Whether used for crafting a new item or repairing/modifying an existing one, a craft skill check is needed, with the tools/workshop and materials used (if needed). If no tools are used, consider the tier to be T(-1). Experienced crafters gain free rerolls equal to the skill rank of their crafting skill (so Rank 0 = zero rerolls), though they lose the previous roll, replacing it with the reroll.
Making items requires Crafting Materials, the number of which is determined by the item being crafted, with a base cost in units of Crafting Materials (see Items, Armor, and Weapons for futher details).
Materials also come in tiers, from T0 (raw materials or junk scavenged from a heap), to T6 (most advanced materials possible). So, crafting materials of a certain tier are noted as such:
Units Name(Tier)
for example,
10 crafting materials(T3)
where the number of units, name and tier are recorded.
In this case, its 10 units worth of T3 crafting materials.
Refining Materials: when gathering materials from the land, most materials start out at T0 (makeshift) - these are raw, unprocessed. To refine these materials (shaping rocks into primitive cutting blades, weaving plant fibers into rope, etc.), a Craft Check is needed, as well as the proper tools and raw goods. Each increase in tier comes at a two-to-one conversion, i.e. 10 makeshift materials may be fashioned into 5 primitive materials, modified by the check. Remember, no tools counts as T(-1).
To make a refining check, up to 12 materials may be converted with a single check (if more materials are converted, these are broken up into multiple batches, each with their own series of checks).
Refine Check = Craft Check vs. 10 + Next Tier (materials) - Tier (tools)
or, put more simply
Craft Check vs. 10 + T(materials) - T(tools, or simply -1 if no tools)
Success = 2-to-1 conversion of materials to higher tier
Failure = +1 materials needed per failure of two
Blunder = batch lost
Critical = 1-to-1 conversion to higher tier
So with a success, materials are converted at a rate of two per one, but with a failure of two, it would be three per one, failure of four would be four per one, and so forth. If the refine check results in more materials needed to convert than what is in the batch, that batch is considered lost and no materials are converted. Any remaining materials with this conversion are also lost. For example, if 10 materials were converted with a failure of two (a three-per-one conversion), that means 9 materials would be converted to three and the remaining one would be lost.
In some instances, a workshop is needed. For example, refining metal ore into metal ingots would require a forge of some sort. In this example, going from T0 (raw ore) to T3 (iron ingots) is a three-step process (T0 to T3), with a two-per-one count at each step. That means 8 iron ore(T0) is needed to make 1 iron ingot(T3), assuming all three checks are successes. By the same process, a steel ingot (T4) would require 16 iron ore.
Weapons may be sundered, reducing their offense or defense quality, while sundered armor has a reduced armor value. If the item is considered useless/broken (-5 quality on weapon, 0 value on armor, below minimum bonus on items, etc.), it cannot be repaired, though its materials may be used to craft a similar weapon/armor of equal or lower size/damage code/armor value (assume half of base materials are salvageable). Craft may be used for a repair check, with the following restrictions:
Craft Skill capable of creating the item being repaired (so common craft to repair T1, trained craft to repair T3, specialty craft to repair T5).
Tools no less than two tiers of the item (so a T3 object would require primitive tools (T1) or better to repair), cannot be attempted without tools.
To make a repair check, the target is 10 plus the tier of the object plus the tier difference between the object and the tools (up to two tiers below the object). The one repairing gets a free reroll per skill rank, though they discard any previous rolls. For each success of two, restore one quality or armor value by one. By the same token, each failure of two does a further -1. So:
Repair Check = Craft Check vs. 10 + Tier (target item) - Tier (tools)
or, put more simply
Craft Check vs. 10 + T(target) - T(tools)
Success = +1 repair per success of two
Failure = -1 repair per failure of two
Example: after a fight, a character tries to repair a T3 sword that suffered -2 to its offense quality. Let's say she has a Craft Skill bonus (including gear) of +4 (skill rank 2, +1 stats, tools +1), and she's using crude tools (T2). The target number of the craft check to repair is 10 + 3 (T3) - 2 (tools tier) = 11. So she makes a Craft Skill check (3d6 +4) versus target number 11. On her first attempt, let's say she rolls a blunder (failure of 10), potentially ruining the weapon, but since she has a skill rank of 2, she has two free rerolls, and wisely decides to burn one. On her reroll, she rolls a success of one... not enough to repair it. She tries again, this time scoring a success of three, improving the quality by one. She tries again, rolling a failure of three, and burns her remaining reroll to try again (she didn't want to undo her recent repairs). This time she gets a success of four, more than enough to wipe out the remaining -1, returning the weapon to its original condition.
