Masterwork
The masterwork rules are added primarily to compensate that it's so hard to get magical weapons, but also because there really are very large differences in worksmanship quality with weapons. I'd assume that the average weapon in DnD world is pretty good, and MW is as good as it gets. In Hökaland, a regular weapon is decent/low quality compared to average DnD and there are levels of improvements to be made.
Like "normal" masterwork quality, these prices are in addition to the cost of the original weapon/armor cost. If a character has access to enchanting, only Masterwork I is needed to make enchantments.
Reasoning
This is more of a game mechanic function rather than an adaptation of something that actually happens in Hökaland; Masterwork items can have their quality level improved. Like Hit Points, improving items is used to ease the game rather than being used for realism. In terms of manufacturing an item from scratch, you could say it's realistic, however.
Especially for weapons, this is of course not very realistic, but the for roleplaying purposes it can be seen as selling the original item and ordering a new one. For armor, it could very well be an improvement.
Masterwork quality increase and magical enhancement can be improved in parallel.
Prices
The prices are based on the original masterwork cost and made similar to magic enhancement base cost. The quality level is multiplicated with itself and then multiplied by 300 (for weapons) or 150 (for armor).
While a +2 equivalent bonus here is slightly more expensive than a base cost magic enhancement of +2, it adds a +2 bonus outside of the exponentially increasing cost of magical items.
Improvements on an item is calculated with the cost being the difference between the current level and the new level.
Construction time uses the same basic system as magic items: 1 day per 1000gp of the price, plus any additional time the local blacksmith may need.
Limitations
An item can't be given more than 100% bonus increase due to Masterwork status (such as a Buckler at AC1 or a Blowgun at 1 damage). It can of course still receive enhancement bonuses that exceeds this limit.
Each entry on these lists show the TOTAL bonus at that level. Each level does not add upp cumulatively.
Weapons
(lvl * lvl * 300)
- Masterwork I - 300gp - +1 to attack roll, enchantable and improvable.
- Masterwork II - 1200gp - +1 to attack and damage roll.
- Masterwork III - 2700gp - Cumulative with enchantment bonuses, +1 hardness, +10 hit points.
- Masterwork IV - 4800gp - +2 to attack roll, +1 to damage roll.
- Masterwork V - 7500gp - +2 to attack and damage roll.
- Masterwork VI - 10800gp - Cumulative with enchantment bonuses, +2 hardness, +20 hit points.
Armor
(lvl * lvl * 150)
- Masterwork I - 150gp - Armor check penalty -1, enchantable and improvable.
- Masterwork II - 600gp - +1 to AC.
- Masterwork III - 1350gp - Cumulative with enchantment bonuses, +1 hardness, +5 hit points, -5% spell failure.
- Masterwork IV - 2400gp - Armor check penalty -2, +1 Maximum Dex, +2 hardness, +10 hit points.
- Masterwork V - 3750gp - +2 to AC.
- Masterwork VI - 5400gp - Cumulative with enchantment bonuses, +3 hardness, +15 hit points, -10% spell failure.
These non-magical enhancement bonuses work with Damage Conversion.
Backpacks
(lvl * lvl * 50) - Does not stack with straps
- Common - 2gp (2 lbs.) - About 2 cubic feet of material.
- Masterwork I - 50gp (4 lbs.) - +1 Str for carry capacity only. Pockets for storing items, hooks for canteens/pouches/blanket. Padded bands across chest/waist.
- Masterwork II - 200gp (4 lbs.) - +2 Str for carry capacity only.
- Masterwork III - 900gp (3 lbs.) - +4 Str for carry capacity only. Very rare
- Masterwork IV - 1600gp (2 lbs.) - +7 Str for carry capacity only. Extremely rare
- Masterwork V - 2500gp (2 lbs.) - +10 Str for carry capacity only. Ridiculously rare
Toolkits
(lvl * lvl * 100) - For bigger bonuses
General progression. This has lots of exceptions!
- Masterwork I - 100gp - +2 bonus.
- Masterwork II - 400gp - Cumulative with enchantment bonuses. 2/3 weight (minimum 0.5 lbs.).
- Masterwork III - 900gp - +3 bonus.
