FalloutTTSRPG

⚙️Scrap Refinement

3 min read

Scrap Refinement is the process of upgrading lower-tier Scrap into higher-tier materials. Raw metal becomes gears; gears become precision mechanisms. Refinement lets resourceful characters produce the advanced materials they need when scavenging alone isn’t enough.

Why refine?

Refinement is a sidegrade, not an upgrade. You sacrifice total cap value to convert many pieces of common material into fewer pieces of specialized material. Players refine when they need higher-tier Scrap for a specific recipe, not to make a profit.

How Refinement Works

Scrap Refinement

Convert lower-tier Scrap into higher-tier Scrap at a Workbench.

Required Materials

Roll an 🧠 INT + 🔧 Repair Test

On SUCCESS:

  • Produce 1 piece of the higher-tier Scrap
  • Consume the required input Scrap

On FAILURE:

  • Consume half the input Scrap (rounded down)
  • No output produced
  • Example: Failed Common → Uncommon loses 2 Common Scrap (half of 5, rounded down) instead of all 5

Costs 1 hour of Long Rest time per attempt

  • Requires a Workbench
  • Can be performed during the Long Rest Repair/Craft activity
  • Cannot be performed in combat

Why the Loss?

The conversion ratio is deliberately unfavorable in caps terms:

ConversionInput ValueOutput ValueLoss
5 Common Scrap → 1 Uncommon Scrap10 caps5 caps-5 caps
5 Uncommon Scrap → 1 Rare Scrap25 caps15 caps-10 caps

This means:

  • Scavenging remains the primary source of high-tier Scrap — refinement is a fallback
  • Rare Scrap retains its value as a reward for exploration and difficult encounters
  • Refinement matters when ingredients are abundant but the right tier is missing — a party sitting on 50 Common Scrap but unable to craft an Uncommon-tier recipe can refine their way to the solution

Perk Interactions

Several perks and milestones interact with refinement:

Scrapper perk

The Scrapper perk allows you to obtain higher-tier Scrap from dismantling. It does not reduce the cost or DC of refinement itself — refinement is a separate activity.

Efficient Repairs milestone (🔧 Repair +7)

On a successful refinement, reduce the Scrap cost by 1. A successful Common → Uncommon refinement consumes 4 Common Scrap instead of 5.

Master Technician milestone (🔧 Repair +10)

Once per Long Rest, you may treat a successful 🔧 Repair Test as a 🎭 CRIT. When applied to refinement, this produces 2 pieces of higher-tier Scrap instead of 1.

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