RolePlay onLine RPoL Logo

, welcome to Devils and Dragoons

16:41, 28th March 2024 (GMT+0)

Weapons and Equipment.

Posted by A Malign PresenceFor group 0
A Malign Presence
GM, 3 posts
Sat 18 Aug 2018
at 07:15
  • msg #1

Weapons and Equipment

Item Rarity
Some items are more easily procured than others, with specialty items sometimes requiring a trip to a city or other major population center. Buying some items requires a Charisma-based skill check known as a rarity check. The threshold for the check is determined by where the marketplace is located:

City: Threshold of 7.
Town: Threshold of 9.
Village: Threshold of 11.
Camp: Threshold of 13.

Items have five tiers of scarcity, which may add to a penalty to the rarity check:

Common: The item can always be bought even in the humblest of villages, and requires no check.
Uncommon: This item can usually be found, but requires a successful rarity check.
Scarce: This item is hard to find or create, or else in high demand, and takes a -2 penalty to its rarity check.
Rare: This item is vanishingly rare, and rarity checks take a -4 penalty.
Not for Sale: Magic items of all types are assumed too dangerous or valuable to be sold. Any item in a specific location can be ruled not for sale by the GM, depending on in-game market forces.

Melee Weapons
Though firearms have proliferated on battlefields over the last century, swords and spears still see frequent use as part of desperate charges, ambushes, or occasions when ammunition grows scarce. Widely available and easily manufactured with modern tools, melee weapons of all types are always of common rarity.

Unarmed Attack - 1d2 Damage / - Pierce. Free. No weight. Unarmed attacks require at least one free hand to be effective. They do either 1 or 2 damage on a successful hit, determined by rolling even (1) or odd (2) on a die of the player's choice.

Dagger - 1d4 Damage / 1d4 Pierce. 2 GP. 1 lb. Daggers use the higher of the wielder's Strength or Dexterity modifier for attacks when wielded in melee. If thrown, they always use Dexterity, and have an effective range 15', but can be thrown up to 30 ' with a -2 penalty to the attack roll. Thrown daggers are one of the few ranged weapons to have no recoil; you can throw a dagger and then move.

Light Weapon - 1d6 Damage / 1d4 Pierce. 5 GP. 2 lb. Any one-handed weapon that relies more on finesse than brute strength, or is designed to be comfortably wielded in one's off-hand, counts as a light weapon. Like daggers, light weapons use the higher of the wielder's Strength or Dexterity modifier. Some light weapons, such as hatchets or short spears, can be thrown at targets up to 60' away, but take a -2 penalty if being thrown farther than 30'.

One-Handed Weapon - 1d8 Damage / 1d6 Pierce. 10 GP. 5 lb. Encompassing most swords, battleaxes, infantry spears, and the like, one-handed weapons always use the wielder's Strength modifier and cannot be comfortably thrown. They can be easily wielded in one hand even by an individual of average strength, however.

Great Weapon - 1d12 Damage / 1d10 Pierce. 30 GP. 15 lb. Two-handed swords, mauls, and other mighty weapons of war that require both hands are considered great weapons. They always use the wielder's Strength modifier and cannot be used from horseback.

Lance - 1d8 Damage / 1d12 or - Pierce. 15 GP. 10 lb. Enormous, conical spears designed to be used from horseback, a charge with lances at a formation's flank is the signature coup de grace of the feared Gilded Hussars. Lances can be used one-handed from horseback, but require two hands to have any prayer of hitting when the wielder is on foot. Using a lance on foot will also degrade its Pierce die, reducing it to 1d10.

Polearm - 1d10 Damage / 1d8 Pierce. 15 GP. 10 lb. Like great weapons, polearms need to be wielded in two hands and cannot be used from horseback. When making an attack, polearm-wielders can choose to forgo their Pierce die, rolling damage and attack rolls only. If an attack from a polearm with no Pierce die hits, the target of the attack must immediately save versus being unhorsed.

Silvered Weapon - Silvered weapons are edged, weighted, or somehow at least partially composed of silver and inscribed with daemonological symbols. This grants them the ability to harm certain magical or insubstantial creatures that are immune or resistant to normal weapons. Silvered weapons cost triple, and the soft metals necessary in their construction make for generally poor weapons. Silvering a weapon degrades it Pierce die by a die,so a silvered two-handed battleaxe would have a Pierce die of only 1d8, instead of 1d10, for example. Weapons that already have the lowest possible Pierce die, 1d4, instead lose their Pierce die entirely.

Ranged Weapons
Muscle-powered missile weapons are in their twilight years on the Grand Continent. Proud martial traditions have kept the longbow and composite bow alive in Aventaine and the Baboti Khanate, respectively, and some Krastavan mercenary companies prefer crossbows as inexpensive, low-overhead alternative to firearms. And, of course, in a wightstorm, a good archer is worth their weight in gold.

Ranged weapons are relatively easy to construct, but there isn't much a market for them these days. All ranged weapons and their ammunition should be treated as uncommon unless otherwise noted.

Bow - 1d8 / 1d4 Pierce. 50 GP. 2 lb.  150', or 300' with a -2 penalty. Bows are one of the few ranged weapons to have no recoil; you can fire a bow and then move. Popular the world over before the advent of the musket, bows are still popular among the Baboti, certain adventurers, and many Islander cultures.

Longbow - 1d12 / 1d6 Pierce. 100 GP. 3 lb. 300', or 600' with a -2 penalty. Though they have a superior range to current gunpowder-based firearms, longbows famously require almost twenty years of experience to wield expertly. They are the signature weapon of the Aventinian Mounted Rangers.

Crossbow  - 1d10 / 1d8 Pierce. 75 GP. 8 lb. 100', or '150 with a -2 penalty. Before muskets saw wide production, crossbows were the weapon of choice for turning a group of untrained peasants into a lethal fusillade.

