Crafting in the 2024+ edition is absolutely fantastic and it's worth your effort and time.
Every item listed in the PHB 2024 has its uses. Your fellow adventurers are likely proficient with various tools, but as the thief, it’s our job to make sure the party has the right tool when it matters. So get familiar with who knows what, and remind them how they can lend a hand. Remember, we’re the clever ones, right?
Fast Crafting If you’re a Crafter and have the Smith's Tools proficiency, you can knock out Ball Bearings and Caltrops by dawn. Handy for a little “morning mischief,” eh?
Artisan’s Tools
Our job is to find creative solutions for all kinds of problems, and some of these tools are indispensable.
Not only will you be able to craft essential supplies on the cheap, but with a sharp mind, you’ll be mending, making, tweaking, and sabotaging anything that needs it.
Here are my favorite picks.
Calligrapher’s Supplies: If you’ve managed to snag spellcasting, you need this. With Fast Hands, you can cast a spell and use a scroll in the same turn, since scroll use doesn’t use a spell slot. Otherwise, someone else can scribe and use scrolls—a lifesaver in tight spots. Encourage them to master it!
Tinker’s Tools: With a bit of creativity, you can rig traps, sabotage enemy weapons, jam doors, or fix a broken cart wheel. Plus, you can whip up all sorts of handy gadgets.
Woodcarver’s Tools: Think about every wooden structure you come across—doors, windows, barricades, chests. These tools make you a force against (or friend to) all things wood. Plus, crafting arrows or wooden stakes is bound to come in handy.
Smith’s Tools: If you’ve got the Crafter feat, grab these. Crafting Ball Bearings and Caltrops as you go will absolutely come in handy.
Alchemist’s Supplies: Acid is great at Tier 1, but that’s it. Unfortunately, both Acid and Alchemist’s Fire require saving throws, so you can’t sneak attack with them.
Crafting Mundane Items
Take note of everyone’s tool proficiencies and what they can craft. Give this list a glance now and then—they probably won’t remember all the ways their skills can help, but you will.
Brewing Potions
There are a lot of potions in the DMG 2024, all useful if you find them. But crafting them? Some are just too expensive. Makes me wonder who’d spend all that gold and time just to store them away for some random adventurer to find.
Some mundane potions are worth crafting, but it's best to spend your party's resources on scribing spell scrolls, if possible. You can craft similar consumables for about half the price and time."
I've listed my favorite options as such: required proficiencies, raw material costs, and time (hours or days) to craft.
Mundane: Herbalism Kit, 25 GP, and 8 Hours - Antitoxin: Can also be crafted with Brewer's Supplies. - Potion of Healing
Common: Arcana and (Alchemist’s Supplies or Herbalism Kit), 25 GP, and 20 Hours - Potion of Climbing: Walking on the ceiling can be "hanging handy." Just don’t forget to get down before the effect wears off, or you’ll have a quick descent! - Potion of Comprehension: If your wizard can’t cast ritual spells and your bard thinks he’s a blaster.
Uncommon: Arcana and (Alchemist’s Supplies or Herbalism Kit), 100 GP, and 5 Days - Oil of Slipperiness: Great for when that Harmonium monk has you in a grapple. Freedom of Movement is amazing, but don’t pour it out for just a 1st-level spell effect! Not worth 5 days of work. - Philter of Love: This must be what Astarion uses as perfume. - Potion of Poison: Tempted to slip this one into someone’s pocket…
Rare: Arcana and (Alchemist’s Supplies or Herbalism Kit), 1,000 GP, and 25 Days - Elixir of Health: Expensive, but if your cleric gets paralyzed, you’ll be glad to shove this down their throat. - Potion of Invulnerability: It’s over 9,000!
Very Rare: Arcana and (Alchemist’s Supplies or Herbalism Kit), 10,000 GP, and 75 Days - With that much gold and time, just imagine all the other possibilities that aren’t potions.
Crafting Magic Items
Now for the real fun! There’s an abundance of excellent magical items you can create. Just one thing: you’ll need Arcana skill proficiency to craft magic items. Most spellcasters will have it, but don’t be surprised if you find that you do, too.
