Least to Greatest Blacksmiths

Hey everyone, I noticed that there is a lot of races and monsters in D&D that are said to be master blacksmiths. But D&D doesn't specify which one of the races/monsters that exist are actually the best smith's in all the realms and dimensions. Anytime I've tried looking into it, every race/monster that read about is said to be a master and their craft is unmatched by others. So I've been wanting to hear from others what race/monster is known to be from least to greatest at blacksmithing all in all.

Sure there may be individuals who are better than other races at crafting, but I want to know what race/monsters are known to be the best at blacksmithing in all the realms of D&D.

So please, tell me your opinions.

Hm, I'd say there's a spectrum. For sheer metalwork, in my games, it's the dwarves. But then there's crafting in stuff that isn't metal (not smithing, I know), for which I'd say elves. Elven blades are made from glass, you know. So, not smithing, but in direct competition with metalwork. And then there's enchanting. Both elves and dwarves are good at this, but by their natures, they have certain limitations that - again, in my games - other creatures do not. For instance, magic is much more naturally abundant on the inner and outer planes. So, as an example, Azer or Salamanders would be the top tier guys to go to if you wanted a flame enchanted weapon.

So, TLDR: No clear answer =)

I would tend to categorize different things to different craftsmen based on culture.

Dwarves make incredible heavy armor that moves well and their weapons are great heavy weapons with ornate decorations thematic to dwarves.

Elves make incredible medium armor, particularly when mithril is used.  It is light but wears so well you hardly notice it is on.  Their weapons include blades of all lengths and longbows of elegance and function.

Orcs make incredible heavy armor without ornate designs, but the form and fit is very menacing while not adding encumbrance.  Their weapons include things with spikes and they are very well balanced and the grip is especially comfortable and functional so that the user rarely loses their proper grip.  They also tend to make the handle with a spike that can strike from that end too.

Half-Elves make the best pieces of wooden craftsmanship.  They make fantastic pieces of splint armor of leather and wood that fit and move well.  They likewise make the best quarterstaves and crossbows.  Their longbows are high quality but lack some of the Elvish top tier decorations.  They also make a special fluted arrow shaft that reduces drag like dimples on a golf ball.

Gnomes make incredible crossbows that are unusually light and have beautiful metal fittings.  They are also known for the best scale armor with all the links and plates shimmering like a piece of fabric.

Dragonborn make exquisite heavy armor for creatures with tails.  They also make special war shields with spikes that can be used as weapons along the perimeter.  A special fighting technique is employed to make use of the shield in this way.

Those are some examples of how you might approach it.  The masters have a niche where they are unusually great standouts.

Sticking strictly with smiths ( metal workers), least is easy - all the various races that don’t have metalworking as a known skill and use various stone/bone/ etc or found/taken (metal) objects and weapons - all tied for worst since they have no (official) ability.*  Best is somewhat different, the reality ( yes I know it’s a fantasy game relax) the materials themselves limit what is possible to do with them (you are never going to hammer iron into sheets as thin as gold leaf). Yes magic can help but given that all species are bound by the same  10 levels of magical power that negates the effects magic might have had on this question. So realistically all the different species listed as “great smiths” are pretty much equal as they are skilled enough to take the metals and magic to their natural limits. Their styles are different but the actual quality of their mastersmith’s products are the same.

May steal this <3 no homo

Fire Giants are also referred as master crafters. I don't know exactly where they fall in the great spectrum of skill, but they're listed as the best of the giants as artisans.

 I want a character who reigns supreme at pumping out powerful weapons and armor. I want it to be this guy’s sole purpose so recommended me any spells, abilities , and feats that fit and improve his skill in smithing. Obviously forge cleric or Battlesmith artificer would probably work best but im open to other ideas. https://omegle****/  

Quote from kesarswet >>

 I want a character who reigns supreme at pumping out powerful weapons and armor. I want it to be this guy’s sole purpose so recommended me any spells, abilities , and feats that fit and improve his skill in smithing. Obviously forge cleric or Battlesmith artificer would probably work best but im open to other ideas.

 This has a high chance of being a very one dimensional character and can also very easily lead into "unplayable" build. But of course if you want you can take e.g.

