Equipment
Equipment in Novence Eternal functions similarly to D&D 5E, with MMO-like elements mixed in. Beyond a slot for your Weapon(s) and Armor, there also exist separate slots for a variety of accessories that can modify your gameplay even further. All equipment also has a Rarity, as well as a number of other stats that integrate with the Equipment Enhancement System.
All equipment, from weapons to armor to accessories (and even skills) have a Rarity associated with them. Rarity is an indicator of how difficult an item is to acquire, how much it is likely to sell for, as well as the depth and complexity of its associated effects.
Nearly all equipment you find in the wild can be Enhanced at a blacksmith, given the proper materials. Weapons can be made more accurate and deadly; armor can be made stronger, and the effects of accessories can be made more potent. Typically this requires materials of a rarity equivalent to that of the item you are upgrading; rarer items will be more expensive to upgrade. In return, the rarer an item, the higher the potential of its upgradability. The extent to which an item may be upgraded varies wildly depending on the item, as well as the whims of the DM.
Items can also be Evolved, increasing their rarity and adding additional effects. This requires the dismantling of an item of the next higher rarity to obtain Essence. Some items will also require additional materials, or even sidequests, in order to evolve.
You can also merge the effects of one item into another item in the same slot, through a process known as Melding. Melding an item onto another item will grant the target item a lesser version of a portion of the host item's effects, occupy a number of the target item's Meld Slots in the process. Rarer items often come with more meld slots, and thus more potential for customization.
There exist three types of equipment: Weapons, Armor, and Acessories. Weapons are used for carrying out a variety of attacks, and grant you special abilities known as Weaponskills while they are equipped. Armor grants you protection in the form of Protection Class. Accessories grant special abilities, resistances, affinities, and other effects-- though weapons and armor of sufficient rarity will also do the same. Individual weapons and armor pieces can also be modified with special accessories specific to that weapon or armor type, which will only take effect when that weapon or armor is equipped.
By default, you have 3 accessory slots. You gain an additional slot at level 20, level 40, and level 60. For weapons and armor, the number of mod and meld slots increases as rarity increases (accessories do not have mod or meld slots):
If a weapon is listed as Two-Handed, it requires both hands to wield. Some melee weapons can be used in either two hands or one hand, listed as Versatile. If the weapon is used in one hand, roll the damage dice at disadvantage.
Light melee weapons can be dual-wielded, allowing the user to attack with both weapons for the cost of one attack. If you only have one Light weapon equipped, you gain a bonus when making a Dodge action depending on the weapon. One-handed non-light weapons can also be dual wielded, but suffer to-hit disadvantage and damage disadvantage. Heavy one-handed weapons cannot be dual-wielded at all, and small creatures have disadvantage on attack rolls with heavy weapons. Heavy weapons also incur a penalty when making a Dodge action depending on the weapon. However, Heavy weapons deal an additional tier of Vulnerability against most armors. When attempting to parry an attack from a Heavy weapon, the defender must make a d20 roll against BV instead of a d100.
If your character has multiple arms, they can use those arms to bypass dual-wielding restrictions on two-handed weapons. Additionally, they do not suffer the penalties of dual-wielding non-light weapons if they use at least two hands per weapon. However, they are still incapable of dual-wielding heavy weapons.
Some melee weapons may also be thrown as ranged weapons, and will have the Throwable tag, with their effective range in parentheses. The effective range of a throwable weapon can be increased with certain skills and feats pertaining to throwing.
Simple melee weapons can be used to maximum effectiveness by just about any creature, and do not require specialized training. You may use your proficiency bonus on the to-hit roll with simple melee weapons. Martial melee weapons, however, are harder to obtain and require specialized knowledge to use effectively. If you attempt to use a martial melee weapon you do not have proficiency in, roll the to-hit at disadvantage.
Each weapon also has a Parry value which determines the modifier granted to the STR or DEX roll when parrying. Upon performing a parry (or being parried), a d100 roll must be made against the Breakage Value (BV) of the weapon. If it rolls below, the weapon breaks. The different types of available melee weapons are listed below, as well as some standard examples. Note that this is not a comprehensive list; more esoteric types of weapons do exist in the wild, and will have their own gimmicks regarding their use.
Like melee weapons, ranged weapons are also subject to the Heavy and Light modifiers, which affect your dodge ability. If a weapon has the Mounted property, it requires being affixed to a stationary object inorder to be fired. You cannot Parry with ranged weapons, unless they have a bayonet or other melee component attached.
When ranged weapons are fired as a reaction, they gain a reduction in to-hit known as the Quickdraw Penalty (QP) for all shots within that action. Different weapons have different quickdraw penalties, and can also be affected by the skill of the user. However, if the shooter ends the turn with the Aim action while a round is chambered, the first reaction shot until the start of their next turn does not suffer the quickdraw penalty. Note that the Aim action can be disrupted if the shooter is hit by an attack before their reaction is used. QP is also applied for the entire action immediately after switching targets, assuming an angle change of 45 degrees. Lesser angle deviations have a proportionally lower QP penalty. Weapons with a QP of -INF cannot be quickdrawn, and require the Aim action to be fired as a reaction.
Bows and other traditional single-shot ranged weapons require an action to reload after each shot, though some abilities such as those of the Hunter class allow one to bypass this. Firearms and other multishot or automatic weapons are limited on their turn by their Rate of Fire (ROF). A firearm may not make more shots in one turn than their ROF; additionally, each firearm has a Reload cost equivalent to a fraction of the ROF, to be subtracted from the max ROF of the gun on the turn the reload is performed. Some weapons are capable of being loaded one round at a time; the reload cost will be labeled as "Single-Load".
