EQUIPMENT

Economics

Let us begin with the foundation of civilized society: money.

In the game, money is usually in the form of precious metals such as 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 over things like grain or cattle.

The price of a good or service differs from time to time, from place to place, and from person to person. This price depends upon the relative value of both goods, values which derive from individual desires and relative scarcity.

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 worthless compared to the necessities of survival. This will mean that the price of everything (as measured in gold or silver) will 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; items of excellent quality can cost far more.

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 (gc) = 10 silver coins (sc) = 100 copper coins (cc). This will result in a stable monetary system and keep players and The Master from becoming confused.

Prices are listed in terms of copper coins (cc) - the common man's metal.

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 are used to slay enemies.

The details 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. Players are free to call their characters' weapons whatever suits them.

The base weapon damage is 10. This may be increased or decreased by selecting from the following options:

Size

Larger weapons do more harm than smaller ones, but are heavier and more difficult to conceal.

By default, a weapon is considered to be medium-sized: one to three feet long and around five pounds in weight (including belt, scabbard, etc); small enough to use one-handed, but too large to be easily hidden on one's person.

A weapon may be smaller or larger. Small weapons have -2 damage, but no concealment penalty; large weapons have +2 damage, require two hands and cannot be concealed.

Size	Length (ft)	Weight (lbs)	Damage	Concealment	Hands
small	less than 1	1	8	0	1
medium	1 to 3	5	10	-6	1
large	greater than 3	10	12	NA	2

Throwable

A weapon with this option is designed to be thrown. A weapon without this option has a -6 penalty to hit a target when thrown; a weapon with this option has no penalty, but has -2 damage.

A weapon with this option cannot be missile or mechanical.

Missile

This option gives -2 damage.

Missile weapons use leverage to launch projectiles. The benefit is range: 30 spaces per point of damage. The drawback is the need for ammunition - a missile weapon is usually limited to around twenty shots per battle. It is assumed that ammunition can be recovered or recreated between battles, given sufficient time.

Missile weapons require two hands regardless of size.

Mechanical

This option usually applies to missile weapons (it is designed to simulate crossbows). Weapons with this option do not add the user's strength to their damage. They do get +2 damage by virtue of their construction, but with a price: mechanical weapons require an action to reload (other missile weapons, such as slings and bows, reload and fire in one action).

This table gives examples of weapons created with the above options:

Name	Size	Throwable	Missile	Mechanical	Damage
Dart	Small	yes	no	no	6
Sling	Small	no	yes	no	6
Knife	Small	yes	no	no	6
Dagger	Small	no	no	no	8
Hatchet	Medium	yes	no	no	8
Bow	Medium	no	yes	no	8
Sword	Medium	no	no	no	10
Spear	Large	yes	no	no	10
Longbow	Large	no	yes	no	10
Crossbow	Large	no	yes	yes	12
Halberd	Large	no	no	no	12
Maul	Large	no	no	no	12

These are only suggestions. Use whatever combinations and names that you like. If you want to make the halberd Throwable and call it a Giant Flying Axe, have fun.

Another important aspect of weaponry is cost. Cost is based partially on the mechanics used above, but not entirely - there is a roleplaying element as well. Weapons that are used in farming or hunting - bows, spears, axes, flails - are much easier to get than those designed exclusively for war. Swords and crossbows should be ten times more expensive than weapons of similar attributes because they are rare and difficult to create. Owning one is a sign of wealth or prestige.

Here is an idea of what to charge:

• Size: 100cc for small, 200cc for medium, 400cc for large
• Throwable: x2 cost
• Missile: x10 cost
• Mechanical: x10 cost
• Noble (swords): x10 cost

So, a large crossbow would cost 400cc for size, x10 for being a missile weapon, and x10 for being mechanical, for a total of 40000cc (400gc). A medium sword would cost 200cc for size and x10 for being noble, for a total of 2000cc (20gc).

On the other hand

Shields are used to block attacks. Most are made from heavy wood banded with iron and cost 200cc. Solid steel shields are rare and cost 2000cc.

The user of a shield gets +2 to Defense. There are benefits to fighting without one, however (see the Swords chapter).

Armor

Armor protects the wearer from physical harm in combat. It adds to the strength of the character when enduring damage from a physical attack.

Armor can be a lifesaver, but is heavy and uncomfortable. The encumbrance will slow a character down and make many actions difficult (acrobatics, athletics, climbing, stealth) or even impossible (swimming). The value of the armor should be subtracted from any trait checks that require movement, agility, or quiet.

The mass and material of the armor determines the protection. The type of the armor is not important for game purposes. Players may call their characters' armor 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 expect to explain how his character wears fifty pounds of pigskins in order to get the best protection possible.

The list below is a general guideline. Each point of protection requires ten pounds of material.

type	endurance	weight	cost
padded cloth	1	10	100
soft leather	2	20	200
boiled hide	3	30	400
mail	4	40	8000
plate	5	50	16000

Note: mail and plate are given such high prices for the same reason as swords - they are rare and difficult to make.

Foci

Foci allow sorcerers to channel more energy. They act as both weapons and armor for a sorcerer.

The power of the focus is added to the Command of the character to determine how much energy he can channel per round. The negation of the focus is added to the Willpower of the sorcerer whenever he endures the effects of a detrimental spell. These values are fixed when the focus is created.

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 temples or towers. A two-foot long focus has 8 levels to divide among power and negation; each doubling of length or width gives +2.

A focus must be inscribed with numerous magical runes. These runes flare when the focus is in use.

Creating a focus is no simple task. Most sorcerers contract with a craftsman for the physical object, then inscribe the runes themselves. Being touched with sorcery gives one instinctive knowledge of how to carve the mystical sigils in the proper order.

type	size	weight	power	negation
wand	2	1	4	4
holy symbol	2	1	2	6
scepter	4	2	10	0
cane	4	2	6	4
staff	8	4	12	0
temple	128	immobile	10	10
tower	128	immobile	20	0

The names are examples; a staff may have power 6, negation 6 if the player likes.

Encumbrance

There are limits to the amount of gear and loot one can carry.

The strength score of a character determines the maximum amount of weight that person can lift. A large haul gives penalties to movement and to any traits requiring agility. The penalty is based on the ratio of weight carried to maximum lift:

Weight : Max Lift (%)	Movement	Trait
50%	halved	-4
75%	quartered	-8
100%	0	NA

Example: Bob has a strength of 2. He can lift 200 pounds. When carrying one hundred pounds worth of gear or treasure, he can move only half as fast as normal. Furthermore, any traits requiring whole-body agility have a -4 penalty.

For purposes of simplicity, this rule should only be used if a character is carrying at least 50% of maximum heft. Rough estimates are better than detailed accounting.