Masterwork Smithing for profit

[normal merlin]

I'd like to see a system where whenever you smith armour or a weapon, there's a chance (increased by your smithing level above the item's level) for it to be a Masterwork (or similarly named) version of that item. What do I think it should do? I don't think a stat increase exactly, it doesn't even need a visual difference, but instead it alchs and sells to shops for slightly higher coin. It stands to reason that a high level smith could, on average, make better steel armour than a lower level smith, and I would like to see grinding out steel or mith plates to be more profitable for a high level smith as a reward for their grind, on top of simply being able to craft higher level gear that's already worth more.

To throw some numbers out, let's say it's a 15% increase in worth, starting at a 5% chance plus 1% per level above the item:

Platebody alch totals:
Iron 336 - 386.4
Steel 1,200 - 1,380
Mithril 3,120 - 3,588
Adamant 9,984 - 11,481.6
Rune 39,000 - 44,850

With the chance starting at 5%, increasing by 1% per level higher than the item, this averages out to a 0.75% average increase to the worth of an item when you're on level, increasing by 0.15% per level. As an example, when you can craft Mithril Plates, Steel Plates would have a 25% chance to craft as Masterwork, an average increase of 3.75% worth.

At 99 Smithing (Metal / Chance / Alch - Average Alch):
Steel / 55% / 1,200 - 1,299 (+99)
Mithril / 35% / 3,120 - 3,283.8 (+163.8)
Adamant / 15% / 9,984 - 10,208.6 (+224.6)
Rune / 5% / 39,000 - 39,292.5 (+292.5)

Examples at 99 Smithing if the cost increase is (25%/50%)
Steel / 1,200 - (1,365/1,530) (+165/330)
Mithril / 3,120 - (3,393/3,666) (+273/546)
Adamant / 9,984 - (10,358.4/10,732.8) (+374/748)
Rune / 39,000 - (39,487.5/39,975) (+487/975)

Personal fav: 25% increase, 1% chance on level, +1.5%/level above
Steel / 76% / 1,200 - 1,382.4 (+182.4)
Mithril / 46% / 3,120 - 3,478.8 (+358.8)
Adamant / 16% / 9,984 - 10,303.4 (+319.4)
Rune / 1% / 39,000 - 39,078 (+78)

This could additionally be used for something like a smithing minigame, there could be a new quest reward to affect the chance, the items could be cosmetically different, they could be needed for clue steps, maybe they're worth additional XP when crafted, there could be a shop that exclusively buys masterwork items for some special currency or reward like skilling for Managing Miscellania.

It doesn't have to be amazing, I mostly want Smithing to feel better with unexpected "drops" from the skill for those feel good chemicals and this feels like a decent way to approach that.

If any of my math is off don't tell me because I'll cry (Joking but also it doesn't really matter, it's superfluous for the suggestion, the developers would have a much better grasp on how to actually approach this).

[glass void]

Isnt this Giants Foundry?

[paper summit]

Your first example with the 5% base, 1% increase per level seems to scale much better at 99 than the 1% base, 1.5% increase example

[normal merlin]

Giant's Foundry is a minigame using unique mechanics to create a commissioned weapon, I'm suggesting a coin bonus when making lower level equipment tied to chance so there's more coming out of the skill.

[normal merlin]

The former is just a buff across the board, the latter leans more towards Mithril/Adamant and has the highest Steel alch outside the +50% alch example, the point is to increase lower level gear profit due to your smithing level rather than just increase high alch across the board. Rune will always be worth the most anyway unless the numbers I propose become absurd.

[glass void]

Forgive me if im wrong, but isnt the commission you earned based on how well you make the sword the coin bonus? Would you want that to be more profitable for mithril and adamant?

[normal merlin]

I'm not sure I understand exactly what you're saying, my proposal has nothing to do with Giant's Foundry

[glass void]

Its cause you brought up making it a smithing minigame and i thought that its basically giants foundry. The proposal is you make an item to turn in for extra gold, smithing xp and a token that the shop with rewards uses and upgrades to the minigame, right? Isnt that basically how giants foundry works right now?

[normal merlin]

That's effectively Giant's Foundry but isn't the core of my suggestion. I meant, alongside it being a base mechanic as part of smithing, it could be utilized as part of a minigame (activity is maybe the better word), something like Hunter Rumours or Mahogany Homes, where you can trade in masterworks you have otherwise made or something. It doesn't matter, that was just an aside.

[glass void]

So would have to go to a certain anvil in the world to make the item? Or would you have to get a "contract" to make an item that you farmed from a certain area and turn it in to a person like Homes?

[normal merlin]

I don't know, I wasn't specifically suggesting a minigame, what I suggested would be a system that's just part of existing smithing.

[primal tangle]

Eh

[slim plume]

Hmm I'd be down for randomly creating armor with better stats some times

But smithing (and especially rune smithing) doesn't need a gp buff