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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 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 (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:

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 forums.