The Blacksmith

Workers by trade, a blacksmith is able to do marvelous things with their forged metals. People of all walks of life come to them to request their services. Whether it be for a weapon, armour, or something as simple as a new fire poker, a capable blacksmith can create just about anything. But a truly accomplished smith can make something better than it already is. With their tools in hand, blacksmiths are able to not only make and create, but they can improve what has already been made.

Blacksmiths are masters of metalworking, making everything from nails and horseshoes to kettles and weapons. As such, they are the warrior and adventurer's best friend, because they pro duke, repair, and modify weapons and armor. This brings the profession in constant contact with a never ending array of interesting people, which makes the average Blacksmith a great source of rumors, legends, and other interesting talk. Like a bartender, just about anything worth hearing goes through the local Smith at one point or another, which makes him a worthy person for adventurers to stop by and see when they are looking for that vital clue or bit of info to put them on the right track. This is especially true when it comes to rumors about war, soldiers, mercenaries, pirates and the military and militia in the area, as well as trouble with bandits and buildup of local forces. Likewise, they are likely to know about bounties (and bounty hunters) and conflicts with bandits and monsters.

Blacksmiths tend to be asked to refrain from any actual combat because they are considered too valuable to get themselves killed. For they are more important to the towns people than any adventurer. It is the Blacksmith who shoes animals and makes tools, knives, axes, shovels, pots, pans, and other utensils, nails, door hinges, locks, bolts, and metal pieces and items of all kinds. Most comply with that request, but there is a special breed of Warrior Smith who has a special love of forging specialty weapons and armour and who likes a good brawl, battle, or adventure from time to time. These Smiths know everything there is to know about weapons and armour: how to kill with them, repair them, or forge them anew.

Even those who don't go adventuring are strong, powerfully built individuals who can usually account well for themselves in a fight.

Goods & Services

Downtime Activities:

Blacksmiths will spend time teaching other apprentices and Journeymen Blacksmiths new skills Either for a price or to gain further knowledge and proficiency with tools and techniques. Such training sessions typically take at least ten work-weeks (50 days). The Smith typically charges 25 SP. per workweek for his lessons, unless ofcourse he is teaching his own apprentice.

Further, a Blacksmith may rent out the use of his shop and/or tools to other smiths passing through their area. The wandering Smith must prove he is proficient with the proper tools to craft an item and know how to use the proper equipment, and of course be willing to pay.

Apprentices

An apprentice is bound by contract entered into service with a Master Craftsman. The Master agrees to house and instruct the apprentice in the craft as well as supply the apprentice with a kit of tools at the completion of the apprenticeship. The apprentice is legaly "bound" as a laborer to the Master for a period of seven years and there is often an apprenticeship fee paid by the family. This is not a free education. Besides the fee the apprentice works long hours in the Master's shop every work day for the seven years. A run-away apprentice is treated no different than a run-away slave and will be apprehended, jailed and returned to his Master. A bound apprentice is the same as a bound servant except that the apprentice is supposed to get an education. In certain situations, blacksmith apprentices go on to work for the blacksmith where they completed their apprenticeship, thus lessoning the Blacksmiths workload and doubling the establishments potential profit.

At the end of the apprenticeship the apprentice becomes a "Journeyman" and was usually provided with some sort of paperwork to indicate this status. And as the term suggests the Journeyman is expected to travel to other places to find work in their trade and to further their education. The Master presented the new Journeyman with his kit of tools (that had most likely been made by the apprentice) and he is sent off to seek his fortune. This system was highly developed and controlled by the Guilds. The Guilds has strict rules and awards certificates of apprenticeship, Journeyman and Master. After a period of time a Journeyman can apply for Master's papers by proving themselves to a group of Masters and submitting a "master piece". Only a Master with papers is permitted to take on apprentices and to teach the trade.

The apprentice system has its advantages and disadvantages. A good Master will teach the apprentice everything from the math needed to perform his tasks to business methods. However, occasionally there are abuses and Masters will use their apprentices as cheap labor and fail to teach what is required or they will mistreat the apprentice. This happens often enough that most laws regulating apprenticeships have to do with these abuses. On the other hand the apprentice may not have had a choice of trades and can find themselves bound to be a laborer in a trade they have no aptitude or interest.

