Carpenter
| Carpenter | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Class | Occupations |
| Type | Occupation |
| Points | -2 |
| Skill Boosts |
|
The Carpenter brings the strongest building start in the game. It suits a survivor who plans to fortify a safehouse early and build a lasting base.
The occupation costs 2 points from the trait budget. It starts with four levels of Carpentry. It also starts with one level each in Carving, Short Blunt, Masonry and Maintenance. The Carpenter knows a set of weapon and framepack recipes from the start.
The Carpenter is a common first choice for new survivors. Carpentry is the skill that turns a house into a fortress, and the early levels take time to earn. Starting at level 4 skips that grind. The value grows once the water and power fail, because a secure base and rain collectors matter most then.
Carpenter Skills
Four levels of Carpentry open a wide range of builds from the first day. Wall frames, door frames, window frames and the first two grades of walls are all within reach. Log stairs, wooden doors, fences, rain collector crates and chicken coops open as well. Builds go up faster and come out sturdier than they would for a beginner.
Walls and windows come in three grades. The first grade needs level 2 and the second needs level 4, so both are open at once. The third grade needs level 6, which is a short climb from the start. Level 5 brings the rain collector barrel, the spinning wheel and barbed wire fences. Level 6 adds plaster walls, wooden stairs and the craftsman composter.
One level of Carving opens the handle and spoon recipes. Handles feed into many other tools and weapons. A single tree branch can become a wooden rod, then small handles, then wooden spoons. That chain gives a good amount of Carving experience from one branch.
One level of Masonry starts the path into stone and brick building. It opens the simple cooking pit, the stone mill, the stone quern and stone blocks. Level 2 is the big step, bringing brick and stone walls.
One level of Short Blunt makes hammer fighting a little stronger. A hammer is already in hand for building, so it doubles as a first weapon. One level of Maintenance helps every melee weapon last longer.
Each starting level shows as an experience boost at character creation. That boost speeds up the early training in each skill.
A new Carpenter starts with these skill levels.
| Skill | Levels | Skill Group |
|---|---|---|
| Carpentry | +4 | Crafting |
| Carving | +1 | Crafting |
| Short Blunt | +1 | Combat - Melee |
| Masonry | +1 | Crafting |
| Maintenance | +1 | Combat - Melee |
Carpenter Recipes
The Carpenter knows many improvised weapon recipes. Some work at the starting skill level. Can-reinforced weapons, sheet metal-reinforced weapons, the Railspike Baseball Bat and the Rake-Head-Spiked Weapon are all usable at once. Make Plank with Saw, the Sawblade Plank and the Advanced Framepack Frame also fit the starting skill.
Other known recipes need more training. Sawblade bats, handles and table legs need Carpentry 5, along with the Brake Disc Weapon. Railspike, sawblade, spade head and garden fork cudgels need Carpentry 6. The Advanced Large Framepack Frame needs Carpentry 6 as well. The Railspike Large Handle depends on Maintenance 3 instead.
A Carpenter knows these recipes from the start, with no book or magazine needed.
