tl;dr: I agree with changing Pedro's Craft: Blacksmith to Craft: Weaponsmith and allowing him to do blacksmith stuff at a penalty.
City & Guild considers occupations by the raw material they work with. Blacksmiths work with iron, while weaponsmiths work with the trickier steel (page 64). On the other hand, I did just now (re)find some rules for crossing over:
I will point out that the sentence underlined above, which is the one most relevant to the current discussion, actually departs from the pattern in the rest of the paragraph: mostly it talks about craftsmen making familiar items from unfamiliar materials, while the underlined sentence talks about making an unfamiliar item.
Still, I think that a troupe can make a judgment call as to which professions are "related" (like languages) and allow some crossover in item type as well. Personally, I suggest: blacksmith wants to make a horseshoe out of steel instead of iron: -1. Horseshoe out of stone: -3. Sword (not a usual item for him) out of steel: -3. Sword out of stone: -5 perhaps. Cloak out of anything: tough, not related.
Speaking of specializations: I think "Toledo style" sounds like it could be applied to every single weapon a character makes, and thus is mechanically too broad for a specialization. YMMV
By Toledo style, I mean to say "Strong Sharp Blades". From my research, the style is just craftsmanship techniques imported from Damascus, and like Damascene steel, it incorporates a metal known as Vandium. In my game, I grant a +1 attack bonus for the craft (which seems to fit here) and +1 damage for the metal (which is rare, and in the modern day there is none left that hasn't been forged into a weapon).
So perhaps Craft-Weaponsmith, specializing in swords. Presumably he can do all the other blacksmith stuff at a slight penalty (shoe a horse, mend a suit of mail, fix a shield, and craft simple stuff). With a score of 9, a -3 penalty won't matter much at all.
My very basic understanding is Toledo steel makers produced only a couple of these blades a year, it was an extremely detailed process, and I'm inclined to stick to the historical understanding, rather than what the game mechanics suggest might be possible.
From an in-character perspective, Damascus-technique smithing is a perfectly good specialization - but if its mechanical effect is just to add +1 to every weapon the weaponsmith makes, then I find it a bit broad. If it can only be used with that particular steel, or some other limitation, then it gets less broad.
On the other hand, I don't care all that much
I agree that 9-3 still makes a damn good blacksmith, esp. with Str 3 as well.
Xavier Requio is the expert on the subject as far as these Forums go
My original intent was Blacksmithing with a specialization in weapons. I am willing to revise that to Weaponsmith with a specialization in blades (or maybe just swords).
From what little I know, the Toledo technique in and of itself is not rare. In modern Spain there is a big market in selling knives and such using this technique to tourists. The rare part is using Vandiu steel, rare and expensive (and all used up by the modern day). Vandium originates in India, imported into Syria, then exported to Hispania.
So leaving the Vandium out of it (I doubt there is much in France), all I am looking for is a guy good at making swords and able to fufil military smith duties. Just simple stuff. No need to get extra fancy.
FYI: Tranquillina isn't planning on getting Study xp from the Tropaea until 1226. But I'm sure she would have informally browsed the impressive texts pretty soon after arriving.
Yeah, I was worried about this. I know that the Tribunal will take place in 1227.2 - but would Tranquillina be able to read one of them during 1227.2 itself? Or will they be returned to the Tribunal at the beginning of that season?
Yeah, well, Abigail has orders...
The distinction between aggressive browsing and active study may be lost on an apprentice. She doesn't read a book for learning until 1224, so if she's browsing agressively...
Actually, they are due back the end of 1228.1 (although expect shenanigans, just fair warning here, ok?) and can be studied up until that point, so long as they can be returned to the covenant who checks them out, or the the Tribunal library at Confluensis. But no, the Tribunal happens the first week of 1227.2, so they cannot be studied and returned at Tribunal.
Chess...
At one point I thought I read Concentration was the skill governing chess. Does anyone else recall reading that in any of the supplements?
I know when I first started this saga, I said Artes Liberales was used for the Great Game...but I never pursued anything, and I made the barrier to harvesting the piece very easy and never asked for a roll on harvesting it.
