require tools to operate without a penalty. Most skills do not require simple tools. Simple tools typically cost 5gp. Crafting a new Simple tool requires a +1 bonus in the appropriate skill, or a helper with a +6 bonus.¹
• Good Tools: Using these tools grants a +2 circumstance bonus to the skill check. Good tools typically cost 50gp. Crafting a new Good tool requires a +5 bonus in the appropriate skill, or a helper with a +10 bonus.¹
• Masterwork Tools: Using these tools grants a +3 circumstance bonus to the skill check. Masterwork tools typically cost 200gp, as they require superlative care and attention to detail to craft. Crafting a new Masterwork tool requires a +15 bonus in the appropriate skill, or a helper with a +20 bonus.¹

¹You may ignore the requirements for crafting any tool if you are merely copying an existing tool. You must have the tool with you throughout the entire crafting process to do this.

* If not using my Language skill, just choose an appropriate skill based on the content.

Libraries

The concept of libraries arises naturally when you allow books to become tools. Presumably, they should provide a greater bonus than an individual book can, due to the greater breadth of knowledge. Larger libraries should also be more useful than smaller ones. How to do this? I propose a very simple rule for handling libraries of books for any subject.

Creating Libraries

Any collection of 3 or more different books referencing a single subject may function as a Library. 3 books classified as Good tools will provide a +3 bonus. 10 will provide a +4, 30 will provide a +5, 100 will provide a +6, 300 will provide a +7, and so on. A library composed of Masterwork books provides a +1 higher bonus. A mixed library of Good and Masterwork books reduces the number of books required to advance the library category - a single Masterwork book is equivalent to 3 Good books for the purpose of determining Library bonus.

Using Libraries

A basic 3-book library requires at least an hour of referencing to gain its benefits to a skill. A 10-book library requires 4 hours of study to gain its benefits, while a 30-book library requires a full 8-hour day of study. Each additional increase in library category requires an additional day of study to utilize its full benefits, though you may choose to study for less time in order to gain an appropriately reduced bonus. For example, while fully taking advantage of a 1000-book library may require 4 days to gain a +8 bonus, you may choose to study for only 4 hours and gain a +4 bonus instead (as if you were using a 10-book library).

The benefits of Masterwork books become immediately obvious. They function as a faster, lighter version of the basic Library, and they make higher-bonus libraries much faster to use and more compact.