This character class has been culled from a back issue of Dragon(tm) Magazine and details a character classes for use in a 1st Edition AD&D game.

The SMITH

This suggested non-player character type is designed to represent the powers and limitations of any metalworker encountered in an AD&DTM setting, and in particular to quantify the skills of those rare individuals who can create works of exquisite beauty and lasting durability, or even work successfully with magic.

A smith must be human, and will usually be a member of one of the official character classes (fighter, thief, etc.) in addition to having status as a smith. (A dwarven or gnomish smith, or any other sort of non-human character, can be roughly equated to the levels and skills of the smith as given here, but these characters possess other abilities unattainable by a human smith.) A smith may not advance in his or her 'primary' class while practicing smithywork, however: The profession is too time-consuming to allow an individual to keep his 'hand in' another specialized activity at the same time.

The sole exception to this occurs if the character is involved in armed combat. A smith who actively practices with and uses his weapons engages in battle (when it occurs) as a fighter, and gains one level of fighter ability for every four smith levels advanced. When a smith engages in combat for the first time, he will begin as a 1st-level fighter, regardless of his present smith level, and will reach the 2nd level of fighting ability only after gaining four additional levels as a smith. Note that no tutoring is required for this fighter advancement, beyond what is necessary to advance as a smith. A fighter who opts to become a smith, on the other hand, retains his present fighter level in combat, gaining an additional level only after gaining four smith levels. A smith who has no other class fights as a 1st-level fighter.

A smith, unlike other 'normal' fighters, can use any weapon of a type he has made proficiently. A smith who also belongs to another class besides the fighter class (and its subclasses) may manufacture, but not use, weapons forbidden to the 'primary' class. (For example, a smith/cleric could forge, but not use, a sword.) A smith who is also a member of another class gains 1 hit die (of the type allowed for the other class) only when advancing in that other class. A smith who has no other class begins with one 10-sided die and gains 2 hit points per smith level advanced thereafter. Smiths are always busy, rarely unemployed, and usually wealthy. Their expenses (i.e., the purchasing of metal, the construction and upkeep of a workshop and forge) are high. A smith must have a minimum strength of 12 and a minimum dexterity of 13. High intelligence is also useful, and the best smiths have high scores in all three abilities. Smiths may be of any alignment. Most independent smiths (those having no other class) tend toward a neutral alignment and will make goods, including weapons, for customers of all alignments, causes and interests.

How smiths learn their trade

Smiths are usually too busy to tutor others unless such apprentices can be of help in the workshop, and they can contribute money or materials (raw metal or weaponry) to the smith's business.

1. Add a modifier of +3% per point of smith's dexterity over 16. If the roll is successful, the item made will clearly be of exceptional quality to even a cursory examination, and can be sold for more than the usual value. Such an item is also suitable for use in an Enchant An Item spell (to become an enchanted weapon), since it is 'crafted of the highest quality material and with the finest workmanship.' If the item is a weapon, a second roll should be made on the table, and if this roll is successful, the weapon is of such extraordinary quality as to make it +1 on damage. (It can be enspelled with further powers by a spellcaster, but a smith - and only a smith - by his arts can give such a weapon only a +1 damage bonus, plus the extraordinary balance, sharpness, strength and durability this includes.)
2. Increases to a maximum chance of 65%, attained at 13th level.
3. Add a modifier of +4% per point of smith's intelligence over 16. Success on this roll can indicate that the smith will receive an experience-point bonus for the project in question (as mentioned in the text above), and/or that the item produced will be higher-priced than a 'nonelegant' item of the same type, and may have other ramifications as well, at the DM's option.
4. Increases 20/a per level to a maximum chance of 36%, attained at 18th level.

