Crafting Materials and Components

Crafting Materials

Crafting Materials are categorized by their general type so as to simplify the crafting mechanics. They are separated by grade. The materials required for a schematic will generally be one grade lower than the item you are crafting. For instance, to craft a common weapon, you can use mundane materials. Crafting requirements will be listed on the weapon's article page. Some crafting requirements may indicate that something special is needed and not just one of the base materials or components. For example, a Drakaan Arc Caster may need Heatstorm Fulgurite for its focusing lens and Aetherion Crystals for its battery.
You can trade two of each type of one rarity to upgrade it to the next rarity or quality. For example, you can trade two mundane metal materials for one common metal material and two common materials for an uncommon material. An alchemical kit can also be used to convert materials at the same rate. Exotic materials cannot be obtained through conversion. Mundane metal materials in a player's inventory are all classed in the same category, despite if they were found as copper, iron, or nickel.
Trading materials is the primary means of exchange in Dustriders. The exchange rate can be haggled for items. Normally, however, the material can be exchanged for another material of the same grade.

Locating and Looting Materials

Obtaining materials in Dustriders can be done a variety of ways. Base materials can usually be obtained from the environment, such as minerals, which can be dug up or mined. Wood, similarly, can be obtained from various trees. There may also be rarer materials found in containers or storage units in the world. Some naturally occurring chemicals can be found throughout the world and used to make more advanced chemicals. Components, however, are most typically obtained from derelicts, settlements, dungeons, bunkers, and vehicles, with rarer components being found in harder to access locations. Exotic components have bespoke locations, such as The Deep, where one can obtain Aetherion Crystals. Generally, the challenge is proportional to the reward.
Some exceptions to the rarity curve do exist, what would normally be quite rare on other planes of existence is fairly normal or common on Dunia; diamonds, for example, are quite plentiful throughout Dunia, but their sizes vary widely. As a consequence, revivify as a spell is quite a bit easier to cast as long as you have the materials, especially since the GP value is removed.

Use as a Currency

One material that can be readily used as a tradeable resource is iron, despite its commonality. A chunk of iron is versatile as a crafting resource and can be made into steel. One chunk of iron is a mundane metal base material and roughly equivalent to 2gp. Generally, all mundane base materials are worth roughly 2gp. Gold Pieces are no longer used as a currency due to the cataclysm and have since fallen out of favor. The various grades are a general guideline as to how much their 'value' would be relative to 5e, though there's no actual Gold Pieces in Dustriders and the value of the materials is a malleable thing.
Components are double the value of a base material.

Crafting Custom Items and Equipment

Generally speaking, crafting a piece of equipment is 4x the cost of a consumable item, and crafting a vehicle is 12x to 24x the cost, depending on rarity, size, and parts. As before, the material grade generally is one grade less than the crafted item's rarity.

Grades

Mundane
Material Value: 2gp
Component Value: 4gp
Weight: 0.1lbs
Common
Material Value: 4gp
Component Value: 8gp
Weight: 0.2lbs
Uncommon
Material Value: 8gp
Component Value: 16gp
Weight: 0.3lbs
Rare
Material Value: 16gp
Component Value: 32gp
Weight: 0.4lbs
Very Rare
Material Value: 32gp
Component Value: 64gp
Weight: 0.5lbs
Exotic
Material Value: 64gp
Component Value: 128gp
Weight: Varies

Categories

Base Materials

Chemical

Cloth

Fuel (Always Mundane Grade and weighs 6lbs per gallon)

Metal

Mineral

Organic (Herbal, Leather, Meat, Etc.)

Wood

Base Components

Electronic: Mineral and Metal of same grade to craft, otherwise found

Glass: Two minerals of same grade to craft, otherwise found

Magical: Alchemical tools and two materials of same grade to craft, otherwise found

Mechanical: Two metals of same grade to craft, otherwise found

Plastic: Chemical and Organic materials of same grade to craft, otherwise found

Rubber: Chemical and Organic materials of same grade to craft, otherwise found

Exotic Components (This list will continually expand)

Adamantine Ingot: Made from Adamantine material, needs forge to craft.

Aetherion Crystals: Found only, naturally occurring material in The Deep tunnel network.

CNT Capacitors: Crafted from very rare chemical components in specialized laboratories in the Vettir city, Ymir.

Gemstones: Found only, naturally occurring material throughout Dunia, more common than you'd expect in the MEZ.

Gravitic Core: Dwarven invention, must be bartered for or found in old research installations.

Heatstorm Fulgurite: Found only, naturally occurring material found in The Dust regions and around the Plateau of Storms.