Riding Crossbow - 1d8 / 1d6 Pierce. 150 GP. 4 lb.  50', or 100' with  a -2 penalty. A scaled down version of the full crossbow, the riding crossbow can be fired from horseback (at a -4 penalty) and reloaded from horseback in a manner similar to a pistol. Used primarily used a tool for hunting among the upper classes, some spies and assassins favor them for their light weight and relative concealability. Difficult to manufacture due to their scaled down size, riding crossbows are scarce for rarity check purposes.

Repeating Crossbow - 1d10 / 1d6 Pierce. 300 GP. 10 lb. An expensive luxury weapon imported from Baboti lands, repeating crossbows have a range of 30', or 60' with a -2 penalty. They are roughly the size of standard crossbows and also require two free hands to operate. Repeating crossbows are the closest thing Zardow has to true repeating weapons, and can fire up to three bolts in a single round. Firing more than one bolt does not afford you extra attacks or additional damage dice, but if the crossbowman chooses to discharge three bolts in one attack, they gain +1 to the attack and damage rolls. Repeating crossbows have a magazine of five bolts, and take a combat round to reload. Repeating crossbows are one of the few ranged weapons to have no recoil; you can fire a repeating crossbow and then move. Repeating crossbows are rare items.

Gunpowder Weapons
Gunpowder has been used in combat for centuries, but recent advancements in firearm design and production have made them increasingly deadly and pragmatic alternatives to the crossbow. Explosives are also reshaping the battlefield as well, rendering traditional fortifications irrelevant and encouraging new tactics. The pike line and shield wall are not the gold standard they used to be.

While gunpowder weapons are widely available now, they are still expensive to manufacture and not available everywhere. Gunpowder weapons are always scarce to find for sale.

Grenade - 1d8 / - Pierce. 25 GP. 1 lb. Grenades can't Pierce, but always attack versus AC 9. Those within 10' feet of the target of the grenade take damage as though hit. Even if the attack misses, all those within the area of effect take half damage, rounded down. All targets can make a Dexterity-based Physical saving throw to either take half damage on a hit, or negate the damage entirely on a miss. Grenades need to be lit by a torch or other source of open flame before being thrown; the process is a bit too cumbersome for horseback.

Petard - 1d12 / - Pierce. 50 GP. 10 lb. A device used to breach fortifications in heavy siege combat, petards, when detonated, deal 1d12 damage in both a 10' radius and a 30' cone. They must be braced against a wall or other solid surface for the cone to be directed: otherwise the cone will fire directly upward or downward, possibly digging a small 10' pit in the latter case. Petards don't have Pierce die, but they intrinsically deal double damage against inanimate structures like doors and walls.

Powder Keg - 1d6 / - Pierce. 50 GP. 20 lb. Used to enhance a petard's breach or create some type of gunpowder-based trap, powder kegs are also an important commodity traded throughout the Grand Continent. A single keg of powder will last a small regiment of musketeers a month, but adventurers are usually more interested in powder kegs for the purposes of blasting past trapped and cursed doors in daemon-haunted Golish ruins. If a torch is tossed onto a powder keg, it will detonate in 1d4 combat rounds with an explosion doing 1d6 damage in a 10' radius. Powder keg explosions, like petards, deal double damage versus structures. Powder kegs will detonate spontaneously if within range of the explosion from a grenade, petard or another powder kegs. DMs should expect player to create elaborate traps with explosive weapons and powder kegs... and players should expect dungeon denizens to do the very same.

Fuse - Fuses allow you to add 1 to 10 rounds of delay to any explosive weapon (including powder kegs). Powder kegs detonating due to sympathetic explosion do not enjoy the fuse's delay. The price of the fuse determines the length of the delay; a short 1 silver fuse provides 1 round of delay before the explosion, while a particularly lengthy fuse would cast an entire gold piece and last for 10 rounds. Fuses have negligible weight.

Pistol - 1d6 / 1d8 Pierce. 50 GP. 3 lb. Pistols can be wielded one-handed and easily fired from horseback, even that of a moving horse (though they must take the normal -4 penalty). They can be reloaded from horseback, as well. They are effective to a range of 30', or 60' with a -2 penalty.

Carbine - 1d8 / 1d10 Pierce. 75 GP. 7 lb. Short rifles designed to be used by cavalry, carbines are the only two-handed weapons that can be fired from horseback. This must be done from a stationary horse, however, and takes the normal -4 penalty for firing from horseback. Anyone attempting to ride a horse and fire a carbine in the same turn will cause the shot to invariably miss, with no attack roll necessary. Most cavalry forces choose to dismount before opening fire with their carbines. Carbines can fire up to 50' with no penalty, and can hit targets within 100' with a -2 penalty.

Musket - 1d10 / 1d12 Pierce. 100 GP. 10 lb. Muskets cannot be fired from horseback. Like the carbine, the careful aiming required for firing a musket immediately ends the user's combat turn as soon as the weapon is fired. Muskets are effective to a range of 100' meters. They can fire up to 150'at a -2 penalty. Muskets are heavy enough to be used as a melee weapon. Treat this as a Strength-based, two-handed melee weapon that deals 1d4 damage on a hit with no chance of Piercing.

Blunderbuss - 1d10 / 1d12 Pierce. 100 GP. 10 lb. Particularly prized by adventurers plungering Golish ruins for their legendary room-clearing ability, the blunderbuss is an up close and personal two-handed firearm with an effective range of 30', or up to 60' feet with a -2 penalty. On a successful Piercing blow, you can choose to divide your doubled damage between targets in a 30' cone instead of applying it to only one. All targets within the cone must take at least 1 damage.

Dragon - 1d6 / 1d10 Pierce. 75 GP. 5 lb. Dragons are decidedly close-range weapons, having an effective range of 20', or 40' with a -2 penalty. On a successful Piercing blow, you can choose divide your doubled damage between targets in a 20' cone instead of applying it to only one. All targets within the cone must take at least 1 damage.

Silvered Ranged Weapons - Silvered bolts and arrowheads work much the same as silvered melee weapons. They are triple the cost of standard ammunition, and degrade the Pierce die of the weapon when used.

