Smithing is equal parts art and science: turning the raw materials of the world and crafting them into functional items that can be used for the benefit of civilization. Smiths can turn mundane materials into tools, weapons, and armor. The best smiths can produce equipment so fine that it is almost mystical.

Creating a mastercraft item follows the normal rules for crafting, but adds a preliminary step where you gather the appropriate materials and a final step to the process where you finish the item and add the details and personalization that make the item truly special.

Gathering Materials

While most weapons, armor, tools, and gear are made of steel, low quality items may be made of iron while high quality items can be made of anything from mithral, adamantium, dragonscale, or other exotic materials. The charts below describe the materials, the types of tools used to work the material, as well as their effects on the crafting cost and DC.

Some of these armors may be available for purchase from a craftsman or shop. If so, the cost multiplier is applied to the final purchase price of the object.

Armor Materials and Techniques

Materials & Techniques	Armor Types	Effect	DC Modifier	Cost Multiplier	Tools	Special
Adamantine	Breastplate, chainmail, chain shirt, half plate, ringmail, plate, scalemail, splint	See Dungeon Master’s Guide pg 150.	+5	x4	Constitution (Smith’s tools)	Crafter must be a dwarf or giant. Requires a specialized forge.
Braidmail (light)	Chain shirt	+1 to maximum Dexterity bonus. Can be combined with Mithral material.	+3	x3	Dexterity (Smith’s tools)	Crafter must be an elf.
Braidmail (heavy)	Chainmail, ringmail, splint	No disadvantage to stealth checks.	+5	x4	Dexterity (Smith’s tools)	Crafter must be an elf.
Bronze	Scale mail, breastplate, halfplate, ring mail, plate, shield	-1 to AC	-2	x0.5	Strength (Smith’s tools)
Dragonhide	Hide, leather, scale mail	While wearing this armor, you gain resistance to the type of damage associated with the dragon it was harvested from.	+5	x4		Constitution (Leatherworker’s tools)
Githweave cloth	Clothing, robes, padded	+1 to Wisdom saving throws to resist being charmed	+2	x2	Intelligence (Weaver’s tools)	Crafter must be trained in the Arcana skill.
Iron	Scale mail, breastplate, halfplate, ring mail, plate, shield	This armor imposes disadvantage on Stealth and Acrobatics checks.	-1	x0.75	Strength (Smith’s tools)
Ironwood	Breastplate, half plate, scale mail, plate, splint	This armor has the same properties as standard armor, but can be worn by druids.	+2	x1.5	Wisdom (Woodcarver’s tools)	Crafter must be trained in the Nature skill
Meteoric Iron	Breastplate, chainmail, chain shirt, half plate, ringmail, plate, scalemail, splint	Reduce slashing, piercing, and bludgeoning damage from non-magical weapons by 1.	+5	x4	Constitution (Smith’s tools)	Requires a specialized forge.
Mithral	Breastplate, chainmail, chain shirt, half plate, ringmail, plate, scalemail, splint	See Dungeon Master’s Guide pg 182	+5	x4	Dexterity (Smith’s tools)	Crafter must be an elf.
Pitforged	Breastplate, chainmail, chain shirt, half plate, ringmail, plate, scalemail, splint	Grants resistance to fire, acid, and cold	+8	x5	Intelligence (Smith’s tools)	Crafter must be a Tiefling trained in Arcana.
Primitive	Any	If you take more than 10 damage from a single attack, the armor’s AC is reduced by 2 until you take a short rest	-5	x0.5	Strength (Woodcarver’s Tools)	May be combined with other materials and techniques.