Smiths' skills by level

Journeyman: At second level, a would-be smith is trained in all basic types of smithywork, rather than the single task concentrated on before. (A Journeyman can thus be useful at any smithy and, as the level title implies, many of them travel about and hire on where needed.) Specific skills gained are the rudiments of cold-working ('hammerwork'); how to correctly hold work while another strikes it, so that it will not slip or jump; the art of quenching; how to mix and refine oil (by filtration and separation) for the best tempering, and similar tasks. A Journeyman can properly - or improperly, if he so chooses - shoe a horse. (A favorite trick played on travelers by unscrupulous smiths in medieval times was to shoe a horse so that one of the nails pricked the sensitive frog in the center of one of the horse's hooves. About five miles from the smithy, the beast would pull up lame - and an accomplice of the smith would be waiting to buy the horse for a fraction of its true value. After the nail was removed, the horse would recover, but few travelers knew this, or had the time to wait for the beast's recovery. A Journeyman or any higher-level smith can shoe a horse in this manner, so that the shoe will appear properly fitted to anyone but another smith of equal or higher level.)

Hammerman: In a large workshop, the Hammerman's job is to shape large plates of armor over molds by the use of various hammers. Precise control of the heavy hammers is required to deftly bend metal to the desired contours. A Journeyman of sufficient experience can advance to the level of Hammerman by learning this skill, plus gaining both knowledge of, and practice in, the ways of cutting or splitting metal plates. It is at the third level of training that a smith is entrusted with 'white' metals, copper and tin. They are both more delicate (harder to work without failure) and more expensive than the 'black' metals - chiefly iron, although lead and others are included - so special training is required. (This is how the term 'blacksmith' originated. 'Whitesmith' is a title that fell into disuse long ago, in favor of the more specific 'coppersmith,' 'tinsmith,' and the like.)

Millman: In a large smithy, the Millman has the task of polishing, oiling, and otherwise preparing metal to give it a finish. A Hammerman who gains the requisite experience points to advance to fourth level must also learn about the difficult techniques of finishing metal to advance further. (Some smiths considerfinishing “an art all its own.”) Many smiths never attain this level, because the training is typically long and expensive - if a tutor can even be found.

Locksmith: The term 'locksmith' today refers to the detailed manufacture and repair of devices largely unknown in medieval times. The medieval locksmith was concerned with fastenings, catches, and hinges as well as keylocks. As defined for use in the AD&D game, a Locksmith's skills are required for the making of armor or any metallic device which must bend, flex, or move readily. A Locksmith can make lockpicks, chests, chastity belts, and sword-harnesses (scabbards, cross-belts, buckles and ornaments for both, and the like), as well as locks. The locks may have needles or scything blades to protect them, and may have hidden catches or require more than one key to be used in a certain order - but all such locks will be only key-activated devices, not 'combination' locks or otherwise guarded in nature, and cannot (unless made under the first-hand, continuous direction of a magic-user of sufficient level) involve magic.

Only smiths of 13th or higher level have been known to produce unique locks involving magic and combinations. Smith ('Truesmith'): Upon reaching this level, a smith can perform all of the skills already learned without supervision or assistance, and yet produce top-quality work. He or she can also supervise, oversee, and handle the minutiae of a large, specialized smithy crew, and is familiar enough with metals and working them to improvise an alternative to some missing tool or method. A Truesmith can buy supplies without fear of being deceived as to the type or quality of metal, can step in at a moment's notice to successfully complete a partly finished task in any of the specialties already learned, and (with supervision) can accomplish the skills learned fully at later levels.

Smith ('Shieldsmith'): A Hammerman can create a shield that appears to be of professional quality, but there is an art to making the best possible shield for any bearer. A Shieldsmith learns how to match a shield to an individual by weight, dimensions, and balance, and through training and practice learns the specific properties of different metals and common alloys (such as bronze) so as to derive maximum strength and durability from them. A shield must stop a blow, and spring with it so that the wearer's arm beneath the shield need not absorb the entire force of the blow. It must not crumple or shatter, even in conditions of extreme temperatures, unless faced by strength vastly greater than that of another human. (For instance, a dragon might crush a well-made shield, but a footman wielding a mace should not be able to.) A Shieldsmith can create such an item. Shields made by smiths of lower levels may not stand up to such severe tests.

