Blacksmith Smithing Insights (2024)

Spheres of Might[edit]

Double-Edged Sword: Whenever the blacksmith uses the sunder combat maneuver or a similar ability while using the attack action to cause a creature's wielded weapon to gain the broken condition, he can damage the weapon in such a way that any attempt to make an attack with it inflicts 1d6 damage against the wielder, +1d6 per 5 class levels the blacksmith possesses. Repairing the equipment so that it no longer has the broken condition removes this effect.

Durable: The blacksmith's time working over an anvil has forged not only weapons and armor, but also his very body. The blacksmith gains Endurance and Toughness as bonus feats.

Economic Crafting: The blacksmith learns to craft with virtually no material waste. The raw material cost to create a non-magical item is reduced from 1/3rd the market price to 1/4, and all magical items and equipment have their raw material cost reduced by 10%.

Gunsmith: The blacksmith gains proficiency with all firearms, gains the Gunsmithing feat as a bonus feat, and may make sunder attempts at range when using a firearm, using his Dexterity in place of his Strength modifier when determining his combat maneuver bonus.

Hammer Down: When the blacksmith succeeds at a bull rush combat maneuver, he can make a trip combat maneuver at the end of the bull rush as a free action that does not provoke attacks of opportunity. Even if he does not move with the target, the force of his attack may still trip his foe, but he takes a –5 penalty on the combat maneuver check to trip.

Hampering Dents: Whenever the blacksmith successfully deals damage to a creature's armor with the sunder combat maneuver or a similar ability while using the attack action, that creature takes a -1 penalty to Acrobatics, Climb, and Swim checks, as well as to all melee damage rolls. This penalty increases by an additional -1 for every 5 levels the blacksmith possesses. Restoring at least 1 hit point to the damaged armor removes this effect.

Heat Forged: The blacksmith's time spent working over a scorching forge has inured him to the effects of heat. The blacksmith becomes immune to nonlethal damage caused by heat, and gains fire resistance 10. This fire resistance increases by 5 at 5th level and every 5 levels thereafter.

Hobbling Strikes: Whenever the blacksmith successfully deals damage to a creature's armor with the sunder combat maneuver or a similar ability while using the attack action, the creature's base speed is lowered by 5 ft. + 5 ft. per 5 class levels the blacksmith possesses; this ability cannot lower a target's speed below 5 ft. Restoring at least 1 hit point to the damaged armor removes this effect.

Master Shieldsmith: (Requires Shieldsmith) The blacksmith's shieldcraft has reached its pinnacle, allowing him to craft shields whose intricate details are too refined for anyone but him to truly master. The blacksmith does not lose his shield bonus to AC when attacking with a weapon wielded with his shield arm, and does not take two-weapon fighting penalties for his off-hand attacks when using a shield bash as one of his weapons when two-weapon fighting.

Penetrating Blows: The blacksmith's time spent pounding iron and steel has translated into an ability to strike with such force that the impact of his blows punches through his opponent's defenses with ease. The blacksmith ignores 2 points of damage reduction his target possesses when attacking with a melee weapon using the attack action, plus an additional point at 5th level and every 5 levels thereafter.

Practiced Power: Regardless of his actual physical might, the blacksmith's time working at a forge has enabled him to strike with power beyond what his frame should allow. The blacksmith gains a +1 competence bonus to his combat maneuver bonus and damage rolls made with hammers when using an attack action to sunder, plus an additional +1 at 5th level and every 5 levels thereafter.

Satisfying Crunch: Whenever the blacksmith destroys or inflicts the broken condition on a weapon, item, or other piece of equipment with a sunder attempt, he gains a +2 morale bonus to attack rolls, and to combat maneuver checks made to perform a sunder, until the end of his next turn and may regain his martial focus as an immediate action. For every 6 class levels the blacksmith possesses, this morale bonus increases by an additional +1.

Siegesmith: The blacksmith's skill and knowledge of engineering make him particularly good at working on siege equipment. The blacksmith becomes proficient with all siege engines, lowers the costs to craft, enchant, or repair them by 25%, and no longer needs to pay any additional cost to craft a siege engine of masterwork quality (this reduction stacks with that granted by the economic crafting insight). In addition, the blacksmith gains a +2 bonus to Disable Device checks made to disable a siege engine and decreases the amount of time necessary to disable a siege engine by one round (minimum 1); at 5th level and every five levels thereafter the bonus to Disable Device checks increases by +2 and the number of rounds necessary to disable a siege engine decreases by an additional one round.

Shieldsmith: The blacksmith learns how to position the straps and clasps on a shield in such a way that he can wield it without hampering the use of an arm; the blacksmith may wear a light or heavy shield as a buckler, and does not suffer a penalty to attack rolls when using his shield arm to wield a weapon or when using a tower shield.

Stunning Strikes: The blacksmith's time at the forge has taught him how to put every iota of his mighty frame into each swing of his weapon, resulting in truly devastating attacks. When the blacksmith successfully deals damage to a creature with a bludgeoning melee weapon while using the attack action, the creature must succeed on a Fortitude saving throw (DC 10 + 1/2 the blacksmith's class level + his Constitution modifier) or be stunned for 1 round. The blacksmith must be at least 12th level to learn this insight. Regardless of whether a creature passes or fails its save against this effect, it cannot be affected by this ability again for 1d4 rounds.