Firearms also have a variety of firing mechanisms. Single-Action guns require a hammer, lever, or bolt to be cocked back after each shot. Semi-Automatic guns fire one round with each trigger pull. Fully-Automatic guns continue to fire rounds at a set rate of fire while the trigger is held. Selective-Fire guns have a modular firing mechanism that allows for semi-auto, full-auto, or three-round-burst.
Single-Action guns can only fire one round per attack action by default, unless you have the Fan Fire trait from Gunner, which effectively treats the weapon as Semi-Auto.
Semi-Auto weapons can fire up to the ROF within a single attack action; however, the to-hit of each successive shot within the same attack action decreases by an amount determined by the ammo type. Spreading out the number of shots across multiple attack actions treats each new action as pausing to let the gun settle back down, resetting the to-hit penalty.
Three-round-burst is a selective fire option for automatic weapons designed to optimize for accuracy and ammunition. If used, gain 1d4+1 to your to-hit roll at close and medium ranges, divide the ROF of your weapon by 3, and roll 1d6/2 on hit to determine how many rounds land on the target.
Full-auto is typically used for area denial or hitting multiple targets-- though this can only effectively be performed if the wielder has a level of firearms expertise. When firing full auto, for every 10 rounds fired, gain 1d4+2 to-hit against targets in close range-- and lose 1d4+2 to-hit against targets at medium or further ranges. When landing a hit in full auto, the number of rounds that hit the target is equivalent to the to-hit roll result subtracted by the opponent's AC, up to the maximum ROF of the weapon used. If more shots have been fired but have not been calculated yet, make another AC attack, repeating the previous procedure, but halving the result of the number of shots that hit exceeding the AC. Continue up until all shots fired have been accounted for, further halving the shots that hit each time.
Full Auto weapons can also be tap-fired to hit at longer ranges. For tap firing, treat each tap as a weapon attack as if it were a single-action firearm, with the number of shots fired per tap equivalent to 10% of the ROF. If the shot lands, the number of bullets that hit the target is equivalent to 1d(shots expended).
Semi-auto and full-auto weapons also have a chance of jamming, depending on their Jam Value (JV). In semi-auto or three-round-burst, if your to-hit roll rolls a nat 2 or lower, you must make a d10 roll. If the result is less than your weapon's JV, the gun jams and requires one turn to unjam. If firing in full auto, a jam roll must be made on a nat 4 or lower, and you must make an additional d20 roll for jamming whenever you fire a number of rounds equivalent to 1/3rd of the weapon's ROF.
When firing a pellet shotgun, the damage dealt is reduced by 1/4th at medium range, and by 1/4th further at long range, due to fewer pellets hitting the target. However, the spread of the pellet pattern also increases, allowing the shooter to potentially hit multiple targets with the same shot.
All armor comes with a Protection Class, which determines how hard it is for an attack to pierce the armor. If a to-hit roll clears the target's AC, the AC is subtracted from the to-hit to obtain the To-Hit Remainder (THR), which is compared against the PC. If it is lower than the armor's PC, the attack is deflected and the wearer takes no damage. If it is greater or equal to the armor's PC, the wearer takes damage.
Different types of armor grant different levels of passive Resistance to different damage types. While the wearer has the armor equipped, all damage the wearer sustains of the listed type is modified by its corresponding Resistance modifier.
Armor doesn't block all types of damage equally. Each armor will have a list of damage types that it is stronger or weaker against, listed as Vulnerability. If a type is not listed, the armor's vulnerability to it is 1, and its resistance is 0% (takes full damage). Higher levels of Vulnerability inherit the effects of lower levels.
When Parrying with a shield, you attempt to move the shield in a way to deflect an incoming attack. Doing so nullifies the damage of the attack-- however, you do not gain any damage resistance on a failed parry.
When Guarding with a shield, you attempt to take an incoming hit against the shield, nullifying some damage. When an attack is made against you after you use the Guard action, in lieu of your AC you make a Guard roll. If the to-hit of the attack is higher than the roll, the attack slips past your shield and lands on your armor; subtract the roll result from the to-hit and compare the remainder to your armor's PC. If the to-hit of the attack is lower than the roll, the attack lands on your shield. Compare your shield's PC to the to-hit roll, and perform the respective Vulnerability calculations as if the shield was armor. Any remaining damage that gets through the shield is considered to have automatically passed your armor's PC, and thus is only affected by applicable resistances. Note that not all attacks can benefit from the guarding bonuses of a shield; some attacks will automatically clear the guard roll.
Personally scavenging the materials and fragments will have a higher chance of yielding a bonus trait for the materials, and a minor stat boost for the fragments. While the boost to traits from materials will always work with materials that are gathered naturally in the wild, some other methods of acquisition will still be valid depending on the nature of the item. For instance, a thief's dagger will still retain the material bonus for materials that are stolen.
Equipment Rarity
All equipment, from weapons to armor to accessories (and even skills) have a Rarity associated with them. Rarity is an indicator of how difficult an item is to acquire, how much it is likely to sell for, as well as the depth and complexity of its associated effects.- Basic: Basic items are the most common items-- the type you may find any ordinary NPC using. They do not come with any special traits or skills.
- Uncommon: Slightly above Basic items, Uncommon items can be found as drops from most enemies. They typically have better stats than basic items, and very rarely may have special traits, such as elemental affinities/resistances.
- Rare: Rare items are typically found from special enemies or found in moderate-difficulty content. Their stats tend to be equivalent to Uncommon or better, and usually have one or two special effects or traits.
- Legendary: High-quality items; usually found in dungeons or as boss drops. Legendary items have stats equivalent to Rare or better, and usually have one or two more complex special effects.
- Exotic: Very high-quality items; usually found in dungeons and raids. Has stats equivalent to Legendary or better, and has two or more complex special effects that tend to synergize with specific playstyles.