| Name | Image | Recipe | Crafting Materials | Tools | Skill | Station | Learned | Spawn ID |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Medium Handle - Can-Reinforced | 
|
Can-Reinforce Short Weapon |
|
Screwdriver | Carpentry: 1 | Any Surface | Yes | /additem Base.Handle_Can
|
| Baseball Bat - Can-Reinforced | 
|
Can-Reinforce Long Weapon |
|
Screwdriver | Carpentry: 2 | Any Surface | Yes | /additem Base.BaseballBat_Can
|
| Short Bat - Can-Reinforced | 
|
Can-Reinforce Weapon | Screwdriver | Carpentry: 2 | Any Surface | Yes | /additem Base.ShortBat_Can
| |
| Plank with Saw | 
|
Make Plank with Saw |
|
Carpentry: 3 | Any Surface | Yes | /additem Base.Plank_Saw
| |
| Large Handle with Railspike | 
|
Make Railspike Large Handle | - | Maintenance: 3 | Any Surface | Yes | /additem Base.LongHandle_Railspike
| |
| Plank with Sawblade | 
|
Make Sawblade Plank |
|
Carpentry: 3 | Any Surface | Yes | /additem Base.Plank_Sawblade
| |
| Pack Frame | 
|
Make Advanced Framepack Frame | Carpentry: 4 | Any Surface | Yes | /additem Base.PackFrame
| ||
| Baseball Bat with Railspike | 
|
Make Railspike Baseball Bat | Carpentry: 4 | Any Surface | Yes | /additem Base.BaseballBat_RailSpike
| ||
| Baseball Bat with Rake Spikes | 
|
Make Rake-Head-Spiked Weapon |
|
Carpentry: 4 | Any Surface | Yes | /additem Base.BaseballBat_RakeHead
| |
| Baseball Bat - Sheet Metal Reinforced | 
|
Sheet Metal-Reinforce Weapon |
|
Carpentry: 4 | Any Surface | Yes | /additem Base.BaseballBat_ScrapSheet
| |
| Cudgel with Brake Disc | 
|
Make Brake Disc Weapon |
|
Carpentry: 5 | Any Surface | Yes | /additem Base.Cudgel_Brake
| |
| Large Handle with Sawblade | 
|
Make Sawblade Large Handle | Carpentry: 5 | Any Surface | Yes | /additem Base.LongHandle_Sawblade
| ||
| Antique Table Leg with Sawblade | 
|
Make Sawblade Table Leg | Carpentry: 5 | Any Surface | Yes | /additem Base.TableLeg_Sawblade
| ||
| Baseball Bat with Sawblade | 
|
Make Sawblade Wooden Bat |
|
Carpentry: 5 | Any Surface | Yes | /additem Base.BaseballBat_Sawblade
| |
| Large Pack Frame | 
|
Make Advanced Large Framepack Frame | Carpentry: 6 | Any Surface | Yes | /additem Base.PackFrameLarge
| ||
| Baseball Bat with Garden Fork Head | 
|
Make Garden Fork Head Weapon |
|
Carpentry: 6 | Any Surface | Yes | /additem Base.BaseballBat_GardenForkHead
| |
| Cudgel with Railspikes | 
|
Make Railspike Cudgel | Carpentry: 6 | Any Surface | Yes | /additem Base.Cudgel_Railspike
| ||
| Cudgel with Sawblade | 
|
Make Sawblade Cudgel | Carpentry: 6 | Any Surface | Yes | /additem Base.Cudgel_Sawblade
| ||
| Cudgel with Spade Head | 
|
Make Spade Head Cudgel |
|
Carpentry: 6 | Any Surface | Yes | /additem Base.Cudgel_SpadeHead
|
How to Play Carpenter
A Carpenter plays best as a base builder. The first goals are a hammer, a saw, nails and a good supply of planks. With those, the character can barricade, wall in a yard and build storage within the first days.
Water and power shut off at random times in the first weeks under default settings. They fail separately, so one can go before the other. Rain collector crates are open from the first day, and they become the main lasting water supply once the taps run dry. Rainwater collected outside counts as tainted, so it should be boiled before drinking. Building collectors before the water fails takes away a major worry.
Carpentry trains well during normal base work. Sawing logs into planks gives experience, and each log gives three planks. Barricading windows and doors gives experience too, though it ignores skill book bonuses. Building pieces from the build menu gives the most experience as the skill rises. Wooden walls are a strong choice in the middle levels.
A wall frame is only a start. Zombies can climb through a wall frame until the wall is finished. Doors go in a door frame, while windows go in a wall frame.
Chicken coops are open almost at once, which supports a long-term base. Masonry and Carving levels add more building options over time. Clay bricks come from Pottery, so a brick base also needs that skill.
The Carpenter also has a foraging bonus for firewood and junk. Firewood and junk are easier to spot while searching.
Traits that speed up learning help push Carpentry toward the higher grades. Fast Learner and Crafty each raise the Carpentry experience rate. The Handy trait adds a level each of Carpentry, Carving, Maintenance and Masonry. It also makes building about a tenth faster and gives some builds extra health. Handy is expensive, so it suits a player who plans to stay in one place.
Short Blunt is the Carpenter's only combat skill at the start. A hammer and that single level cover the early fights while the base goes up.
Notes
- Wooden walls and frames are open from the first day.
- Build rain collectors before the water shuts off.
- Keep a hammer as both a tool and a short blunt weapon.
- Railspike and sawblade weapons turn scrap into strong clubs.
- Read Carpentry III next, since the start covers the first two volumes.
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