As a thief, you’ll want Arcana if you ever make it to level 13 (a rare feat, but hey, dare to dream). Until then, make magical items anyway! Your martial artists will love you for crafting them a Flame Tongue. And don’t forget—you’re a martial artist, too! And with Tinker’s Tools, you can even craft wondrous items! Flying broom, anyone?
Spellcasters with Arcana proficiency, Carpenter’s Tools proficiency, and the corresponding spells can craft magical wands. A Wand of Magic Missile is an uncommon item, making it relatively "cheap" to craft and always handy, especially since you can use it as a Bonus Action. Or, if you're looking for something flashier, how about a Wand of Fireballs?
If more than one party member has the same tool proficiency, they can act as assistants. Crafting time is divided by the number of characters working on the item. Normally, you’re limited to one assistant, but the DM is encouraged to rule otherwise!
The combinations are endless and absolutely mind-blowing! There’s a whole world of possibilities waiting to be explored. I’ve listed my favorite magic items that I think are worth crafting at the bottom of Firemind’s Thief Handbook: Equipment. Be sure to check it out!
Crafting Magical Ammunition
This wasn't clear to me at first, so let me break it down.
You can craft Ammunition, +1, +2, or +3 if you have proficiency in Arcana and Woodcarver's Tools. Since these items are consumable, you craft them at half the usual cost and time. Crafting Ammunition +1 takes 5 days and costs 100 GP. So they might be worth it; the others aren’t.
On the other hand, Walloping Ammunition is totally worth crafting! It takes 2.5 days and costs 25 GP to make, but with a 25% chance to knock down an enemy spellcaster or rogue, it sets up the perfect opportunity for the monk to pummel them to death—especially since you're already shooting at them. Totally worth the investment!
If you carefully read the ammo description, you’ll see that they typically come in bundles of ten or twenty, with ten pieces of ammunition being roughly equivalent to the value of a potion. So, it’s safe to assume you can craft them in batches of ten.
And if anyone asks whether the ammo bonus stacks with your weapon’s magic bonus—yes, it does! Jeremy Crawford says so.
This post is part of Firemind’s Thief Handbook: 2024+ Edition—a comprehensive guide for the Thief subclass.
Crafting in the 2024+ edition is absolutely fantastic and it's worth your effort and time.
Every item listed in the PHB 2024 has its uses. Your fellow adventurers are likely proficient with various tools, but as the thief, it’s our job to make sure the party has the right tool when it matters. So get familiar with who knows what, and remind them how they can lend a hand. Remember, we’re the clever ones, right?
First, check out these 2024+ rules:
- FREE: Equipment: Crafting
- PHB: Equipment: Crafting
- PHB: Feats: Crafter
- DMG: Treasure: Crafting Magic Items
Fast Crafting
If you’re a Crafter and have the Smith's Tools proficiency, you can knock out Ball Bearings and Caltrops by dawn. Handy for a little “morning mischief,” eh?
Artisan’s Tools
Our job is to find creative solutions for all kinds of problems, and some of these tools are indispensable.
Not only will you be able to craft essential supplies on the cheap, but with a sharp mind, you’ll be mending, making, tweaking, and sabotaging anything that needs it.
Here are my favorite picks.
Calligrapher’s Supplies: If you’ve managed to snag spellcasting, you need this. With Fast Hands, you can cast a spell and use a scroll in the same turn, since scroll use doesn’t use a spell slot. Otherwise, someone else can scribe and use scrolls—a lifesaver in tight spots. Encourage them to master it!
Tinker’s Tools: With a bit of creativity, you can rig traps, sabotage enemy weapons, jam doors, or fix a broken cart wheel. Plus, you can whip up all sorts of handy gadgets.
Woodcarver’s Tools: Think about every wooden structure you come across—doors, windows, barricades, chests. These tools make you a force against (or friend to) all things wood. Plus, crafting arrows or wooden stakes is bound to come in handy.
Smith’s Tools: If you’ve got the Crafter feat, grab these. Crafting Ball Bearings and Caltrops as you go will absolutely come in handy.
Alchemist’s Supplies: Acid is great at Tier 1, but that’s it. Unfortunately, both Acid and Alchemist’s Fire require saving throws, so you can’t sneak attack with them.
Crafting Mundane Items
Take note of everyone’s tool proficiencies and what they can craft. Give this list a glance now and then—they probably won’t remember all the ways their skills can help, but you will.
