Breakable Gathering Tools

Problem

How do I require a Tool for gathering and decide what happens when it breaks?

Short answer

Create the Tool once in the crafting system’s Tools library, configure its breakage behavior, and add it to the Gathering Task. Then choose the system’s Tool breakage outcome under Gathering Rules.

Steps

  1. Open the Crafting System Manager and select the crafting system.
  2. Open the top-level Tools page.
  3. Create the Tool by dropping a world or compendium Item onto the library.
  4. Open Breakage in the Tool editor.
  5. Under a Tool-specific breakage source, choose Limited uses, Breakage chance, or Dice expression.
  6. Under a Check-driven breakage source, choose whether this Tool is Breakable or Immune.
  7. Choose Destroy item, Mark as broken, or Replace with item as the On-break action.
  8. Open Validation, resolve every issue, and choose Save changes.
  9. Open Gathering Tasks and edit the task.
  10. Add the saved Tool to the task’s required Tools.
  11. Open System Settings, then Gathering Rules.
  12. Set Tool breakage outcome to Attempt fails on break or Attempt succeeds despite break.

Shared prerequisites

The Tool’s Requirements tab can require shared character prerequisites. Choose Tool is unusable when a failed prerequisite should block gathering. Choose Bonus is withheld when it should preserve Tool usability.

Gathering never applies the Tool’s numeric check bonus. The bonus can still apply when the same Tool is used for crafting or salvage.

Check-driven breakage

Set Tool breakage source to Check-driven when the gathering check should decide whether Tools break. Configure the gathering check’s breakage conditions under Checks.

The active check can break all required Breakable Tools. An Immune Tool is excluded. Its retained Tool-specific mechanic is not evaluated until the system returns to Tool-specific.

Immediate d100 gathering has no engine-evaluated check that can trigger check-driven Tool breakage. Use Tool-specific when an immediate d100 task needs per-attempt breakage.

What happens at the table

Fabricate first checks that every required Tool is enabled, present, not broken, and usable. A failed Tool is unusable prerequisite blocks the attempt as though the Tool were missing.

Breakage resolves before gathering rewards are created. The chosen On-break action still commits when a Tool breaks. Tool breakage outcome then decides whether rewards are withheld or awarded.

Presence accepts familiar Item copies, but usage and breakage require a durable identity match. A loosely recognized copy can allow the attempt while being spared from destructive changes. See Tools Not Breaking or Tracking Usage when that happens.

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