Crafting allows characters to modify equipment, create chems and cooked food, refill repair tools, and improvise useful objects from raw materials. Crafting is a core part of Wasteland survival — the best gear isn’t found, it’s built.
Crafting Principles
- Most crafting requires a workstation (Workbench, Chemistry Station, or Cooking Station)
- Crafting consumes materials (Scrap, ingredients, or specific items)
- Many crafting activities are perk-gated — you need the right perk to unlock certain recipes
- Crafting can be performed during a Long Rest as part of the Repair/Craft activity, or outside of rest at an available workstation
- Crafting outside of Long Rest takes time determined by the GM based on complexity
Workstations
Different crafting activities require different workstations. Workstations are found in settlements, workshops, and occasionally in the field.
| Workstation | Used For | Common Locations |
|---|---|---|
| Workbench | Weapon mods, armor mods, robot mods, Repair Kit/Toolkit refills, general crafting | Settlements, garages, workshops, military bases |
| Chemistry Station | Chem crafting, some advanced armor mods | Labs, hospitals, some settlements |
| Cooking Station | Cooking food and drinks | Campfires, kitchens, settlements |
Field Crafting
The Field Repairs milestone (Repair +3) allows basic repair without a workbench. However, modification, chem crafting, kit refilling, and cooking always require the appropriate workstation. You cannot modify a weapon in the middle of the Wasteland without tools.
Crafting During Long Rest
During a Long Rest, a character may choose the Repair / Craft activity. This allows them to perform crafting at an available workstation for the duration of the rest period.
During a single Long Rest Repair/Craft activity, you may:
- Repair up to 5 items (weapons, armor, robots, or other repairable objects)
- Craft items at an available workstation (number of items depends on complexity, GM discretion)
- Refill kits (Repair Kit and Toolkit charges)
- Any combination of the above, within the time available
Repair/Craft is a single activity — you do not need to choose between repairing and crafting. You have approximately 6 hours of working time and can split it as you see fit.
Material Types
Scrap (3 Tiers)
Scrap is the universal mechanical crafting material. It abstracts all mechanical components — adhesive, wires, metal, circuitry, oil, fuses, gears, and similar materials — into three tiers of increasing rarity and quality.
| Tier | Examples (Abstracted) | Used For | Scrapper Perk Required |
|---|---|---|---|
| Common Scrap | Screws, duct tape, basic metal, cloth | Basic repairs, simple mods, Repair Kit refills | No |
| Uncommon Scrap | Springs, gears, circuitry, fiber optics | Advanced mods, Toolkit refills | Scrapper Rank 1 |
| Rare Scrap | Military-grade components, advanced electronics | High-end mods, rare crafting | Scrapper Rank 2 |
Scrap is found through Scavenging, looting, trading, and dismantling (see below).
Ingredients (Cooking)
Cooking uses specific named food items as ingredients — Brahmin Meat, Mutfruit, Tatos, Razorgrain, Purified Water, Salt, Spices, etc. These are found through scavenging, butchering creatures, foraging (Wasteland Survivor milestone), and trading.
Ingredients are individual items with their own Inventory presence. They can be eaten raw (with varying effects and possible radiation) or cooked into improved meals at a Cooking Station.
Medical Items (Medicine)
Medical treatment uses specific named medical items — Stimpaks, Med-X, Blood Bags, Antiseptic, Surgical Sutures, Splints, Smelling Salts, Osteosynthesis Implants, etc. These are found through scavenging, trading, and crafting at a Chemistry Station.
Medical items have direct uses (a Stimpak heals HP, Med-X reduces pain) AND serve as components for treating Injuries. This creates resource tension — using a Stimpak for immediate healing means it’s unavailable for treating a Major Injury later. See Medicine for the full treatment system.
Chemical Components (Chem Crafting)
Chem crafting uses a mix of specific named items and Scrap. Recipes vary by chem but typically require a combination of chemical base materials (Abraxo Cleaner, Mentats ingredients, Fertilizer, Acid, etc.) and Common or Uncommon Scrap.
Crafting Activities
Weapon Modification
Requires: Appropriate perk + Workbench + Scrap
Add, swap, or remove weapon mods that change a weapon’s performance — scopes, barrels, stocks, magazines, suppressors, and other components.
| Weapon Type | Required Perk |
|---|---|
| Small Guns and Big Guns | Gun Nut (INT 5) |
| Melee Weapons | Blacksmith (STR 6, INT 4) |
| Energy Weapons | Science! (INT 7) |
Process:
- Select the weapon and the mod you want to install
- Verify you have the required perk, workstation, and materials
- Roll INT + Repair vs the mod’s crafting DC
- On success, the mod is installed and materials are consumed
- On failure, materials are consumed but the mod is not installed. A CRITFAIL may damage the weapon.