- Mythic: Extremely high-quality items, and very hard to obtain. Usually found as ultra-rare boss or raid drops, or through special sidequests. Has stats equivalent to Exotic or better, as well as many special effects that can completely alter a playstyle.
- Sanctified: The rarest of rare items; typically only found through special sidequests or secret boss drops. Has stats equivalent to Mythic or better, and often comes with a full suite of custom effects and abilities-- even exclusive classes. Most sanctified items are on par in terms of power and rarity to that of Ayternia.
- Aberrant: A special class of items that can only be found from specific sources. Aberrant items offer strange and unique effects, both beneficial and detrimental. Use them at your own peril.
Equipment Enhancement
Nearly all equipment you find in the wild can be Enhanced at a blacksmith, given the proper materials. Weapons can be made more accurate and deadly; armor can be made stronger, and the effects of accessories can be made more potent. Typically this requires materials of a rarity equivalent to that of the item you are upgrading; rarer items will be more expensive to upgrade. In return, the rarer an item, the higher the potential of its upgradability. The extent to which an item may be upgraded varies wildly depending on the item, as well as the whims of the DM.Items can also be Evolved, increasing their rarity and adding additional effects. This requires the dismantling of an item of the next higher rarity to obtain Essence. Some items will also require additional materials, or even sidequests, in order to evolve.
You can also merge the effects of one item into another item in the same slot, through a process known as Melding. Melding an item onto another item will grant the target item a lesser version of a portion of the host item's effects, occupy a number of the target item's Meld Slots in the process. Rarer items often come with more meld slots, and thus more potential for customization.
Equipment Types
There exist three types of equipment: Weapons, Armor, and Acessories. Weapons are used for carrying out a variety of attacks, and grant you special abilities known as Weaponskills while they are equipped. Armor grants you protection in the form of Protection Class. Accessories grant special abilities, resistances, affinities, and other effects-- though weapons and armor of sufficient rarity will also do the same. Individual weapons and armor pieces can also be modified with special accessories specific to that weapon or armor type, which will only take effect when that weapon or armor is equipped.By default, you have 3 accessory slots. You gain an additional slot at level 20, level 40, and level 60. For weapons and armor, the number of mod and meld slots increases as rarity increases (accessories do not have mod or meld slots):
- Basic: 0 mod slots, 0 meld slots.
- Uncommon: 0 mod slots, 0 meld slots.
- Rare: 1 mod slot, 0 meld slots.
- Legendary: 1 mod slot, 1 meld slot.
- Exotic: 2 mod slots, 1 meld slot.
- Mythic: 4 mod slots, 2 meld slots.
- Sanctified: 6 mod slots, 3 meld slots.
Weapons
Weapons come in a wide range of individual types. All weapons have a to-hit modifier, which is based around one of your core character ability stats. They also have one or more damage rolls that determine the potential damage output on a successful hit. Weapons can deal multiple types of damage; if damage is listed with a slash (e.g. Piercing/Bludgeoning), it means half of the damage is one type and half of it is the other, for purposes of calculating resistances/affinities. If there are separate rolls, then each roll deals its respective damage type.Melee Weapons
Melee weapons can hit targets within a character's area of influence (default 5 feet). Certain weapons with the Reach property can hit up to 10 feet, and some abilities/items can augment a weapon's reach even further. However, weapons with the Reach property cannot be used in spaces less than 10 feet. On the opposite end, weapons with the Nimble property do not suffer penalties from being used in tight spaces (5 feet or less), whereas weapons without the Nimble or Reach property suffer disadvantage on to-hit and parrying in spaces of 5 feet or less.If a weapon is listed as Two-Handed, it requires both hands to wield. Some melee weapons can be used in either two hands or one hand, listed as Versatile. If the weapon is used in one hand, roll the damage dice at disadvantage.
Light melee weapons can be dual-wielded, allowing the user to attack with both weapons for the cost of one attack. If you only have one Light weapon equipped, you gain a bonus when making a Dodge action depending on the weapon. One-handed non-light weapons can also be dual wielded, but suffer to-hit disadvantage and damage disadvantage. Heavy one-handed weapons cannot be dual-wielded at all, and small creatures have disadvantage on attack rolls with heavy weapons. Heavy weapons also incur a penalty when making a Dodge action depending on the weapon. However, Heavy weapons deal an additional tier of Vulnerability against most armors. When attempting to parry an attack from a Heavy weapon, the defender must make a d20 roll against BV instead of a d100.
If your character has multiple arms, they can use those arms to bypass dual-wielding restrictions on two-handed weapons. Additionally, they do not suffer the penalties of dual-wielding non-light weapons if they use at least two hands per weapon. However, they are still incapable of dual-wielding heavy weapons.
Some melee weapons may also be thrown as ranged weapons, and will have the Throwable tag, with their effective range in parentheses. The effective range of a throwable weapon can be increased with certain skills and feats pertaining to throwing.
Simple melee weapons can be used to maximum effectiveness by just about any creature, and do not require specialized training. You may use your proficiency bonus on the to-hit roll with simple melee weapons. Martial melee weapons, however, are harder to obtain and require specialized knowledge to use effectively. If you attempt to use a martial melee weapon you do not have proficiency in, roll the to-hit at disadvantage.
Each weapon also has a Parry value which determines the modifier granted to the STR or DEX roll when parrying. Upon performing a parry (or being parried), a d100 roll must be made against the Breakage Value (BV) of the weapon. If it rolls below, the weapon breaks. The different types of available melee weapons are listed below, as well as some standard examples. Note that this is not a comprehensive list; more esoteric types of weapons do exist in the wild, and will have their own gimmicks regarding their use.
Axes
Axe weapons are one or two handed weapons with a curved edge and a heavy weight to them, designed to slash and cut with good stopping power.- Handaxe [STR, Simple, Light(+5), Throwable(20), Parry(-3), BV(20)]: A light one-handed axe, dealing slashing damage.
