A recipe is knowledge. It tells you which materials to use, how many portions of each, and their minimum grade. Without the recipe you don’t know how to make the item, even with the right materials.
The recipe card
| Field | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Core | The main material (the blade, the staff’s wood, the potion’s herb, the scroll’s paper), with its number of portions. |
| Fixed slots | Other materials the recipe requires (grip, crossguard, fittings, ink), with their portions. |
| Free capacity | The rest, up to the rarity’s minimum MP. The player chooses: better materials, a gemstone, extra decoration. |
| Special slot | Only if the item should do something special (fire, climbing, darkvision …). See below. |
| Tool · DC · time | The tool for the mundane item, the DC to make it, and the 2024 time for the non-magical version + ritual. |
Portions and capacity
Portions are how much material is in the item. MP is how much magic it holds.
- Every slot needs a fixed number of portions. The whole item takes about one portion per pound of its 2024 weight, split over the slots; every slot takes at least 1.
- Every portion can be charged up to its own capacity, and all of them count. A slot of 2 High portions holds 2,000 MP.
- The item’s total capacity must reach the rarity’s minimum MP. That is the only grade rule – there is no fixed core grade. Portions may have different grades; the more high-grade portions, the closer you get.
- Portions are material, not money: one High portion never replaces several Medium ones.
- The special slot is always 1 portion – it is one particular part.
In practice capacity still calls for high grades: a 1-portion ring needs a gemstone or a very high grade, a longsword needs High for Rare, and only heavy items such as armour can reach a rarity with materials one grade lower – they need far more portions to gather and charge instead.
Portions by item
| Item | Portions | Item | Portions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ring, amulet, wand, gloves, boots, belt, cloak | 1 | Padded / leather / studded leather | 8 / 10 / 13 |
| Dagger, dart, sling | 1 | Hide / chain shirt | 12 / 20 |
| Shortsword, rapier, handaxe, shortbow, longbow | 2 | Scale mail / breastplate | 45 / 20 |
| Longsword, scimitar, spear, whip, rod | 3 | Half plate / ring mail | 40 / 40 |
| Battleaxe, mace, quarterstaff, staff, trident | 4 | Chain mail / splint | 55 / 60 |
| Warhammer, light crossbow | 5 | Plate | 65 |
| Greatsword, glaive, halberd, lance, shield | 6 | Potion: liquid + reagent | 1 + 1 |
| Greataxe | 7 | Scroll: paper + ink | 1 + 1 |
| Maul | 10 | 10 arrows or bolts | 1 |
| Heavy crossbow, pike | 18 |
Example: a +1 longsword (Uncommon, 200 MP) – blade 2 Medium portions (200), crossguard 1 Low (10), grip 1 Low (10). Capacity 220, so it can hold the 200 MP. See Examples.
Special slot
- A special slot needs a fitting special ingredient: usually a trait part from a creature with that ability, or a unique ingredient with the right theme.
- It comes on top of the rarity’s minimum. It does not count toward the minimum and must be fully charged.
- More abilities mean more special slots, and a more expensive item. That is why two items of the same rarity can cost very different amounts.
- Milder variant (open question): the special slot only counts half.
Fit
Our ingredient and part notes rate how well a unique find suits a kind of item (this replaces Nord’s crafting-time cuts of 10 %, 25 % and 50 %):
| Rating | Meaning |
|---|---|
| minor fit | It belongs to the theme and can fill a special slot for it. |
| good fit | A strong match – the obvious choice for that theme. |
| excellent fit | The classic ingredient for it; crafters seek it out. |
| required ingredient | The item can’t be made without it. |
What a better fit gives at the table is an open question.
Example – flame sword (Rare): the rarity part is 2,000 MP. The special slot is a breath sac from a young red dragon (High, 1,000 MP). 3,000 MP in total, value 6,000 gp. See Examples.
Material requirements
- A metal weapon always has metal in the core. Small parts like wood, leather and decoration are fixed slots.
- Liquids are the base of potions. The liquid’s grade is a gate: see Liquids.
- Gemstones can be used when it makes sense for the item, and the core and fixed slots are filled. See Gemstones.
How to learn a recipe
| Route | How |
|---|---|
| Association | Membership and rank in an association (Nord) gives access to its recipes. |
| Discovery | Recipes as treasure: a smith’s notebook, an alchemist’s diary, runes on a tomb. |
| Mentor | An NPC teaches it in exchange for favours or payment. |
| Reverse engineering | Study a finished item (e.g. a week and an Arcana check). The item may be lost. |
| Research | Build the recipe yourself over time. The GM sets DC and time. |
Recipes can have levels: fragment → full → mastered. A fragment gives only the core. A full recipe gives the whole card. A mastered recipe can give a benefit (e.g. one grade lower on a fixed slot).
Use the Recipe Builder to build and check a card.