Material costs depend on the mod’s complexity and the Scrap tier required. Simple mods (basic scope, extended magazine) use Common Scrap. Advanced mods (suppressor, advanced receiver) use Uncommon Scrap. Top-tier mods (legendary modifications) use Rare Scrap.
The Efficient Repairs milestone (Repair +7) reduces Scrap cost by 1 on success. The Master Technician milestone (Repair +10) allows treating one successful Repair Test as a CRIT per Long Rest, which may grant additional effects on crafting.
Armor Modification
Requires: Armorer perk (+ Science! for advanced mods) + Workbench + Scrap
Add or swap armor mods that change an armor piece’s protective properties or grant special effects — reinforced plating, lighter materials, resistance coatings, etc.
The process follows the same steps as weapon modification.
Robot Modification
Requires: Robotics Expert perk + Workbench + Scrap
Modify robot armor, weapon mounts, and functional modules. This is how Robot player characters and robotic Followers receive upgrades.
| Modification Type | Required Perk |
|---|---|
| Robot armor, weapons, modules | Robotics Expert (INT 8) |
Cooking
Requires: Cooking Station + Ingredients
Prepare food that provides improved HP recovery and temporary buffs compared to eating raw ingredients.
Any character can cook basic recipes (grilled meat, boiled water) without a skill requirement. Advanced recipes that provide significant buffs require the Wasteland Survivor milestone (Survival +5) and higher-quality ingredients.
Process:
- Select a recipe and verify you have the ingredients
- Roll END + Survival vs the recipe’s DC (basic recipes auto-succeed)
- On success, the cooked item is created
- On failure, ingredients are consumed but the result is a lower-quality or ruined version
Cooked food is consumed during Long Rest (eat and drink step) or from a Quick Slot during combat. The Wasteland Survivor milestone allows cooking food that grants meaningful temporary buffs until the next Long Rest.
Chem Crafting
Requires: Chemistry Station + chemical components + Scrap
Create chems like Stimpaks, RadAway, Jet, Psycho, Buffout, and other chemical compounds.
| Chem Type | Required Perk |
|---|---|
| Basic chems | No perk required (basic recipes only) |
| Advanced chems | Chemist (Science +5, INT 4) |
Process:
- Select a chem recipe and verify you have the components
- Roll INT + Science vs the recipe’s DC
- On success, the chem is created
- On failure, components are consumed and the chem is not created. A CRITFAIL may produce a toxic or unstable result.
The Chemist perk doubles the duration of chems you create and unlocks advanced recipes with the Chemist perk as a prerequisite.
The Demolition Expert perk unlocks Explosives crafting recipes (grenades, mines, charges) which are also crafted at a Chemistry Station using chemical components and Scrap.
Repair Kit and Toolkit Refilling
Requires: Workbench + Scrap
Repair Kits and Toolkits are refilled at a Workbench by restoring their charges using Scrap. Each charge restored consumes a set amount of Scrap.
| Kit | Scrap Cost per Charge | Workstation |
|---|---|---|
| Repair Kit | Common Scrap (amount TBD) | Workbench |
| Toolkit | Uncommon Scrap (amount TBD) | Workbench |
Refilling does not require a Test — if you have the Scrap and the Workbench, you can restore charges. This is a simple resource conversion, not a skill-based activity.
Kits can also be refilled by NPCs at settlements for a caps cost, bypassing the Scrap requirement.
Note: First Aid Kits and Doctor’s Bags are no longer charge-based items. They function as utility tools that provide passive bonuses. Medical treatment consumes specific medical items directly. See Medicine for details.
Improvised Crafting
Requires: Workbench + Scrap + GM approval
Characters may attempt to craft improvised items from raw Scrap — barricades, simple tools, crude weapons, furniture, shelters, traps, or other objects that aren’t covered by a specific recipe.
Process:
- The player describes what they want to build
- The GM determines the DC, Scrap cost, and time required based on complexity
- Roll INT + Repair vs the DC
- On success, the item is created
- On failure, some Scrap is consumed but the item is not completed (partial progress may be preserved at GM discretion)
Improvised items are generally lower quality than found or purchased equivalents. A crude pipe pistol crafted from Scrap is functional but inferior to a proper weapon found in the world. The purpose of improvised crafting is to create something when you have nothing — a survival tool, not an optimization path.
Examples of improvised crafting:
- A barricade to block a doorway (Common Scrap, low DC)
- A crude melee weapon (Common Scrap, low DC)
- A basic pipe firearm (Common + Uncommon Scrap, moderate DC)
- A simple shelter or camp improvement (Common Scrap, low DC)
- A trap using mechanical components (Uncommon Scrap, moderate DC, may also use Explosives skill)
Repair Methods
In addition to crafting, there are three ways to repair damaged equipment:
Kit-Based Repair
Use a Repair Kit (for Minor Malfunctions on robots/vehicles) or Toolkit (for Major Malfunctions and System Failures) to perform the Fix or Fix Malfunction action. Kits provide significant bonuses to the Repair Test and consume 1 charge per use.
