IV. EQUIPMENT
Let us begin with the foundation of all nonprimitive societies: money.
Primitive peoples have no concept of money. Individuals create most of what they need with their own hands. Trade, when it exists, takes the form of barter - one villager might trade another villager five apples for four oranges, or two bows for one tepee, or one animal skin for two sides of beef.
The drawback of barter is that one cannot be guaranteed that a person will be willing to trade what they have (and you want) for what you have, even if they don't need what they have. If the person you want to trade with does not value what you have to offer, then the only (nonviolent) way to get what you want from them is to first find out what they want, and then go and try to find someone who has this and is willing to trade it for what you have. You may have to conduct many trades for the sole purpose of obtaining something to trade for what you are really after. This is inefficient, and can be frustrating.
Money solves this problem. Money is nothing more than a good which everyone wants in infinite quantity. Because of this, individuals are always willing to trade things that they don't want or need for some amount of money - not necessarily because they value the money itself, but because they know that the money can later be used to obtain something that they desire more than what they currently have.
In the game, money is usually in the form of precious metals, namely copper, silver, and gold. The reasons for this are simple: precious metals are useful, scarce, durable, portable, divisible into smaller parts, and so on. This gives them significant advantages as money over things like oranges or cattle.
Though the game takes place in a primeval world without the science of economics, the laws of supply and demand still apply. The value of any good or service will differ greatly from time to time, from place to place, and from person to person. For two individuals to trade, they must agree on some ratio of exchange, or price. This price depends upon the relative value of both goods to each individual, values which derive from individual desires and the relative scarcity of both goods.
All of this is merely background information. It is intended to give the Bastard some idea of why trade can be profitable. Iron may be common in a mining town, and thus cheap, but rare in a coastal town, and thus expensive. Buying a load of iron in the mountains and selling it at the coast will generally get the merchant more money out than he put in.
The price lists later in this chapter, therefore, should be taken as a reasonable estimate of prices in an average town at the junction of two or more trading routes. The master should feel free to adjust prices to reflect the relative scarcity of goods as the players travel to different places. On the wild frontier, for example, gold and silver may be next to worthless compared to the necessities of survival. This would mean that the price of everything (as measured in gold) would be much higher than in a safer place.
The prices also assume that the quality of the item is good. Poor items can be found for half the cost, while items of excellent quality can be far more expensive.
Though not perfectly realistic, it is useful (for game purposes) to consider copper, silver, and gold as trading at fixed rates of ten to one: 1 gold coin = 10 silver coins = 100 copper coins. This will result in a stable monetary system, and keep both players and the Bastard from becoming confused. One copper coin should be thought of as the primeval equivalent of a modern US dollar in buying power.
All prices from here on are given in copper coins.
gear weight cost backpack 1 40 bedroll 5 20 blanket 3 60 caltrops (10) 1 100 candle - 1 chest 25 200 flint and steel - 10 grappling hook 4 50 lamp 1 10 lantern 2 120 lock 1 200 lockpicking kit 2 300 mirror (steel) * 20 per square inch musical instrument 3 400 oil flask 1 10 parchment - 20 per sheet pouch 1 10 rope 1 per 2 yards 10 per yard sack 1 10 spike (5) 1 50 torch 1 1 trail rations (1 day) 1 50 waterskin 4 90 whetstone 1 2
quality cost peasant grub 5 per meal decent meal 10 per meal fine dining 50 per meal drink 4 per serving
type weight cost (per change of clothes) peasant garb 2 10 travelling clothes 5 100 noble attire 10 1000
type cost (per person, per night) inn - common room 10 inn - private room 30 inn - high quality 100+
Weapons allow the user to slay his enemies. Bows and melee weapons add to the strength of a character for purposes of determining the damage of an attack. Mechanical weapons, such as crossbows and catapults, do not gain damage from strength.
The exact particulars of a weapon are not very important for game purposes. An axe, sword, or flail can all do the same amount of damage, provided that they have the same disadvantages. Larger weapons do more harm, but are also heavier and more difficult to conceal. Spiked or bladed weapons should do significantly more damage than blunt ones.
A character with a strength of 2 can use any regular melee weapon without difficulty. A character with a strength of 1 may be limited to smaller weapons, at the whim of the Bastard.
Swords are more expensive because they are generally more difficult to make. Wearing a sword is a sign of wealth or prestige.
