Creator

Whether soot-smeared blacksmiths or ink-stained tattooists, artful poisoners or elegant tailors, creators pride themselves on the patience, the perfectionism and the training to create and alter things of utility and beauty.

Creator skill paths largely revolve around five trades, each costing 6 points:

• The potioneering Alchemist,
• The Blacksmith forging arms and armour,
• The Jeweller crafting precious things and mechanisms,
• The Surgeon healing injury and curing illness, and
• The Artisan crafting sundry goods from all materials.

Within each path are several specialisms, unlocking more complex recipes in narrower areas, and special abilities.

Advice for Creator Characters

Most creators at least dabble in several skill areas, but for greater impact, be sure to take at least one specialism. Foraging, Gathering or Resources will secure a source of materials to work with, while Extra Work Units will maximise their productivity.

Surgeons should consider Resist Disease, especially if they pursue the Physician sub-path, while Alchemists may benefit from Resist Poison. Tattooists can always collaborate with magicians to invest their creations, but it’s not unusual for them to learn at least some Invocation skill so they can invest them themselves.

Creator Skills

No character can learn more than one of the skills Concoction, Gem Cleansing or Jury Rig (all marked with a * below).

Note that most of these skills cost (and provide) Work Units.

Alchemist

Skill	Points Cost	Prerequisites	Use
Apothecary	6	Alchemist	Work units
Concoction*	12	Creator Archetype and Apothecary	Once per day
Imbuer	6	Alchemist	Work units
Amalgams	8	Creator Archetype and Imbuer	Work units
Poisoner	6	Alchemist	Work units
Antidotes	8	Creator Archetype and Poisoner	Twice per day
Alchemical Analysis	8	Creator Archetype and any 2 of Apothecary, Imbuer and Poisoner	Work units

Artisan

Skill	Points Cost	Pre-requisites	Use
Carpenter	3	Artisan	Work units
Glassblower	3	Artisan	Work units
Papermaker	3	Artisan	Work units
Sculptor	3	Artisan	Work units
Sapper	5	Creator Archetype and Sculptor	Special
Tailor	3	Artisan	Work units
Jury Rig*	12	Creator Archetype and any 3 of Carpenter, Glassblower, Papermaker, Sculptor and Tailor	Once per day

Blacksmith

Skill	Points Cost	Prerequisites	Use
Armourer	8	Blacksmith	Work units
Weaponsmith	8	Blacksmith	Work units

Jeweller

Skill	Points Cost	Prerequisites	Use
Device Proficiency	5	Scoundrel	Twice per day
Gemcutter	6	Jeweller	Work units
Gem Cleansing*	12	Creator Archetype and Gemcutter	Work units
Goldsmith	6	Jeweller	Work units
Locksmith	6	Jeweller	Work units
Mechanician	10	Creator Archetype and Locksmith	Work units

Surgeon

Skill	Points Cost	Prerequisites	Use
Anatomist	6	Surgeon	Work units
Improved Surgery	6	Surgeon	At will
Improved Sanctuary	6	Creator Archetype and Improved Surgery	At will
Physician	6	Surgeon	Work units
Tattooist	6	Surgeon	Work units

Extra Work Units

Skill Name	Points Cost	Prerequisite	Use
Extra Work Units	1-5	Creator Archetype	Permanent

Note: Maximum of 5 extra Work Units. Extra Work Units cannot be taken as a cross-archetype skill.

Resistences

Skill Name	Points Cost	Prerequisite	Use
Immune to [Disease]	4	Resist Disease	Permanent
Immune to [Poison]	5	Resist Poison	Permanent

Note: Any character may have a maximum of 3 immunities in total.

Other

Skill	Points Cost	Prerequisites	Use
Creator’s Insight	5	Any Creator skill	Twice per day

Creator Study Paths

Each of the five creator study paths relates to one of the core creation skills: Alchemist, Artisan, Blacksmith, Jeweller and Surgeon. Note that knowledge of one or more archetype skills is still required to undertake research.

The most common route for study as a creator is researching new alchemical recipes, crafting designs and surgical procedures. More broadly, creators can research general processes that apply to many endeavours: for example, working with exotic materials, refining and strengthening components, working more swiftly or efficiently.

For the purposes of assigning experience points to researched abilities, each path is divided into three or more sub-paths.

Study paths include the following:

Alchemist Path

Alchemy delves deep into the magical properties of herbs, venoms, animal parts and other special materials from across all the worlds, blending and combining them and concentrating their power to achieve remarkable effects. Novice alchemists can produce a plethora of minor potions to aid people in everyday life, while more skilled practitioners can produce mixtures as powerful as any magic.

The Apothecary skill allows research into beneficial potions that heal, strengthen and transform the drinker; more sophisticated researchers can develop potions that combine more dramatic effects or longer durations. The Poisoner skill unlocks lethal drinks, blade venoms and contact poisons, including magical poisons that can only be cured by special means. The Imbuer skill develops magical inks, powders and lacquers to strengthen and alter mundane objects and exotic materials with extraordinary magical properties.

