DIY Expert
| DIY Expert | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Class | Occupations |
| Type | Occupation |
| Points | -2 |
| Skill Boosts |
|
| Free Traits | Inventive |
The DIY Expert brings a handy all-round start in building and weapon upkeep, with a wide set of improvised weapon recipes. It suits a survivor who wants to turn junk into strong weapons.
The occupation costs 2 points from the trait budget. It starts with two levels of Maintenance. It also starts with one level each in Carpentry, Short Blunt and Masonry. The Inventive trait comes free. The DIY Expert knows many improvised weapon recipes from the start.
The DIY Expert is built around keeping gear alive. Every melee weapon wears down with use, and good weapons are not always easy to replace. Maintenance slows that wear and makes repairs work better. Add a long list of scrap weapon recipes, and the DIY Expert rarely runs short of something to swing.
DIY Expert Skills
Two levels of Maintenance help every melee weapon last longer. Repairs succeed more often and restore more condition. The DIY Expert has the best Maintenance start of any occupation. The level also opens the jawbone club, the saw fix and tire forearm and shin armour.
Maintenance covers every melee weapon, from a frying pan to a katana. It also slows tool wear during crafting and building. A well-trained character can fight for days with one good weapon.
Level 3 is the next goal. It brings epoxy repairs, railspike weapons and the jawbone axe. Levels 4 and 5 add the heavier mauls and the tire body armour.
One level of Carpentry opens rugged furniture, a chopping block, the wooden floor and small drying racks. One level of Masonry opens the simple cooking pit, the stone mill and stone blocks.
One level of Short Blunt makes hammers and pipes a little faster and stronger. A hammer serves as both a tool and a weapon.
Each starting level shows as an experience boost at character creation. Maintenance gets the largest boost.
A new DIY Expert starts with these skill levels.
| Skill | Levels | Skill Group |
|---|---|---|
| Carpentry | +1 | Crafting |
| Maintenance | +2 | Combat - Melee |
| Short Blunt | +1 | Combat - Melee |
| Masonry | +1 | Crafting |
DIY Expert Free Traits
Inventive comes free with the occupation. It lowers the skill level needed to research recipes from items. It also lowers the level at which recipes are learned automatically. That makes new recipes easier to pick up throughout a run.
In practice, a recipe that unlocks at a skill level arrives one level sooner. Researching an existing item to learn how it is made also works with less skill. The generator is a good example. Connecting a generator is normally learned at Electrical level 3. With Inventive, it comes at level 2.
There is a small downside. Item quality depends on skill level. Crafting a recipe at a lower level can give an item with lower starting condition.
A DIY Expert gets these traits for free.
| Name | Image | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Inventive | 
|
Positive Trait |
DIY Expert Recipes
The DIY Expert knows a long list of improvised weapons. Railspike weapons cover baseball bats, cudgels, iron pipes, large handles and short bats. Sawblade weapons cover cudgels, large handles, planks, table legs and wooden bats.
Can-reinforced and sheet metal-reinforced weapons are known too. The Bolt Metal Bat, Bucket Maul, Kettle Maul and Brake Disc Weapon add heavy hitters. Barbed-wire wraps and garden fork, rake head and spade head weapons round out the list.
The Improvised Screwdriver and Make Plank with Saw are known as well. Each recipe still needs its materials, tools and skill levels.
A DIY Expert knows these recipes from the start, with no book or magazine needed.
| Name | Image | Recipe | Crafting Materials | Tools | Skill | Station | Learned | Spawn ID |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Broom with Barbed-Wire | 
|
Barbed-Wire Wrap Weapon |
|
Pliers | Maintenance: 1 | Any Surface | Yes | /additem Base.Broom_BarbedWire
|
| Medium Handle - Can-Reinforced | 
|
Can-Reinforce Short Weapon |
|
Screwdriver | Carpentry: 1 | Any Surface | Yes | /additem Base.Handle_Can
|
| Improvised Screwdriver | 
|
Make Improvised Screwdriver |
|
Whetstone | Maintenance: 1 | In Hand | Yes | /additem Base.Screwdriver_Improvised
|
| Iron Pipe with Railspike | 
|
Make Railspike Iron Pipe |
|
- | Maintenance: 1 | Any Surface | Yes | /additem Base.MetalPipe_Railspike
|
| 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
| |
| Short Bat with Railspike | 
|
Make Railspike Weapon |
|
- | Maintenance: 3 | Any Surface | Yes | /additem Base.ShortBat_RailSpike
|
| Plank with Sawblade | 
|
Make Sawblade Plank |
|
Carpentry: 3 | Any Surface | Yes | /additem Base.Plank_Sawblade
| |
| Metal Baseball Bat with Bolts | 
|
Make Bolt Metal Bat | Maintenance: 4 | Any Surface | No | /additem Base.BaseballBat_Metal_Bolts
| ||
| Kettle Maul - Wood Handle | 
|
Make Kettle Maul |
|
Maintenance: 4 | Any Surface | Yes | /additem Base.KettleMace_Wood
| |
| 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
| |
| Bucket Maul - Wood Handle | 
|
Make Bucket Maul |
|
Maintenance: 5 | Any Surface | Yes | /additem Base.BucketMace_Wood
| |
| 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
| |
| 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 DIY Expert
A DIY Expert plays best as a scrapper. Junk from sheds and garages becomes a strong weapon. Maintenance keeps those weapons working for a long time.
The DIY Expert has a strong foraging bonus for junk and trash. Useful scrap turns up more readily while searching.
Early goals include a hammer, a saw and a supply of nails, railspikes and sawblades. Training Carpentry opens the sawblade weapons, which need level 5 or 6.
Maintenance trains in two ways. Each melee hit has a chance to give some experience, including hits on zombies, trees, cars and doors. Fragile weapons train the skill faster, since sturdy weapons give much less per hit. Crafting is the other way up. The Improvised Screwdriver gives a good chunk of experience for little effort, and the DIY Expert already knows it.
Sharpening blades gives a little Maintenance experience too. Carrying a whetstone and sharpening every bladed item found keeps the skill climbing. Fixing weapons with tape, glue or zipties gives experience as well. Repairs with Duct Tape give the most among the simple fixes.
Traits that stack on the building start fit well. Handy adds a level each of Carpentry, Carving, Maintenance and Masonry, and it speeds up building. Crafty or Fast Learner pair well with Inventive. Faster training and earlier recipes together make a crafter grow very quickly.
The Short Blunt start suits a hammer as the first weapon. Fighting with it trains Short Blunt and Maintenance at the same time.
Notes
- Maintenance starts higher here than for any other occupation.
- Inventive makes recipe research easier and unlocks recipes a level sooner.
- Railspike and sawblade weapons turn scrap into strong clubs.
- Repair weapons with duct tape for easy Maintenance experience.
- Junk and trash are easier to spot while foraging.
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