Firearms cannot generally make use of silver ammunition, but it is possible to carve down ordinary silver coins to fit into a gun barrel. This requires about a dungeon turn of work to fashion one usable round, and blunderbusses and dragons actually require five silver pieces per shot. Once created, they can be loaded like ordinary round. Silvered arrows, bolts and bullets degrade the Pierce die as normal for silvered weapons, but also lose half their effective and maximum ranges.

Daemonlock Firearms - First developed by the Krastavans, daemonlock weapons use magically-imbued parts in lieu of gunpowder charges to fire bullets or shot. Though the fundamental gunsmithing technology hasn't changed much, the semi-magical firing system greatly increases the speed at which daemonlock weapons can be reloaded, putting them on par with crossbows. Daemonlock firearms cost triple the listed GP and are considered rare for rarity checks. They confer the following benefits:

- They are only weapons able fire in a wightstorm.
- They never discharge due to being exposed to an explosion.
- Can reload in a single round, and be fired more than once per combat.
- Count as magical weapons for the purposes of overcoming monster resistances (but do not add any bonus to attack or damage rolls)

Armor
Thick clothes, leather and laemallar are always common. Other types of armor, including shields, are uncommon, as armor heavier than leather has fallen out of everyday use.

Thick Clothes - 8 AC. Clothes only weigh 1 lb. for encumbrance purposes when worn, but spare clothes folded up are 5 lb. Clothes cost anywhere from 5 SP to 50 GP, depending on the quality of the clothing. Beautiful and elegant 50 GP clothing also confers a +1 bonus to Charisma-based skill checks where obvious wealth might be beneficial. It is, however, a -1 penalty in such situations where such flagrant displays may be a liability.

Leather Clothing - 7 AC. 10 GP. 15 lb. Encompassing a wide variety of leather jacks, leather jackets, riding leathers, and hosen. Stands up much better to minor scrapes than fur or linen, but still falls short of actual armor. Popular with brigands and adventurers for its light weight, affordability, and inconspicuousness.

Leather Armor - 6 AC. 25 GP. 20 lb. Finely-cured leather armor commonly used to armor footmen and musketmen, it is the most impressive armor most of the lower classes will ever wear. Unlike leather clothing it is unmistakably armor, but flexible enough to not be too uncomfortable or uncouth to wear for everyday patrols.

Chain - 5 AC. 50 GP. 30 lb. Lighter metal armors waned in popularity with the advent of gunpowder weaponry, but chain is still used by some companies of heavy footmen or anti-undead special squadrons.

Scale - 4 AC. 100 GP. 40 lb. Encompassing armor composed of layered cloth or leather and metal, whether it be a coat of brigandine or a thicker, stiffer "coat of plate." It is popular among the Baboti, particularly heavy footmen or noblemen overseeing battle.

Plate - 3 AC. 500 GP. 50 lb. Firearms have rendered most rigid metal armors obsolete, but plate armor can still block bullets at range. Largely a luxury item specifically fitted for noblemen and landed gentry wading into war, heavy armors are used by some dungeon delvers as they descend into the dark.

Shield -  Holding a shield in one hand provides a -1 AC bonus. 10 GP. 10 lb. While shields have fallen into disfavor over the last couple of centuries, the practice of plundering Golish ruins has led to something of a resurgence in their use. Shields range in size, but small bucklers are favored by most modern-day warriors. A soldier can wear a buckler and grip the reins of the horse in the same hand, though they will forgo the shield bonus to AC for as long as they're mounted. You need to either be dismounted or not wielding a weapon to fully benefit from a shield.

Horses

Donkey or Mule - 100 GP. 50' a round, 2 HD. Morale 9. Can carry a single rider and 200 lbs. Common.
Riding Horse - 250 GP. 60' a round, 2 HD. Morale 7. Can carry a single rider and 200 lbs. Uncommon.
Draft Horse - 200 GP. 50' a round, 3 HD. Morale 7. Can carry a single rider 300 lbs. Uncommon.
Warhorse - 300 GP. 60' a round, 3 HD. Morale 5. Can carry a single rider and 300 lbs. Scarce.

Pierce Die: All weapon attacks are rolled with a Pierce die, which varies depending on the type of weapon used. If the result of the Pierce die is equal to or less than the weapon's damage die, the Pierce die has no effect.

If the Pierce Die is higher than the damage die, the weapon's damage becomes either the face value of Pierce Die or double the damage die (whichever is higher). The target's AC is also treated as 9 for this attack, meaning a high Pierce roll can sometimes transform misses into hits.

For this reason, damage, Pierce and attack rolls should be rolled together at once.
This message was last edited by the GM at 06:14, Wed 02 Feb 2022.
A Malign Presence
GM, 9 posts
Mon 24 Sep 2018
at 05:48
  • msg #2

Weapons and Equipment

Occult Materials

Arcane Reagents - Used in most tasks associated with daemonology, arcane reagents is a general term for the various satchet powders, sacred pigments, precious stones, blasphemous idols, and other devices used to summon, channel or otherwise meaningfully interact with daemons or pacts. The exact items used vary based on the individual daemonologist's personal magical discipline, and harvesting reagents from the wild, a dungeon cache, or a magical creature requires a successful Wisdom check for the daemonologist to rationalize their use within their personal occult practice. The materials used as arcane reagents are always vaguely disturbing, rare, or somehow otherwise uncommon and esoteric. To determine whether or not appropriate arcane reagents can be found for purchase, the daemonologist must make a Charisma check. The threshold is 7 for cities, 9 for towns, and 11 for villages.

If available for sale, reagents can be purchased for a 1:1 ratio with gold. Reagents generally have negligible weight, though the GM can assign a weight for large quantities or unusual samples. Reagents are scarce in areas where magic is openly practiced, like Krastavo, Golinlund, or the border towns of Aventaine. They are rare everywhere else, often needing to be smuggled in.

