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Even though we gnomes mastered all of the crafting skills back when the other races were
still working on that "fire" concept, the necromancer is poorly suited to a life
of trade. Merchants will overcharge us for the items we need (if they'll sell to us at all),
and they won't give us a fair price when we sell back to them. As if that weren't
enough, most of the things that come out of the various trade skills are of little value
to the dark ritualist. There are exceptions, of course, but for the most part the necromancer
should stick to killing things and raising the dead.
Trade Skills
Unfortunately, there are times when you just won't be able to get what you need from
the bleeding carcass of a random passer-by or an uptight merchant. Sometimes you need a
particular item that can only be created by a skilled trade practitioner. When that time
comes, you need to either learn a trade or find someone who has – preferably
a gnome, unless you want inferior goods.
Advancement in a trade skill allows for the creation of more complex and interesting items.
While the basics of any trade can be quickly learned from your local guildmaster, reaching
a respectable level in any of the trades requires a great deal of practice.
Crafting skill is not limited by an individuals experience or by skills in other areas.
Any number of crafts can be practiced and mastered. There does come a point, however, where
advancement in one trade will hold back all others. Only one trade skill may increase beyond
a skill level of 200; the first to reach 201 becomes the "specialized" trade, limiting
the other trades to a maximum of 200. This only becomes an issue for the extremely talented, of
course, since a skill of "merely" 200 is far beyond what most will ever achieve.
| Skill |
Level Acquired |
Unspecialized Cap |
Specialized Cap |
| Baking |
Level 1 |
200 |
250 |
|
Baking allows the creation of tasty food from the
otherwise inedible chunks of your victims.
Aside from the obvious advantages of finding food in the wild and fewer
trips to those pesky merchants, some baked goods offer small benefits
while you snack on them. Typical benefits might be a small bit of extra
strength, a minor intelligence boost, or an increased resistance to poison.
Many of the recipes, calling for such items as bat wings and spider legs,
reflect their gnomish origins in the caves of old.
|
| Brewing |
Level 1 |
200 |
250 |
|
Brewing was perfected back in the Elder Age with the
creation of Gnomish Spirits. Everything else is mouthwash and can be
traced back to that sad day when we taught the dwarves how to drink. Since
tossing back a few pints tends to soften the wits for a while, few
necromancers make a habit of imbibing and are even less likely to brew their
own spirits.
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| Fletching |
Level 1 |
200 |
250 |
|
Ballistas can play an important part in cavern defense,
but they aren't very portable. Skilled tinkers eventually hammered together
some steel, gears, and twine to make a small hand-held ballista, but it was
a bit heavy and tended to be discarded when the ammunition was depleted.
Centuries later, the wood elves stumbled across the abandoned contraptions
and tried making them out of wood. They didn't do too bad a job, and their
attempts were eventually refined into the art of fletching. Useless for a
necromancer, but an interesting example of cultural borrowing.
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| Jewelcraft |
Level 1 |
200 |
250 |
|
More than anything else, the worldwide reputation of the
gnomes has been based upon our precise gemcutting techniques, advanced mining
technology, and refined magical incantations. Jewelcraft was our first trade,
shaping the gifts of Brell into enchanted jewelry which we gave to the other
races in exchange for their humble offerings of nuts and berries. Sadly,
necromancers make lousy jewelers, being unable to enchant metal and generally
disliked by merchants. This particular craft is best left to our enchanters.
|
| Pottery |
Level 1 |
200 |
250 |
|
Occasionally, in opening a new mine or following a
vein of ore near the surface, our miners will find areas of rich clay. It is an
ancient gnomish tradition to give this "weak rock" to the
youngsters whose hands are too tender for stonework; they play with it, forming
little statues and jars and whatnot, which they leave near the mining equipment
to harden. When the mine closes and the families move on, these playthings are
left behind. I can only assume that the more primitive races stumbled upon
our abandoned sites and, thinking that these bits of clay were somehow
important, tried to mimic them.
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| Smithing |
Level 1 |
200 |
250 |
|
When Brell first placed the gnomes in the deeps of Norrath,
he chose an immense cavern network rich in ore. Ready access to lava flows, pure
water, and easily-shaped stone soon led to basic metalworking, and the constant
threat of spiders and cave beasts provided extra incentive. It wasn't long before
those first smiths were creating all sorts of useful tools to make the mining more
efficient, combat more deadly, and cooking more convenient. Once the basic
methods were mastered, most gnomes turned their talents to the more challenging
tasks of jewelcraft and tinkering. Smithing chores were farmed out to our
not-too-bright dwarven neighbors, who eventually learned most of the important parts
and even now obsess over bits in the forge.
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| Tailoring |
Level 1 |
200 |
250 |
|
I won't bore you with the ancient stories of gnomish silks,
spun from the fibers of the shiny metallic spiders that periodically infested
the old caverns. All of those spiders were eventually destroyed, and the art of
tailoring their silk was lost. Tailors in the current age are only now
beginning to rediscover the lost ways of our gnomish ancestors, but it is still a
worthy pursuit.
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Tinkers Local 19
Many gnomes, regardless of their primary calling or secondary trades, spend a
great deal of time puttering around with mechanical objects. The gnome necromancer
is no exception, seeing in this yet another opportunity to work with things that,
while not actually dead, are certainly not alive.
All gnomes have an inherent tinkering ability, and guild training is neither
required nor possible. The only way to advance in tinkering ability is to fiddle with
the various gizmos. In addition, a great tinkering skill (greater than 200) will not limit
another trade skill's advancement beyond 200. We're that good.
| Skill |
Level Acquired |
Unspecialized Cap |
Specialized Cap |
| Tinkering |
Level 16 |
250 |
250 |
|
After seeing every advancement in gnome culture
awkwardly attempted by the huge-handed primitives and subsequently butchered, it's a
small comfort knowing that the secrets of tinkering are beyond the comprehension of
those without gnomish blood in their veins.
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There was once a time, not so long ago, when the less-gifted races of Norrath laughed
at us for our tinkering. Yes, they laughed! Now, of course, things are different. Now...
well, they still laugh, but a few of the tinkered items are somewhat useful so the
laughing is really more of a snickering. Their time will come, I assure you.
- Tricks of the Toolbox: The actual tinkering part of
Tinkering is fairly straightforward.
- Tinker Toys: Mechanical wonders for the masses are only
a few sprickets away.
- Watchman Armor: Tinkered protection for the gnomish
elite is finally within our reach.
- Lost Toys: Rumors of once-tinkered artifacts circulate
from time to time.
Talk in the workshops of Ak'Anon hints at great tinkering breakthroughs in the future,
but such talk goes on all the time. The pragmatic approach of "Show Me the Gadget"
is usually best.
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