Broken Weave: Harvesting - A Closer Look

Greetings Survivors,

We’ve had some questions about how Harvesting and Crafting works in Broken Weave, so we wanted to share some updates giving a closer look at these two interlinked systems. 

*Note that these systems are in active playtesting, so may change slightly before publication, especially specific values!

Broken Weave is live on Kickstarter now, was funded within 1 hour and has reached 5 additional stretch goals already. Head over to the campaign page if you want to keep up to date with everything we unlocked.

Harvesting

Resources are scarce in the Broken World. Survivors need to make the most of everything they can get their hands on, including the strange flora and fauna of the twisted wilderness beyond their Haven’s walls.

Let’s walk through a working example of how characters can Harvest a creature in Broken Weave.

Our party of Survivors hunted and dispatched a Blightclaw. Rumoured to once be guardians of nature, this tragic beast was beyond saving. With the monster’s corpse cooling at their feet, the group agrees that it cannot go to waste. They confirm the surrounding area is clear, and get to work harvesting the Blightclaw.

Blightclaw art by Sam Manley

It takes a Short Rest to Harvest a creature, during which participating characters cannot rest and expose themselves to other predators drawn to the scent of blood — so this isn’t a decision to be taken lightly. 

When harvesting a creature, you can gain either Supplies or Components. Supplies are things like meat, which can be turned into Rations. Components are specific monster parts that can be used to craft potions, make gear, or forge weapons.

During the Short Rest, each character can make three separate Harvesting checks. With each check, they target Supplies or a specific Component of the Monster. Monsters can only yield a certain amount of Supplies and Components based on factors such as their size, how they were killed, time since death, and their level of Decay. In the case of the Blightclaw, the GM determines that the party should be able to Harvest five Components at most before its corpse is exhausted.

The DC of the Harvesting Check changes depending on the complexity of the Component being harvested. The Broken Weave book provides example DCs for common Components, as well as monster-specific Components. As you would expect, proficiency in relevant tools like Leatherworker’s Tools or Alchemist Supplies helps during harvesting attempts!

The party gets to work, taking it in turns to harvest the monster. The Seeker and Sage, ever practical, focus on harvesting rations for the second leg of their journey. However, the Maker, having felt first hand just how resistant a Blightclaw’s hide can be to corrosive substances, decides to harvest some of its stonebark skin — reckoning it might make a good shield.

The GM informs the group of the DCs for the Supplies and the Stonebark Hide, the party makes their Checks, and successfully strips the Blightclaw of what usable materials they can before their Short Rest is over. Satisfied with their haul, they pack up their various Supplies and Components, wash down their tools, and set out on the return journey.

It’s worth noting that in a world where the corpses of gargantuan monsters litter the landscape, some corpses take an entire community to harvest, so expect these mechanics to also be used on a Macro scale during Endeavours and Generational Play, where your entire Haven can get in on the action of taking apart the greatest monsters the Broken World has to offer.

We hope you enjoyed learning about Harvesting in Broken Weave. As mentioned, we’ll be back tomorrow with a follow-up post to talk about how our Survivors can use their monster parts to craft equipment to give them an edge in the Broken World.

-The Cubicle 7 Team

Broken Weave is live on Kickstarter now, was funded within 1 hour and has reached 5 additional stretch goals already. Head over to the campaign page if you want to keep up to date with everything we unlocked.

Harvesting art by JG O' Donoghue