EQUIPMENT
Economics
Let us begin with the foundation of civilized society: money.
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 homogeneous. This gives them significant advantages as money over things like oranges or cattle.
The price of a good or service will differ greatly from time to time, from place to place, and from person to person. 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.
The price lists 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 Master from becoming confused.
Prices are listed in terms of copper coins (cc).
Food
| quality | cost |
|---|---|
| peasant grub | 5 per meal |
| decent meal | 10 per meal |
| fine dining | 50 per meal |
| drink | 4 per serving |
Clothing
| type | weight | cost (per change of clothes) |
|---|---|---|
| peasant garb | 2 | 10 |
| travelling clothes | 5 | 100 |
| noble attire | 10 | 1000 |
Shelter
| type | cost (per person, per night) |
|---|---|
| inn - common room | 10 |
| inn - private room | 30 |
| inn - high quality | 100+ |
Gear
| gear | weight | cost (cc) |
|---|---|---|
| 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 |
Weapons
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 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.
The maximum damage of a one-handed weapon is 12. The maximum damage of a two-handed weapon is 16. The greater the damage, the larger the weapon. Each +1 damage should be considered -1 concealability.
Swords cost ten times as much as comparable weapons because they are 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 | 2 | 1 | 10 |
| medium club | 4 | 2 | 20 |
| heavy club | 6 | 3 | 30 |
| two handed club | 8 | 4 | 40 |
| quarterstaff | 8 | 4 | 40 |
| light mace | 10 | 3 | 100 |
| light flail | 10 | 3 | 100 |
| morningstar | 12 | 5 | 200 |
| heavy mace | 12 | 5 | 200 |
| heavy flail | 12 | 5 | 200 |
| two-handed maul | 16 | 10 | 400 |
| handaxe | 10 | 3 | 100 |
| battleaxe | 12 | 5 | 200 |
| warhammer | 12 | 5 | 200 |
| two-handed axe | 16 | 8 | 400 |
| two-handed hammer | 16 | 8 | 400 |
| dagger | 8 | 1 | 200 |
| short sword | 10 | 3 | 1000 |
| long sword | 12 | 5 | 2000 |
| two-handed sword | 16 | 8 | 4000 |
| spear | 10 | 3 | 100 |
| glaive | 12 | 3 | 100 |
| halberd | 16 | 8 | 400 |
| shortbow | 10 | 2 | 6000 |
| longbow | 12 | 3 | 9000 |
| arrows (20) | - | 3 | 100 |
| light crossbow | 12 | 6 | 12000 |
| heavy crossbow | 16 | 9 | 15000 |
| bolts (10) | - | 1 | 200 |
Note: light crossbows require an action to reload. Heavy crossbows require two actions.
Armor
Armor protects the wearer from physical harm in combat. It 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 player wants the highest protection possible, it does not matter whether he wants his character to be wearing plate, chain, or boiled hide, so long as the weight and discomfort are the same. The Master 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. Each point of protection from the armor requires ten pounds of material. The endurance bonus should be used as a penalty to skills that require agility or quiet (Acrobatics, Climbing, Stealth).
| type | endurance | weight | cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| padded cloth | 1 | 10 | 500 |
| soft leather | 2 | 20 | 500 |
| boiled leather | 3 | 30 | 1000 |
| chainmail | 4 | 40 | 5000 |
| plate armor | 5 | 50 | 20000 |
Shields
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 | 4 | 20 | 300 |
Foci
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 their temples or towers.
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. Most sorcerers contract with a craftsman for the physical object, then inscribe the runes themselves. Being "touched" with sorcery gives a character the instinctive knowledge needed to carve the mystical runes in the proper order.
| type | power | weight | cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| small wand | 6 | 1 | 10000 |
| short staff | 8 | 3 | 12000 |
| long staff | 10 | 4 | 16000 |
| sanctuary | 20+ | immobile | 100000+ |
Charms
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 | 2 | - | 20000 |
| amulet | 4 | - | 30000 |
| crown | 6 | - | 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.
Encumbrance
Adventuring gear and loot can get pretty heavy. Characters are limited in how much 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. 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 (-2 would be appropriate).
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 Master.