- Battleaxe [STR, Martial, Versatile, Parry(+2), BV(10)]: A hefty axe that can be held in one or two hands, dealing slashing damage.
Clubs
Club weapons are bludgeoning weapons that deal damage from a weighted mass at one end. This includes simple clubs, but also maces and one-handed hammers.- Club [STR, Simple, Light(+6), Nimble, Parry(+1), BV(15)]: A simple one-handed melee weapon, dealing bludgeoning damage.
- Light Hammer [STR, Simple, Light(+5), Nimble, Throwable (20), Parry(-3), BV(20)]: A simple, light one-handed hammer. Deals bludgeoning damage.
- Mace [STR, Simple, Nimble, Parry(+0), BV(15)]: A one-handed bludgeoning weapon.
- Morningstar [STR, Martial, Parry(+2), BV(12)]: A heavy martial club with a spiked, weighted end. Deals bludgeoning/piercing damage.
- Greatclub [STR, Simple, Two-Handed, Parry(+4), BV(12)]: A large two-handed club, dealing bludgeoning damage.
- War Pick [STR, Parry, BV(15)]: A mace-like weapon with one blunt end and one sharpened spike on the other end. Deals bludgeoning or piercing damage.
- Warhammer [STR, Versatile, Parry(+3), BV(12)]: A one or two handed hammer, designed for use in combat. Deals bludgeoning damage.
Flails
Flail weapons are any weapon that uses a weighted object attached by a chain or rope to a handle, dealing damage by spinning the weight before striking a foe.- Flail [STR, Martial, Parry(-5), BV(25)]: A heavy spiked ball on a chain attached to a handle, dealing bludgeoning/piercing damage. Has a special move that has a chance of disarming your opponent by wrapping the chain around their weapon.
Heavy Blades
Heavy Blades are any two-handed, long, heavy bladed weapon that deals damage through both slicing and the force of its sheer mass.- Axestaff [STR and WIS, Martial, Heavy(-4), Two-Handed, Parry(+3), BV(2)]: A greataxe and a mage's staff rolled into one. Commonly used by Crusaders, the Axestaff can be used to cast spells and augment its damage through magic. Deals slash/bludgeoning damage.
- Greataxe [STR, martial, Heavy(-6), Two-Handed, Parry(+1), BV]: A heavy two-handed axe with a long handle, dealing slashing/bludgeoning damage.
- Greatsword [STR, Martial, Heavy(-5), Two-Handed, Parry(+1), BV]: A gigantic, heavy two-handed sword, dealing slashing/bludgeoning damage.
- Odachi [STR or DEX, Martial, Heavy(-3), Two-Handed, Parry(+4), BV(5)]: A giant two-handed katana-like blade. Deals slashing damage. Critical hits have a chance to dismember unarmored foes.
Heavy Hammers
Heavy Hammers are any two-handed, long, heavy blunt weapon that deals damage through its mass and leverage.- Maul [STR, Martial, Heavy(-6), Two-Handed, Parry(-1), BV]: A giant, heavy hammer with a two-handed handle, dealing bludgeoning damage.
Knives
Knives are small bladed weapons that can slice or stab, and are usually throwable. Examples include daggers, kitchen knives, and tantos.- Dagger [DEX or STR, Simple, Light(+9), Nimble, Throwable (20), Parry(-10), BV(30)]: A small knife, easly concealable and usable in a variety of situations. Can deal slashing or piercing damage. Can be dual-wielded alongside another one-handed Light weapon while preserving the Dodge bonus (use the lowest dodge bonus among your equipped weapons).
- Sickle [DEX, Simple, Light(+5), Nimble, Parry(-5), BV(25)]: A one-handed scythe that deals slashing damage.
Polearms
Polearms are any long weapon on a pole with bladed instruments at the end for slashing.- Glaive [STR or DEX, Martial, Heavy(-3), Reach, Two-Handed, Parry(+8), BV(4)]: A heavy two-handed polearm with a sharp blade at one end, dealing slashing or piercing damage.
- Halberd [STR or DEX, Martial, Heavy(-5), Reach, Two-Handed, Parry(+6), BV(2)]: A heavy, two-handed polearm with a suite of slashing and piercing attachments at its end. Deals slashing, piercing, or bludgeoning damage. On a successful parry, can attempt to disarm the opponent with a STR check.
- Naginata [DEX, Martial, Reach, Two-Handed, Parry(+9), BV(4)]: A two-handed polerm with a single-edged blade at the end, dealing slashing damage.
Scythes
Scythes are any long two-handed pole weapon with a large, curved blade designed for slicing.- Scythe [STR or DEX, Martial, Parry, BV(15)]: A one or two-handed martial weapon with a long, curved blade with a sharp inner edge attached to a pole. Deals slashing damage. On a successful parry, can attempt to Disarm the opponent with a STR check.
- Greatscythe [STR, Martial, Heavy(-7), Two-Handed, Parry(-2), BV]: A giant scythe on a long pole with a weighted end and an inward-facing edge. Deals slashing/bludgeoning damage. On a successful parry, can attempt to Disarm the opponent with a STR check. Critical hits have a chance of dismembering lightly armored foes.
Spears
Spears are any long weapon on a pole with a sharp end designed for stabbing.- Spear [DEX , Simple, Versatile, Throwable (20), Parry(+4), BV(8)]: A sharp weapon that can be held in one or two hands, dealing piercing damage.
- Javelin [STR, Simple, Throwable (40), Parry(+3), BV(20)]: A long one-handed spear, good for throwing. Deals piercing damage.
