Introduction to Woodcraft

Woodcraft covers the use of wood, timber, bark, resin, cane, bamboo, palm, fruitwood, and other worked plant materials in the Andórë Crafting System.

Wood is used for weapon hafts, bows, shields, staves, wands, chests, barrels, instruments, vehicles, buildings, tools, handles, frames, containers, and countless practical goods. In item crafting, wood usually provides structure, flexibility, buoyancy, resonance, insulation, stability, or symbolic form.

This page classifies woods by type, rarity, value, location, appearance, common uses, and notable properties. It is used when a recipe calls for a wooden component, when a crafter wants to choose an appropriate timber, or when the DM needs to determine whether a particular wood can support a crafting purpose.

Wood Use in Recipes¶

Most mundane recipes care about the wood's form and suitability rather than its exact species. A recipe that calls for common hardwood may use ash, oak, beech, maple, walnut, or another appropriate wood unless the recipe says otherwise.

A recipe should name a specific wood only when that wood's identity matters. For example, cedar may be required for storage and preservation, yew for bows or toxic associations, willow for flexibility, ironwood for hardness, or duskwood for magical stability.

Wood rarity measures how difficult the material is to obtain and how well it can support specialized or magical work. A higher-rarity wood may usually replace a lower-rarity wood if its properties fit the item, but the DM may reject a substitution if the wood's nature works against the recipe.

On Trees, Timber, and Living Memory¶

Not all wood is the same.

To the untrained eye, timber is timber—a resource to be cut, shaped, and used. But as any warden or craftsperson will tell you, each tree carries its own nature, and that nature does not end when the blade falls.

What you hold in your hands is not dead matter. It is remembered form.

On Type and Growth¶

The tables that follow divide trees by type—hardwood, softwood, fruitwood, exotic, and more. These distinctions are not merely practical. They reflect how a tree:

grows
resists
bends and endures

An ash haft flexes without breaking. Oak holds firm under pressure. Willow yields—and survives because of it.

To choose the wrong wood is not a mistake. It is a guarantee of failure.

On Location¶

A tree is not defined solely by its species, but by where it grows.

As noted in the tables: the same tree may appear across Dragon’s Maw and Giant’s Hammer, yet differ in density, resilience, or behavior.

Climate, soil, and unseen forces shape the final material. A craftsman who ignores origin works with uncertainty. One who understands it works with intention.

On Value and Use¶

The value listed reflects usable, worked wood, not raw timber.

Common woods are plentiful and reliable:

construction
tools
basic crafting

Rarer woods offer:

improved durability
flexibility
or unusual properties

Some are sought not for strength, but for what they allow:

resonance for instruments
stability for magical implements
or compatibility with enchantment

On Magical Properties¶

Most wood holds no overt magic. But some… do.

These properties are subtle:

a tendency to resist rot
a natural flexibility
a resonance with sound or magic

Others are far more dangerous:

corruption
toxicity
or unnatural influence

Unlike metal, wood does not accept magic easily. It responds to it.

Final Consideration¶

You are not shaping the wood. You are asking it to change—and hoping it agrees.

