Ranks in these skills are gained at character creation and can be increased as your character and the npc companions level up. All of these skills are modified by a character's intelligence and can be boosted in various means (including certain spells and items such as the Headband of Intellect). It's a good idea to spread these skills out amongst the various companions. However you can, if you wish, lump them all on one companion and turn him/her into a crafting machine. The highest crafting skill levels (including skill bonuses) required in the Official Campaign are as follows:
All of these crafting skills except for Craft Alchemy require the use of item molds, a smith hammer and access to a blacksmith's bench. Craft Alchemy requires access to a mortar and pestle and an alchemical bench. Smith hammers and mortar and pestles can be bought from almost any merchant in the game and are re-usable.
Tip: Don't forget that Grobnar the Bard has a song called Inspire Competence. Whenever you are crafting have Grobnar sing this little ditty for you. It gives you a minimum of +2 to all skill checks, which increases to +4 at level 11 and +6 at level 19.