Magical Rings - Particularly fearsome daemons inflict a penalty to morale checks, but magical gold or silver rings can partially or completely ward them off. Some daemons may even outright kill summoners who don't have appropriate magical protection. Rings can be either gold or silver, and have a value of 10/20/30/40 GP regardless of their composition. For every 10 GP spent in the construction of the ring, the ring will reduce the morale penalty from some daemons by -1. Some daemons require gold rings, others require silver, and some simply require one or the other. Most daemons don't inflict morale penalties and will not require magical rings to successfully summon or bargain with. Magic rings have a negligible weight, but only the most powerful ring of a specific type applies. For example, if a daemonologist has a 20 GP silver ring and a 10 GP silver ring, he will reduce Morale penalties from susceptible daemons by 2, not 3.

Magic rings require special consecrations and spells to activate. Regular gold and silver rings are very pretty and can be picked up from any competent metal-smith or jeweler, but will do nothing for their bearer magically. any old gold or silver ring won't do. Effective and authentic magical rings are always rare.

Hazel Wand - In addition to magical rings, daemons can have their morale penalties entirely negated by construction of a wooden wand, usually built from hazel. This requires knowledge of the daemon's seal, and the use of 300 arcane reagents and a successful threshold 7 Intelligence check on the part of the daemonologist. They can also be found for sale sometimes, but are always rare.

Dagger - Some daemonic Prices (particularly those involving blood-letting) require the use of a weapon like a dagger, and daggers are an important part of any daemonologist's toolkit. They are identical to the daggers described in the weapons section, but bear repeating here.

Ceremonial Sword - 1,500 GP. 5 lb. A magically-consecrated sword that can achieve all the same things a dagger can, wielding a ceremonial sword also affords a +1 bonus to Morale checks. It also functions like a silvered one-handed weapon, dealing 1d8/1d4 damage on a hit.

Mandrake Root - 250 GP. 1 lb. Roots of mandragora plants that bear a resemblance to the human form are called mandrakes, and are valued by some daemons and named in some daemonic pacts. They are an inhibiting poison when ingested, but are more commonly used to fuel daemonic pacts in some form or another. Mandragora itself is widely cultivated, but the individual roots that qualify as proper mandrakes are always rare.

Dragon Heart - 1,000 GP. 1 lb if fresh, 2 lb if preserved. The hearts of dragons are sometimes requested in daemonic Prices. Fresh-cut hearts are of course classic, but daemons seem willing to accept hearts well-preserved in alcohol or other chemicals. A black market for preserved dragon hearts has developed, and the dragons themselves are threatened by over-hunting, particularly in magic-using lands. Dragon hearts are always rare, and may be illegal to sell in some areas.

Military Equipment and Prosthetic Devices

Prosthetic Hand - 100 GP. 5lb. Will allow you to grip items and manipulate objects after losing your left or right hand, but is not dexterous enough to effectively wield a shield. Two-handed weapons take a -1 penalty if wielded using a prosthetic hand (a -2 penalty if both hands are prosthetic). One-handed weapon attacks made with a prosthetic hand take a -4 penalty. Quality-made prosthetic devices are always scarce.

Eyepatch - 1 SP. No weight. A fitted eyepatch or well-crafted glass eye reduces the penalty from losing an eye from -2 to -1. Eyepatches are not complicated to create, and are common items.

Musket Fork - 5 GP. 2 lb. A rest used to help balance a musket barrel, using a musket fork affords a +1 bonus to attack rolls with a musket, owing to the additional stability. It takes an action to affix the musket fork to the underside of the musket barrel, or to remove it. The user will not be able to move the musket without first removing the fork. Musket forks are common items.

Bayonet - 5 GP. 2lb. A bayonet affixed to a musket changes the damage of the musket's melee attack from 1d4 with no chance of Pierce to 1d6/1d4. They can also be affixed to carbines, granting them a melee attack. Bayonets are common, and function as daggers if unattached to a firearm.

Horse Barding, Chain - 250 GP. 80 lb. This reduces a mount's AC to 5. Armor for a horse, composed of interlocked steel loops. Chain horse barding is rarely used in this day and age, but is traditional among heavy infantry of the Borynivkin Tsardom. Since it is not widely used today, chain horse barding is always scarce. The weight listed above refers to a human transporting the barding; if actually worn by the horse, it only consumes 40 lbs of the horse's encumbrance.

Horse Barding, Plate - 1,000 GP. 100 lb. This reduces a mount's AC to 3. Rigid plate armor designed for horses, it is used to protect the favored steeds of battle-bound nobility. Plate horse barding is always rare. The weight listed above refers to a human transporting the barding; if actually worn by the horse, it only consumes 50 lbs of the horse's encumbrance.

Blindfold - 1 SP. No weight. Just a simple loop of dark fabric such as a bandanna, used to impair someone's sight, some adventurers bring blindfolds for two reasons. First, certain magical creatures (namely the cockatrice and  the nachtkrapp) are dangerous to even gaze upon. Simply closing one's eyes is sufficient, but some adventurers prefer not to leave such things to chance. Secondly and more importantly, both magic cuffs and blindfolds are necessary to capturing a magic-user and preventing them from using magic. Two strips of fabric are necessary to capture a magic-user: one for a blindfold and one for a gag.

Manacles - 1 GP. 5 lbs. Sturdy iron manacles are sufficient to capture ordinary enemies. Wearing manacles will prevent someone from making meaningful attacks until they succeed on a threshold 11 Strength check to break the chain.

Magic Cuffs - 10 GP. 7 lbs. Magic cuffs are similar to manacles, but encase the hand in an iron glove designed to prevent gestures. They are necessary if you want to prevent a magic-user from casting spells. A magic-user must be bound about the fingers, blinded and gagged (all three) to prevent all casting of spells. Nothing less is effective.

Caltrops - 5 GP. 10 lbs. A pouch of caltrops can cover a 10' square area. Individuals on foot move at half speed through an area covered in caltrops. Horses moving at a gallop take 1 damage if moving over a patch of caltrops, and force their rider to make a save versus being unhorsed.

