DESIGN

Blacksmith Ladder (building template)

A design document: planned unless a "Prototype" note says it's built.

Part of The design hub. Drafted 2026-08-30 as the template all other buildings copy. Numbers are cost axes, not tuned values — tuning happens in the balance spreadsheet later.

Template rules (apply to every building)

Construction buys the shell + ONE basic function. Never a catalog.
Tier = era door: tier N upgrade costs refined era-N materials + cross-building goods + active-play construction time.
Modules: each tier allows 2–3 purchasable stations; each costs materials + time separately. Tier is the door, modules are behind it.
NPC gates: tiers 1–3 any recruit; t4 requires Journeyman; t5 requires Master. For short ladders (late-unlocked buildings), the gates anchor to the TOP of the ladder: top tier = Master, one below = Journeyman (see Engineer Ladder (short-ladder example)).
Quality steps (the 4 steps within each gear era) come from: Q1 base recipe → Q2 quality module → Q3 Journeyman+ NPC → Q4 Master NPC + capstone module. So top-quality gear in any era needs a developed building and a great smith.
Recipes are collected: some ship with modules; the rest come from traders, rival-city loot, and NPCs who arrive knowing them.
Modules = capability, quests = knowledge (Eric, 2026-09-02): each profession NPC runs a chain of RECIPE QUESTS of rising difficulty; completing one teaches the building that recipe. Difficulty tracks the recipe's quality step; the NPC's own tier gates how far up the chain they can teach (a Journeyman can't teach Q4). Prototype: Break the Camp teaches Copper Mail; the Grindstone module gates Fine Copper Sword (Q2) and cuts repairs 5→2 loot.
Every building lists its inputs (what feeds it) and outputs to other buildings (cross-goods it produces for their upgrades).

Prototype (v0.1.11, 2026-09-02): tier 1 exists in the arena — an empty plot beside Orrin; BUILD costs 6 timber + 4 stone and 20s of active play; then REPAIR ALL GEAR (5 loot, instant) and two craft orders (Copper Mace 13 power: 3 ore + 1 timber, 12s; Copper Mail: 4 ore + 1 tusk, 15s) that finish on their own and land in the bag. Modules/tiers 2+ still paper. Whetstone remains the free slow field-hone.

Tier 1 — Copper Forge (Era 1)

Construction: logs (lumberjack/hand), fieldstone, copper ore. Shell function: repair bench (un-dulls gear) + basic copper weapons. NPC: any recruit.

Module	Effect
Grindstone	Q2 quality on copper gear; cheaper repairs
Toolmaker's bench	Craft gathering tools (pickaxe, hatchet, fishing rod) — bootstraps the whole economy

Ships with: copper shortsword, copper axe. Found early: copper mace (trader), hunting knife (loot).

Tier 2 — Iron Works (Era 2)

Upgrade cost: iron bars, cut stone (Stone Worker), time. Category unlocks: iron working + armor-smithing (new category). NPC: any recruit.

Module	Effect
Armory annex	Enables armor crafting (mail/plate recipes)
Second forge	Parallel crafting queue (throughput)
Bellows upgrade	Faster smelting (throughput dial)

Ships with: iron weapon set. Found: most armor recipes (armory annex only enables the category — the catalog is hunted).

Tier 3 — Steelworks (Era 3)

Upgrade cost: steel components, cut stone, glass (Engineer), time. Category unlocks: alloy smelting (steel = iron + coal) + shields. NPC: any recruit.

Module	Effect
Alloy furnace	Smelt steel (prerequisite for the tier's catalog)
Socketing press	Crafted gear gains gem sockets (Jewelcrafter synergy — sockets enter the game here)
Quench trough	Q2→ faster quality work on steel gear

Tier 4 — Mithril Forge (Era 4)

Upgrade cost: mithril bars, engineered fittings (Engineer), time. Category unlocks: mithril working + masterwork instruments. NPC gate: Journeyman required.

Module	Effect
Arcane anvil	Crafted gear comes out enchant-ready (higher enchant capacity — Enchanter synergy)
Instrument workshop	Produces cross-goods: mithril instruments for Alchemist t4 / Scribe upgrades — the blacksmith becomes an input to other ladders
Forge line	Third queue slot

Tier 5 — Aetherite Foundry (Era 5)

Upgrade cost: aetherite, capstone goods from multiple buildings, time. Category unlocks: aetherite gear (top era). NPC gate: Master required.

Module	Effect
Aether infuser	Q4 quality work; required for era-5 catalog
Reforging bench	Capstone service: reroll one stat on any item (endgame material/money sink; works on found uniques too)

Inputs / outputs summary

Inputs: ore (Miner), logs (Lumberjack), cut stone (Stone Worker), glass + fittings (Engineer), coal (Miner).
Outputs to others: gathering tools (everyone, t1), mithril instruments (Alchemist/Scribe, t4), capstone goods (t5).
Services: repairs (t1+), socketing (t3+), reforging (t5).

Open questions

Weapon-class staggering: do 2H weapons / polearms unlock at a specific tier, or purely via recipes?
Does the repair bench cost scale with gear era (drives money sink)?
Reforging rules: reroll one stat freely, or lock-and-reroll PoE-style?

Prototype v0.1.50 (2026-09-06) — the forge (and the still) scale with the era: def flag "era_haste" → Building.craft_time_mult × World.craft_haste_mult() = 1 − 0.1·(era−1) (floor 0.5); the Alchemist's "era_batch" → finished crafts +World.batch_bonus() = era−1 potions. REPAIR from Era 2 sets Player._temper_t = World.temper_time() = 120 + 60·(era−1) s during which wear_mult() is halved (stacks with the Warlord's Quartermaster); repair cost +1 gold per era.