Weapon Materials and Techniques

Materials & Techniques	Weapon Types	Effect	DC Modifier	Cost Multiplier	Tools	Special
Adamantine	Bludgeoning Weapons	Increase the size of the dice by 1 step (d4 to d6, d6 to d8, etc).	+5	x4	Constitution (Smith’s tools)	Crafter must be a dwarf or giant. Requires a specialized forge.
Balanced	Any light weapon	Increases the range of the thrown property by 10/20 (or grants the Thrown 20/60 quality). Can be combined with other properties.	+2	x1.5	Dexterity (Smith’s tools)
Barbed	Any weapon (or ammunition) that deals piercing or slashing damage	Roll an additional dice for damage on a critical hit.	+2	x1.5	Dexterity (Smith’s tools)	Can be combined with other techniques and materials.
Bronze	Any normally made of steel	-1 to attack and damage	-2	x0.5	Strength (Smith’s tools)
Iron	Any normally made of steel	-1 to damage. Counts as a magical weapon against fey creatures.	-1	x0.75	Strength (Smith’s tools)
Ironwood	Club, greatclub, light hammer, mace, quarterstaff	Add +1 to damage rolls.	+2	x2	Wisdom (Woodcarver’s tools)	Crafter must be trained in the Nature skill
Meteoric Iron	Any normally made of steel	Add +1 to attack rolls and damage.	+5	x4	Constitution (Smith’s tools)	Requires a specialized forge.
Mithral	Any normally made of steel	Reduce weight by half. One-handed weapons gain light quality. Heavy weapons made of mithral can be wielded by Small creatures without disadvantage.	+5	x4	Dexterity (Smith’s tools)	Crafter must be an elf.
Pitforged	Any normally made of steel	Deals an additional dice of damage against angels and fiends	+8	x5	Intelligence (Smith’s tools)	Crafter must be a Tiefling trained in Arcana.
Primitive	Any	If you roll a natural 1 on an attack roll with this weapon, you suffer disadvantage on attack rolls with the weapon until you take a short rest	-5	x0.5	Strength (Woodcarver’s Tools)	May be combined with other materials and techniques.
Weighted	Any melee weapon that deals bludgeoning damage	On a critical hit, the target is knocked prone. If the weapon has the light property, it loses it. If the weapon has the two-handed property, it gains the heavy property.	+2	x2	Strength (Smith’s tools)	Can be combined with other techniques and materials.

Crafting

Follow the rules found on page 187 of the Player’s Handbook, using the adjusted item price based on the type of material used.

Mastercrafting

The final step in the crafting process is to roll a skill check based on the type of material used. The base DC is determined by the type of weapon, as follows, and is modified by the materials and techniques used.

Type of Equipment	DC
Light Armor and Simple Melee Weapons	8
Medium Armor, Shields, Simple Ranged Weapons, and Shields	10
Heavy Armor, Martial Weapons, and Shields	12

Compare your result to the following table to get the end result.

Result	Effect
Failure by 10 or more	Ruined. The materials are ruined, and the item must be crafted from scratch.
Failure by 5 or more	Salvageable. The materials can be salvaged, but the item must be crafted from scratch.
Failure	Still Needs Work. You must spend an additional 1d10 days of downtime to complete the item, and may make a new roll at the end of that time.
Success	Fair. The item is completed and works as expected.
Succeed by 5 or more	Exceptional. The item is completed and gains a randomly determined minor property (ignore any rolls of 20).
Succeed by 10 or more	Masterwork. The item is completed and gains two randomly determined minor properties (ignore any rolls of 20).

Material Descriptions

Adamantine

A super dense metal typically only crafted by dwarves, duergar, and fire giants, adamantine is one of the strongest materials on the prime planes.

Balanced

This weapon is perfectly balanced for throwing.

Barbed

A common modification among the weapons of fiends and evil doers, vicious serrated edges line the cutting edge of this weapon.

Braidmail

Made from a mithral alloy, braidmail is an intricate chain pattern unique to elven craftsmen that is light and makes very little noise.

Bronze

Very cheap and requiring only rudimentary forges to work, bronze is often used by more primitive cultures.

Dragonhide

Made from the hides of young dragons, and lacking many of the properties of true dragon scale mail, dragonhide armor offers resistance with against elemental damage associated with the dragon from which it was harvested.

Githweave cloth

Woven by the Gith on the Astral plane using techniques stolen from Illithids, githweave incorporates crystalline threads and offers natural protection from attacks against the mind.

Iron

Cheap and easier to work than steel, iron is used by some cultures who do not possess advanced metalworking techniques.

Ironwood

A rare wood, as strong and light as steel, it provides heavy protection for druids and others who wish to wear a more natural material.

Meteoric Iron

Mithral

Light and flexible, mithral is used primarily by elves to forge fine chain armors and curved longblades.

Pitforged

Derived from infernal techniques passed down from the tiefling empire of Bael Turath, pitforged weapons and armor are made of iron mined from one of the Nine Hells and forged to withstand the hazards of infernal battlefields.

Primitive

Made from bone, rock, wood, or other natural materials, primitive materials are not very durable and often wind up broken.

Weighted

Heavier at the head of the weapon, this weapon can flatten opponents, but is a bit unwieldy.