So first check (we ignore rerolls) didn't repair the weapon, second check repaired +1, and third check repaired the weapon fully. She took three times as long repairing her weapon (assuming one could fully repair it in a single check), but now it's back in top shape.
Crafting items requires the requisite skill, any tools that may be necessary, as well as the materials needed to create the item. Crafting an item must follow the following restrictions:
Craft skill capable of creating such an item (so common craft to make T1, trained craft to make T3, specialty craft to make T5).
Tools/workshop no less than one tier as the desired item (this means makeshift items may be created without tools).
Materials of equal or higher tier as the desired item (with the exception of a critical success raising the object by +1 tier).
To modify an item, typically in an effort to make it better in some way, requires the craft skill needed to create such an item, plus the materials needed to modify the item and the tools necessary (if any). Neither the tier nor size may be increased (a fine (T4) weapon cannot be modified to a different tier, a medium cannot be made into a heavy, etc.). So, modify must meet the following restrictions:
Craft Skill capable of creating the item being modified (so common craft to T1, trained craft to T3, specialty craft to T5).
Tools no less than one tier of the item (so a T3 object would require crude tools (T2) or better to modify).
Materials of equal or higher tier are needed to make the modification.
Materials needed for the modify are equal to the point cost of the modification (x1/2 for light, x2 for heavy), ignoring the old value. So, for example, trying to purchase a damage code worth 6 points would require 6 crafting materials (3 if light, 12 if heavy). Note this can be risky - modifying an item locks you in to the modifications, potentially reducing its stats (as you have to go with the new value). To make the modify check, the target is 10 plus the tier of the target item x2 minus the tier of the tools minus the tier of the materials used.
Modify Check = Craft Check vs. 10 + 2 x T(target item) - T( tools) - T(materials)
or, put more simply
Craft Check vs. 10 + 2 x T(target) - T(tools) - T(materials)
Successes = points earned to purchase an upgrade as if crafting
Failure = that stat reduced to minimum, needs repair or another modify attempt
Example: say a character has a medium crude shield (Crude Shield(T2) [L/M | Quality: -3/+3 | 0W]) and they have 12 crafting materials(T3) they wish to modify it with, and they have a Craft(T) Skill (Rank 3, Bonus +5), and a crude set of tools (T2). A trained craft skill means they can modify up to T3 items (higher than the shield), the materials on hand are one tier higher than the shield itself, and the tools are the same tier as the shield (T2), meaning she meets all the requirements to attempt a modification. With a skill rank of 3, she also gets three free rerolls. Her craft check is:
Craft Check (+5) vs. 10 + 4 (2 x T2 item) - 2 (T2 tools) - 3 (T3 materials)
so
Craft Check (+5) vs 9
Let's say on her first roll she gets lucky, rolling a 15: with +5 that's a 20 result, versus a target of 9, meaning she got a success of 11. Looking at her options in the Weapons section, she sees the max quality for a T2 defense weapon is [-1/+4] if she's willing to take some stat restrictions and spend 8 points, while the max damage (0W = light die code) is 1d3+3 with restrictions and spending 8 points. Let's say the character has a STR: 13 and decides to spend 8 points to max out its quality: the base is [-3/+1], with +6|Res:12 that costs 8 successes (for 8 points) and 8 crafting materials. This raises the quality to [-1/+4] (max for crude defense weapons). She has three successes left, and decides to up the damage of her shield, since it now only suffers a -1 offense. Three points (and three crafting materials) may purchase up to 1d3W, so she goes with that. These modifications cost 11 materials, so she now has 1 crafting materials(T3). Finished with her modifications, the stats of her shield are now:
Crude Shield(T2) [L/M | Quality: -1/+4 | 1d3W]