The Craftsmen of Adventure: Trades and Mysteries [ D&D5e ] | Review

And here is our review of The Craftsmen of Adventure: Trades and Mysteries, a supplement for D&D5e by Master Frank, whom we thank for providing us with a copy.

In this manual we venture into the world of crafting and the creation of many magical and non-magical items for our campaigns. Also available to you on YouTube is a wonderful presentation to help you better understand if this is a topic for you. Should any further doubts remain, don’t worry: read this article to the end and you will surely find the answer to your questions.

You can find it on sale here for $19.99 digitally, $29.99 in the physical edition or $48.99 for the deluxe edition. There are also some manual bundles available for those interested in a larger purchase.

Materials and Grading

How many of you have happened to create stories and campaigns that included particular items for your adventurers but could not estimate, for instance, the creation time? The Craftsmen of Adventure: Trades and Mysteries comes to our rescue both in terms of timing and the materials we will need.

For this reason we will have five different gradations of materials, starting from the most common to the legendary ones. Not all the craftsmen we will find in our world will know how to work any material correctly! The higher the gradation number, the more difficult it will be for us to find someone who can handle it accurately. For example, easily available wrought iron will have grade 1, while we will hardly find a grade 5 material, as it is mostly found in local folklore.

We also have as many as twelve different types of Makers, subdivided into Artisans, Concoctors and Mystics depending on their job specialisation.

Review of The Craftsmen of Adventure: Trades and Mysteries – Artisans

Artisans are those who transform the materials at their disposal to create, improve or repair objects. They will start from an apprentice rank and then continue their journey towards the path of master first and grandmaster as the last stage. Clearly, depending on the level reached, creations will progress from the Fundamental to the Legendary. Thanks to the precise tables within these pages, we will discover the value and grade of the materials required for each item. So to create a simple dagger, even an Apprentice will do and we will use grade 1 materials. To create a Creature Scourge instead, we should be able to find a Grandmaster and use grade 5 materials in addition to the legendary Arcanium.

Types of Artisans

In this manual we will find 4 different types of Artisans: Ironwrought, Leatherwright, Woodsmith and Jewelcaster.

Ironwrought is the craftsman who works in the forge. Due to his skills in working with metal, he is best suited for creating and adjusting weapons and armour.

Leatherwright is the one to turn to for clothes, boots and even grimoire covers. If you want clothing that is acid-proof, fire-proof or water-resistant, you will have to turn to him.

Woodsmith is much more than the person who makes furniture. In a fantasy world, he who can work with wood will have the skills to create weapons and musical instruments for the best of bards. With a bit of luck, he will also be able to build means of transport to speed your travels. Needless to say, very useful if you are in a campaign against vampires.

Jewelcaster is the ultimate master of precision. He designs new emblems and symbols, cuts and polishes the most diverse stones and gems and sometimes implements them into weapons and armour. He is also the only craftsman who can recycle his creations by dismantling previously used gems.

There is no adventure where you don’t have to turn to an artisan, and the 20 pages dedicated to them will help you better define your negotiations.

Review of The Craftsmen of Adventure: Trades and Mysteries – Mystics

There is an ancient art handed down for the use of gems in addition to that of goldsmiths: those who think of gems as mere ornaments to be flaunted have not understood their immense potential in a fantasy world. A mystic is therefore a character who understands the various meanings of magic and is able to benefit from the channelling powers of stones. But let us look together at the various meanings of the Mystic, considering his lowest level as Neophyte until he reaches the highest peak of his path: the Keeper of the Traditions.

We have at our disposal four types of mystic: Arcanist, Crimson Harvester, the Runomancer and Mystic Tattooist.

Types of Mystic: Arcanist and the Crimson Harvester

Arcanists are very controversial spellcasters: assuming that magic is all around us, they use gems as a conduit to drain the essence of other creatures and obtain their power for their benefit. Of course, there are risks. One must pass an Arcane test to be sure that the stone’s rank is at least at the same level as that of the target, or the gem will explode and inflict a great deal of damage.

