Does the second option in the second paragraph of Junk Tinker always result in a shoddy item? Or does it ONLY result in a NORMAL item that is "obviously made of junk" and "might affect the item's resale value"?
First paragraph
You can make useful tools out of even twisted or rusted scraps. When using the Crafting skill to Craft, you can make level 0 items, including weapons and armor, out of junk. This reduces the Price to one-quarter the usual amount but always results in a shoddy item. Shoddy items normally give a penalty, but you don't take this penalty when using shoddy items you made (nor does the worse check penalty of shoddy armor you made apply to you).
Benefit: You get the item at one quarter of its normal crafting cost.
Drawback: The item is a shoddy item.Second paragraph
You can also incorporate junk to save money while you Craft any item. This grants you a discount on the item as if you had spent 1 additional day working to reduce the cost, but the item is obviously made of junk. At the GM's discretion, this might affect the item's resale value depending on the buyer's tastes.
Benefit: You get a minor discount equal to the amount of work done during one day of downtime.
Drawback: The item might sell for less than normal.That second paragraph appears to me to be a separate option. I probably wouldn't even let you combine the two and reduce the cost to one quarter and then get an additional day of work since both are narratively described as making the item of junk, but the first option the item is made entirely of junk and the second option the item is only made partially out of junk. It would be difficult to create an item that is both made entirely of junk and not made entirely of junk.
Edit: Also, the two paragraphs have different item level requirements. When crafting a level 3 item you could only apply the second paragraph - which has no mention of creating the item as a shoddy item.
Since the first paragraph is limited to level 0 items, I don't think it would be imbalanced to allow both on the same level 0 item(s).
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Since the first paragraph is limited to level 0 items, I don't think it would be imbalanced to allow both on the same level 0 item(s).
Yeah, the argument against allowing that isn't a game balance argument.
It is a narrative argument that it doesn't make any sense to create a level 0 item entirely out of junk and then think that by incorporating more junk into the build it will somehow cost less.
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You can always incorporate more junk.