Crafting using Knave 2e Careers

EDIT 8/18/25: This post was originally intended to be a part 1 of 2, and the second part was intended to go over pricing for crafting. But I really couldn't come up with anything terribly complicated, so I've just attached it to the end of this post and revised the conclusion. I have also removed the ability to create magic items, this crafting system only really works for the mundane.

The more I run Knave 2e, the more I keep finding places it lacks things I want and need. Some of the time this is frustrating, but I'm finding mostly it gives me fun opportunities to find or homebrew procedures the way I think they should work. Crafting has come up in the campaign I'm running in the last few sessions, so in the moment I adjudicated a very simplistic and not terribly interesting procedure to handle it. Now I think I have the fundamental structure of a much better defined procedure that's still vibes-based enough to be fun for all of us. Also, while I am designing this for Knave 2e, this procedure should work just fine with any system that allows trained professions or careers. Or you can link it to character class or background, such as allowing a Magic User from OSE to consider Alchemy one of their careers.

Crafting for Knave 2e

As an overview, this procedure will have the GM set a Target Number which a player will roll a d6 against. Then subtract the roll's result from the Target Number, and this difference is the number of days it will take to craft the item. Let's jump in to the details.

Crafting an item costs one half of that item's price rounded down for all requisite materials. Thusly crafting common items costs 2 coins, while crafting an uncommon item costs 10c. Discuss with your players and use your best judgement for items whose costs are not listed.

Crafting an item requires the GM to set a Target Number, which is equal to the sum of applicable modifiers from the lists below.

Choose only the largest applicable modifier from this category
  • +0 if the item is too small to take up an inventory slot
  • +1 if the item fits in 1 inventory slot
  • +2 if the item fits in 2 inventory slots
  • +3 if the item must be carried by at least two people
  • +4 if the item must be carried by at least 3 people
  • +5 if the item is as large as a cart
  • +6 if the item is as large as a shed
  • +7 (or more at the GM's discretion) if the item is larger than any of these categories
Add all of the following which apply from this category
  • +1 if the item is Common
  • +2 if the item is Uncommon
  • +4 if the item is Rare
  • +3 if the item is a weapon
  • +4 if the item is a piece of armor
  • +1 if the item is mostly cloth, fiber, or mundane hide
  • +2 if the item is mostly wood or unconventional hide
  • +3 if the item is mostly mundane metal
  • +4 if the item is mostly glass
  • +8 if the item is mostly unconventional metal (meteorite ore, adamantium, etc.)
  • +3 if the item has moving parts or machinery
  • +4 if the PC is untrained in a related career
  • +2 if the PC is trained in a related career but not the specific career required
  • -1 if the item is perishable or disposable by nature (this does not apply just because of the fact that all things technically deteriorate over time, especially not to weapons or armor)
The Player attempting to craft may choose to apply one Positive trait and/or one Negative trait from the following by applying its modifier to the Target Number (borrowed from Errant's Tinkering procedure.) However, the player may not choose two properties which are the inverse of each other such as Durable and Frail or Efficient and Unwieldy. If the PC is untrained in any careers related to the item they are making, they may not apply a Positive trait to the item. In addition, they must randomly determine one negative trait from the list below to grant the item, but they do not get to apply its modifier to the Target Number. 

Positive Traits

  • +2: Durable. The item is made stronger or more resistant to breakage
  • +2: Sophisticated. The item is made more aesthetically pleasing, more complex, or gains additional functions
  • +2: Efficient. The item is made quicker to use, deploy or recover
  • +2: Potent. The item is made stronger or more effective at its primary function

Negative Traits

  • -2: Frail. The item becomes more fragile or high maintenance
  • -2: Crude. The item becomes less aesthetically pleasing, simpler, or worse at it's primary function
  • -2: Unwieldy. The item becomes cumbersome, slow, or laborious to use
  • -2: Ineffective. The item becomes weaker or less effective at its primary function
Additional help may be contributed by other PCs or NPCs if they are trained in a related career. Additional contributors each give -1 to the Target Number. The Player Character which has initiated crafting is considered to be doing most of the work, meaning that any additional contributors are not required to use up their downtime actions to help.

Once the Target Number has been determined, the player rolls a d6. Subtract the result of the d6 from the Target number, and treat any number less than 1 as 1. The resulting number is how many days it will take them to craft the item.

Optional

  • You may allow players to craft logical groups of items as one batch, such as allowing them to consider 20 arrows as "1 item" for the purposes of crafting. Calculate the cost of materials based on the constituent items as individual units. Crafting 1 arrow costs 2 coins, so crafting a batch of 20 should cost 40 coins, not 50, but would require only a single crafting action.
  • You may require players to acquire use of needed tools or facilities before they may attempt to craft an item.

Conclusion

The thing I like most about this procedure is that it guarantees an item gets made. The cost is simply time and materials, and potentially gaining a negative trait if the crafter is untrained. Rolling repeatedly for success seems so defeating for the player, and I feel that if someone is trained in a career at least related to the item, then they should at the very least ensure the item will get made. The thing I like second most is that it ties crafting directly to careers, thusly incentivizing PCs to invest in career training. So far in my game the players haven't felt the need to use or train any careers, so I'm hoping this carrot will entice them.

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