The table below provides some guidance.
type damage weight cost light club 1 1 10 medium club 2 2 20 heavy club 3 3 30 two handed club 5 4 40 quarterstaff 5 4 40 light mace 7 3 100 light flail 7 3 100 morningstar 8 5 200 heavy mace 8 5 200 heavy flail 8 5 200 two-handed maul 10 10 400 handaxe 7 3 100 battleaxe 8 5 200 warhammer 8 5 200 two-handed axe 10 8 400 two-handed hammer 10 8 400 dagger 6 1 200 short sword 7 3 1000 long sword 8 5 2000 bastard sword (2h) 9 6 3000 two-handed sword 10 8 4000 spear 7 3 100 halberd 10 8 400 pike 10 8 400 shortbow 7 2 6000 longbow 8 3 9000 arrows (20) - 3 100 light crossbow 9 6 12000 heavy crossbow 10 9 15000 bolts (10) - 1 200
Armor protects the wearer from physical harm in combat. Armor adds to the strength of the character for purposes of enduring damage from attacks.
Armor can be a lifesaver in combat, but it is also heavy and uncomfortable. It adds greatly to encumbrance, which will slow the character down. It makes many actions very difficult (climbing, stealth) or even impossible (swimming).
The mass and material of the armor determines the protection. The type of the armor is not important for game purposes. If the character wants the highest protection possible, it does not matter whether he wants his character to be wearing plate mail or just extra-heavy chainmail, so long as the weight and discomfort are the same. The Bastard has the final say on this - a player should be hard pressed to explain how his character wears fifty pounds of padded cloth in order to get the best protection possible.
The list below is a general guideline.
type endurance weight cost padded 3 10 500 soft leather 3 10 500 hard leather 4 20 1000 scale mail 5 30 5000 chain mail 6 40 10000 plate mail 7 50 20000
Shields help the user block incoming attacks. The defensive bonus is added to Defense skill of a character when he attempts to block with his shield. The prices assume that the shield is made of heavy wood banded with iron - solid steel shields cost ten times as much.
type defense bonus weight cost small shield 1 5 100 medium shield 2 10 200 large shield 3 20 300
Foci allow sorcerers to channel more energy. The power of the focus is added to the willpower of the character to determine how much energy the character can channel per round.
A focus can be anything - a simple staff, an elaborate scepter, or even a sword. The larger the focus, the greater the power. Some magicians create massive foci out of areas of their temples or towers. There is a limit, however. Every part of the focus must be within touching distance of the magician.
Foci must be inscribed with numerous magical runes which glow brightly when the focus is in use.
Magical craftsmen are rare, and creating a focus is no simple task. Thus, they tend to be expensive.
type power weight cost small wand 2 1 10000 short staff 4 3 12000 long staff 6 4 16000 sanctuary 20+ immobile 100000
Charms protect the wearer from magics much like armor protects the wearer from physics. The power of the charm is added to the willpower of the wearer for purposes of enduring magical attacks. To be effective, the charm must be worn in plain view. Multiple charms do not work in tandem.
Charms are usually small trinkets, such as rings or amulets. The larger the charm, the greater the endurance.
Charms must be inscribed with numerous arcane runes to work. These runes glow brightly whenever the charm absorbs sorcerous energy.
type power weight cost ring 1 - 20000 amulet 2 - 30000 crown 3 - 50000 sanctuary 10+ immobile 100000
To create a focus, charm, or sanctuary requires carving the necessary runes and symbols in the proper places in the right order. This action imbues the ready items with the supernatural energies necessary for them to perform their function. The items to be imbued should be sturdy and well-crafted, but there is nothing to prevent a nature-loving mystic from using a simple piece of rough-hewn wood for his staff.
Adventuring gear and loot can get pretty heavy. Characters are limited in how much crap they can carry on their person by both weight and volume.
The strength score of a character determines the maximum amount of weight the character can lift - one hundred pounds for every point of strength. If a character is hauling a large amount, he will have penalties to movement and to any skills which require agility. He should be penalized by an amount similar to the ratio of how much weight he is carrying to how much weight he can lift.
For example, a character with a strength of 2 can lift 200 pounds. If the character is carrying one hundred pounds worth of gear or treasure, he can only move half as fast as if he were unencumbered. Furthermore, any skills requiring whole body agility should be penalized by a similar amount. It is difficult to climb a tree or perform acrobatics when one is weighted down.
For purposes of simplicity, this rule should only be used if the character is carrying at least 20% of his maximum heft. Rough estimates of penalties are usually better than detailed accounting, but discretion is left to the Bastard.