Weapons, Armor & Gear

Weapons, Armor & Gear

On Prices

To circumvent figuring out a whole economy, prices are kept somewhat abstract throughout this book. The following is a quick reference:

Cost	Notation	Example	Coins
Inexpensive	☆	A hot meal, a night in a cheap inn, a drink	1-10
Affordable	★	Adventuring gear & supplies, basic armor, fast weapons, a fancy inn, a bribe	10-50
Costly	★★	Balanced & slow weapons, medium armor, delicate instruments, common training	50-100
Expensive	★★★	Unique weapons, plate armor, valuable tomes, a horse, specialized training	100-1000
Very expensive	★★★★	Magic artifacts, unique relics, legendary training techniques	1000+

In terms of the fiction of the game:

Inexpensive items can always be purchased and aren’t really a concern, unless a character is explicitly completely broke.
Affordable items are available in moderation, and a character should be able to buy whatever they need, within reason.
Costly items are somewhat of a consideration to purchase, and the loss of such an item should somewhat sting.
Expensive items are big investments and can be considered the One Big Thing they can buy after a successful delve.
Very expensive items are mostly beyond the range of purchase, requiring multiple delves. It should also incentivize characters to look for alternate means of attainment: favors, quests or theft.

Weapons

Weapons can be fast, balanced, or slow:

Fast. These weapons strike fast but do not do a lot of damage. They all share a d6 damage dice. Can not be used to Block.
Balanced. These weapons are well-balanced between speed and weight. They all share a d8 damage dice. Can be used to Block.
Slow. These weapons are somewhat slower but pack a punch. They all share a d10 damage dice. Can be used to Block, but prevents Dodging. Slow weapons are Bulky, and require two hands to use.
Weapons marked with Reach always go first when engaging from a distance. and last when already in Close combat. (Reach weapons that make slashing attacks might be Impaired in tight spaces, such as dungeon corridors.)
Fast and Balanced weapons that are somewhat aerodynamic, such as daggers, axes, and spears, can be thrown. If the damage roll is a 1, the weapon is broken or lost.

Damage Types

Weapons can deal three types of damage. To use a weapon’s Damage Type effects, you need to make 5 killing blows in lethal combat with any weapon of that type. When making a character, you can choose one Damage Type to be already proficient in.

Piercing. Rolling the maximum value on your damage roll makes your attack ignore all armor. This ability only works if you use the regular damage die for the weapon (not on an Impaired d4 attack, for example.)
Bludgeoning. Always ignores 1 armor.
Slashing. Deals +1 damage against targets without armor.

Weapon Skills

To use a weapon skill, you need weapon skill proficiency. This is achieved by making 5 killing blows in lethal combat with that weapon. When picking up a different weapon with the same tag (e.g.., a Longsword and Scimitar both have Sweep), you’ll still need to gain Weapon Skill Proficiency.

Heavy X: Ignore X points of ARMOR, but DAMAGE rolls of X or lower completely miss.
Sweep X: DAMAGE rolls of X or higher grant one bonus attack on another target in reach. You can’t chain this effect for multiple bonus attacks.
Push X: DAMAGE rolls of X or higher push the target back from Close to Nearby, preventing approach and allowing longer weapons to keep their advantage in the next clash.
Counter X: DAMAGE rolls of X or less against you are bounced back against your attacker.
Brutal X: CRITICAL DAMAGE resulting from a DAMAGE roll of X or more from this weapon is an instant kill, and forces a Morale Save on the enemy.
Shock X: Damage rolls of X or higher cause the target to automatically fail their next DEX Save (lasts 1 round).
Bleed X: On a damage roll of X or higher, the target takes an additional 1d4 STR damage at the start of their next turn. This STR damage does not trigger a Critical Damage save.
Quick X. When deciding who goes first when up against a weapon of the same damage die, treat your DEX as being X higher. This also works in duels.
Magic X: Add X to the weapon’s damage roll.

Weapon Variations

For more weapon variety, consider the following variations:

Decayed weapons are rusty, worn, battered, and often found in abandoned places. These weapons break after rolling maximum damage once.
Normal weapons use the regular statblock: Longsword, D8 slashing, Sweep (7).
Martial weapons have small modifications done by blacksmiths or seasoned veterans and are one degree “better” at their weapon skill: Longsword, D8 slashing, Sweep (6).
Legendary weapons are the subject of myth and legend and have the Magic (1) property: Longsword, D8+1 slashing, Sweep (6). These weapons are likely to be desired or feared by all who even hear a whisper of their presence.
Silvered weapons deal normal damage against supernatural creatures, where otherwise their attacks might be Impaired or entirely ineffective. More alloys are rumored to exist (such as coldiron against magic or meteorite against elves).
Poisoned weapons inflict additional damage to STR, DEX, or WIL, depending on the poison. This poison does not trigger a Critical Damage Save, unless remarkably potent.