Smith ('Finesmith'): Knowledge of the properties and the working of gold and other rare and precious metals is learned by one becoming a Finesmith. Jewelry requiring intricate settings, much curved and welded wire, and the sculpting of leaves or patterns, usually in miniature, is almost always made by a smith of this level or higher, or at least under the supervision of such a smith. Work not done under these conditions will be of lesser quality. A Finesmith learns how to securely bond a plating or coating of one metal over another, which metals will interact through electrolysis, and how all finework can be designed and treated for maximum strength and weather resistance. Gauntlets of the finest quality are made by smiths of this level and higher.

Smith ('Swordsmith'): A Finesmith who has gained sufficient experience with metals and alloys can be trained in the techniques of smelting, of devising one's own alloys (or at least varying the proportions and methods of manufacture to heighten the properties desired), and of forging sword blades of the finest quality (considering balance, temper, edge, and strength). These are the skills of the Swordsmith, who may re-forge a blade a hundred times until it is just right for its intended user. A lowly Prentice can sharpen a blade, a Journeyman can produce a crude sword, and a Truesmith can turn out a serviceable weapon - but a Swordsmith can produce blades of outstanding, lasting quality. Master Smith: A Swordsmith of sufficient experience learns the most intimate familiarity with all weapons, and is then ready to learn the techniques of repairing even the finest weapons to “good as new” condition, and of replacing and matching ornamentation exactly. A Master Smith also learns and practices the art of creating and repairing magical weapons in such a way as to infuse a dweomer or retain an existing dweomer. (Note that very few smiths, if any, can Enchant an Item. Smiths merely work with a magic-user patron to create a weapon that will be magical, or repair magical weapons in such a way that their magic is not lost.)

Armorer: A crude suit of armor (that is, coat-of-plate or any armor that includes some moving or shaped plates, rather than a simple mail-shirt) can be fashioned by any smith of the 6th level or higher. The plates will not stand up to heavy blows unless their maker has the skills of a Shieldsmith or a smith of higher level, and the armor will not fit the wearer as armor should (providing optimum mobility, visibility, and protection) unless the smith is of Armorer level. (However, adequate horse barding can be made by a Shieldsmith. Extra body-plates for use in tilting can also be made by a Shieldsmith, as long as they do not require joints or flexible armored areas.) An Armorer can design and fashion all pieces of a suit of armor so that the suit will fit a particular physique perfectly (including bodies that are deformed or have tails, horns, and the like not normally found in a human form), and can oversee the rapid production of helms, shields, and breastplates by smiths of lower level.

Master Armorer: A smith of 12th level can identify raw ores, smelt and process these singlehandedly (or oversee the process, with maximum efficiency and quality of output) from the ore to finished product, can judge the suitability of any orefora particular use, and can oversee the making of suits of armor by other smiths (even if they are of low level and could not, unaided, construct such items). The Master need never touch such suits, but if he oversees their production closely, their workmanship will be of Armorer-level quality. A Master Armorer can himself construct armor with unusual features; e.g., with decorative fluting to lighten overall weight, studded with spikes, or armor designed to protect - and yet not hamper the movements of - a prehensile tail.

As a rough rule of thumb, a Truesmith can work (that is, complete a project from the initial order or idea to the finished product) twice as fast as a Prentice, a Master Smith twice as fast as a Smith, and a Master Armorer twice as fast again. In practice, of course, factors such as strength, dexterity (and the advances of age), availability of materials, and freedom from distractions all affect the time needed to complete a project. Master Armorers (all smiths of higher than 11th level) have mastered their craft so completely that any experimentation and innovation they attempt has a reasonable chance of success; a Dungeon Master should keep careful track of advances (or losses, should high-level smiths die without training others in their knowledge and skills) in technology resulting from the work of a Master Armorer.

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