I was thinking of a concept for a high Int barbarian gnome who can't read (like the True Primitive barbarian archetype), but who's still smart and inventive (i.e. still a gnome). I imagine him living in the wilderness, and he may not know what money is.
The Master Tinker trait lets gnomes be proficient in any weapon they personally craft, but crafting is difficult and takes times. Bone and other natural materials can replace wood and steel in weapons or armor, and those weapons cost half the amount as they would normally.
1) Will bone weapons effectively take half the time to make? And do I have to put forward 1/3 the price if I'm scavenging off of fallen enemies?
2) Are the current rules for daily crafting built with the assumption that crafting is taking place during the downtime of the day? If not, then should I multiply progress by 0.2? 0.5?
3) What are the rules for repairing broken weapons? If I use feats like Splintering Weapon, how much hp damage does the weapon actually take? Can I make it take 0 hp damage, and just succeed on a DC 20 craft check?
4) Are there some major downsides to bone weapons? I.e. will it be impossible or impractical to make masterwork quality ones?
**what to craft**
Crafting exotic weapons is where I expect the fun to be at.
1) I think the idea of a double sling or Halfling Sling staff fits the style of the character, whereas bow might not. Can I use craft weapons to craft ammunition as well, such as "sharp stone" sling bullet?
2) The Ultimate Combat "Flying Blade" hits at -2, except on attacks of opportunity when it hits at +2. Would it be too big of a feat investment to take both Combat Reflexes and the Quick Draw Feat? I expect this would allow me to get Attacks of Opportunity (at +2) against enemies moving towards me, but then be able to quickly switch to another weapon (and back) when it's actually my turn, and hit without the -2 penalty.
**what class to take**
I would like a whole lot of combat feats in order to take most advantage of my variety of weapons. However, I feel the character would be richer if he took a class which granted him minimal weapon proficiencies, so his weapons crafting abilities would take a more center stage.
The first set of options include the unarmed fighter and various monk classes. The second set of options include spell casters like the sorcerer and the summoner. If I take sorcerer or summoner, would that open the door to make crafting easier and faster for me in the future?