You are a blacksmith, whether you were an apprentice to a grisly dwarf deep in the mountains, a lithe and masterful elf of the forests, worked in an Orcish Warband forging crude and vicious weapons for them or a lowly Human blacksmith who made and repaired arms and armour for travellers. A hammer is your home and metal your material. You're used to having coke on your face and sweat on your brow and you've worked this trade all your life.
Your body and demeanour bear the marks of your trade and, like fine steel, your form has been wrought in the flames.
- Skill Proficiencies: Insight, Athletics or Sleight of Hand
- Tool Proficiencies: Smith's tools, Hammers
- Languages: One of your choice
- Equipment: A set of smiths tools, a hammer, a set of traveler's clothes, and a pouch containing 15 gp
Every self-taught blacksmith has a story for how they got into the art of forging metals, but no two's tale ever seems to be the same. What's worse, no two ever seem to forge the same either, each finding their own unique way of going about accomplishing what normally takes years of studying under a master from a blacksmith guild. Work with your DM to determine how you got into blacksmithing. You can select a style from the Smithing Style table, roll randomly, or create your own.
| d10 | Smithing Style |
|---|---|
| 1 | Wild and reckless, you create more scrap material than you do items |
| 2 | Ten thousand strikes, you're methodical to a fault and overly delicate in your craft. |
| 3 | Tinkering and exploratory, you're always trying to build added complexities into everything |
| 4 | Speed over all else, the shape may not be perfect but your goods are always available far faster than anyone else |
| 5 | Necessity, you only ever use the bare minimum to make the bare minimum |
| 6 | Playful, you manage to make a toy out of even the sharpest of blades |
| 7 | Pure strength, you force your creations to bend to your hammering blows |
| 8 | Replication, if you've seen it you can make it, but you can't make much else |
| 9 | Craft, forging is an art and your creations masterpieces |
| 10 | Mastery, you've spent all your time making and remaking a single item until it is pure perfection |
Before you knew how to use a hammer, you spent months just holding and swinging them. It was your tool, your defence against robbers, and the key to your dreams. Now the hammer's your most trusted tool, and the feel of one in your hand brings about a sense of calm and focus. No matter what the hammer is, you know how to wield it. You have proficiency with all hammers.
All hammers gain the finesse trait when wielded by you.
Any non-weapon hammers can be used as improvised weapons with the trait finesse. They deal 1d4 + DEX or STR modifier bludgeoning damage on hit.
Suggested Characteristics
Blacksmiths are seen as people with hard personalities, but like the metal which they work, they can be soft under the right conditions. Some blacksmiths have sweet or even soft-natured personality traits, you just have to get to know them.
| d8 | Personality Trait |
|---|---|
| 1 | Everything I do is to the best of my abilities, you could say that I'm something of a perfectionist. |
| 2 | My work is my family's legacy, I must honor them with it. |
| 3 | I know that my work should be my pride but the money does do well to grease the wheels. |
| 4 | My tools are mine to use. If you touch them, I touch you...hard...and multiple times. |
| 5 | All things are made, all things can be unmade. I tend to break things to see how they work. |
| 6 | I am always fiddling with something in my hands. |
| 7 | My work is my identity, I want it to outlive me. |
| 8 | There's nothing better than a cold drink after a hot day at the forge. |
| d6 | Ideal |
|---|---|
| 1 | Greed. My skills are scarce, and my price should reflect it. (Evil) |
| 2 | Creativity. Those who create do so for a purpose, but those who destroy do so out of malice. (Good) |
| 3 | Equality. I don't mind if you are evil or good. If u want equipment I will make it. (Neutral) |
| 4 | Equity. Everything that I make is my best work, and I always charge a fair price for it. (Lawful) |
| 5 | Ambition. I aspire to be the best at my trade. (Any) |
| 6 | Liberty. The freedom to create should be supported and protected, everyone should be left to their own pursuits. (Chaotic) |
| d6 | Bond |
|---|---|
| 1 | The workshop where I learned my trade is the most important place in the world to me. |
| 2 | I created a great work for someone, and then found them unworthy to receive it. I’m still looking for someone worthy. |
| 3 | I owe someone a great debt for giving me the tools and materials to first learn smithing with. |
| 4 | I pursue wealth to secure someone’s love. |
| 5 | One day I will force the artisan guilds to accept that I am a true master blacksmith. |
| 6 | I will forge the very equipment used to exact my revenge on the evil forces that destroyed my life. |
| d6 | Flaw |
|---|---|
| 1 | The red of embers is in my mind. If I am provoked, the embers turn to flame. |
| 2 | Like the metal which I work, I can be incredibly stubborn. I'd eat an anvil before i admit that I'm wrong. |
| 3 | There is always room to improve, my work is never complete. |
| 4 | I often care more about my creations than those around me. |
| 5 | Sometimes, that end of the day drink becomes two,three,seventeen...too many. |
| 6 | Marked armour has always done its job well. I don't put much stock in anyone whose armour isn't. |
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