Trap Materials - 10 GP. 15 lbs. Ropes, pulleys, pressure plates, thin wires, light chains, simple gears and similar objects that can be used to jury-rig traps or alarms. 10 GP covers the cost for one trap. Players wishing to set a trap must spend at least a dungeon turn making an Intelligence check. The result is the threshold for spotting or disarming the trap. Players must describe a reasonable way in which the trap is dangerous, with GM approval, but the actual mechanics can be left fairly vague, and assumed covered with the cost of 10 GP of normal, non-magical materials. Traps can be created out of simple heavy rocks, or with the addition of a weapon (like a spear or firearm) or even an imbued item. Disarming checks with a result of 13 or higher will generally recover usable trap materials, 11 or higher if the disarmer set the trap themselves.
This message was last edited by the GM at 23:13, Sun 19 Jan 2020.
A Malign Presence
GM, 10 posts
Mon 24 Sep 2018
at 06:44
  • msg #3

Weapons and Equipment

Drugs, Chemicals and Poisons
All these items have negligible weight, unless being transported in great quantity.

Inhibiting Poison - 100 GP per dose. Any poisons that are not immediately fatal are termed inhibiting poisons, often used by assassins to weaken a target for the coup de grace. Inhibiting poisons are either ingested or coated onto piercing or slashing weapons like daggers, swords, spearheads or arrows. Great weapons require three doses of poison to properly coat.

An individual affected by an inhibiting poison must make a Con-based physical save or take 1d6 damage. Those who fail their save also take a -2 penalty to attack rolls and saving throws for the next 8 hours, weakened as they are by the poison. Inhibiting poisons are uncommon.

Lethal Poison - 500 GP per dose. Any poisons that are designed to kill within a combat round are considered lethal poisons. Lethal poisons are either ingested or coated onto piercing or slashing weapons like daggers, swords, spearheads or arrows. Great weapons require three doses of poison to properly coat.

Anyone dosed with a lethal poison must make a Con-based physical save or die. Even on a successful save, the target takes 1d6 damage. Lethal poisons are very often illegal to buy or sell, and are scarce.

Magical Poison - 2,000 GP per dose. Magical poisons are identical to lethal poisons, but invariably involve magic somewhere in their creation, or at the very least are extracted from magical creatures. Magical poisons are always rare.

Common Drug - 5 GP per dose. Whether used as a palliative or an escape, some drugs are commonly used throughout the Grand Continent. Some are legal, and others are not. Regardless of their specific effects, anyone who ingests or smokes a dose of a drug takes a -1 penalty to attack rolls and skill checks unless they succeed in a Health save. Their effects last for 1 hour. Common drugs are scarce items.

Rare Drug - 50 GP per dose. Almost always illegal or at least tightly regulated, combat drugs or expensive recreational drugs can afford a +1 bonus to skill checks involving a particular attribute. A hallucinogenic might afford a +1 bonus to Wisdom skill checks due to strange premonitions, while a powerful stimulant might afford a +1 bonus to Dexterity skill checks. These potent drugs inflict a -1 penalty to all other skill checks unless the user makes a successful Health save. Rare drugs are rare items.

Folk Medicine - 3 SP per dose. Boiled willow bark, leeches, and garlic poultices may not be much help versus magical diseases, but they provide a +1 bonus to attempts to convalesce from mundane illnesses due to the placebo effect. Folk medicine is commonly available for sale.

Good Medicine - 10 GP per dose. Real, effective medicine with actual science (or, at least, magic) behind it, authentic medicines are both rare and cutting-edge technology on Zardow. Good medicine is usually designed to combat a specific mundane illnesses, which cures perfectly without the need of a saving throw. Medicine can also be taken to ward oneself against magical diseases, however, providing a +2 bonus to saves versus magical diseases if taken with 8 hours of exposure. Good medicine is rare.

Flask of Oil - 5 SP per flask. Used to fuel lanterns, a single flask can provide light for 8 hours. Flasks of oil can also be lit as makeshift grenades, functioning like grenades that deal 1d4 damage. Oil is common.

Alcohol - 3 SP per flask. Powerful spirits can be enjoyed as a drink, though drinking an entire bottle will necessitate a Con-based physical saving throw or render the imbiber inebriated. Drunk individuals take a -2 penalty to attack rolls and a -1 penalty to skill checks, but a +1 bonus to morale checks. Like flasks of oil, strong enough alcohol can be used as a makeshift grenade, dealing 1d4 damage. Alcohol is common.

Dragon Oil - 100 GP per vial. Highly combustible oil gathered from the glands of fire-breathing dragons, dragon oil can be used to fuel ordinary lanterns or, crucially, dragon-lamps. They can be used as makeshift grenades as well, dealing 1d4 damage. Dragon oil is rare.

Acid - 5 GP per flask. Powerful acid is used in some alchemical processes or even simple home cleaning, and is generally available for sale everywhere. Thrown flasks of acid always attack versus an AC of 9, and deal 1d4 damage on a hit. They can be used to add a +1 bonus to attempts to disarm traps with mechanical or metallic components. Suitable acid is scarce.

Antivenom - 5 or 50 GP per dose. Antivenom are designed for particular sources of poison. They provide immunity for 1 hours if taken prior to exposure, or provide a +2 bonus to saving throws if taken after exposure. Mundane poisons cost 5 GP per dose of antivenom, or 50 GP if designed to combat a magical poison. Antivenoms are useless against any other type of poison besides those they were designed to combat. Antivenoms are uncommon for mundane poisons, but rare for magical poisons.
This message was last edited by the GM at 14:47, Tue 02 July 2019.
A Malign Presence
GM, 11 posts
Wed 26 Sep 2018
at 06:24
  • msg #4

Weapons and Equipment

Equipment and Sundries

Ammunition - 25 GP. 40 lb. As long as the party has at least one payload of ammunition, they will be able to reload their firearms. If lost, they won't be able to reload their firearms, and will need to make sure any already-loaded rounds count.

Quivers of Arrows - 5 GP. 30 lb. Represents the weight of spare bowstrings, arrows, quivers, fletchery and knapping materials, and the like. As long as the party has at least one payload of arrows and arrow-making materials, they will be able to reload their bows and longbows indefinitely. If lost, archers will need to make a Wisdom check after combat to recover their arrows. If the check fails, or if they are forced to flee or otherwise unable to recover their arrows, they will be out of ammunition.