- Masterwork IV - 1600gp - +4 bonus.
Items or kits that follow this progression:
- Musical instrument (Perform +2) - Pianos etc are more expensive (base cost added)
- Thieves' Toolkit - Common 30gp (+0 bonus). If no kit; takes -2 penalty.
Artisan's Tools
(skill progression; MWI is discounted)
- Common - 5gp - +0 bonus. If no kit; takes -2 penalty.
- Masterwork I - 50gp - +2 bonus.
- Etc.
Items or kits that follow this progression:
- Crafting kits
- Juggler's Kit - 15gp (10 lbs.) - +1 bonus on Perform (act or comedy) and juggling. Multiple sets of well-balanced balls, clubs, knives, rings, and torches.
- Masterwork I - 50gp - +2 bonus. (etc)
- Fortune-Teller's Deck - Illustrated cards. Focus for the augury spell.
- Common - 1gp (0.5 lbs.) - Simple drawings on simple wooden plaques
- Quality - 25gp (1 lbs.) - +1 bonus Profession (fortune-teller/medium/similar). Wooden plaques with painted color images.
- Masterwork I 50gp (1 lbs.) +2 bonus. Wood, ivory, or even metal, with painted/carved images (often gold inlays or tiny gems).
Special
Surgeon's Tools
- Price 20 gp; Weight 5 lbs.
- +1 if used with healer's kit to treat wounds or deadly wounds.
Merchant's Scale
- Price 2 gp; Weight 1 lb.
- +2 Appraise checks if valuing by weight (like metals).
This deck of illustrated cards is used by those in tune with the spirit world to predict the future—and by charlatans to take money from the gullible. A common deck only has . A quality fortune-teller's deck usually consists of wooden plaques with painted color images; it is suitable as a focus for the augury spell, and provides a +1 circumstance bonus on Profession (fortune-teller), Profession (medium), and similar Profession checks. A masterwork fortune-teller's deck may be wood, ivory, or even metal, with painted or carved images, and is often highlighted with gold inlays or tiny gems; it has all the benefits of a quality deck, except it provides a +2 circumstance bonus on the listed skill checks.
References
- Enchanting weapon: Bonus squared × 2000 gp
- Enchanting armor: Bonus squared × 1000 gp
- Enchanting skill: Bonus squared × 100 gp
- Tools and Skill Kits
Price 50 gp; Weight 1 lb.
This tool is perfect for its intended job. It grants a +2 circumstance bonus on a related skill check (if any). The bonuses provided by multiple masterwork items do not stack.
Several common items already count as masterwork tools for particular skills. These are the alchemist's lab, climber's kit, disguise kit, healer's kit, masterwork musical instrument, and masterwork thieves' tools. Therefore, there is no masterwork climber's kit, masterwork healer's kit, and so on—those items are already the best available for general checks with the relevant skill.
Some skills have no appropriate tool or masterwork tool—no nonmagical item exists that grants a bonus for all uses of that skill. For example, just because a certain perfume is favored by local nobles (granting a +2 circumstance bonus on Diplomacy checks to influence them) doesn't mean that perfume has the same effect on a member of the thieves' guild, a foreign berserker, or a medusa. Likewise, just because a fake beard woven by dwarves out of the beards of famous dwarves may grant a +2 circumstance bonus on Use Magic Device checks to emulate the dwarven race doesn't mean the beard has any effect on using that skill to activate elven items or paladin items, or to decipher a written spell.
Individual GMs may want to allow masterwork tools for other skills at the listed cost. The circumstance bonus for such a tool should never be more than +2. The tool should either have a limited number of uses (such as the disguise and healer's kits) or only apply to certain aspects of the skill (such as the balancing pole's bonus on Acrobatics checks to traverse a narrow surface or the magnifying glass's bonus on Appraise checks for detailed items).
Crafting
This is just general notes:
Leather: 3-7 days for a cuirass with accessories, upwards of a week for scale cuirasses without accessories
Maille: For a fully manned manufactory, a week plus for a butted hauberk, upwards of three for a riveted one
Plate: Two or three days for a breastplate, plus another two or three days for each accessory. Months for a full movie-style knight set, if you want to be able to move.
the production of steel from iron would take four or five workers at least a week