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Draw Steel skill

Craft

Craft is a skill in Draw Steel: Making and repairing ordinary items from wood, cloth, rope, glass, and other common materials.

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Key facts

Characteristic
Reason

Overview

Craft is the general maker's skill: carving a replacement handle, sewing a torn cloak, splicing a rope, building a crate that will pass as a merchant's. It is a Reason skill because it draws on knowing how things are put together. It comes up when gear breaks away from a market, when the party needs a prop for a ruse, and in downtime when a hero wants to build something specific. Specialist work with metal or leather belongs to Blacksmithing and Leather Working.

How it works

Characteristic: Reason. Skill group: Reason skills. Test: 2d10 + Reason; 11 or lower is tier 1, 12 to 16 tier 2, 17 or higher tier 3. Training grants a benefit and unlocks attempts untrained heroes cannot make. How it is used: Tier 3 produces work that holds up to inspection and use. Tier 2 works but shows its seams. Tier 1 fails under load or wastes the materials. Edges and banes: Proper tools, quality material, or a pattern to copy grants an edge (+2). Improvised tools, scrap, or a tight deadline imposes a bane (-2).

Tips and playstyle

Best for: Practical heroes who fix things, and any party planning disguises and forgeries that need physical props. Character concepts: Artisan career woodworker, Laborer who built what the crew needed, memonek tinkerer. Synergies: Engineering for anything with moving parts, Dress for costume pieces, Fletching and Blacksmithing for specialist work.

Frequently asked questions

Can Craft make weapons and armor?

Simple wooden weapons and padded gear, yes. Metal work needs Blacksmithing and hide work needs Leather Working.

How long does a Craft project take?

The Director sets it by scale. Field repairs take minutes; a convincing forged seal or a small boat takes a respite or longer.