- Pike [STR, Martial, Heavy(-3), Reach, Two-Handed, Parry(+3), BV(10)]: A heavy, two-handed martial spear, dealing piercing damage. Some pikes may have an even longer reach, up to 25 feet.
- Lance [STR, Martial, Reach, Parry(+2), BV(8)]: A long, pointed weapon used commonly for cavalry combat. Enables the use of a special charge attack while on horseback (or other equivalent vehicle), dealing extra damage. Gains disadvantage to-hit when fighting an enemy within 5 feet.
- Trident [STR, Throwable (20), Versatile, Parry(+3), BV(18)]: A long, three-pronged spear, designed to be thrown. Deals piercing damage.
Staves
Staves are any long pole-like weapon that deals damage through bludgeoning.- Quarterstaff [STR, Simple, Versatile, Parry(+10), BV(10)]: A long staff that can be held in one or two hands, dealing bludgeoning damage.
Swords
Swords are a broad category of weapons that comprise a long, sharpened steel edge with a handle.- Katana [DEX, Martial, Two-Handed, Parry(+6), BV(12)]: A single-edged curved blade of eastern design, used for quick and nimble strikes. Deals slashing damage. Critical hits have a chance to dismember unarmored foes.
- Longsword [STR, Martial, Two-Handed, Parry(+7), BV(5)]: A two-handed dueling sword with crossguard, dealing slashing or piercing damage.
- Rapier [DEX, Martial, Parry(+8), BV(6)]: A dueling sword with a thin blade, designed for thrusting attacks. Deals piercing damage.
- Scimitar [STR or DEX, Light(+5), Nimble, Parry(+6), BV(9)]: A dueling sword with a curved blade that widens at the far end, designed for use on horseback or in cramped spaces. Deals slashing damage.
- Shortsword [STR or DEX, Light(+7), Nimble, Parry(+4), BV(9)]: A light sword, designed for use in enclosed spaces or to be paired with a longer sword. Deals slashing damage.
- Sheathed Blade [STR, Martial, Two-Handed, Heavy(-2), Parry(+6), BV(1)]: A specialized blade designed to be swung with the sheath on. Some types use a kinetic energy storage system to augment the blade inside, storing up energy for a powerful iaijutsu strike. Deals bludgeoning damage.
- Tremorblade [STR, Martial, Two-Handed, Heavy(-1), Parry(+5), BV(10)]: The signature blade of Strigiators, Tremorblades are blades with an explosive chamber near the hilt. The blades are made with a special material that conducts vibration, allowing the blade to vibrate and tear through plate armor. Applies two tiers of Vulnerability against most armors. When parrying or being parried, your opponent's BV roll is a d20 rolled at disadvantage. Deals slashing/kinetic or piercing/kinetic damage.
- Wakizashi [DEX, Martial, Light(+7), Nimble, Parry(+4), BV(12)]: A single-edged short blade with a slight curve, designed to be paired with another longer sword. Deals slashing damage.
Whips
Whips are coiled rope-like weapons designed to inflict pain, though some variants can cause more significant damage.- Whip [DEX or STR, Reach, Parry(-20), BV(18): A standard whip, dealing slashing damage.
Ranged Weapons
Ranged weapons have a listed range value that is used to determine short, medium, and long ranges (when converting from vanilla D&D 5E values, use the left range number). At short range (1/2 the weapon's listed range), the gun gains advantage to-hit. At medium range (the weapon's listed range), the weapon rolls to-hit normally. At long range (twice the weapon's listed range), the weapon gains disadvantage.Like melee weapons, ranged weapons are also subject to the Heavy and Light modifiers, which affect your dodge ability. If a weapon has the Mounted property, it requires being affixed to a stationary object inorder to be fired. You cannot Parry with ranged weapons, unless they have a bayonet or other melee component attached.
When ranged weapons are fired as a reaction, they gain a reduction in to-hit known as the Quickdraw Penalty (QP) for all shots within that action. Different weapons have different quickdraw penalties, and can also be affected by the skill of the user. However, if the shooter ends the turn with the Aim action while a round is chambered, the first reaction shot until the start of their next turn does not suffer the quickdraw penalty. Note that the Aim action can be disrupted if the shooter is hit by an attack before their reaction is used. QP is also applied for the entire action immediately after switching targets, assuming an angle change of 45 degrees. Lesser angle deviations have a proportionally lower QP penalty. Weapons with a QP of -INF cannot be quickdrawn, and require the Aim action to be fired as a reaction.
Bows and other traditional single-shot ranged weapons require an action to reload after each shot, though some abilities such as those of the Hunter class allow one to bypass this. Firearms and other multishot or automatic weapons are limited on their turn by their Rate of Fire (ROF). A firearm may not make more shots in one turn than their ROF; additionally, each firearm has a Reload cost equivalent to a fraction of the ROF, to be subtracted from the max ROF of the gun on the turn the reload is performed. Some weapons are capable of being loaded one round at a time; the reload cost will be labeled as "Single-Load".
Firearms also have a variety of firing mechanisms. Single-Action guns require a hammer, lever, or bolt to be cocked back after each shot. Semi-Automatic guns fire one round with each trigger pull. Fully-Automatic guns continue to fire rounds at a set rate of fire while the trigger is held. Selective-Fire guns have a modular firing mechanism that allows for semi-auto, full-auto, or three-round-burst.
Single-Action guns can only fire one round per attack action by default, unless you have the Fan Fire trait from Gunner, which effectively treats the weapon as Semi-Auto.
Semi-Auto weapons can fire up to the ROF within a single attack action; however, the to-hit of each successive shot within the same attack action decreases by an amount determined by the ammo type. Spreading out the number of shots across multiple attack actions treats each new action as pausing to let the gun settle back down, resetting the to-hit penalty.