Cases of Bolts - 10 GP. 35 lb. Heavy bolts for crossbows in heavy wooden or metal cases to prevent breakage, as long as the party has at least one load of cases they will be reload crossbows, repeating crossbows and riding crossbows. If lost, they will only have available the bolts already loaded in the weapons.

50 Feet of Rope - 2 GP. 10 lb.

10 Foot Pole - 1 SP. 8 lb.

Backpack - 1/5/10 GP. Backpacks have negligible weight, and are used to negate the weight of other items. 1 GP backpacks negate the weight of a player's personal effects only. 5 GP backpacks provide a 10 lb bonus to the player's maximum encumbrance, while 10 GP backpacks provide a 15 lb bonus.

Blank Book - 10 GP. 5 lb.

Blank Scroll - 1 SP. Negligible weight.

Charcoal or Chalk - 1 SP. Negligible weight.

Inkwell and Pen - 1 GP. 1 lb.

Iron Piton - 2 SP each / 5 for 1 GP. 1 lb per piton. Can be used to jam a door, requiring a threshold 7 Strength check to break down. Can also be used to pin a rope to a sheer surface, or create a rough system of footholds and handholds, providing a +1 bonus to other climbers. The individual placing the climbing pitons does not enjoy the bonus, however. Five pitons cover 10'.

Lantern - 5 GP. 3 lb. A flask of oil will burn for 4 hours.

Trail Rations - 2 SP per day / 5 for 1 GP. 5 lb per meal. Includes both food and adequate water a human and one mount.

Tent - 10 GP. 10 lb. 2-man tents can provide crucial shelter from wightstorms and allow you to rest on the road, packing up into an easy-to-carry bundle when the night is over.

Torch - 1 SP. 1 lb. Torches burn for an hour.

Crucible - 20 GP. 15 lb. A small, portable furnace, a crucible allows you to bake things at incredibly hot temperatures, sufficient to melt metal or catalyze some chemical reactions. Useful to fulfill some daemonic tithes, a crucible will burn very hot for up to 4 hours on a flask of oil.

Personal Effects - Free, but replacement personal effects cost 10 GP. 5 lb. If lost or discarded during an adventure, you take a -1 penalty to Morale checks until replaced.

Bookkeeping

Day's Room and Board - 5 SP. Includes stabling for horses, relatively safe sleeping arrangements, and so on, in any population center.
This message was last edited by the GM at 03:45, Tue 16 July 2019.
A Malign Presence
GM, 171 posts
Thu 20 Dec 2018
at 08:11
  • msg #5

Weapons and Equipment

Magic Items

Imbued Items
Imbued items, which include both single-use sigils and reusable talismans, are created by warlocks as described in the Daemonology section. Imbued items are the most likely magical items to be encountered on the Grand Continent, and can appear in a myriad of forms; wands, rods, staves, potions, scrolls, prayer wheels, carved runestones, and more. There are a few special items of great power that deserve special mention, however:

Greater Magic Items

Alicorn: The horn of a unicorn, this hard-won totem can be used as a universal wand, affecting all daemons. An alicorn does not need to be attuned to a particular daemon as a normal wooden wand does.

Additionally, the horn can be used to cast curative spells by touching the tip to the target. An alicorn freshly cut from a unicorn will contain 1d100 charges, while one discovered in a dungeon will usually contain half 1d100, rounded down. The alicorn can cast the following spells by expending the listed number of charges:

Cure Light Wounds: 1
Cure Serious Wounds: 3
Neutralize Poison: 2
Cure Disease: 5
Remove Curse: 10
Regenerate: 20
Resurrection: 30

When the last charge is used, an alicorn turns gray and crumbles to ash. An alicorn can also be ground up to use as a universal arcane reagent, worth 50 x the remaining number of charges.

Articulated Prosthetic: A prosthetic arm that functions as well as a normal arm, usually by advanced magical or mechanical means. Both Krastavans and the Boyrnivkin Tsardom have managed to manufacture articulated prosthetic limbs, with Krastavans favoring magical means while the Tsardom uses advanced mechanics merely assisted with magic.

Most articulated prosthetics in existence are calibrated for warfare, with mundane prosthetic devices being considered sufficient for day-to-day living. As such, they perform preternaturally well and provide a +1 magic bonus to Strength or Dexterity-based checks performed solely with articulated prosthetic limbs. Some articulated limbs have a melee weapon of some type mounted in place of a functional hand. There is a 50% chance that any individual articulated prosthetic will be of this "weaponized" variety; roll on the melee weapon table to determine what type. All articulated prosthetic weapons lack the dexterity and manipulation of an actual hand, and cannot be used to hold items like shields, but attacks using them are considered attacks from magical weapons for the purposes of overcoming monster resistances.

Additionally, for those portion of articulated prosthetics that are weapons, there is a 50% chance that the "business end" of the limb is actually enchanted, functioning as a +1, +2 or +3 enchanted weapon of the appropriate type. Roll on the magic weapons table for the actual bonus. +3 articulated prosthetics are never silver branches.

Azoth: This fluid is theorized to be the liquid state of a philosopher's stone, or perhaps the residue of a failed attempt at creating one. Azoth is at once both a universal solvent and a potent medicine, capable of returning beings or objects to their original forms. If splashed on an object or creature (with an attack versus AC 9 if necessary) it will affect the target with the spells Dispel Magic and Remove Curse, both as if cast by a 20th level caster. This will also restore a creature or object affected by Polymorph to its natural state.

Azoth also functions as a purgative medicine, returning the human body to a natural, uninjured, and non-magical state. If rubbed an an injury or diseased part of a person's body, it will affect the target with the spells Dispel Magic, Remove Curse, Cure Disease and Cure Serious Wounds, all as if from a 20th level caster.

If imbibed, it will burn the drinker terribly, doing 2d10 damage. Those that survive will be affected by all spells mentioned above, and will also restore any missing limbs, eyes, or other organs or body parts, as per the spell Regenerate. Finally, drinking azoth will return the drinker's attributes to their baseline.