Brewing Potions
There are a lot of potions in the DMG 2024, all useful if you find them. But crafting them? Some are just too expensive. Makes me wonder who’d spend all that gold and time just to store them away for some random adventurer to find.
Some mundane potions are worth crafting, but it's best to spend your party's resources on scribing spell scrolls, if possible. You can craft similar consumables for about half the price and time."
I've listed my favorite options as such: required proficiencies, raw material costs, and time (hours or days) to craft.
Mundane: Herbalism Kit, 25 GP, and 8 Hours
- Antitoxin: Can also be crafted with Brewer's Supplies.
- Potion of Healing
Common: Arcana and (Alchemist’s Supplies or Herbalism Kit), 25 GP, and 20 Hours
- Potion of Climbing: Walking on the ceiling can be "hanging handy." Just don’t forget to get down before the effect wears off, or you’ll have a quick descent!
- Potion of Comprehension: If your wizard can’t cast ritual spells and your bard thinks he’s a blaster.
Uncommon: Arcana and (Alchemist’s Supplies or Herbalism Kit), 100 GP, and 5 Days
- Oil of Slipperiness: Great for when that Harmonium monk has you in a grapple. Freedom of Movement is amazing, but don’t pour it out for just a 1st-level spell effect! Not worth 5 days of work.
- Philter of Love: This must be what Astarion uses as perfume.
- Potion of Poison: Tempted to slip this one into someone’s pocket…
Rare: Arcana and (Alchemist’s Supplies or Herbalism Kit), 1,000 GP, and 25 Days
- Elixir of Health: Expensive, but if your cleric gets paralyzed, you’ll be glad to shove this down their throat.
- Potion of Invulnerability: It’s over 9,000!
Very Rare: Arcana and (Alchemist’s Supplies or Herbalism Kit), 10,000 GP, and 75 Days
- With that much gold and time, just imagine all the other possibilities that aren’t potions.
Crafting Magic Items
Now for the real fun! There’s an abundance of excellent magical items you can create. Just one thing: you’ll need Arcana skill proficiency to craft magic items. Most spellcasters will have it, but don’t be surprised if you find that you do, too.
As a thief, you’ll want Arcana if you ever make it to level 13 (a rare feat, but hey, dare to dream). Until then, make magical items anyway! Your martial artists will love you for crafting them a Flame Tongue. And don’t forget—you’re a martial artist, too! And with Tinker’s Tools, you can even craft wondrous items! Flying broom, anyone?
Spellcasters with Arcana proficiency, Carpenter’s Tools proficiency, and the corresponding spells can craft magical wands. A Wand of Magic Missile is an uncommon item, making it relatively "cheap" to craft and always handy, especially since you can use it as a Bonus Action. Or, if you're looking for something flashier, how about a Wand of Fireballs?
If more than one party member has the same tool proficiency, they can act as assistants. Crafting time is divided by the number of characters working on the item. Normally, you’re limited to one assistant, but the DM is encouraged to rule otherwise!
The combinations are endless and absolutely mind-blowing! There’s a whole world of possibilities waiting to be explored. I’ve listed my favorite magic items that I think are worth crafting at the bottom of Firemind’s Thief Handbook: Equipment. Be sure to check it out!
Crafting Magical Ammunition
This wasn't clear to me at first, so let me break it down.
You can craft Ammunition, +1, +2, or +3 if you have proficiency in Arcana and Woodcarver's Tools. Since these items are consumable, you craft them at half the usual cost and time. Crafting Ammunition +1 takes 5 days and costs 100 GP. So they might be worth it; the others aren’t.
On the other hand, Walloping Ammunition is totally worth crafting! It takes 2.5 days and costs 25 GP to make, but with a 25% chance to knock down an enemy spellcaster or rogue, it sets up the perfect opportunity for the monk to pummel them to death—especially since you're already shooting at them. Totally worth the investment!
If you carefully read the ammo description, you’ll see that they typically come in bundles of ten or twenty, with ten pieces of ammunition being roughly equivalent to the value of a potion. So, it’s safe to assume you can craft them in batches of ten.
And if anyone asks whether the ammo bonus stacks with your weapon’s magic bonus—yes, it does! Jeremy Crawford says so.