## FULL SPECIFICATION
# TACTICAL DICE GAME SYSTEM (TDGS) - EXTENSION
# Title: Crafting System
# Version: 1.0
# Purpose: AI-readable specification for crafting items from recipes
# Target: Language models, AI assistants, game designers, developers
# License: MIT
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OVERVIEW
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Extension defining rules for crafting items from recipes in TDGS.
ESTABLISHES:
- Two-phase resolution (success, then quality)
- Quality tiers from Volatile to Masterwork
- Skill-based quality pools
- Material, tool, and time modifiers
- Batch crafting
- Failure and critical failure consequences
BUILDS ON:
- Document 1: Dice
- Document 3: Resolution
- Document 7: Abilities
- Document 12: Progression
DOES NOT REDEFINE CORE RULES.
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THE CORE MECHANIC
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Crafting uses two separate rolls: Resolution and Quality.
First, roll to see if you can complete the process at all.
Then, if successful, roll to see how well you did.
Phase | Die | Question
------------|----------|------------------------------------------
Resolution | d20 | Can you complete the crafting process?
Quality | d12 pool | What tier of item did you produce?
Resolution determines success or failure.
Quality determines the tier of the result.
These are always separate.
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RESOLUTION ROLL (PHASE 1)
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THE ROLL:
d20 + (Crafter Stat - Recipe Target) + Skill Bonus + Modifiers >= 11
TERMS:
- Crafter Stat: The relevant stat for this type of crafting
- Recipe Target: The difficulty value specified in the recipe
- Skill Bonus: From relevant crafting skill (per Doc 7)
- Modifiers: From tools, workspace, circumstances
This uses standard TDGS resolution (Doc 3). The recipe target acts as the
opposing force.
RESULTS:
Outcome | What Happens
------------------|--------------------------------------------
Success (11+) | Proceed to Quality roll
Failure (2-10) | Crafting fails, partial materials lost
Critical Fail (1) | Total failure, all materials lost, consequences
Natural 1 always fails critically.
Natural 20 succeeds and grants +2d12 to quality pool.
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QUALITY ROLL (PHASE 2)
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If you succeed at crafting, roll for quality tier.
QUALITY TIERS:
Tier | Roll | Effect
------------|------|----------------------------------
Volatile | 1 | Functions but with drawback
Rough | 2 | Basic function only
Crude | 3 | Minor penalty
Simple | 4 | Standard, no modifiers
Functional | 5 | Reliable
Decent | 6 | Slightly above average
Sound | 7 | Solid quality
Fine | 8 | Minor bonus
Superior | 9 | Notable bonus
Exceptional | 10 | Significant bonus
Exquisite | 11 | Major bonus
Masterwork | 12 | Maximum bonus plus special property
The d12 maps directly to tiers. Roll a 7, get Sound quality.
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SKILL AND QUALITY POOL
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Your crafting skill determines your quality pool size.
BASE QUALITY POOL:
Quality Pool = (Skill Level)d12, keep highest
Skill Level | Quality Pool | Expected Tier
------------|--------------|----------------------
1 (Novice) | 1d12 | ~6.5 (Decent)
2 | 2d12kh1 | ~8.5 (Fine)
3 | 3d12kh1 | ~9.5 (Superior)
4 | 4d12kh1 | ~10 (Exceptional)
5 (Master) | 5d12kh1 | ~10.5 (Exceptional+)
Higher skill doesn't guarantee masterwork - but it makes poor results
increasingly rare.
DESIGN NOTE:
The keep-highest mechanic means skill improvement primarily removes
low results rather than guaranteeing high ones. A master can still
roll poorly - it's just unlikely.
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QUALITY POOL MODIFIERS
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Several factors can add or remove dice from your quality pool.
ADDING DICE:
Source | Bonus | Limit
----------------------------|------------|-------------
Natural 20 on Resolution | +2d12 | -
Superior Materials | +1 to +3d12| Per recipe
Quality Tools | +1 to +2d12| Per tool type
Dedicated Workspace | +1d12 | One
Extra Time (x2) | +1d12 | One
Assistants | +1d12 each | Max +3d12
REMOVING DICE (minimum 1d12):
Circumstance | Penalty
----------------------|---------
Inferior Materials | -1 to -3d12
Poor/Missing Tools | -1 to -2d12
Rushed (1/2 time) | -2d12
Hostile Environment | -1d12
Quality pool cannot go below 1d12.
If penalties would reduce it below 1, you simply roll 1d12.
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ASSISTANCE
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Others can help with crafting in two ways.
SKILLED ASSISTANCE:
An assistant with at least 1 rank in the relevant skill can contribute:
- +1d12 to quality pool per assistant
- Maximum +3d12 from assistants total
- Assistant must be present for full crafting time
UNSKILLED LABOR:
Helpers without the skill can still assist:
- Reduces crafting time by 10-25%
- No quality pool bonus
- Useful for batch crafting
Too many assistants create confusion. The +3d12 cap represents this limit.