Three-round-burst is a selective fire option for automatic weapons designed to optimize for accuracy and ammunition. If used, gain 1d4+1 to your to-hit roll at close and medium ranges, divide the ROF of your weapon by 3, and roll 1d6/2 on hit to determine how many rounds land on the target.
Full-auto is typically used for area denial or hitting multiple targets-- though this can only effectively be performed if the wielder has a level of firearms expertise. When firing full auto, for every 10 rounds fired, gain 1d4+2 to-hit against targets in close range-- and lose 1d4+2 to-hit against targets at medium or further ranges. When landing a hit in full auto, the number of rounds that hit the target is equivalent to the to-hit roll result subtracted by the opponent's AC, up to the maximum ROF of the weapon used. If more shots have been fired but have not been calculated yet, make another AC attack, repeating the previous procedure, but halving the result of the number of shots that hit exceeding the AC. Continue up until all shots fired have been accounted for, further halving the shots that hit each time.
Full Auto weapons can also be tap-fired to hit at longer ranges. For tap firing, treat each tap as a weapon attack as if it were a single-action firearm, with the number of shots fired per tap equivalent to 10% of the ROF. If the shot lands, the number of bullets that hit the target is equivalent to 1d(shots expended).
Semi-auto and full-auto weapons also have a chance of jamming, depending on their Jam Value (JV). In semi-auto or three-round-burst, if your to-hit roll rolls a nat 2 or lower, you must make a d10 roll. If the result is less than your weapon's JV, the gun jams and requires one turn to unjam. If firing in full auto, a jam roll must be made on a nat 4 or lower, and you must make an additional d20 roll for jamming whenever you fire a number of rounds equivalent to 1/3rd of the weapon's ROF.
Bows
Bows are weapons made from a flexible piece of material with a string, used to launch arrows through drawing the string back to bend the bow.- Greatbow [Range: 300, QP: -INF, Singleshot, Martial, Heavy(-6), Mounted, STR]: An incredibly large bow with immense draw strength. Often needs to be anchored into the ground, and may use a chain as its bowstring. Takes multiple actions to reload. Deals piercing and kinetic damage.
- Longbow [Range: 150, QP: -10, Singleshot, Martial, Heavy(-3), Two-Handed, STR]: A very tall bow with a high draw strength, designed to launch arrows further with greater stopping power.
- Shortbow [Range: 80, QP: -6, Singleshot, Two-Handed, STR or DEX]: A simple, easy-to-draw bow, dealing piercing damage.
Catapult Weapons
Catapult weapons are any weapons that fire a blunt projectile in an arc at a target.- Sling [Range: 30, QP: -6, Singleshot, Light(+7), DEX]: A primitive weapon, capable of launching any small projectile. Deals bludgeoning damage.
Crossbows
Crossbows are bow weapons mounted horizontally on a frame for ease of aim, with a locking mechanism to hold the string back, releaseing on the pull of a trigger.- Hand Crossbow [Range: 30, QP: -4, Singleshot, Martial, Light(+7), DEX]: A small, short-ranged crossbow that can be operated with one hand. Deals piercing damage.
- Heavy Crossbow [Range: 100, QP: -8, Singleshot, Heavy(+4), Two-Handed, DEX]: A heavy two-handed crossbow for use at greater range with greater stopping power. Deals piercing damage.
- Light Crossbow [Range: 80, QP: -6, Singleshot, Two-Handed, DEX]: A small crossbow for personal use, dealing piercing damage.
Dart Weapons
Dart weapons are any thrown or blowgun-shot projectiles with a sharp end designed to deal piercing damage.- Blowgun [Range: 25, QP: -5, Singleshot, DEX]: A tube with a dart projectile within, launched through blowing into one end. Deals piercing damage.
- Dart [Throwable (20), QP: -30, DEX or STR]: A throwable dart, usually coated with some type of poison. Deals piercing damage.
Pistols
Pistols are small-caliber handheld firearms used for close range combat.- Derringer [Range: 20, QP: -2, Singleshot, Light(+9), DEX]: A very small concealable pistol, used most often for assassinations and stealthy kills. Deals kinetic damage.
- Revolver [Range: 50, QP: -3, Single-Action, ROF: 3, Single-Load: 1/6, DEX]: A single-action pistol with a revolving cylindrical magazine. Experienced shooters can increase the ROF substantially. Use of a speedloader will allow one to bypass the single-load requirement, shortening reload times substantially.
- Light Pistol [Range: 50, QP: -3, Semi-Auto, Light(+6), ROF 6, Reload 1/3, JV(4), DEX]: A standard semi-auto pistol, firing one round per trigger pull. Light and easy to wield. Deals kinetic damage.
- Medium Pistol [Range: 50, QP: -4, Semi-Auto, ROF 6, Reload 1/3, JV(4), DEX]: A standard semi-auto pistol, firing one round per trigger pull. Deals kinetic damage.
- Heavy Pistol [Range: 50, QP: -6, Semi-Auto, ROF 3, Two-Handed, Reload 1/3, JV(2), DEX]: A heavy semi-auto pistol, firing one round per trigger pull. High-caliber, with powerful recoil. Deals kinetic damage.
Submachine Guns
Submachine guns are handheld fully-automatic firearms used for close range combat.- Light SMG [Range: 150, QP: -4, Full-Auto, Light(+6), ROF 72, Reload 1/3, JV(8), DEX]: A standard SMG with a very fast ROF. Deals kinetic damage.
- Medium SMG [Range: 150, QP: -6, Full-Auto, Two-Handed, ROF 60, Reload 1/3, JV(6), DEX]: A standard SMG, with moderate ROF. Deals kinetic damage.
- Heavy SMG [Range: 200, QP: -8, Selective-Fire, Two-Handed, ROF 45, Reload 1/3, JV(4), DEX]: A heavy SMG, trading ROF for higher-caliber rounds. Deals kinetic damage.
