The Blacksmith (SNS)

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: Hoppsman raised the hammer and brought it down hard on the barely shaped lump of metal. Pumping his massive biceps, he repeated the motion again and again, beating the slab of steel mercilessly, forming it with his powerful blows and shaping it to his will.
: Wrestling with metal was Hoppsman's true calling. The only time that he truly felt alive was when he created something from nothing- like forging a blade from a shapeless lump of steel.
: Hoppsman kept pounding away at the metal rod until it took the shape of the image that glowed in his mind like the coals over which he feverishly worked.
: After what seemed like an hour, Hoppsman stopped for a moment to wipe the sweat from his brow. The thin strip of cloth he wore tied around his forehead had long since soaked through, and the salty fluid flowed into his eyes. His dwarven eyebrows and beard were dusted with a thin crust of that same salt, as the sweat soaked his hair and then dried by the heat of the forge.
: Hoppsman tossed the hammer to one side, ignoring the clatter it made as it skittered across the cut stone floor. Then he stabbed the still-hot blade into a barrel of water, deeply inhaling the steam that rose from its passing. He hefted the half-made blade in his hands. It was well balanced, and as he swung it about, it became a deadly extension of his arms.
: He stripped off his black apron, and carried the weapon to his grindstone. As he opened the bladder that would drip water onto the stone wheel at a steady rate, he thought about how many of his ancestors worked at this same wheel before him and how many blades he sharpened on its wide, curved side. The dwarves of his clan had made many an excellent blade, but this particular one would be legendary.
: Just as he set the blade to the stone, Hoppsman heard the distinctive sound of a throat being cleared. In one smooth motion, he swung himself around, bringing the unsharpened blade before him. "Hold!" he cried. "Stay where you are, or I'll run you through. This blade may still be dull, but it will only hurt that much more!"
: Before him stood a tall, thin, hooded figure in a dark cloak-a human by the height of it. "Fear not, blacksmith. My apologies for interrupting your work. I did not mean to startle you."
: The voice was feminine, but untouched by tenderness; it held a warrior's intonation. The woman was holding out her hands. In her right, she grasped a well-wrapped blade with a fine scabbard peeking out through the strips of cloth.
: Hoppsman harrumphed. "I was not startled, lady, but it pays to be cautious. How did you get down here? There are guards."
: The woman swept back her hood, and her red hair spilled out, cascading down her shoulders. She stepped forward and began to unwrap the sword, setting it down on the low table that stood almost between them. "My name is Martia. The king himself granted me audience and then sent me down here to see you, the greatest of his smiths." Hoppsman smiled in spite of himself. "He thought you could help me with this."
: The wrappings removed, Martia pulled the blade from its sheath; it came out in three separate pieces. Throwing caution to the wind, Hoppsman dropped the blade in his hand and stepped forward to examine the sword. After a long moment, he looked up at Martia, a soft glow of awe in his eyes.
: "It's the Blade of Honesty. It was supposed to be destroyed," he whispered hoarsely.
: "And so it was," gestured Martia. "But I need it once more. With it I can finally fell Cardax, the necromancer who rules my lands with an iron fist. Can you help me?"
: Hoppsman cradled the fragments of the legendary blade in his hands, marveling over them for a moment. "Oh yes, milady. Nothing short of death could stop me."
﻿
Blacksmiths are men and women who mine ores from the ground and transform them into the purest metals. These metals are then made into strong or precious alloys that the blacksmith beats, twists, and forges into useful items.
Some smiths content themselves with shoeing horses. Others specialize in manufacturing fine suits of armor. Still others concentrate on the creation of weapons like hammers, maces, swords, and even arrowheads.
Adventurers need blacksmiths more often than they might think. Many heroes purchase their arms and armor from blacksmiths (or at least from merchants who purchased such goods from a blacksmith), but never think about maintaining their equipment. Yet when the hero escapes from a dungeon, it's not only his body that has sustained damaged. His armor is full of scratches, holes, and newfound chinks, and his sword is notched and dulled.
Without proper upkeep, these bits of equipment eventually break. Unfortunately, a mail shirt doesn't tend to fall apart while its wearer walks along a city street. No, most often it shreds when struck by a blow from a murderous foe, leaving an adventurer entirely undefended against the next attack.
Regular visits to the neighborhood blacksmith can prevent such tragedies. Mail that is kept in shape and weapons that are kept sharp are (nearly always) dependable. The investment in time and money is a worthwhile one.
Of course, the blacksmith can help in more mundane ways as well. In many small towns, blacksmiths are the only source of nails, cast iron pots, wire, and a host of other everyday items. They can also repair those items that are old and broken.
==Experience, THAC0, and Hit Dice==
Blacksmiths have their own level advancement as shown on the Blacksmith Experience Levels table below. Blacksmiths spend most of their time honing their skills at the forge. In addition many blacksmiths spend time practicing with weapons and armor. These smiths understand that it is useful to know how to wield the weapons and armor that they craft. After all, how can a master blacksmith continue to improve upon his swordmaking technique if he isn't really sure how best to handle such a blade in actual combat. For this reason, blacksmiths use the warrior's THAC0 table and saving throw chart.