Mundane Trees¶

Name	Type	Rarity	Value*	Location	Appearance	Uses	Magical Properties
Alder	Hardwood	★	3 CP	Giant’s Hammer (Temp)	Pale, reddish	Furniture	None
Almond	Fruit/Nut	★★	5 CP	Dragon’s Maw (Warm)	Light brown	Tools	None
Apple	Fruitwood	★	4 CP	Giant’s Hammer (Temp)	Light	Carving	None
Apricot	Fruitwood	★★	5 CP	Dragon’s Maw (Warm)	Golden	Decor	None
Ash	Hardwood	★	1 SP	Giant’s Hammer (Temp)	Straight grain	Weapons	Flexible
Aspen	Utility	★	2 CP	Giant’s Hammer (Cold)	Pale	Cheap wood	None
Avocado	Fruitwood	★★	5 CP	Dragon’s Maw (Trop)	Smooth	Carving	None
Balsa	Utility	★★	3 CP	Dragon’s Maw (Trop)	Very light	Buoyancy	Floats
Bamboo	Exotic	★	5 CP	Dragon’s Maw (Trop)	Segmented	Tools	Resonant
Beech	Hardwood	★	1 SP	Giant’s Hammer (Temp)	Fine grain	Furniture	None
Birch	Hardwood	★	1 SP	Giant’s Hammer (Cold)	White bark	Tools	None
Cashew	Fruit/Nut	★★	5 CP	Dragon’s Maw (Trop)	Dense	Tools	None
Cedar	Softwood	★	5 CP	Both (Temp)	Aromatic	Chests	Rot resist
Cherry	Fruitwood	★★	1 SP	Giant’s Hammer (Temp)	Red-brown	Furniture	None
Chestnut	Hardwood	★	1 SP	Giant’s Hammer (Temp)	Light brown	Beams	Rot resist
Citron	Fruitwood	★★	5 CP	Dragon’s Maw (Warm)	Pale	Decor	None
Cottonwood	Utility	★	2 CP	Both (Temp)	Soft	Cheap	None
Cypress	Softwood	★★	1 SP	Dragon’s Maw (Swamp)	Yellow	Boats	Water resist
Date Palm	Palm	★	4 CP	Dragon’s Maw (Trop)	Fibrous	Build	None
Dogwood	Hardwood	★★	1 SP	Giant’s Hammer	Dense	Tools	None
Elderberry	Exotic	★★	5 CP	Both	Dark	Wands	Minor arcane
Elm	Hardwood	★	1 SP	Both	Twisted	Structures	Flexible
Fir	Softwood	★	5 CP	Giant’s Hammer	Light	Build	None
Frankincense	Resin	★★★	2 GP	Dragon’s Maw (Arid)	Resin	Ritual	Enhances scent
Ginkgo	Exotic	★★★	2 GP	Giant’s Hammer	Pale	Symbolic	Stable
Grapefruit	Fruitwood	★★	5 CP	Dragon’s Maw	Light	Carving	None
Guava	Fruitwood	★★	5 CP	Dragon’s Maw	Dense	Tools	None
Gum	Hardwood	★	1 SP	Dragon’s Maw	Red streak	Furniture	None
Hazel	Nut	★	5 CP	Both	Light	Rods	Arcane
Hemlock	Softwood	★	5 CP	Giant’s Hammer	Pale	Build	None
Hickory	Hardwood	★	1 SP	Giant’s Hammer	Tough	Handles	Shock
Ironwood	Hardwood	★★★	2 GP	Giant’s Hammer	Dark	Weapons	Hardened
Juniper	Softwood	★★	5 CP	Both	Aromatic	Crafts	None
Kumquat	Fruitwood	★★	5 CP	Dragon’s Maw	Bright	Decor	None
Maple	Hardwood	★	1 SP	Giant’s Hammer	Smooth	Instruments	Resonant
Mesquite	Hardwood	★★	1 SP	Dragon’s Maw	Dark	Tools	None
Mulberry	Hardwood	★★	1 SP	Both	Golden	Bows	Flexible
Myrrh	Resin	★★★	2 GP	Dragon’s Maw	Dark resin	Ritual	Focus
Oak	Hardwood	★	1 SP	Both	Strong	Build	None
Olive	Hardwood	★★	1 SP	Dragon’s Maw	Swirled	Crafts	None
Palm	Palm	★	4 CP	Dragon’s Maw	Fibrous	Build	None
Pine	Softwood	★	5 CP	Both	Light	Build	None
Redwood	Hardwood	★★★	2 GP	Giant’s Hammer	Massive	Structures	Rot resist
Rowan	Exotic	★★	1 SP	Giant’s Hammer	Light	Charms	Protective
Spruce	Softwood	★	5 CP	Giant’s Hammer	Light	Instruments	Resonant
Sycamore	Hardwood	★	1 SP	Both	Patterned	Furniture	None
Tamarind	Hardwood	★★	1 SP	Dragon’s Maw	Dense	Tools	Durable
Walnut	Hardwood	★	1 SP	Giant’s Hammer	Dark	Furniture	None
Willow	Utility	★	3 CP	Both	Flexible	Baskets	Flexible
Yew	Exotic	★★★	2 GP	Giant’s Hammer	Dark	Bows	Toxic

