A Guide to Skinning and Leatherworking
The goal of this work is to provide simple, easy to follow instructions to use when skinning creatures and creating leather items. But why?
Skinning adds an exciting layer to your game, allowing players to engage in a unique activity that can earn extra coin. Heroes can gather different types of leather (see below) to craft visually distinct items of clothing and armor. For example, leather armor made from a bulette’s hide features plated leather, creating a striking look. Although this does not affect mechanical aspects like armor class, it enriches the game’s flavor and enhances the overall experience for everyone.
Which skill check to use?
Updated: Both are based on your Leatherworking Secondary Skill (Leatherworking Tool Proficiency)
Skill DC
The DC check depends on the creature being skinned (see table below). Use the Challenging column for highly magical or tough creatures.
An unsuccessful skinning check still might produce some usable hide. If the check fails by 5 or more, no usable hide is produced. If the check fails by less than 5, you are able to salvage half the hide.
How much hide do you get?
This will depend upon the size of the creature being skinned (see table below).
Time
Skinning is a tedious activity. The time taken to skin a creature depends upon its size (see table below).
Predators
Skinning a slain creature can attract local predators, especially those with a keen sense of smell! Be sure to keep this in mind and prepare a few encounters that will keep your heroes on high alert as they work to skin their kills.
Tanning
A detailed description of the tanning process is beyond the scope of this text. A rough outline is provided in the event your players show interest.
Tanning is the process of treating the hides of creatures to produce leather. Tanning permanently alters the protein structure of the hide, making it more durable and less susceptible to decomposition.
The hide is dehaired, degreased (fat removed), salted and soaked in water. Chemicals known as tannins (usually obtained from the bark of certain trees) are used in the process to prevent putrefaction (decomposition).
Dyes may be used if a specific color is desired.
Once mature, the leather is cut and shaped. This makes tanning a good downtime activity for your players to engage in between adventures. For simplicity, tanning a hide takes 1 day of downtime per 2 pounds of hide acquired, so tanning the hide of a small creature would take 3 days of downtime.
Types of Leather
The different types of hide/leather are mainly cosmetic and descriptive. For example, the leather made from a winter wolf (Medium Hide) and an umber hulk (plated) would look quite different, but are still considered leather.
Hide/Skin (Soft). The most common type of hide/leather skinned from a wide variety of creatures.
Hide/Skin (Medium). Creatures with slightly thicker skin or hide, heavy furs, etc.
Hide/Skin (Thick). Thick hides such as elephant, rhinoceros, etc.
Scaled. skinned from a range of reptiles.
Horned/Spiked. skinned from creatures with spiked or horned hides, including a basilisk and a manticore. Armor crafted from such hides would be distinctive in its appearance.
Chitinous. the exoskeleton of various insects and crustaceans.
Plated. skinned from beasts with plate-like hide. Examples include a bulette and an umber hulk.
Unique skins. some creatures defy easy classification, like a mimic. Do not hesitate to create your own distinctive leathers from such creatures.
Value
What is hide and leather worth?
The value of untreated hide depends upon the CR of the creature.
This is the value of basic soft or medium hide/skin. Thick hide and scaled hide adds 50% value, while horned/spiked, chitinous or plated hides double the value.
Some creatures have hides or skins which have exceptional value, doubling the values given in the table.
Example: One of your heroes is a ranger named Aramance. Aramance successfully skins a yeti (large creature CR 3, medium hide). He receives 24 pounds of yeti hide. The value of the untreated hide is 24 x 2 sp = 48 sp.
Final Product and Profit
Leather, having been tanned and treated is far more valuable, 5 times that of the raw hide. The same yeti hide, when converted to yeti leather would be worth 5 x 48 sp = 240 sp (24 gold pieces).
Crafting
Now the fun bit! What can a leatherworker create, and what check to make?
For leather items, the weight of the item is the amount of hide needed. A backpack weighs 5 lbs., so it requires 5 lbs. of hide. If that hide came from a low CR creature, it has a value of 5 x 1 sp or 5 sp. Looking at the crafting rules, anything less than 250 gp is crafted at a rate of 25 gp per day and half the base value in materials. The fact that a backpack has a value of 2 gp, means it would take less than an hour, round up to an hour if you want to know how long, to craft a backpack and cost 1 gp. The leatherworker has to spend an additional 5 sp for "other materials".
Dyes
Dyes add another layer of flavor to leatherworking. Dyes can be crafted from both mundane and exotic materials. 1 ounce of dye costs 1 sp, and the leatherworker needs 1 ounce per pound of leather being dyed. Dyes are not included in the value of the item, they are an extra cost.
Exceptional Crafting
Crafting items of special significance can add wonderful depth to your game, especially during down times. This is where professions such as skinning and leatherworking can shine. You may find that your heroes suddenly become hunters, seeking game in the wilderness, or express a desire to travel into mountainous regions in search of yeti.
Having the skin or hide from a magical beast allows the leatherworker to craft magic items related to that creature. Having a red dragon skin allows for the crafting of red dragon scale mail and the hide of a displacer beast may be used to create a cloak of displacement. Yeti hide may be used to craft a cloak of cold protection, the leatherworker is encouraged to be creative.
See the Crafting Rules 2025.
Note. Scaled Skins can be used to create scale mail armor (which is normally made of metal and crafted by blacksmiths), while Chitin and Plated skins can be used by a leatherworker to craft any armor normally made of metal. Armor made from chitine or plated hides may be worn by druids and other characters who are unable to wear metal armor.
Comments