Assault Rifles
Assault Rifles are selective-fire rifles designed for engagement against targets at medium to long ranges. Due to the length of their barrels, they cannot be fired against point-blank targets.- Assault Rifle [Range: 400, QP: -10, Selective-Fire, Two-Handed, Heavy(-4), ROF 90, Reload 1/3, JV(4), DEX]: A standard assault rifle, designed for effective combat at extended ranges. Deals kinetic damage.
Shotguns
Shotguns are rifles that fire a shell, typically loaded with a collection of smaller rounds known as "shot", though they may also fire full, high-caliber rounds known as slugs. Shotguns are designed for close-range engagements and stopping power. Due to the length of their barrels, they cannot be fired against point-blank targets.When firing a pellet shotgun, the damage dealt is reduced by 1/4th at medium range, and by 1/4th further at long range, due to fewer pellets hitting the target. However, the spread of the pellet pattern also increases, allowing the shooter to potentially hit multiple targets with the same shot.
- Break-action Shotgun [Range: 50, QP: -8, Break-Action, Two-Handed, ROF 6, Single-Load: 1/6, DEX]: A shotgun with two barrels, firing one per trigger pull. Deals kinetic damage.
- Pump-action Shotgun [Range: 50, QP: -8, Pump-Action, Two-Handed, ROF 6, Single-Load: 1/6, DEX]: A shotgun that chambers a new shell through a pumping action. The shotgun must be pumped after each shot, with each pump counting as 1 shot in the ROF. Certain shotguns can be "slam-fired" by keeping the trigger held down, negating the ROF cost of pumping but making the recoil harder to control. Deals kinetic damage.
- Full-auto Shotgun [Range: 50, Full-auto, QP: -9, Two-Handed, Heavy(-6), ROF 50, Reload 1/3, JV(6), DEX]: A shotgun that can be fired full-auto. For each additional round fired past the first in a single action, subtract 2 from to-hit. Deals kinetic damage.
- Sawed-off Shotgun [Range: 30, QP: -3, Pump-Action, Light(+4), ROF 6, Single-Load: 1/6, DEX]: A shotgun with a very short barrel, resulting in reduced effective range. However, the shortened barrel also allows for use at point-blank, as well as greater effectiveness in quickdraw. Deals kinetic damage.
Sniper Rifles
Sniper rifles are guns designed for long range combat, and typically fire high-caliber rounds meant to eliminate a target in a single shot. Due to the length of their barrels, they cannot be fired against point-blank targets. Sniper rifles, unlike other firearms, gain disadvantage to-hit at close ranges. However, at medium and long ranges, they do not suffer disadvantage to-hit, and only begin to suffer disadvantage at extremely long ranges. Sniper rifles also have an inherent to-hit penalty of -1d6 unless the gun is steadied first by resting it on a stationary object, as well as a to-hit penalty of -1d4 if the Aim action is not used before firing.- Bolt-Action Sniper Rifle [Range: 1200, QP: -12, Single-Action, Heavy(-8), ROF 3, Reload: 1/3, DEX]: A reliable bolt-action sniper rifle designed for long range combat. Deals kinetic damage.
- Semi-Auto Sniper Rifle [Range: 1000, QP: -10, Semi-Auto, Heavy(-8), ROF 6, Reload 1/3, JV(2), DEX]: A semi-auto sniper rifle designed for target-rich environments. Deals kinetic damage.
Machine Guns
Machine guns are guns designed for fully-automatic firing at a very high rate of fire. They are cumbersome and bulky, and all but Light Machine Guns (LMGs) must be affixed to a stationary object. Like sniper rifles, they have a to-hit penalty of -1d6 if the gun is not steadied by resting it on a stationary object.- Light Machine Gun [Range: 800, QP: -15, Full-Auto, Heavy(-12), ROF 30, Reload 1/1, JV(6), DEX]: A full-auto LMG designed to provide suppressive fire in a squad environment. Deals kinetic damage.
- Medium Machine Gun [Range: 800, QP: -18, Full-Auto, Heavy (-15), ROF 100, Reload 1/1, JV(8), DEX]: A full-auto MMG mounted on a bipod, designed to provide suppressive fire. Deals kinetic damage.
- Heavy Machine Gun [Range: 1800, QP: -25, Full-Auto, Heavy (-20), ROF 75/200, Reload 2/1, JV(10), STR]: A full-auto HMG designed to be mounted on a stationary object. Deals kinetic damage.
Armor and Shields
Armor and shields come in four basic types: Very Light, Light, Medium, and Heavy. The heavier the armor/shield, the higher its Protection Class (PC), at the cost of dexterity. Like in vanilla D&D 5E, wearing armor you do not have proficiency in will grant disadvantage on STR and DEX rolls, and prevent the use of any spells with a Somatic component.All armor comes with a Protection Class, which determines how hard it is for an attack to pierce the armor. If a to-hit roll clears the target's AC, the AC is subtracted from the to-hit to obtain the To-Hit Remainder (THR), which is compared against the PC. If it is lower than the armor's PC, the attack is deflected and the wearer takes no damage. If it is greater or equal to the armor's PC, the wearer takes damage.
Different types of armor grant different levels of passive Resistance to different damage types. While the wearer has the armor equipped, all damage the wearer sustains of the listed type is modified by its corresponding Resistance modifier.
Armor doesn't block all types of damage equally. Each armor will have a list of damage types that it is stronger or weaker against, listed as Vulnerability. If a type is not listed, the armor's vulnerability to it is 1, and its resistance is 0% (takes full damage). Higher levels of Vulnerability inherit the effects of lower levels.
- Vulnerability I: The armor is very effective against the listed damage type. If the THR of an attack of this type exceeds the PC, the resulting damage is affected by the listed Resistance modifier for that type. If it rolls lower, the damage is nullified.
