Fine and masterwork
Why some of what you make comes out better, and what it does.
Clothing, weapons and iron tools don't all come out the same. Most of what you make is plain, but now and then one comes out fine, and once you're really good at it, some come out masterwork. It's the same piece, only better made.
What a grade does#
A fine piece does a quarter more than a plain one, and a masterwork does half as much again. For clothing that's more of a bite turned aside and more of the cold kept out, for a weapon it's more damage, and for a tool it's more time taken off the job. Weapons and tools also last longer before they wear. See Wear and mending. It weighs the same and goes in the same place.
| Piece | Plain | Fine | Masterwork |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hide cap | 2% / 10% | 3% / 13% | 3% / 15% |
| Hide gloves | 1% / 5% | 1% / 6% | 2% / 8% |
| Hide boots | 2% / 5% | 3% / 6% | 3% / 8% |
| Hide trousers | 4% / 10% | 5% / 13% | 6% / 15% |
| Hide coat | 6% / 20% | 8% / 25% | 9% / 30% |
| Wool sweater | 1% / 30% | 1% / 38% | 2% / 45% |
| Fur mittens | 2% / 18% | 3% / 23% | 3% / 27% |
| Fur hat | 3% / 25% | 4% / 31% | 5% / 38% |
| Fur coat | 8% / 40% | 10% / 50% | 12% / 60% |
| Wooden sword | 8 damage | 10 damage | 12 damage |
| Bow | 13 damage | 16 damage | 20 damage |
| Iron sword | 15 damage | 19 damage | 23 damage |
| Iron shovel | 25% quicker | 31% quicker | 38% quicker |
| Iron axe | 25% quicker | 31% quicker | 38% quicker |
| Iron pick | 25% quicker | 31% quicker | 38% quicker |
For clothing, the numbers are the share of a bite turned aside and the share of the cold kept out. The knitted things turn nothing aside, so a fine one is just warmer.
Your chances#
It comes down to how far your skill is past what the thing needs. Make something at the level it needs, or just past it, and it'll be plain. Once you're 5 levels past, there's a 2% chance of a fine one, and it goes up 2% every level after that, to 40% at most. Masterwork doesn't start till level 30, and then it's 2.5% more likely every level, up to 50% at level 50.
| Your level | Something that needs 1 | Something that needs 4 | Something that needs 12 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 0% fine | 0% fine | 0% fine |
| 10 | 10% fine | 4% fine | 0% fine |
| 20 | 30% fine | 24% fine | 8% fine |
| 30 | 40% fine | 40% fine | 28% fine |
| 40 | 40% fine, 25% masterwork | 40% fine, 25% masterwork | 40% fine, 25% masterwork |
| 50 | 40% fine, 50% masterwork | 40% fine, 50% masterwork | 40% fine, 50% masterwork |
So a hide cap is an easy one to get fine, and a fur coat takes a lot more practice. Clothing and wooden swords and bows go by your Crafting, and iron swords and tools by your Smithing.
Things by the handful#
Arrows, snares, yarn, iron bars and fittings don't come in grades. The same luck gives you more of them instead: when a roll would have come out fine you get one more than the recipe says, and when it would have been masterwork, two more. So a good smith gets more fittings from a bar. Food works its own way: a good cook sometimes gets an extra portion, and the Cooking page says how often.
A few things are just what they are: a canteen, a halter, a rod or a net, a lantern, shears and a milk pail. They work the same however well they're made, so they always come out plain.
You'll see it come up over your head when you make a good one, and it shows by name in your pack: a fine hide coat, a masterwork iron axe. Wear or carry the best one you've got.