Sub-Paths

There are seven standard sub-paths in the Alchemist path:

• Enhancing Potions (requiring the Apothecary skill)
• Healing Potions (requiring the Apothecary skill)
• Applied Poisons (requiring the Poisoner skill)
• Ingested Poisons (requiring the Poisoner skill)
• Novel Poisons (requiring the Poisoner skill)
• Enhancing Imbuements (requiring the Imbuer skill)
• Inks and Amalgams (requiring the Imbuer skill)

Artisan Path

The Artisan path is the broadest of any of the creator paths, working with every manner of materials and design, including cloth, leather, stone, clay, wood, glass, paper and bone. Artisans explore sophisticated constructions and intricate designs, finding the line between mundane and magical workings and pushing it past breaking point. More than either Jewellers or Blacksmiths, they work with natural materials, exploring the properties of dragon’s hide, unicorn horns, the bones of basilisks or the strange plants that grow on other worlds.

Artisans are the best friends of Invokers, fashioning clothes threaded with metallic scripts, cups and bowls chased with magical sigils and musical instruments decorated with mystic insignia. They are likewise the closest allies of thaumaturges, creating the lifeless mannequins they will animate as loyal simulacra.

Sub-Paths

Regardless of the archetype skills known, all Artisan research belongs to three sub-paths:

• Preparations
• Properties
• Materials

Blacksmith Path

More than anything, Blacksmiths specialise in armour and weapons, fashioning swords that pierce armour, axes that split shields or armour that resists crushing weapons. They are some of the most active creators on battlefields, repairing armour so their warrior allies can rush back into the fray – with research and resources, they can learn to do more, sharpening or silvering weapons on the fly, changing the properties of armour from one clash to the next.

Sub-Paths

Regardless of the archetype skills known, all Blacksmith research belongs to three sub-paths:

• Preparations
• Properties
• Materials

Jeweller Path

Jewellery is valued chiefly for its beauty, and Jewellers may research ever finer, more elegant and more intricate pieces, and create unique, signature pieces that cannot be copied by less skilled crafters. Locksmiths can research more complex devices: cunning traps and mechanisms that administer poisons, activate charged magic sigils or perform other functions.

The most spectacular branch of the Jeweller’s craft relates to the powerful and little-understood properties of gems. Gemcutters can learn to cut gems to finer and finer degrees, improving their quality and value and preparing them for Invokers and other magicians to channel magic into them for their workings. Gems have mystical properties by nature, which can be studied and harnessed; and cleansing gems, to remove cloudiness and purify the colour, can simplify and strengthen these properties, at the cost of variety.

Sub-Paths

Regardless of the archetype skills known, all Jeweller research belongs to five sub-paths:

• Preparations
• Properties
• Materials
• Mechanisms (requiring the Mechanician skill)
• Gems (requiring the Gemcutter skill)

Surgeon Path

Surgery looks into the workings of the living body. Some Surgeons focus on the skill’s value on the battlefield, healing their allies more quickly and effectively; others keep their attentions to the surgeon’s bed, investigating grafts, transplants and more complex interventions.

Anatomists make gross changes to the body, removing and replacing organs and extremities. Body parts can be “crafted” before returning, changing their function. Physicians investigate diseases, learning to cure new and strange sicknesses as they encounter them, or even learning how to inflict diseases, or create new ones; beyond sickness, they can earn to manipulate the flows of magic in the body, temporarily altering the patient’s abilities and behaviour. Tattooists working alongside invokers can develop more complex and involved designs, incorporating sigils and working with powerful magical inks to produce spectacular effects.

Sub-Paths

There are four standard sub-paths in the Surgeon path:

• Manipulations (requiring the Anatomist or Physician skills)
• Diseases (requiring the Physician skill)
• Tattoos (requiring the Tattooist skill)
• Field Surgery (requiring the Improved Surgery skill)

Example Creator Characters

Armourer

Born to a mountain-dwelling tribe of crafters and miners, the armourer has devoted years of their life to their trade, and travels with the warband to put their skills to best use. Thick-thewed from the forge, they repair their comrades’ hauberks and breastplates in the field, and wade into battle with a great hammer.

Skills: Blacksmith (6), Body Development (6), Long Weapons (4), Resources 1: Metal (Ordinary) (4)

Description: Heavy sideburns or beard and grey, stony skin around the temples; sturdy, bulked-out clothes including leather armour and a large, two-handed hammer.

Physician

A student of life rather than a mere sawbones, the physician studies diseases, poisons and potions and their effects on the body. They treat the sick, but also seek always to understand the body more, and to share that knowledge with others.

Skills: Alchemist (6), Physician (6), Surgeon (6), 2 unspent points

Description: Shaded blue forehead, dotted with red spots; a long coat over a fine shirt and trousers, and a satchel holding medical implements and jars for samples.

Tattooist

The tattooist met their teacher by chance while travelling in their youth, and was immediately enthralled by the ancient and beautiful craft. Although their passion is for the tattooing itself, they have studied a little of how to brew inks well.

Skills: Alchemist (6), Tattooist (6), Surgeon (6), 2 unspent points

Description: Face and arms covered in tattoos; scruffy, ink-stained clothes and a belt with tattooing tools, bottles of ink etc. hanging from pouches.