• Mending (cantrip)
• Crafter (origin feat)
• Skilled (feat)
• Prodigy (feat)
• Guild Artisan (background 2014 rules)
• Artisan (background 2024 rules, comes with Crafter)

I would keep an open mind about what a character is interested in. I doubt your DM will allow you to pump out legendary tier items from every mundane scrap metal you find, so defining your character as someone "who reigns supreme pumping out powerful weapons and armor" can cause a bit of friction between expectations and reality. At least I wouldn't allow my players to be constantly crafting powerful gear. I don't mind crafting, but they need to do some work for their crafting as well.

To my mind, it depends on what you define as best.

For example, the Dwarves I Imagine are extremely good at function - whilst they may inscribe decoration to their craft, I don't expect to go to a dwarven smith for a rapier with fine basketwork on the handle - it doesn't feel right. Goblins or Kobolds, on the other hand, might make things which are less pleasant, but extremely effective - I doubt anyone can make razorwire like a Kobold smith.

I would say that it seems Elves always sound like they become the best.  Maybe this is attributed to their long lives, so they can practice and learn more from the time available to research and learn from top tier craftsmen.

But, I tend to think the masters in each race dominate specific types of armor or weapons that match the physiology of their culture.  The best may be able to adapt their favored form to the physiology of a particular customer, but as an example, "finding" Heavy Armor of Dwarven fashioning the proper size for an human or elf would be extraordinarily rare.  If such a thing happened, it seems the markings and accessories would betray who the piece(s) were particularly made for.

I would see Dwarves dominate in heavy armor and shorter weapons, although they may be able to make a hammer or war axe that strikes heavier than its length would indicate.

I would expect Humans to have masters of steel armor and weapons that are mass produced, so that high quality armor of human fashion would be much more common.  Likewise for weapons, they would be much more prolific than the other races because they find themselves having to outfit large armies in short order.  Therefore their fine weapons would be found more often.

Elves would likely be the dominant craftsmen in mithril of any sort, and because mithril is used, the finest craftsmen are sought to make the item.  This causes fine Elven steel weapons to be rarer because those craftsmen are working in other materials.  Elves tend to have very well balanced bladed weapons, with a distinct look of tree branches and leaves.  Their longbows are light, powerful and ornate.  They do not favor crossbows, so when an Elvish made crossbow is found, it is notable.  Likewise, maces, flails, morningstars are unusual Elven weapons.  Elven armor wears well distributing the weight comfortably on an elven or human sized figure.  It typically has more pieces, but they are fashioned to work a a single piece.  As an example, an Elven Cuirass might be made from three pieces, but they are worn as a single piece.

Humans may also be known for more leather armors and their derivatives among the taller races because of the necessity of armoring large groups on short notice.

In my setting, Half-Elves have a distinct culture that is shared by the humans and Elves that choose to live with them.  With that culture comes their own architecture, art, etc.  They are masters of making medium armors because they developed an appreciation for fighting as skirmishers and therefore value mobility.  In their style, they have armors with curved formed plates secured to leather woven shirts.  While giving us a small amount of vulnerable points, the reduction of weight and improved mobility are noticeable to the wearer.  In bows, they have a distinct fashion to the connection of the bowstring to the wood that they find improves the fatigue on the arm when the arrow is released.  These Half-Elven bows are found in long bows and short bows, and they have developed a style called the compound bow.  Their artwork tends to be more geometric than Elven fashion, but not slavishly related to octagons as in the Dwarven fashion.

I see Orcs as masters of fashioning armor and weapons from stone and wood.-  In my vision, orcs are averse to going underground and they consider that the work of slaves and paid miners.  Therefore orcs are masters of stonework.  They know how to make stone pieces into garments by overlaying them on fabric or leather shirts and leggings.  They know how to make weapons binding stones to stout oak or hickory handles.  When Orcish weapons have metal, particularly steel, it is added and tight bands wrapped around the piece for added strength.  This reduces the weight and makes to most use of the limited steel they usually have available.  But Orcs have no objection to grabbing your weapon and using it.  An Elven weapon acquired as a trophy might get hammered up a bit to obscure the Elven delicate features.

Dragonborn have a distinct scale look to their equipment.  As a result, the "surfaces" tend to look like scales, but they also tend to have borders with distinct clean borders needed to support the edge of the scales.

Gnomes favor leather and wooden armor and weapons.  But they use metal in mechanism so their crossbows are high quality.  Normal Gnome crossbows are too small to be useful to anything larger than an halfling.  The same is true for other weapons because their handles are just not the right size to work in adult humanoid hands.  Many others just melt gnome items down to remake things in their own scale.  This makes Gnome made weapons and armor a bit rarer than you might expect.