Bezoar: These stony deposits that form in the digestive tracts of some mammals (including humans) were thought to have curative properties by primitive Grand Continent physicians. Now, with the advent of magic, they actually do. Not all bezoars are magically potent, but those that harden into stones and are gilded with gold and reagents to invest them with curative magic can have their power unlocked.

Anyone holding a bezoar or wearing jewelry incorporating a bezoar will enjoy a +2 bonus to saving throws versus poison, and will additionally be immune to the damage and effects of the spell Cloudkill. Bezoars can also be consumed to cure any poison, and will even restore to life with 1 hitpoint someone slain by poison if a bezoar is forced into their throat within 1 turn.

Enchanted Weapons: +1, +2 or +3 magic weapons are gifted by some daemons as Boons. Typically, a daemon will empower the pact's signatory to bless a particular weapon of their choice as an enchanted weapon, but some daemons choose the item to be enhanced as part of the pact. Enchanted weapons are supernaturally tough and strong, and will never break due to wear and tear or standard usage, no matter how roughly it is treated. Intentionally destroying an enchanted weapon is actually quite difficult, requiring either a successful threshold 13 Strength check, or a threshold 7 Intelligence check with an expenditure of reagents (100 for a +1 weapon, 200 for a +2, and 300 for a +3).

Since enchanted weapons originate as physical objects, they are one of the few Boons that can persist even after their pacts are destroyed. Whereas spirit weapons (below) are lost when their attendant pact is broken or their wielder is slain, enchanted weapons will linger in either event. While this might at first seem a benefit, it is actually a danger to anyone who uses enchanted weapons; the valuable items are one of the few fruits of magic you can steal directly from your fellow man, instead of trafficking with daemons to obtain.

A major benefit of enchanted weapons is that they are not obviously magical. Whereas spirit weapons, hands of glory, or other powerful artifacts radiate an obvious and unnatural aura, enchanted weapons are only revealed to be more than mere matter with careful inspection. It requires a successful threshold 7 Wisdom and at least a round of study to determine that a weapon is enchanted. Otherwise, its powers will only become apparent to its wielder when used in combat.

Spirit Weapons: Spirit weapons are similar to enchanted weapons in that they give their users a +1, +2 or +3 bonus to attack and damage rolls. Unlike enchanted weapons, spirit weapons are forged entirely by magical processes, and are obviously supernatural to all who see them. Sometimes a spirit weapon's unnaturalness is subtle, like a faint white glow from a spirit blade, but other times it is clearly the work of magic, like a hammer that takes on the likeness of a thunderbolt when swung. The GM and player can work out of the cosmetic appearance of the spirit weapon, which can be either minor or exotic, but must be obviously magical in some way.

The wielder of a spirit weapon can conjure or dismiss the weapon as an action, the weapon appearing to disappear and re-appear from their grip with a moment of intense concentration.

If the pact empowering the spirit weapon is ever violated or broken, the spirit weapon will disappear. If its owner is killed while the spirit weapon is conjured, it can be stolen, but if the spirit weapon is dismissed when its owner dies, it is forever lost.

Magic Charms: Some daemonic pacts offer "spiritual armor" or promises of protection. These pacts are sometimes fulfilled with small magic charms, trinkets that appear useless but actually subtly affect fate around their wearer, turning away attacks. Magic charms provide a -1, -2 or -3 bonus to AC when worn. Piercing blows still ignore armor as usual, including any bonuses offered by magic charms. Multiple magic charms do not stack.

Magic charms take on myriad forms, but are usually small, lightweight, and not always obviously magical, such as magic medals pinned to armor, magic pennants or banners attached to weapons, enchanted rings, or the like. Recognizing a magic charm as a magical object requires a round of scrutiny and a successful threshold 7 Wisdom check.

Bayard: An insubstantial mount that can be summoned even in the darkness of a dungeon, bayards last for a turn per caster level of the summoner. Use the stats of  warhorse but with a natural AC of 0. Bayards are additionally immune to damage from non-magical sources or non-silvered weapons.

Philosopher's Stone:: Considered the goal and pinnacle of the alchemist's art, the philosopher's stone is a metaphysical tool for manipulating matter in otherwise impossible ways. Merely holding the philosopher's stone will increase one's caster level by +2. Access to multiple philosopher's stones does not increase this bonus.

The most simplistic use of the philosopher's stone is to transmute lead into gold, rocks into precious gems, or the like. You can use the philosopher's stone to convert 10 GP worth of base materials into 1,000 GP worth of precious materials once per month. Attempts to create more precious materials will allow the alchemist to create up to 5,000 GP worth of precious materials in the course of a month, but the strain of this will shatter the philosopher's stone. This basic use of the philosopher's stone does not allow you to carefully shape the created treasure; it merely transmutes worthless materials into lumps of more valuable materials.

The philosopher's stone can also be used like a magical prism, boosting certain spells. The stone itself does not grant knowledge of these spells, merely enhances them if already known. Spells cast from imbued items cannot benefit from a philosopher's stone.

Resist Cold: Allows you to affect up to thirteen individuals with a single casting.

Resist Fire: Allows you to affect up to thirteen individuals with a single casting.

Remove Curse: Also functions as Cure Disease.

Cure Disease: Also functions as Remove Curse.

Finally, the philosopher's stone can be consumed by the alchemist to cast either Polymorph Any Object or Resurrection as a 20th level caster. The stone shatters after casting either spell.

Prima Materia:

Hagstone:

Hand of Glory:

Flaming Sword:

Tarnkappe:

Seer Stone: Just as an articulated prosthetic is a replacement for a limb lost to misadventure or the consequences of a daemonic pact, seer stones are the attempts of warlocks to restore vision to one or both eyes. Blindness can be a battlefield injury, but more commonly is the result of particularly fearsome Tithes or Banes.