Blacksmiths gain one 10-sided Hit Die per level and receive bonus hit points for high Constitution scores until 8th level. However, these craftsman receive only two hit points per level after the 8th. In addition, blacksmiths do not gain bonus hit points from their Constitution after 8th level.
 Table 13: Blacksmith Experience Levels
Level	XPs 	Hit Dice (d1O)
1 	0 	1
2 	2,000 	2
3 	4,000 	3
4 	8,000 	4
5 	16,000 	5
6 	32,000 	6
7 	64,000 	7
8 	125,000 	8
9 	250,000 	8+2
10 	500,000 	8+4
11 	750,000 	8+6
12 	1,000,000	8+8
13 	1,250,000	8+10
14 	1,500,000	8+12
15 	1,750,000	8+14
16 	2,000,000	8+16
17 	2,250,000	8+18
18 	2,500,000	8+20
19 	2,750,000	8+22
20 	3,000,000	8+24
==Ability Scores==
Blacksmithing is tough, and the vast majority of people are not suited for it. It requires incredible muscular power and endurance, as well as the ability to understand basic metallurgy. A good dash of common sense is helpful, as the blacksmith works in the real world, not in some pristine laboratory. In addition, nimble fingers help the blacksmith, for he works with sharp tools.
For these reasons, all blacksmiths must have a minimum Strength of 12, a minimum Intelligence of 9, a minimum Wisdom of 9, a minimum Dexterity of 9, and a minimum Constitution of 12. Strength and Constitution are a blacksmith's prime requisites.
==Permissible Armor and Weapons==
Blacksmiths have no restrictions on arms or armor and can use any kinds of weapons or protection that they like. Because they can get metal cheaply and create the necessary items on their own, most blacksmiths prefer to use metal items- particularly those used in melee combat.
==Individual Experience Awards==
Despite the fact that they are closely aligned with warriors, blacksmiths concentrate their skills more on making objects than using them. Thus, their individual class awards differ slightly from those of a warrior. Use the Blacksmith Experience Awards table for determining how many experience points a blacksmith earns during the course of a scenario.
When consulting the table, all "major" item refers to an entire weapon or suit of armor. Pieces of a weapon (like an arrowhead) do not count, nor do more domestic items such as horseshoes or pots and pans.
 Table 14: Blacksmith Experience Awards
Action 	Award
Per major item made 	200 XP
Per major item repaired 	100 XP
Per gold piece value ofitem successfully sold	2 XP
Per magicalitem repaired XP 	value of item
==Proficiencies==
A beginning blacksmith gets three weapon proficiency slots at 1st level and receives a new one every three levels (at the 3rd level, 6th level, and so on). A blacksmith suffers a -3 penalty when using weapons with which he is not proficient.
A blacksmith also receives four nonweapon proficiencies at 1st level and gains a new proficiency every three levels after that (at the 3rd level, 6th level, and so on).
At 1st level, the blacksmith must select Blacksmithing, Armorer, and Weaponsmithing as nonweapon proficiencies. Normally the Armorer and Weaponsmithing proficiencies cost multiple slots, but due to the blacksmith's dedication to his art, these necessary proficiencies cost him only a single slot.
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The fourth proficiency slot can be spent on anything that the blacksmith wants. Some proficiencies are particularly helpful to the blacksmith. Animal Handling makes it easier for the blacksmith to shoe horses. Artistic Ability permits the blacksmith to make his work more than simply functional-it can be beautiful as well. Blacksmiths sometimes choose Heraldry as a nonweapon proficiency so they can inscribe the proper crests and symbols on shields and armor.
Some blacksmiths take up Mining so they can mine their own ore, or, at the very least, negotiate the lowest price when purchasing it from other miners. Other blacksmiths learn to construct ranged weapons through use of the Bowyer/Fletcher proficiency.
Blacksmiths can choose proficiencies from the general and warrior groups with no additional costs.
==Warrior Abilities==
Although blacksmiths are closely aligned with warriors, they do not possess all of the warrior's abilities.
===Exceptional Strength===
Like warriors, blacksmiths who have a Strength of 18 can roll percentile dice to determine exceptional ability. This is due to long hours spent over the forge beating raw metals into useful shapes.
===Extra Attacks===
The blacksmith never makes multiple melee attacks per round. No matter what the blacksmith's level, he can attack only once per melee round.
===Weapon Specialization===
Unlike warriors, blacksmiths cannot specialize in a weapon. They devote most of their time to making weapons, not using them. While they are not unfamiliar with the use of arms, blacksmiths simply do not have the extra time to master a specific weapon.
Blacksmiths do, however, receive a +1 to all attack rolls and +2 to all damage rolls made with a warhammer. This is due to the fact that the blacksmith works with the hammer all day and can wield it as if it were an extension of his actual arm.