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BATCH CRAFTING
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Creating multiple items at once.
BATCH SIZE BY RECIPE TARGET:
Recipe Target | Max Batch Size
------------------|---------------
11-13 (Easy) | 10 items
14-16 (Moderate) | 5 items
17-19 (Difficult) | 3 items
20+ (Complex) | 1 item
BATCH RULES:
- One Resolution roll for the entire batch
- One Quality roll applies to all items
- Materials required for all items in batch
- Time is 150% of single item time for full batch
If Resolution fails, all materials for the batch are affected by
failure rules.
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FAILURE AND CONSEQUENCES
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What happens when crafting goes wrong.
STANDARD FAILURE (Roll 2-10):
- Crafting does not complete
- 50% of materials are lost/consumed
- Remaining materials can be reused
- No item produced
CRITICAL FAILURE (Natural 1):
- All materials are lost/destroyed
- Possible damage to tools (GM discretion)
- Possible collateral damage for dangerous recipes
- No item produced
IMPORTANT: Critical failures on volatile materials (alchemical compounds,
unstable reagents) may cause explosions, toxic releases, or other hazards
at GM discretion.
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RECIPE STRUCTURE
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Each recipe defines what you can craft and how.
RECIPE COMPONENTS:
Component | Description
----------------|------------------------------------------
Name | What the recipe produces
Skill | Required crafting skill
Stat | Stat used for Resolution (usually matches skill)
Target | Recipe difficulty (11-25+)
Materials | Required components
Tools | Required equipment
Time | Base crafting duration
Quality Effects | What quality tiers mean for this item
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EXAMPLE RECIPE
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Recipe: Iron Longsword
Skill: Smithing
Stat: STR
Target: 15
Materials: 3 iron ingots, 1 leather strip, fuel
Tools: Forge, anvil, hammer
Time: 4 hours
Quality Effects:
- Volatile (1): -1 damage, 50% break chance on critical miss
- Rough (2): -1 damage
- Crude (3): No modifier, poor appearance
- Simple (4): Standard longsword
- Functional (5): +0, reliable
- Decent (6): +0, good balance
- Sound (7): +1 damage or +1 to hit (choose)
- Fine (8): +1 damage, +1 to hit
- Superior (9): +2 damage, +1 to hit
- Exceptional (10): +2 damage, +2 to hit
- Exquisite (11): +3 damage, +2 to hit
- Masterwork (12): +3 damage, +3 to hit, special property
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EXPERIENCE AND CRAFTING
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How crafting interacts with character progression.
STANDARD CRAFTING:
No XP awarded.
Crafting is production, not challenge.
Using known recipes with available materials is work, not adventure.
WHEN CRAFTING AWARDS XP:
- First successful craft of a new recipe: Small XP (discovery)
- Creating something unprecedented: XP based on significance
- Crafting under dramatic pressure: XP for the situation, not the craft
The GM determines when crafting contributes to story advancement
worthy of experience.
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SUMMARY
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Element | Rule
-------------------|--------------------------------------------------
Resolution | d20 + modifiers >= 11 (standard)
Quality | (Skill)d12, keep highest = tier
Tiers | 12 tiers, 1 (Volatile) to 12 (Masterwork)
Pool Bonuses | Materials, tools, time, assistants (max +3d12)
Pool Penalties | Poor materials, missing tools, rushed (min 1d12)
Critical Success | Nat 20: auto-succeed, +2d12 quality
Failure | 50% materials lost
Critical Failure | Nat 1: all materials lost, possible consequences
Batch Crafting | By recipe target, one roll for all
XP | None for standard crafting
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KEY CONSTANTS
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QUALITY_TIERS = 12
MIN_QUALITY_POOL = 1
MAX_ASSISTANT_BONUS = 3 // +3d12 max from assistants
NAT_20_QUALITY_BONUS = 2 // +2d12 on natural 20
FAILURE_MATERIAL_LOSS = 0.5 // 50% on standard failure
CRITICAL_FAILURE_LOSS = 1.0 // 100% on critical failure
BATCH_TIME_MULTIPLIER = 1.5 // 150% time for batch
BATCH_SIZE_LIMITS:
Easy (11-13): 10
Moderate (14-16): 5
Difficult (17-19): 3
Complex (20+): 1
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CROSS-REFERENCES
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Document 1: Dice
- Die types and notation
- Pool mechanics (keep highest)
Document 3: Resolution
- Standard resolution (d20 + stat diff >= 11)
- Success/failure thresholds
Document 7: Abilities
- Skill system
- Skill levels and bonuses
Document 12: Progression
- XP awards
- When challenges grant XP
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EXTENSION STATUS
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STATUS: Canonical
VERSION: 1.0
This extension builds on core TDGS rules. It does not redefine them.
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CANONICAL URLS
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Human-readable: https://tacticaldice.com/docs/tdgs/crafting
AI-optimized: https://tacticaldice.com/docs/tdgs/craftingforai
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END OF DOCUMENT
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