Technically it is supposed to add to attack, but I don't think that was the intent. I would be fine with it adding to soak, as long as we keep it consistent.
Before we get to crazy into any of this, I need to get a copy of C&G. Otherwise I am making off the cuff rulings without knowing the implications.
The actual rule in C&G is "This bonus is then applied to every activity that the item is used for" which could imply it should add to all of it's listed characteristics... or whatever the troop decides on...
To bring Donna up to winter 1235:
Spring 1234 she establishes her workshop at a cost of 5 mythic pounds, borrowed from the covenant, exposure (2 xp) in weaponsmithing
Summer of 1234 she manufactures weapons and armor for the covenant, nominal value/income of 10 mythic pounds, consisting of exceptional quality and quantity, earns 57 labor points and gains 2xp in weaponsmithing
Fall of 1234 is essentially the same as the summer, perhaps some variation in goods produced
As of winter 1235 she has accumulated 114 labor points, 36 are required to 'maintain' the business, net accumulation of 78 labor points, seeks apprentice.
Winter adventure 1235- 10 xp 2 confidence.
5 xp in athletics, 5 in brawl
Spring 1235 working on business and training Yenni
Yenni gets 7xp in craft:weapons, Donna gets 2 exposure, 57 labor points (-36 for annual cost of business)
Summer 1235 donna continues work on business, 2 exposure, 57 labor points, yenni gets 2 exposure experience presumably in craft:weaponsmith
May I presume this is effort towards crafting suits of leather armour from saltwyrm hide?
Sure, we can go with that. I wasn't being specific with what she was doing those seasons besides "work".
Although I don't know that craft:weaponsmith would have that much crossover with craft:leather or craft:armorer
My bad. I seem to remember that was a project on our docket. I also thought it fit in your skill set. What alternative project do you have in mind?
At this point she is following the whims of the market, with the covenant given priority. So if you need more weapons to go storm the city of brass, she will be working on those. It should be noted that with her new assistant after a season of training will raise her workshop total by 1, so for swords made in the summer it will be at 21 which now means extraordinary (+4) quality instead of exceptional(+3). Other weapons are still 'merely' exceptional.
Okay, I went back through some of our previous conversations and also realized I had missed another point-
- Donna can make armor, she is simply at -1 to her ability for working with unusual materials. The salt worm hide might well impose other penalties by itself.
- I forgot about aura- being touched by magic means Donna gets to add the aura to her craft ability, so her base for swords is 24 (+5!), 23 for other weapons (+4) and 22 (+4 bonus) for armor. Also with the salt worm armor, she is going to probably want to put in some time and craft it more specifically (craft enchantment) for whomever will be wearing it. Who will that be? Also how would the material of the hide affect this? Also wonderous items have no penetration, so is it even worth trying if the person wearing it has a parma magica (she is considering constructing it so the person has no penalties due to injuries or fatigue- base effect 10, range touch, duration day, twice per day with environmental trigger of sunrise/sunset). There will probably be penalties to the craft total due to it's unusual nature, but I would be able to add any appropriate shape and material bonuses- the fact it is armor alone would give +7, hopefully offsetting the unusual material penalty, and if the material would also give bonuses for this effect it would also affect how quickly this effect can be instilled...
I found in C&G the penalty: -1 for outside the normal scope (armor instead of weapons) and -3 for exotic material, +7 form bonus for armor (since she is making a wondrous item), so unless the material has a material bonus of +1 or higher it will require 3 seasons to make the suit of armor, which must be tailored to one individual, and the wondrous aspect is linked to their own life (as in it fades if they die), and will always be an arcane connection to the person for whom it is made. So it would appear that Donna will be working 3 seasons this year...
Fall Donna will get training in single weapon (sword) from whomever is available to teach her. SQ varies depending on who can teach...
can I assume Yenni does study in weaponsmithing (4xp), or takes the class with Donna...
Should I assume the same 14xp which Berat received in single weapon? Also does Yenni have non-combatant which would (effectively)exclude her from the class? If so may I assume she spends the season studying craft weaponsmith?
How did you know I was gonna pull a fast one on ya? I was gonna wait until the class and have it discovered there. But no, not "Non-Combatant". I was thinking Ability Block for Martial Abilities. Which still leaves other forms of combat.
Or maybe not. Now that you second guessed me, my instinct is to find a different interesting quirk.
Because you made the point of her not fighting during the pirate adventure, which given how masculine sh tried to be in so many other ways didn't flow as being just a part of how she was raised and implied something else.
So 4xp in craft:weaponsmith.
For Winter 1236 Donna will be improving the refinement on her workshop, costing 100 labor points, and a season's work, and giving her +1 for all future uses of the workshop. This will count as training for Yenni (8 xp) and exposure for Donna (2xp) in craft:weaponsmith.
Interesting. I wasn't trying to play her as trying to act masculine. She just is who she is, and often gets frustrated by peoples preconcieved notions. She has feminine traits if you get to know her. And she likes men (though she does not yet realize her preference for efeminate men).
Yenni is the name of a girl from Thiland I once knew. I suppose you could call her Jenni. That's my sister's name.
I was thinking of making her a really good brawler though.
Same with Jesus/Janni. He is not trying to be effeminate or foppish. He is just a soft gentle kinda kid who likes baking. Your character concept though, so maybe there is more to him than that. But he does make me think of the character "Hot Pie" from Game of Thrones.
What is the opinion of the Troupe, Should Yenni learn how to swordfight, or would it be interesting to impose some form of limitation?
This thread fell behind what I was keeping track of somewhere- there is a lot to cover between 1236 and 1244, most of it in the companion planner... in 1241 she used her labor points to buy the wealthy virtue (City and guild), and has begun designing her own mystery cult to try and pass along her touched by magic virtue, but she is also close to having to make aging rolls,, and the phoenix she had encountered so long ago might want to consider pulling in those favors... she does realize she will probably need help as well to create a mystery cult of craftspeople, which is likely to start some adventures...
She has studied Latin in 1242 and 1243, so she can now read books at the covenant as well. She could learn to write easily enough, but her incomprehensible flaw would remain as an imposition to her desires to found a lineage of craftsmanship.