A blacksmith apprentice completes a variety of job duties to support the work of blacksmiths and develop their skill levels. Here are some examples of job duties that blacksmith apprentices typically complete:

• Cleaning tools and equipment at the end of the day
• Assisting blacksmiths by handing them tools and holding objects while the sculpt pieces of metal work
• Taking measurements of pieces of metal and comparing them to original blueprints to ensure accuracy
• Organizing blacksmith tools and other necessary equipment
• Keeping an inventory of tools and advising blacksmiths when they need to purchase more supplies
• Working on construction sites alongside blacksmiths
• Hammering heated metal or steel to complete metalworking tasks under the supervision of a blacksmith
• Completing independent work to gain relevant experience and develop their own style

Blacksmith ToolKit

During the course of his apprenticeship the Apprentice Blacksmith crafts his own kit of tools that are "Owned by the Master" until the day he finishes his apprenticeship. THis giving of the kit marks his days as an Journeyman have begun. The tools in the kit as:

• Various Smithing Hammers, Planishers and Balls
• Vice hammer
• Sledgehammer
• Forge and Bellows
• Punches
• Anvil
• Chisels
• Cutters
• Tongs
• Drifts
• Files
• Protective gloves

The Blacksmith O.C.C.

Attribute Requirements: I.Q.: 6, P.E.: 12, P.S.: 14 or higher.A good P.P. is helpful, but not a necessity.
Alignment: Any
Gender: Male or Female
Race: Any
O.C.C. Bonuses: +1 to P.S., +1 to P.E., and +3D6 to S.D.C
O.C.C. Skills:

• Language: Native tongue at 98% plus two of choice (+15%)
• Mathematics: Basic (+5%)
• Athletics (General)
• Body Building and Weight Lifting
• Recognize Weapon Quality (+20%)
• Field Armorer (+20%)
• Pick Locks (+5%)
• Blacksmithing (+20%)
• Metalworking (special!): This skill enables the Blacksmith to build metal objects, panicularly weapons, armor, tools and jewelry. Hand tools, jewelry and other small objects require 1D4 days of solid effort (8 hours a day with minimal interruption). Hand weapons and light armor require 1D4 weeks of solid effort. Heavy armour requires 3D4 weeks of solid effort. On any job, the Blacksmith may double the time required to make the object for a +20% bonus on the skill roll. Adding special bonuses to weapons (for Dwarven or Kobold/Kiridoi human characters) or increasing armour S.D.C. requires a separate skill roll; any failed roll ruins the item. When adding bonuses to weapons, a separate roll is required for each additional "plus" being instilled on the weapon. Skill Ratio: 40% +5% per level of experience. Dwarven Blacksmiths get a one time +10% bonus; Kobolds get a +5% bonus.
• W.P. Blunt
• Hand to Hand: Basic. This can be changed to Hand to Hand: Expert for the cost of one "O.C.C. Realted" skill or to Hand to Hand: Martial Arts or Assassin (if evil) for the cost of three "O.C.C. Related" skills.

O.C.C. Related Skills: Select five other skills of choice at level one, plus 1 per level starting at level 2. All new skills start at Lvl. one proficiency.

• Communications: Any
• Domestic: Any (+5%)
• Espionage: Detect Concealment and Traps only.
• Horsemanship: General or Exotic Only.
• Labour: Any
• Medical: Brewing, First Aid and Holistic Medicine only.
• Military: Heraldry and Military Etiquene only.
• Naval Skills: None
• Performing Arts: Any (+10%)
• Physical: Any
• Rogue: Any (+5%)
• Science: Mathematics skills only.
• Scholar/Noble/Technical: Any (+10% on all Lore and Language skills)
• Weapon Proficiencies: Chain, Knife, Sword, Shield, Spear, StafT, Paired Weapons, and Siege Weapons only
• Wilderness: Any

Secondary Skills: Choose 6 at level 1, plus 1 per level starting at level 2. All new skills start at Lvl. one proficiency. These are additional areas of knowledge that don't get the O.C.C. bonus.

Starting Equipment: Two sets of work clothes, other clothing, boots, a pair of heavy gauntlets, a pair of heavy leather gloves, Blacksmith Kit, a set of forging hammers (3D4, 2D4 and 1D4 per strike), a set of tongs, belt, bedroll, backpack, a large sack, a small sack, a water skin, and a tinder box

Armour: Starts with a suit of studded leather (A.R. 13, S.D.C.38) for adventuring and defending his shop or the town (most smiths are in the militia), as well as a suit of soft leather (A.R. 10, S.D.C. 20; these are the leathers smiths wear for protection when working metals; it keeps away the heat and flying shards ofmetal and/or sparks).

Weapons: Starts with a pair of small but heavy hammers (2D6 damage each), a Mace (2D6 damage) or War Hammer (3D4 damage), a small knife (104; easy to hide in a belt or boot) and one weapon of choice. All are basic S.D.C. weapons of fair to good quality. Magic weapons and other equipment must be acquired later.

Money: The character starts with 350 in gold, which can be used immediately to purchase more equipment or it can be saved for later. Additional money will come from payment for jobs and/or booty