Example Weapons

Ranged Weapons

Name	Damage	Properties
Sling	D6 (Fast)	Cannot hit Far targets
Shortbow	D6 (Fast)	Bulky, Piercing
Longbow	D8 (Fast)	Bulky, Piercing, Heavy (1)
Crossbow	D8 (Fast)	Bulky, Piercing, 1 turn to load after use
Greatbow	D10 (Fast)	Bulky, 1 turn to draw before use

Munition is not tracked separately; characters are assumed to have plenty.

Piercing Weapons

Name	Damage	Properties
Dagger	D6 (Fast)	-
Ceremonial Dagger	D6 (Fast)	Bleed (5)
Parrying Dagger	D6 (Fast)	Counter (1)
Rapier	D8 (Balanced)	Counter (2)
Spear	D8 (Balanced)	Reach, Push (6)
War Pick	D8 (Balanced)	Bleed (7)
Pitch Fork	D10 (Slow)	-
Boar-Hunting Spear	D10 (Slow)	Bulky, Reach, Push (7)

Bludgeoning Weapons

Name	Damage	Properties
Cudgel	D6 (Fast)	-
Simple Staff	D6 (Fast)	Reach
Sage’s Staff	D6 (Fast)	Reach, Shock (6)
Flail	D8 (Balanced)	Heavy (1)
Mace	D8 (Balanced)	Shock (8)
Spiked Mace	D8 (Balanced)	Shock (7)
Maul	D10 (Slow)	Bulky, Shock (6)
Warhammer	D10 (Slow)	Bulky, Shock (7)

Slashing Weapons

Name	Damage	Properties
Shortsword	D6 (Fast)	-
Axe	D8 (Balanced)	Heavy (1)
Longsword	D8 (Balanced)	Sweep (7)
Katana	D8 (Balanced)	Quick (2)
Scimitar	D8 (Balanced)	Sweep (6)
Executioner’s Axe	D8 (Balanced)	Brutal (5)
Flamberge	D8 (Balanced)	Bleed (6)
Halbert	D8 (Balanced)	Bulky, Sweep (8)
Greataxe	D10 (Slow)	Bulky, Heavy (2)
Greatsword	D10 (Slow)	Bulky, Sweep (6)

Armor

Crude Armor (Bulky, 1 armor) tends to be made from improvised materials. Found in abandoned camps and on bandits.

Light Armor (1 armor), such as leather chest pieces and thick padded coats. Tends to be worn by village militia and the like.

Medium Armor (Bulky, 2 armor) tends to consist of chainmail, leather, and perhaps some simple plating. Worn by mercenaries and soldiers.

Refined Medium Armor (2 armor) grants the same protection as normal medium armor, but is made from lightweight organic materials, such as bone, chitin, scale, or enchanted wood.

Heavy Armor (Bulky, 3 armor) such as plate mail offers excellent protection but tends to be rare and costly. Note that it also prevents dodging and might hinder stealth or acrobatics.

Legendary Armor (3 armor) is made from rare metals such as mithril or other magical materials. These suits are the subject of myth and legend. Besides giving high armor, it might provide additional benefits such as Impairing or ignoring certain types of damage.

Shields give +1 armor, at the cost of having to be carried. They aid in blocking and can be sacrificed to ignore an incoming attack.

Helmets, armguards and other pieces of armor do not explicitly provide extra armor but can negate injuries from failed Critical Damage Saves.

Adventuring Equipment

Some of these items make references to rules found later on, in the Running Adventures chapters. Stars are used to give an indication of price; see the beginning of this chapter.

Backpack ★. In an emergency, a character can drop their backpack, thus clearing their inventory of all stored items. This does mean that these items are now left on the spot, up for grabs for anyone.

Bedroll ★. A comfortable surface to sleep on, mandatory for a normal night’s rest.

Climbing Gear ★★. Bulky. Serves as dedicated gear for climbing in any Time, Gear, Skill situation. Includes ropes, pitons, spikes, hammer, etc. One set of climbing gear can serve multiple characters (with one character climbing up first and laying out a route). Per climb, roll 1d6; on a 1, the gear is damaged or lost and cannot be used again.

Cooking Pot ★. Allows for the preparation of fancy meals on a campfire. See Food & Meals on page 11.

Crowbar ★. Gear for opening doors that don’t want to. See Doors on page 63.

Fancy Clothes ★★. Looking a certain way can help one get into places. Wearing fancy clothes acts as gear in Time, Gear, Skill when trying to get access to nobility and the like.