All seer stones, if inserted into an empty eye socket, allow the user to see as if they had one of their eyes restored by the spell Regenerate. Each individual seer stone also has an additional power, depending on the color of eye it depicts. Roll below to determine:

1- Agate. The seer stone provides sight, functioning like a perfect replacement eye but offering no other bonus.
2- Aventurine. The seer stone allows you to read (but not speak) any living language.
3- Azurite. The eye provides a +1 bonus to skill checks involving tests of visual acuity, including searching for visible traps or doors.
4- Sapphire. The eye reduces penalties for missile attacks made at long range by 1. Two seer stones with this feature can eliminate range penalties entirely.
5- Aquamarine. Allows the owner to cast the spell Clairvoyance once per day as a 10th level caster. Clairvoyance can be cast even if the eye is not implanted, and merely held by the caster.
6- Peridot. Allows the owner to cast the spell Detect Invisible once per day as a 10th level caster. This spell can only be cast if the eye is implanted, and will only affect the eye's owner.
7- Carnelian. The eye reduces penalties for darkness and low visibility by 1. Two seer stones with this same power lowers the penalty by 2. You still take the full penalty (-4) if attacking an invisible foe.
8- Jasper. The eye's owner will never be fooled by the spell Phantasmal Force, always making their save on sight.
9- Pearl. The implanted eye is imbued with the spell Bestow Curse, as if cast by a 10th level caster. Whenever the eye's owner uses the imbued version of this spell, as well as whenever they cast Bestow Curse themselves, they can choose to cast it as a gaze instead of a touch attack. Gaze attacks have an effective range of 200'. You are vulnerable to your own gaze attacks; beware of reflective surfaces.
10- Jet: The implanted eye is imbued with the spell Ray of Death, as if cast by a 10th level caster. The imbued version of the spell also counts as a gaze attack, with a maximum range of 200'. You are vulnerable to your own gaze attacks; beware of reflective surfaces.

Dragon Lamp:

Silver Branch:

Sampo:

Seven League Boots:

Dragonoil Weapons: Dragonoil weapons are not technically magical, but are so rare and flagrantly expensive that they may as well be. Incendiary weapons that rely on the flammable oils produced by fire-breathing dragons instead of gunpowder, dragonoil arms have been used in combat for centuries by those who can afford to gather enough rare and expensive dragonoil to fuel them. Roll a d6 to determine which type of dragonoil weapon is found:

1-3: Dragonoil grenades are the most common type of dragonoil weapon. They are identical to gunpowder grenades but deal 1d10/1d12 damage instead. Dragonoil grenades are always discovered in clusters of 2d4.
4-5: Dragonoil rockets can be fired at targets with 100', or 250' with a -2 penalty. They explode on impact dealing 1d8/1d10 damage to everyone in a 20' radius of the target. Anyone not directly hit by the rocket can make a Dodge save to take 0 damage instead. Rockets come in groups of 1d4.
6: Dragonoil throwers are weapons designed to pump burning fuel laced with dragonoil onto foes.

Animal Familiar
Vardoger
This message was last edited by the GM at 19:04, Fri 30 Oct 2020.
A Malign Presence
GM, 296 posts
Tue 28 Jan 2020
at 06:55
  • msg #6

Weapons and Equipment

Random Magic Items Table

To determine if a magic item is a consumable item or a permanent item, roll a d10. On a result of 9 or 10, it's a permanent item. Otherwise, it is single-use.

Consumable Items Table (roll 2d8)
(1.56%) 2 - Sigil, level 7
(3.13%) 3 - Sigil, level 6
(4.69%) 4 - Sigil, level 5
(6.25%) 5 - Sigil, level 4
(7.81%) 6 - Sigil, level 3
(9.38%) 7 - Sigil, level 2
(10.94%) 8 - Sigil, level 1
(12.50%) 9 - 1d10 x 500 universal reagents
(10.94%) 10 - Hagstone
(9.38%) 11 - Bezoar
(7.81%) 12 - Dragonoil Weapon
(6.25%) 13 - Prima Materia
(4.69%) 14 - Azoth
(3.13%) 15 - Alicorn
(1.56%) 16 - Philosopher's Stone

Permanent Items Table
(10%) 1-2 - Talisman, level 1
(5%) 3 - Talisman, level 2
(5%) 4 - Talisman, level 3
(5%) 5 - Talisman, level 4
(5%) 6 - Talisman, level 5
(5%) 7 - Talisman, level 6
(15%) 8 - 10 - Dragon Lamp
(5%) 11 - Sampo
(10%) 12-13 - Enchanted Weapon
(5%) 14 - Magic Charm
(15%) 15-17 - Articulated Prosthetic
(10%) 18-19 - Bayard
(5%) 20 - Hand of Glory

Random Weapons Table
If you receive an enchanted weapon or otherwise need to randomly determine the type of weapon used, roll a d10. An even roll is a melee weapon, while an odd is a ranged weapon like a bow, crossbow or firearm.

Melee Weapon Type
(20%) 1-4 - Dagger
(20%) 5-8 - Light Weapon
(20%) 9-12 - One-Handed Weapon
(20%) 13-16 - Polearm
(10%) 17-18 - Lance
(10%) 19-20 - Great Weapon

Ranged Weapon Type
(10%) 1-2 - Bow
(5%) 3 - Longbow
(10%) 4-5 - Crossbow
(5%) 6 - Riding Crossbow
(5%) 7 - Repeating Crossbow
(20%) 8-11 - Pistol
(15%) 12-14 - Carbine
(15%) 15-17 - Musket
(10%) 18-19 - Blunderbuss
(5%) 20 - Dragon

Modifier Table
For a spirit weapon, magic charm or enchanted weapon, roll a d6 to determine its modifier.

1-3 - +1
4-5 - +2
6   - +3

If the item is a magic charm +2, there is a 5% chance it is a tarnkappe or seven league boots Roll a die to determine which, with even indicating it's a tarnkappe and odd for seven league boots. If the magic charm is +3 instead, it has a 10% chance of being either item.

If the item is +2 spirit weapon, there is a 5% chance it is a flaming sword. This increases to a 10% chance of a flaming sword for a spirit weapon +3.

If the item is a +2 enchanted weapon, there is a 5% chance it is a silver branch. This increases to a 10% chance of a silver branch for an enchanted weapon +3.
This message was last edited by the GM at 05:09, Wed 29 Jan 2020.
Sign In