Tangling Wreckage: Whenever the blacksmith uses the sunder combat maneuver or a similar ability while using the attack action to cause a creature's worn armor to gain the broken condition, he can damage the equipment in such a way that it causes the target to become entangled as long as they are wearing the equipment. Repairing the equipment so that it no longer has the broken condition removes this effect.

Toolsmith: The blacksmith's training and practice with tools increases the bonus he gets from using masterwork tool kits, such as a set of masterwork thieves' tools; the circ*mstance bonus granted to the blacksmith by such masterwork tools increases by +2, plus an additional +2 at 5th level and every 5 levels thereafter (so a 5th level blacksmith using a set of masterwork thieves' tools would receive a +6 circ*mstance bonus on associated checks).

Spheres Apocrypha: The Essence Smith[edit]

Expanded Crafting: The blacksmith gains one item crafting feat he meets the prerequisites for as a bonus feat. He may take this feat multiple times, each time gaining another item crafting feat he meets the prerequisites for.

Crafting Competence: The blacksmith chooses one Craft skill. He gains a competence bonus to that Craft skill equal to his blacksmith level. He may select this talent multiple times, each time choosing a new Craft skill.

Spheres Apocrypha: Armor Talents 2: Steel Boogaloo[edit]

Alchemical Maintenance: You gain the Alchemy sphere for the (formulae) package and must select the Armor Maintenance Kit talent with the free (formulae) talent granted by that package. You may expend an armor maintenance kit when performing a maintenance to gain a unique benefit:

Polish: You may expend a polish kit when performing the polish maintenance to allow the maintenance to be used one additional time per day per ray that could be deflected by the polish kit.

Lubrication: You may expend a lubrication kit when applying the armor maintenance to apply the lubrication kit’s bonus to the armor maintenance.

Painful Shred: For a number of rounds equal to 1/2 the blacksmiths level after giving a creature’s armor the broken condition or reducing a creature’s natural armor bonus to 0, the creature is battered and takes an amount of damage equal to the 1/2 the blacksmith’s level + the blacksmith’s practitioner modifier whenever it moves more than 5 feet. This damage is of the same type as the weapon the blacksmith used to sunder the armor or natural armor and bypasses damage reduction in the same way.

The Conqueror's Handbook[edit]

Armorclad Mastery:' The blacksmith learns to fight and maneuver in his armor better. While wearing armor, the blacksmith reduces the armor check penalty by 1 (to a minimum of 0) and increases the maximum Dexterity bonus allowed by his armor by 1. The blacksmith also learns to move at his normal speed when wearing medium armor. This counts as the fighter's armor training class feature.

In addition, the blacksmith gains an Armor Mastery feat. The blacksmith must still meet all other prerequisites, but treats his blacksmith level as his fighter level when qualifying for armor mastery feats. The blacksmith must be at least 4th level to learn this insight. He may select this insight again at 8th and 16th level. If he does, the blacksmith increases his armor training benefits by 1 and gains a new armor mastery feat. When the blacksmith gains this insight a second time, he learns to move at his normal speed whenwearing heavy armor.

Maker's Know How: Years of training and study made the blacksmith realize all items are fundamentally the same, granting him insight into the inner workings of magic items. The blacksmith chooses either Profession (blacksmith) or any one Craft skill. The blacksmith may use the chosen skill's bonus in place of his Use Magic Device skill bonus.

Rune-Charged Maintenance: The blacksmith gains the ability to inscribe divine runewords and symbols onto equipment when performing maintenance, bestowing power to equipment. He learns two runes from the forgemasterARG cleric's runeforger ability, treating his blacksmith level as his cleric level when determining the effects of runes, and may choose to apply one rune as a maintenance. The duration of a rune applied as a maintenance is the same as a regular maintenance, lasting 24 hours or until their next 8 hour or longer rest, whichever comes first. The blacksmith must still meet any level prerequisites to apply a rune with maintenance. Unlike other maintenance options, runes are supernatural and are suppressed by antimagic fields or other similar effects, and may be removed by an erase spell or other similar effect. Equipment inscribed with runes by the blacksmith bear symbols of the blacksmith's faith or ideology. At 8th level, the blacksmith can apply two runes as part of the same maintenance.

The blacksmith may take this insight multiple times, each time learning two new runes.

The Blood and Portents Handbook[edit]

Toymaker (Ex): The blacksmith gains a familiar, as the wizard's arcane bond option, using his blacksmith levels as wizard levels for this purpose, as well as Object Familiar (Ultimate Spheres of Power pg. 481) as a bonus feat, even if he does not meet the prerequisites. The blacksmith must select a Tiny animated object in place of a normal creature whenever he could select a familiar, and the familiar gains a toy-like appearance. The blacksmith can choose any special ability a normal familiar could grant its master (such as a fox's +2 bonus on Reflex saves or a cat's +3 bonus on Stealth checks) and gains that bonus as though his animated object familiar were a familiar of that kind.

The blacksmith may use his reforge ability on his familiar, spending 1 hour to change its appearance, so long as it retains a toy-like appearance. When he does this, the blacksmith may reselect the special ability his animated object grants him as a familiar.