This is the primary repair method during combat and in the field. Kits are reliable, provide large bonuses, and work anywhere.
Jury Rigging (Repair +5)
The Jury Rigging milestone allows repairing weapons, armor, and equipment using raw Scrap instead of kit charges. This is the field-expedient option when you’re out of kit charges.
Limitations:
- +3 Difficulty on the Repair Test
- Cannot restore an item to full durability
- Scrap cost depends on item quality
The Efficient Repairs milestone (Repair +7) reduces Jury Rigging Scrap costs by 1 on success.
Duplicate Combining
You may combine two identical items to improve their condition. This follows the classic Fallout approach — two poor-condition 10mm Pistols can be combined into one good-condition 10mm Pistol.
Requirements:
- Both items must be the exact same item (same weapon/armor type)
- A Workbench is required
- No Scrap cost — the second item IS the material
- Roll INT + Repair vs a DC based on item complexity
The resulting item has improved condition based on the combined durability of both source items. The second item is consumed in the process.
This method can restore an item to full durability — unlike Jury Rigging, combining duplicates has no durability ceiling. However, it requires finding or carrying a duplicate, which costs Inventory space.
Dismantling
Characters can break down items and defeated enemies into raw materials.
Dismantling Items
Any item can be dismantled into Scrap at a Workbench. The Scrap tier and quantity depends on the item’s quality and materials:
- Simple items (pipe weapons, basic clothing) yield Common Scrap
- Complex items (military weapons, advanced armor) yield Common + Uncommon Scrap
- High-tech items (energy weapons, power armor components) yield Uncommon + Rare Scrap
Dismantling requires the Scrapper perk to yield Uncommon or Rare Scrap. Without Scrapper, all dismantling yields only Common Scrap regardless of item quality.
Dismantling Robots
Defeated robotic enemies can be dismantled for Scrap, similar to how biological creatures are butchered for meat and materials.
Test: INT + Repair
The Scrap tier and quantity depends on the robot’s type and your Scrapper perk level. Higher-quality robots (Sentry Bots, Assaultrons) yield more and higher-tier Scrap than basic robots (Protectrons, Mr. Handy units).
Butchering Creatures
Defeated biological creatures can be butchered for meat and crafting materials.
Test: END + Survival
Yields cooking ingredients (meat, hides, bones, venom glands, etc.) depending on the creature type. The Hunter perk (Rank 2) grants +1d4 additional meat when butchering animals. The Entomologist perk grants extra materials from insect corpses.
Crafting Summary
| Activity | Workstation | Skill | Materials | Perk Required |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weapon Mods | Workbench | INT + Repair | Scrap | Gun Nut / Blacksmith / Science! |
| Armor Mods | Workbench | INT + Repair | Scrap | Armorer (+ Science! for advanced) |
| Robot Mods | Workbench | INT + Repair | Scrap | Robotics Expert |
| Cooking | Cooking Station | END + Survival | Ingredients | None (Wasteland Survivor for advanced) |
| Chem Crafting | Chemistry Station | INT + Science | Chemicals + Scrap | None (Chemist for advanced) |
| Explosives Crafting | Chemistry Station | PER + Explosives | Chemicals + Scrap | Demolition Expert |
| Repair Kit Refill | Workbench | None (auto) | Common Scrap | None |
| Toolkit Refill | Workbench | None (auto) | Uncommon Scrap | None |
| Improvised Crafting | Workbench | INT + Repair | Scrap | None (GM-adjudicated) |
| Duplicate Combining | Workbench | INT + Repair | Duplicate item | None |
| Dismantling Items | Workbench | None (auto) | Yields Scrap | Scrapper (for Uncommon/Rare) |
| Dismantling Robots | Any | INT + Repair | Yields Scrap | Scrapper (for Uncommon/Rare) |
| Butchering Creatures | Any | END + Survival | Yields Ingredients | None |
Quick Reference
To craft or modify, you need three things:
- The right workstation
- The right materials
- The right perk (for gated recipes)
Repair methods (in order of preference):
- Kit charges — best bonuses, works anywhere, limited charges
- Duplicate combining — restores to full durability, requires duplicate item
- Jury Rigging — uses raw Scrap, field-expedient, can’t reach full durability
Material sources:
- Scrap: Scavenging, dismantling items/robots, trading
- Ingredients: Scavenging, butchering, foraging, trading
- Medical items: Scavenging, chem crafting, trading
- Chemical components: Scavenging labs/hospitals, trading