Crafting Workshops¶
Design Position¶
High-quality crafting requires infrastructure. The quality ceiling of any crafting output is bounded by the workshop tier used — a master craftsperson working with crude tools still cannot produce Exceptional output. Workshops are either owned by players and guilds, operated by NPCs, or accessed through the Crafters Guild as a shared resource.
Workshop Tiers¶
| Tier | Label | Quality Ceiling | Who Can Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 — Field Kit | Traveling tools only | Common | Any player |
| 1 — Basic Workshop | Standard bench and tools | Crafted | Any player with the skill and access |
| 2 — Established Workshop | Full tool set, fuel supply, storage | Fine | Owner, guild members, or paid access |
| 3 — Advanced Workshop | Specialist benches, dedicated storage, processing equipment | Superior | Owner, guild members, or paid access |
| 4 — Master Workshop | Master-grade tools, rare material handling, full processing line | Exceptional | Owner and invited collaborators only |
A player cannot achieve Superior quality output without using at least an Established Workshop. They cannot achieve Exceptional without a Master Workshop. This is a hard ceiling — skill alone cannot overcome it.
Field Kit (Tier 0)¶
Every player starts with access to field crafting through carried tools. Field kit crafting is available anywhere:
- On expedition (during camp steps, if Campcraft is Skilled or above)
- At any settlement (using the character's carried tools on a public surface)
Constraints: - Quality ceiling: Common only - No processing equipment — raw materials must already be processed (tanned hides, smelted ingots) - No benefit from crafting set bonuses (requires at least Tier 1)
Field kit is for emergency repair, basic consumable preparation, and low-tier fabrication. It is not a path to competitive crafting output.
NPC Workshop Access (Tier 1–2)¶
Trevalkaan and each village provide limited shared access to basic and established workshop space through the Crafters Guild network.
Trevalkaan Crafters Guild Workshop¶
Located in Forge Row. Managed by the Crafters Guild. Provides:
- Tier 1 (Basic) access: free for any character, unlimited sessions
- Tier 2 (Established) access: requires Crafters Guild membership at Apprentice rank or higher, OR a session fee of 15 coin per day of use
Queue management: Established access at the guild workshop is first-come first-served within the settlement tick. If demand exceeds capacity, queue priority goes to guild members before fee-paying guests.
Village Craftsperson Workshops¶
Each village craftsperson provides Tier 1 access for players with Known or higher village standing. This is not a commercial arrangement — it is community goodwill. Players who abuse the access (leaving materials behind, failing to clean the workspace in the game's fiction) may have standing-gated access revoked at that village.
Player and Guild Workshops (Tier 2–4)¶
Players and guilds can establish their own workshops through the civic project system. A private workshop:
- Is owned by the establishing player or guild
- Is located in a specific district or village plot (purchased or granted through civic contribution)
- Can be upgraded over time through additional material investment
- Generates no income passively — it requires players to use it to have value
Establishing a Workshop¶
| Workshop Tier | Prerequisite | Material Investment | Time to Build |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tier 2 — Established | Guild rank or Civic Standing Trusted; Crafters Guild Apprentice | Timber (60 units), Iron (30 units), Leather (15 units), Stone (20 units) | 5 settlement ticks |
| Tier 3 — Advanced | Tier 2 complete; Crafters Guild Journeyman | Timber (120 units), Iron (80 units), Leather (30 units), Stone (60 units), rare specialist fittings (10 units) | 10 settlement ticks |
| Tier 4 — Master | Tier 3 complete; Crafters Guild Master rank; Adventurers Hall rank B (demonstrates they have the supply chain access) | Timber (200 units), Iron (150 units), Leather (60 units), Stone (100 units), Exceptional fittings (5 units), rare materials specific to craft type | 20 settlement ticks |
Material costs are deposited over the build period, not paid all at once. Building cannot be paused.
Workshop Ownership Rights¶
- The establishing player or guild is the owner of record
- Owners can grant access to other players in three modes:
- Free access: anyone the owner grants can use it at no cost
- Paid access: a coin fee per session, set by the owner
- Guild-only: only guild members can access
- Owners can revoke access at any time
- If the owner's guild dissolves, workshop ownership reverts to the individual player who initiated construction; if that player is inactive, the town coordinator auctions it
Specialist Workshop Types¶
At Tier 3 and above, a workshop must declare a specialization that determines which secondary benches and processing equipment are installed. Specialization affects which crafting categories can reach Superior and Exceptional quality in that workshop.
| Specialization | Supported Crafts |
|---|---|
| Forge (metal focus) | Smithing, Metalworking, Armoring (metal components) |
| Leatherworks | Leatherworking, Armoring (leather components), Saddlery |
| Woodshop | Woodworking, Carpentry, Bowyer |
| Alchemical Lab | Alchemy, Herbalism (processing), Ritualism preparations |
| General Crafts | All craft types at one tier lower ceiling than specialist equivalents |
A Master Workshop can support two specializations simultaneously.
Preparation Benches (Ritualism and Alchemy)¶
Ritual preparations and advanced Alchemy outputs require a dedicated preparation bench — a piece of equipment that is separate from the main crafting tier system.
| Bench Type | Location | Ritualism/Alchemy Band Required | Output |
|---|---|---|---|
| Common Preparation Bench | Trevalkaan Crafters Guild (Tier 2 access) | Familiar | Basic preparations (Warding Circle, Binding Chalk) |
| Distillation Bench | Trevalkaan Crafters Guild (Tier 2 access) | Practiced | Intermediate Alchemy; basic Ritualism preparations |
| Advanced Preparation Station | Tier 3+ private workshops with Alchemical Lab | Skilled | Advanced preparations and Alchemy outputs |
| Master Preparation Station | Tier 4 private workshops with Alchemical Lab | Expert | Apex preparations; Exceptional-tier Alchemy outputs |
Preparation benches are not free-standing items — they are installed as part of the workshop during construction or as upgrades. A Tier 2 Crafters Guild workshop has a Common Preparation Bench; upgrading a private workshop to Tier 3 with the Alchemical Lab specialization installs a Distillation Bench automatically.
Workshop Quality Bonuses¶
Workshop tier adds a quality uplift on top of the crafter's base quality roll:
| Workshop Tier | Quality Uplift |
|---|---|
| Tier 0 (field) | None |
| Tier 1 (basic) | +5% chance of reaching next quality band |
| Tier 2 (established) | +12% chance of reaching next quality band |
| Tier 3 (advanced) | +20% chance of reaching next quality band; unlocks Superior as the achievable ceiling |
| Tier 4 (master) | +30% chance of reaching next quality band; unlocks Exceptional as the achievable ceiling |
The uplift applies to the crafter's skill band roll. A skilled crafter in a Tier 4 workshop has a meaningfully higher chance of producing Exceptional output than the same crafter in a Tier 2 workshop — but an unskilled crafter still cannot produce Exceptional regardless of the workshop quality.
Workshop Economics¶
Private workshops are a meaningful investment. The return on that investment comes from:
- Producing higher-quality outputs that sell at premium prices on the market
- Charging other players for access (session fees on Established and Advanced workshops)
- Providing the guild with a supply chain advantage (cheaper, higher-quality gear for expeditions)
- Unlocking crafting progression for the owner (Master rank Crafters Guild progression may require having built or operated a Tier 3+ workshop)
Workshops do not generate passive income. They are tools, not income properties. Their value is entirely in what the player makes with them.