*Value per pound of usable wood

Magical Trees¶

Name	Type	Rarity	Value*	Location	Appearance	Uses	Magical Properties
Spongefruit	Fruit Tree	★	3 CP	Temperate	Green rind, soft core	Food	Highly nutritious
Bronzewood	Hardwood	★★	1 SP	Jungle	Bronze-toned	Tools, weapons	Very durable
Sore Bamboo	Exotic	★★	5 CP	Jungle	Dense bamboo	Medicine	Closes wounds
Chonet	Hardwood	★★★	2 GP	South (Temp–Jungle)	Dark, oily	Staves, tools	Resists decay
Aveiveaf	Shrub	★★	5 CP	Arctic	Spiked leaves	Survival food	Suppresses hunger
Duskwood	Hardwood	★★★	2 GP	Temperate	Black bark	Staves	Stable for magic
Everspring	Exotic	★★	1 SP	Arctic	Glowing roots	Rare crafts	Cold-resistant
Ouscander	Utility	★	3 CP	Arid	Twisted bark	Medicine	Reduces nausea
Feywood	Exotic	★★★	2 GP	Fey Crossings	Iridescent	Magic items	Takes enchantment well
Fog Tree	Phenomenon	★★★★	—	Anywhere	Entwined trunks	Hazard	Emits magical fog
Gulthias Tree	Corrupt Hardwood	★★★★	2 GP	Corrupted sites	Twisted, dark	Cursed items	Spreads corruption
Zonet	Utility	★	3 CP	Anywhere	Green wood	Smoke	Heavy smoke
Egridsuce	Resin Tree	★★	1 SP	Jungle	Thorny trunk	Oil, jelly	Sap useful
Fire Hemlock	Softwood	★★	1 SP	Deep forest	Oily wood	Alchemy	Produces oil
Dire Elm	Hardwood	★★★	2 GP	Mountains	Dark leaves	Potions	Alters mood
Hate Bamboo	Exotic	★★	5 CP	Temperate	Dark bamboo	Lacquer	Toxic sap
Shadow Willow	Exotic	★★	1 SP	Tropical	Vine-covered	Shelter	Supports ecosystems
Funeral Willow	Hardwood	★★★	2 GP	Anywhere	Twisted	Weapons	Highly durable
Retch Plant	Exotic	★★	5 CP	Warm	Bulb fruit	Area denial	Causes nausea
Spirken	Hardwood	★★	1 SP	Temperate	Water-heavy	Build	Fire resistant
Weeping Elder	Utility	★★	1 SP	Temperate	Fibrous	Rope, fuel	Burns clean
Sechrore	Hardwood	★★★	2 GP	Boreal	Pale green	Bows	High tensile
Fanged Medlar	Hardwood	★★★	2 GP	Southern	Tangled	Shields	Resists splitting
Golden Hemlock	Softwood	★★★	2 GP	Temperate	Pale bark	Healing wraps	Aids healing
Happy Palmetto	Palm	★★	1 SP	Temperate	Thick bark	Salves	Prevents scars
Privacca	Exotic	★★★	2 GP	Temperate	Reddish	Magic items	Restores magic
Velvet Oak	Hardwood	★★★	2 GP	Anywhere	Velvet leaves	Instruments	Holds light
Aefen	Exotic	★★★	2 GP	Variable	Black wood	Weapons	Half weight