Crafting Questions

[Daywolf]

No, a lvl1 can max crafting. First one over 200, the rest cap at 200.
Hmmm... personal pref if cultural is worth it. For tailored armor, I say certainly. For plate, depends. Human smiths have the best selection, but other races might have something worth the time depending on what you want. Otherwise just buy it, since it's expensive to make counting the leveling and material, then the huge amount of time and foot work. Chances are, if you have the money to raise crafting, you have the money to just buy armor, and at less cost overall. Crafting is for people that like to craft. I recommend crafting though, if you like crafting. It's better here than in any new game out there imo.

[Eresimus]

Yeah, there's not an obvious place for a thread like this...

As Daywolf already said, crafting in EQ is very much a matter of personal preference and generally not essential to your character's progress. Sounds like you have a mid-level dwarf cleric, so if you were to really go for it, it would be Blacksmithing that you would want to take above 200. To be successful, you're going to need a couple wheelbarrows of plat and a couple friends to help with some recipes (brewing and enchanting come to mind).

Personally, if I had one major criticism of crafting in EQ, it's that it isn't something that you can do to help with your adventuring. Particularly with your first/main character, the gear that you find while you're out leveling and raising coin will tend to be noticeably better than anything you can make for yourself. (Baking your own food may be an exception.) Daywolf is right: "if you have the money to raise crafting, you have the money to just buy armor" - particularly on a server with a mature economy.

So it comes down to how you want to play and what you enjoy. I love the satisfaction that comes from crafting. My paladin had a smithing skill of 25 when she was adventure level 3. I'll craft as I go, even though it can be frustrating, unrewarding and waste of plat; I'm dumb like that. If you don't already know about it, things like the Coldain Prayer Shawl quests might help you see crafting in a more favorable light.