CRAFTSMAN

30 Aug, 2025

":OO craftsman?" - the bad doctor

"verdict on the Craftsman from an acquaintance in the System Erasure discord: [a reaction image of film director Martin Scorsese raising his hands captioned with the catchphrase "Absolute Cinema"]" - DrCuriousVII

"there's just no beating The Craftsman i'm afraid. This is the best post of [2024]" - ChoirOfFire

" 'some more nonsense' is a great description of the craftsman" - Eos

CRAFTSMAN

"i always wanted someone else to post the full class, to keep it off my blog" - TheFirstGokun
Post laundering courtesy of Blattella (xo)

You are a craftsman. You belong to a Society of other craftsmen - people who teach you skills and look out for you. You pay dues, and occasionally do them favors.

You are trusted. You know all the symbols, grips, and signs. You wordlessly recognize and are recognized by all Society members; they will take pains to protect you, just as you would for them.

Start with: society membership (see end of class); fancy stationery (40g); tools of the trade
+1 Sneak and +1 Inventory Slot per template

A - Skills, Missions, Dues
B - Rites
C - Final Ciphers¹
D - Next Steps²

A: SKILLS. You know two of your Society’s skills. Skills add +2 to associated checks and saves. When you could learn a new skill, you may instead negotiate an improvement to a known skill.

Improved skills add an additional +2 to associated checks and saves, and grant an additional cantrip. For example: if you have the skill of Locksmithing, you can improve it to gain the following cantrip:

Locksmithing - You own three purple locks. They are indestructible and utterly loyal to you. They reappear in your pocket during downtime.

Skills can be improved multiple times.

MISSIONS. You receive a new mission each Season. It’s time-sensitive. If you complete it, you receive a new one the next time you aren’t paying attention in a crowded place.

Every three successful missions, you may spend a Season to learn a new skill, or to negotiate an improvement to a known skill.

A: DUES. Membership is not free. You owe 20g in dues at the end of each year. As long as you are behind on your dues, you are technically forbidden from practicing the trades of the Society.

B: RITES. You know the rites of initiation, condemnation, and mobilization, with the following effects:

• Rite of Initiation - You may initiate new members into the Society.
• Rite of Condemnation - You may declare another person an enemy of the Society, unless a more senior craftsman disagrees.
• Rite of Mobilization - You may call upon a unit of 1 HD fellow craftsmen to perform a task in line with the Society’s interests.

You also learn an additional rite, unique to your Society.

C: FINAL CIPHERS. At C template, you learn the final ciphers. The Society’s secrets are laid bare to you, including your Society’s secret ability.

D: NEXT STEPS. At D template, choose and learn four of your Society's skills OR learn two of another Society's skills.

There are two threats to the Society: those from without, and those from within.

Your rank as a craftsman is determined by the number of skills you have learned. Those with more skills are your seniors. Those with fewer are your juniors.

If you've learned all of your Society's skills, you are a master craftsman, the highest authority among your fellows. You also have the authority to splinter the Society, discovering new skills and a new secret ability in the process.

There is no guarantee the other splinters will survive. This land was tamed by a dozen Dead Societies. Only the sea remembers their rites.

SOCIETIES

∇ - Trudy Nock’s School of Fingers, Tongues, and Answers
Ꙙ - The Bosky Lodge
ꗚ - The Dovecote Transom Club
Θ - The Eldon Planning Committee
꩜ - The Broken Circle of Ash Coats
ᙡ - The Comprehensive Order of Welcome Characters
⟴ - The Independent League of Voyager-Patriots
Γ - The Carpenters