Fishing Rod ★. Allows for fishing in bodies of water. See Gathering on page 58.

Healer’s Kit ★★. Allows for simple first aid and stabilizing the dying. 3 uses.

Lantern ★★. Illuminates everything nearby, and has a Usage Die of d10. Every 10 minutes, roll the die; on a 1-2, the size decreases. On a 1-2 at size d4, the lantern oil has run out. A lantern can be attached to one’s backpack or hip, freeing the adventurer’s hands. They are also encased in glass, providing good protection against gusts of wind. Lanterns are fragile, however; when the adventurer takes a tumble or a bad hit, consider rolling 1d6, with the lamp breaking on a 1. Breaking might also mean that flammable oil is spilt (possibly over the adventurer!).

Mountaineering Equipment ★★. Aids with complications in perilous mountainous terrain. See Journey Length: Distance & Terrain on page 60.

Rain Cloak ★. Wind- and water-resistant. Negates Unpleasant weather in spring or summer. (See Weather on page 61.)

Rations ☆. Will stave off hunger, but not much more. 3 uses.

Repair Kit ★★. Allows for the field repair of a weapon or armor sacrificed to shield from a blow (See Sacrificing Gear, page 22). Consists of things such as a whetstone, small hammer, strips of leather, and resin.

Smoke Bomb ★. When it explodes, everyone close (in the same room or grouped together) makes DEX Saves with Disadvantage for 1d4 rounds.

Supplies ★. Crowbars, pitons, ropes, chalk, poles — all can be useful within a dungeon. To streamline the preparation of delves, characters can purchase Supplies. Supplies take up 1 Inventory slot and can be anything that an adventurer might need and which would reasonably fit in one slot: a torch, 50 ft. of rope, 10 iron spikes and a hammer, a bear trap, and so forth. The moment an adventurer needs any of these items, they “use up” the Supplies and put that item in their inventory, instead.

Tent (Bulky) ★. A handy 2-person tent. Mandatory in order to have a normal rest in rain, winter, fall or cold conditions.

Torch ☆. Illuminates everything nearby, and has a Usage Die of d8. Every 10 minutes, roll the die; on a 1-2, the size decreases. On a 1-2 at size d4, the torch burns out. If a torch is extinguished prematurely (either on purpose or by accident), lower the Usage Die one tier. If a torch is dropped, roll the Usage Die; on a 1, the torch is extinguished (and the Usage Die is lowered one tier).

Waterskin ☆. Fully filled, it has a Usage Die of D8. Whenever a character recovers HP, they roll the waterskin’s Usage Die. On a 1 or 2, the die decreases in size (d8>d6>d4). On a 1-2 on a d4, the waterskin is empty.

Winter Cloak ★. Comfy and warm. Traveling without it in cold conditions, such as in mountains or in winter, can leave one Deprived. Negates Unpleasant weather in fall or winter. (See Weather on page 61.)

Horses & Transportation

A horse has the following statblock:

STR: 16 DEX: 12 WIL: 5 HP: 3 Carrying capacity: 25 slots, a rider takes 15.

Horses go twice as fast as a person on foot on easy terrain such as plains, plateaus, and valleys. Calculate the number of Watches someone on foot would require to traverse this terrain, and take half. Over other types of terrain, horses do not reduce travel time (but can still carry cargo).

The following extra equipment can be purchased for horses:

Saddle. Allows one to ride a horse. Without it, make more frequent DEX Saves to avoid getting thrown off.
Cart. Provides 10 extra inventory slots, but cannot carry a person.
Wagon. Provides 40 extra inventory slots.
Carriage. Provides 80 extra inventory slots, and requires two horses to pull.
Horse Armor. A caparison provides 1 Armor (1 slot), chainmail provides 2 Armor (3 slots), and full plate barding provides 3 Armor (6 slots).
Horse Feed. Occupies 1 slot, and feeds a horse for a day. If a horse can graze in a grassy area for 1 Watch (for example, while making camp), no Horse Feed is required.

Carts, wagons, and carriages cannot travel beyond easy terrain, unless on a road.

Horses in Combat

Riding a horse allows for quick retreats. When faced with foes that cannot keep up with a horse, no DEX Save is required to flee. When faced with foes that can keep up with a horse, make a DEX Save using the horse’s DEX. When fleeing from foes that can make ranged attacks, make a DEX Save to avoid getting hit while escaping.

Horses can get spooked, and a horse must make a WIL Save when faced with ferocious animals or monsters. Horses trained for combat might only need to make a WIL Save when first attacked by such foes. If a horse is mounted, use the rider’s WIL instead. A spooked horse will throw off their rider (unless they succeed on a DEX Save). Spooked horses can be found again after combat, as they do not tend to run far.