Crimson Harvester tap into dark forces, creating their own gems from the blood of dead creatures. The life fluid of a pierced creature is said to carry the emotions associated with the last moments of its life. Therefore, ingesting or breaking them can release that feeling or infuse it into a weapon temporarily. Having this kind of Mystic in your group will always leave you in doubt as to whether you are its next target.

Types of Mystic: Runomancer and Mystic Tattooist

Runomancer carve runes on gems and infuse them with one of the four elements. Using a gem infused with a fire rune can, for example, burn out the target’s eyes. A water gem might specialise in healing spells, an earth gem create cracks in the ground, and an air gem make one invisible. But don’t be fooled: their creation can be time-consuming and although the gems thus obtained can be really useful in the course of the adventure, it won’t always be so easy to find the time to create them.

Mystic Tattooists make their bodies the greatest vector of power. By crushing and turning the gems into powder, you can mix them with ink and then create a mixture to divert the flow of mystical energy during rituals. If you want unnatural strength, to increase your defences or even to make a weapon appear in your hands just by touching your tattoos, this is the path for you.

Review of The Craftsmen of Adventure: Trades and Mysteries – Concoctors

What would a Fantasy world be without someone who mixes substances and herbs in order to create ever more potent potions for your adventures?

This is the case with the Concoctors, divided in this manual into Alchemester, Herbwarden, Epicurious and Shadoweaver.

Alchemesters and Herbwardens

Alchemester is par excellence the one who likes to create concoctions by transforming materials in the preparation of magic potions. Starting from the rank of novice up to that of scholar, with his experiments he will succeed in creating potions such as Greek Fire up to Universal Glue, a special adhesive capable of holding two objects together as if they had been fused together. The only way to sever this bond will be the Universal Solvent, again created by a scholar at the highest level.

Herbwardens, on the other hand, are scholars of plants with magical and medicinal properties. They will use their knowledge to create tisanes, teas, ointments, creams and tinctures. The more complex their creations, the more time they will obviously need to create them. We will thus go from a simple anti-toxin that will help us in our saving throws against poison (at a cost of about 50 gold coins), to the much more complex druidic cream of Marsdenia, with exceptional regenerative properties (at the modest price of 1,500 gold coins).

Epicurious and Shadoweaver

Shadoweavers are the poison creators par excellence. Their creations can only be used by members of the Order of Veiled Darkness. No matter whether they are poisons for use on weapons, for contact, for handling or for inhalation: the Shadow Weavers will know which is best to use. Of course they will also be able to create antidotes to such poisons. A grade 1 poison or toxin will simply make us weaker (such as Assassin’s Blood), but grade 4 ones can kill us on the spot (such as Viverna’s poison).

Epicurious deal with one of the most underrated aspects of combining ingredients, namely cooking. Why limit ourselves to creating simple rations when we can use the very creatures we have just faced to create our meal? Not only will this optimise our resources, but we will also gain great benefits: from temporary regeneration, to walking on walls, to telepathy, we will discover how seemingly disgusting dishes can save our skin. Of course, there is a small chance of ending up poisoned by our own dinners, but then again, that’s the adventure!

Conclusions of The Craftsmen of Adventure Review

The manual is full of hints and tables to support you during the creation of your entire adventure. Despite the various trades meticulously explained within this manual, it is my duty to warn you that you will find very light stats to adapt them as playable options for your characters. If someone within your campaign wishes to take this path, he can simply choose to be an apprentice in a discipline and increase in rank as the levels go by. At 12th level, he will already have attained the title of Grand Master. Beyond this very quickly covered aspect, you will find everything you need to fully understand the creation of any type of object in depth.

The manual has an excellent aesthetic, approaching that of the official D&D manuals. Its layout and readability are excellent. The images inside, however, were all created using artificial intelligence.

All in all, it proves to be a purchase worth considering if you often find yourself wondering what price is right or how much time you need for an item that could turn the fate of your characters around.

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