- Vulnerability II: The armor is effective against the listed damage type. If the THR of an attack of this type exceeds the PC, Resistance is applied, but the PC of the armor decreases by 1 until it is repaired. If the THR is lower than the PC, Resistance is applied, as well as a 50% reduction to damage (instead of avoiding damage completely).
- Vulnerability III: The armor is somewhat effective against the listed damage type. If the THR of an attack of this type exceeds the PC, Resistance is applied, but the armor's PC is reduced by 2. If the THR is lower than the PC, Resistance is applied, but the armor's PC is reduced by 1 at a 1d2 chance.
- Vulnerability IV: The armor is weak against the listed damage type. Whenever the armor is hit by an attack of the listed damage, type, its PC is reduced by 1 (and further by 1d2 if the THR exceeds the PC).
- Vulnerability V: The armor is very weak against the listed damage type. In addition to the above effects, the THR of an attack of this type is granted a 2x modifier against the armor's PC.
Armor
- Very Light Armor is considered indistinguishable from unarmored clothing in terms of weight and bulkiness, and is designed to not grant direct protection through its material. Often times, the armor grants protection through other means such as enchantments. When wearing very light armor, you gain the full benefits of your DEX modifier to your AC, as well as any bonuses from being unarmored. Examples of very light armor include streetwear, warding tattoos, or monk's robes.
- Light Armor consists of lightweight yet durable materials designed to protect the wearer from some damage without sacrificing mobility. When wearing light armor, you gain the full benefits of your DEX modifier to your AC. Examples of light armor include padded cloth, leather, and studded leather.
- Medium Armor consists of sturdier materials than light armor, but also impairs your movement more. If you wear medium armor, halve the total of your bonuses to AC (your DEX modifier and any special skills/abilities/items that grant AC bonuses) before applying them to the base 10 AC. Examples of medium armor include hide, chain shirts, chrysalin vests, and breastplates.
- Heavy Armor covers the entire body and is designed to stop a wide range of attacks. If you are wearing Heavy armor, you halve the total of your bonuses to AC, and cannot have more than 15 AC total. You also get a negative multiplier to all DEX rolls of 6*(10-STR)% (min 0%) Examples of heavy armor include ring mail, chain mail, and plate armor.
Shields
Shields are handheld or forearm-mounted protective devices used to ward off both melee and ranged attacks. As such, they can only be wielded while using a one-handed weapon. While wielding a shield, you gain benefits to the Guard ability depending on the type of shield. Shields have a to-hit and damage roll, for use when attempting to attack with them. Shields also have both a Cover Class (CC) against ranged attacks, as well as a separate Protection Class (PC). Wielding a shield grants you a bonus Shield Action, which can be used to Attack, Parry or Guard using your shield. This can be stacked with other uses of parry and guard.When Parrying with a shield, you attempt to move the shield in a way to deflect an incoming attack. Doing so nullifies the damage of the attack-- however, you do not gain any damage resistance on a failed parry.
When Guarding with a shield, you attempt to take an incoming hit against the shield, nullifying some damage. When an attack is made against you after you use the Guard action, in lieu of your AC you make a Guard roll. If the to-hit of the attack is higher than the roll, the attack slips past your shield and lands on your armor; subtract the roll result from the to-hit and compare the remainder to your armor's PC. If the to-hit of the attack is lower than the roll, the attack lands on your shield. Compare your shield's PC to the to-hit roll, and perform the respective Vulnerability calculations as if the shield was armor. Any remaining damage that gets through the shield is considered to have automatically passed your armor's PC, and thus is only affected by applicable resistances. Note that not all attacks can benefit from the guarding bonuses of a shield; some attacks will automatically clear the guard roll.
- Buckler Shield [Parry(+10), Guard(-10), Light(+7), CC 0, PC 15] A very small circular shield, typically used in dueling. Good for parrying attacks, but lacks the coverage for guarding against projectiles.
- Round Shield [Parry(+6), Guard(+2), CC 4, PC 18] A medium-sized circular shield, good for a variety of purposes.
- Heater Shield [Parry(+8), Guard(+1), CC 3, PC 16] A medium triangular shield, good for dueling while providing more cover than a buckler.
- Kite Shield [Parry(+3), Guard(+5), CC 5, PC 20] A medium shield with added vertical protection for the legs, providing defense against both projectiles and melee attacks.
- Tower Shield[Parry(-2), Guard(+9), Heavy(-7), CC 8, PC 25] A heavy, tall shield designed to protect the wielder against projectiles and melee attacks. Unwieldy for parrying, but provides solid defense and guarding capabilities.
Accessories
Accessories are small wearable trinkets such as rings and necklaces, which provide minor bonuses and traits. You by default can have up to 3 accessories at a time, with only one accessory per slot type. Your maximum number of accessories that can be worn at a time increases by 1 whenever you hit 1-20, 2-20, and 3-20.Crafting
Crafting equipment is an essential method of raising your combat effectiveness. Creating your own weapons, and armor require certain items: namely Weapon Billets and Armor Frames. Depending on what you wish to create, the process will involve the gathering of certain materials, as well as the use of Weapon Fragments and Armor Fragments. A certain number of Weapon Fragments and Armor Fragments are required for each rarity of item: 5 for Basic, 10 for Uncommon, 20 for Rare, 40 for Legendary, 80 for Exotic, 160 for Mythic, and 320 for Sanctified.Personally scavenging the materials and fragments will have a higher chance of yielding a bonus trait for the materials, and a minor stat boost for the fragments. While the boost to traits from materials will always work with materials that are gathered naturally in the wild, some other methods of acquisition will still be valid depending on the nature of the item. For instance, a thief's dagger will still retain the material bonus for materials that are stolen.
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