Draznar's Ultimate Crafting Guide and FAQ

The Lord of the Rings Online™: Shadows
of Angmar™

"You know, The Lord of the Rings is really
the story of a crafting quest gone wrong."

- Nik Davidson, developer

DRAFT – All content
is subject to change as LOTRO is in beta. All info has been
posted and is not subject to NDA.

Comments, Corrections, and such should be
posted on the href="http://forums.tentonhammer.com/showthread.php?t=1513">forums.

TABLE OF CONTENT:

1.0 TERMINOLOGY

2.0 PROFESSIONS:

3.0 VOCATIONS

4.0 CRAFTING:

5.0 ECONOMY:

6.0 REFERENCES:

1.0 TERMINOLOGY:

Professions: A field of specialization,
such as Metalsmithing.

Vocations: A bundle of 3 professions, such as an Armorer
knows Leatherworking, Metalsmithing, and Prospecting (gathering
raw materials).

Critcal Success: Crafting something of a different level
of quality entirely; crafted items have the chance to be of

"similar fashion, but of greater lineage." Critical
success is something special; something that only happens for
truly dedicated crafters, something worth writing home about.

Optional ingredients: Special additions to a recipe that
are not necessarily always physical materials (research into
Second Age forging techniques, for example) are a player's way to
alter the odds of a critical success in their favor.

Gathering professions: Collect resources used in crafting,
such as Prospecting and collecting ore

Production professions: Using the resources and creating
an item, such Metalsmithing crafts a shield.

2.0 PROFESSIONS:

Gathering Professions:

Prospector: One who gathers ore and
stone.

Forester: One who gathers resources from the forest,
such as collecting wood.

Farming: Collecting items from farms.

Producing Professions:

Weaponsmith: As expected, the
Weaponsmith is the primary source of melee weapons. Swords,
daggers, and axes of all varieties are the Weaponsmith's
purview, ranging from bronze training gear to weapons of
ancient design and great renown.

Metalsmith: Metal armors and sturdy shields
are the metalsmith's domain. Though their initial products
may be of simple make, eventually their skills will allow
them to work finer materials and greater designs.

Tailor: A skilled tailor can make simple clothing from
common cloth, but with time and practice can create garments
of great beauty that provide significant protection to their
wearer. The Tailor can also work with tanned hides to produce
leather armor – light, tough and suitable for travel.

Jeweller: Simple adornments and objects of beauty are
the heart of the jeweller's trade. However, exceptional
adornments can go far to increasing the stature and
confidence of an adventurer, and a skilled jeweller can
produce true works of art.

Woodworker: As any archer will tell you, it takes more
than a stick and a string to make a worthy weapon. The
woodworker is an expert bowyer, but expands his trade to
include staves, spears, and other hafted weapons. A master
Woodworker can produce weapons that even an Elven hero would
be proud to wield on the battlefield.

Cook: A long march can be made all the easier with the
promise of a good meal at the end. While it may seem a
mundane talent, a good cook is every adventurer's best friend.

Scholar: Perhaps the most mysterious of the
professions, the Scholar collects fragments of lost lore, and
attempts to interpret their secrets. In doing so, he can
produce scrolls that other craftsmen can read to improve
their chances of producing a superior product. Other
practical applications include lore by which specific enemies
(orcs, trolls, the dead) might be best combated, or cures for
various maladies.

3.0 VOCATIONS:

Armsman: Prospecting, Weaponsmith,
Woodworker

Armorer: Prospecting, Metalsmithing, Leatherworker

Explorer: Forester, Prospector, Leatherworker

Historian: Farmer, Scholar, Weaponsmith

Tinker: Prospector, Jeweller, Cook

Woodsman: Farmer, Forestor, Woodworker

Yeoman: Farmer, Cook, Leatherworker

4.0 CRAFTING:

Leveling professions:

Technically, there's no level gating to any crafting executions.
Which means, if a guild decided to support a crafter who never
left Bree, they'd be able to do it with considerable effort.

General:

Every vocation has one primary thing that it can do entirely on
its own, and every Profession exists in at least one Vocation
such that it is self-supported.

Craftsman's Mark:

Your name will be on every item you create/

5.0 ECONOMY:

Currency:

The basic unit of currency is the silver coin. Copper and gold
are used as well, but silver is the baseline. The exchange rate
is not known at this time.

Auction House (or Market):

The structure of exchange is not know at this time. Though early
drawings ( target="_blank">http://lotro.turbine.com/article/115) show an
auction area.

Banking/Storage:

There will be a system that allows additional storage beyond what
you carry on your back - the exact form it will take is still
being worked on. As a couple people have mentioned, crafters (and
packrats, and the obsessive-compulsive) do appreciate having the
extra space.

6.0 REFERENCES:

target="_blank">http://lotro.turbine.com/article/94

http://lotro.turbine.com/article/139

http://lotro.turbine.com/forums/showthread.php?t=12230

Closing Remarks: Do not copy this guide to
any other site. And, yes this is the same Draznar as from SWG,
WOW, and CoX. I am glad you enjoyed my guides/FAQ.

Comments, Corrections, and such should be
posted on the href="http://forums.tentonhammer.com/showthread.php?t=1513">forums.