Making trade tool proficiency feel more useful is something I've wondered about for a while, mostly because some of my players have taken up things like multiple instruments, or weird stuff like carpentry or glass blowing. The reason I thought it was finally time to ask for help is I have just had a new play ask to join our campaign with an artifactor. I don't know much about them, but they seemed cool, so I allowed it. However, he has chosen a lot of these tool proficiencies, and even taken a feat which added three more than he would have normally started with!
I'm kinda excited to have a player at the table who already has a strong idea of who his character is.. a craftsman skilled in many areas, but I'm struggling to think of how I can help make him feel like this character can shine. I run a semi open-worldish homebrew campaign, so it's not all kicking down doors and killing monsters, but thinking of ideas on how he can get the most out of cobblers tools and painters supplies is really leaving me stumped.
To make any facet of the game "more satisfying", I think you need to make it more significant to game play. If a Player has the ability to do X well, and doing X well is beneficial in the game, then doing X is more satisfying.
It's always cool when a Player makes a facet of the rules more significant to Role Playing, but does that happen that often in the case of tool proficiencies, and does it happen consistently or well?
You could either expand out the proficiencies so that they accomplish meaningful tasks in the game, convey significant bonuses to general skill rolls in some cases, or alternatively restrict the Party's ability to do a task unless the Party contains someone who has proficiency X: you get +2 to survival rolls in territory you've been in before because Bob is a Cartographer; You can't skin the Wyvern to make armor from its scales, because you don't have leather-working, etc.
I'm not sure how well the latter works; people are usually unhappy if you take something away from them - and I have no idea how you'd extend this to things like musical instruments.
Edit: I didn't see Davedamon's post until I posted, but scanning Xanathar's , this is more-or-less what it does there, and it gives some concrete examples.
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Ahh, Xanathars. Probably the best resource I've bought from WotC other than the PHB. I forgot it had a section on tools and possible uses. I feel like this is something I should be also sharing with him, since it might come off a bit strange for me to directly suggest he makes a hidden compartment in his shoes with the cobblers kit.
As far as adventuring goes though, I might have to deliberately start designing hidden walls specifically made of stone for his masonry proficiency, and etc etc.
Could also come in handy for a few random encouters.
Cant remember where I read it, but the idea of having a broke cart in the middle of the road. First of make it seem to be an ambush. (Bit of tension) Then turns out just someone on their way to places but cart broke, either carpenter or blacksmith tools to help mend the cart so they don't have to abandon it. Obviously have an answer that doesn't need either of those just so it doesn't look too put on.
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I think tools are a really cool thing to use, but my players never really remember them unless its the disguise kit! Ultimately to use tools more often you need your players to make sure they suggest using their tools to solve a problem, rather than you proposing it as DM.
I'm playing a character with woodcarver's tools in my current campaign, and I'm constantly finding uses for it, although a lot of them are pretty minor. One thing that's come up more than once is having a cart get damaged and the character was able to use his tool proficiency to repair the cart. At another point the Cleric needed to bless water to cleanse a haunted forge (long story), but we didn't have enough water on us. Luckily, our Bard knew Create Food and Water, but we didn't have any containers to keep the water in... so my character had to basically take apart some wooden furniture and put it back together into a crude barrel, and managed to roll high enough that it didn't just spring a huge leak. Other than that, the character regularly carves small wooden figurines that he gifts to others... mostly kids, since they'd appreciate them more. I could probably sell them as well for a bit of extra cash, but honestly it works best as a way to endear the character to others.
Making trade tool proficiency feel more useful is something I've wondered about for a while, mostly because some of my players have taken up things like multiple instruments, or weird stuff like carpentry or glass blowing. The reason I thought it was finally time to ask for help is I have just had a new play ask to join our campaign with an artifactor. I don't know much about them, but they seemed cool, so I allowed it. However, he has chosen a lot of these tool proficiencies, and even taken a feat which added three more than he would have normally started with!
I'm kinda excited to have a player at the table who already has a strong idea of who his character is.. a craftsman skilled in many areas, but I'm struggling to think of how I can help make him feel like this character can shine. I run a semi open-worldish homebrew campaign, so it's not all kicking down doors and killing monsters, but thinking of ideas on how he can get the most out of cobblers tools and painters supplies is really leaving me stumped.
I would suggest starting with checking out all the optional tool uses found in Xanathar's Guide to Everything
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To make any facet of the game "more satisfying", I think you need to make it more significant to game play. If a Player has the ability to do X well, and doing X well is beneficial in the game, then doing X is more satisfying.
It's always cool when a Player makes a facet of the rules more significant to Role Playing, but does that happen that often in the case of tool proficiencies, and does it happen consistently or well?
You could either expand out the proficiencies so that they accomplish meaningful tasks in the game, convey significant bonuses to general skill rolls in some cases, or alternatively restrict the Party's ability to do a task unless the Party contains someone who has proficiency X: you get +2 to survival rolls in territory you've been in before because Bob is a Cartographer; You can't skin the Wyvern to make armor from its scales, because you don't have leather-working, etc.
I'm not sure how well the latter works; people are usually unhappy if you take something away from them - and I have no idea how you'd extend this to things like musical instruments.
Edit: I didn't see Davedamon's post until I posted, but scanning Xanathar's , this is more-or-less what it does there, and it gives some concrete examples.
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Disclaimer: This signature is a badge of membership in the Forum Loudmouth Club. We are all friends. We are not attacking each other. We are engaging in spirited, friendly debate with one another. We may get snarky, but these are not attacks. Thank you for not reporting us.
Ahh, Xanathars. Probably the best resource I've bought from WotC other than the PHB. I forgot it had a section on tools and possible uses. I feel like this is something I should be also sharing with him, since it might come off a bit strange for me to directly suggest he makes a hidden compartment in his shoes with the cobblers kit.
As far as adventuring goes though, I might have to deliberately start designing hidden walls specifically made of stone for his masonry proficiency, and etc etc.
Could also come in handy for a few random encouters.
Cant remember where I read it, but the idea of having a broke cart in the middle of the road. First of make it seem to be an ambush. (Bit of tension) Then turns out just someone on their way to places but cart broke, either carpenter or blacksmith tools to help mend the cart so they don't have to abandon it. Obviously have an answer that doesn't need either of those just so it doesn't look too put on.
All posts come with the caveat that I don't know what I'm talking about.
I think tools are a really cool thing to use, but my players never really remember them unless its the disguise kit! Ultimately to use tools more often you need your players to make sure they suggest using their tools to solve a problem, rather than you proposing it as DM.
I'm playing a character with woodcarver's tools in my current campaign, and I'm constantly finding uses for it, although a lot of them are pretty minor. One thing that's come up more than once is having a cart get damaged and the character was able to use his tool proficiency to repair the cart. At another point the Cleric needed to bless water to cleanse a haunted forge (long story), but we didn't have enough water on us. Luckily, our Bard knew Create Food and Water, but we didn't have any containers to keep the water in... so my character had to basically take apart some wooden furniture and put it back together into a crude barrel, and managed to roll high enough that it didn't just spring a huge leak. Other than that, the character regularly carves small wooden figurines that he gifts to others... mostly kids, since they'd appreciate them more. I could probably sell them as well for a bit of extra cash, but honestly it works best as a way to endear the character to others.
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