Equipment & Items
A character owns and carries two separate categories: Armaments for combat, and Gear & Items for everything else. Each splits into five variants based on where its power comes from.
Armaments
Armaments are weapons, ammunition and armor, what a character equips for combat. All of it runs on the same core mechanics: Rank, Grade, Quality, Condition, and Materials. Each Armament exists in one of five variants: Telluric, TAA, Chthonic, Oxidize, or Malign. Armaments can be customized or enhanced via techniques like reforging, upgrading, socketing, enchanting, and infusing. These modifications involve skilled craftsmen and carry risks, such as potential breakage or failure, but allow for powerful and personalized Armaments. Armament Cards.
Armor Threshold: A Main Class Tier's Armor Threshold is the heaviest Grade supported by all of the main class Paths, since no heavier Grade works for all Paths without penalty. Characters using Tier Abilities can wear heavier armor, but will incur Armament Penalties for exceeding that Threshold. Each Path and Branch has its own Threshold that may advance from its precedent Tier. Each class states its own Tier Threshold on its class card.
Weapon Proficiency for Tiers: Weapon Proficiency for Main Class Tiers is determined at the Tier. The determining factors include Variants, Types, Hands, Distances, and Styles. These base Tier Proficiencies vary between Paths and Branches. Each Tier lists its own restrictions on its class card.
Armament Variants
An Armament is one of five variants, and a Variant says where a thing's working power comes from. Each variant is associated with the people who created and champion it.
- Telluric, Zailians
- TAA, Omnè
- Chthonic, Primal
- Oxidize, Omnè (Astral) / Caelen†
- Malign, Ossein
†Oxidize Origin: The Omnè Astral Cabal created Oxidize Attachments for the grafts it made during experiments on the Caelen. The Cabal ceased production after the Caelen took their revenge and escaped. The Caelen have crafted their own Oxidize Attachments ever since.
| Variant | Armaments |
|---|---|
| Telluric Earthborn, of the worlds themselves, craft forged, sewn or carved from what a planet gives rather than drawing a charge or holding an element. Carries more Enhancement methods than any other Variant and is the only one that spans both Martial and Spell Armaments, Enchanting a piece is what turns Tactical into Magic | Tactical Weapons, Tactical Ammunition, Tactical Armor |
| TAA Engineered with advanced technology, usually out of the further planets. Encompasses TAW (Technologically Advanced Weapons) and TABA (Technologically Advanced Body Armor) | TAA: — TAW (Technologically Advanced Weapons and Ammunition) — TABA (Technologically Advanced Body Armor) |
| Chthonic Elemental substance held around the thing itself, answering to no sun | Chthonic Weapons, Chthonic Ammunition, Chthonic Armor |
| Oxidize Joined to the bearer via Attachment and drawing on the body that carries it, neither worn nor held. It borrows from Telluric, Advanced and Malign alike, the broadest of the five and the strongest at none | Oxidize Attachments (Weapons, Ammunition, Plating) |
| Malign Telluric craft with a curse worked into it at the forge, never after, and never lifted out | Malign Weapons, Malign Ammunition, Malign Armor |
Scrip and the Assayer
Scrip. A Scrip is a claim on an Armament rather than the Armament itself. It carries the Rank and the part, and nothing else.
Given: the part is one of Weapon, Armor Core, Helmet, Gloves/Bracers, Boots, or Accessory.
Face of the Card: Scrip <Rank> - <Armament> - bring to an Assayer. Example: Scrip Divine - Asmodeus Head Piece - bring to an Assayer.
A Scrip cannot be equipped, Enhanced, or Salvaged. Enhancements, Sockets, Inscriptions and Sentimental Value do not survive the piece. Which Characters receive drops as Scrip is stated on their race Card.
Assayer. An NPC-only vendor who takes a Scrip and makes the Armament to order at the Scrip's Rank, in any Variant, Grade, Style or Mould the holder can use, with Quality and Condition rolled fresh. A Weapon Scrip may be taken as an axe. An Armor Core Scrip may be taken as cloth. An Assayer works every Variant and turns none away.
Trading a Scrip. An unredeemed Scrip may be traded or sold to another Character, sold to an Assayer for Gold, or gifted as a Contribution to earn Standing (see Contribution, Neglect & the Mark, Appendix). Once redeemed, the Armament is Bound to the Character who turned the Scrip in.
One object can come in all five Variants. A Thief's Kit is Mechanical as lockpicks and a tension wrench, Advanced as a Thief's Kit Advanced with its signal-spoofing bypass, and Chthonic as a build whose working part is the element itself, the same kit in three Variants (see Mechanical and TAG Tools, below). The sentimental system is Telluric only (see Sentimental Value, below).
Spells are their own category, outside Armaments and Gear. Magic reaches Armaments as an Armament Type, either built into a piece as with Magic Armor and Caster Weapons, or added later through Enhancements such as Enchanting, Inscribing and Socketing (see Enhancing and Modification Armaments, below).
Armament Drops: When an armament is destroyed, it drops materials from its recipe at random. Drop amounts and chances vary, see the module for percentages. Sundering an armament yields a higher drop chance than ordinary Salvage, but never recovers a recipe in full; see Sundering, below.
Armament Rank. Materials carry no Rank. A crafted Armament takes the Rank of the recipe it was crafted from, and a looted or discovered one takes the Rank it was found at (see Loot and Discovery, above). Nothing moves an Armament's Rank afterward, and every Enhancement works within the Rank the piece already holds.
Technologically Advanced Armaments (TAA)
Technologically Advanced Armaments (TAA) cover Technologically Advanced Weapons (TAW), weapons and ammunition, and Technologically Advanced Body Armor (TABA). TAA encompasses Armaments only. Gear and Items engineered with advanced technology are Technologically Advanced Gear (TAG) instead, a separate category under Technologically Advanced Equipment (TA-Equip.), see Mechanical and TAG Tools below. TAA were first engineered by races native to planets Corpus Caeleste, Undeximus, Omne Malum, and Tredeki; Zailister natives have since inherited the ability to manufacture TAA as well. TAA are built from specialized materials exclusive to those planets, Starsteel, Quantum Alloy, and advanced Synthetic Fibers among them, in grades including Composite, Dense, and Heavy, each offering a different balance of protection and mobility, and often integrate energy systems, adaptive shielding, and modular enhancements. Highly sought after and requiring specialized training to use, TAA carry no restriction based on race or culture, only rarity varies by location.
Armor
Protection and defensive gear covering the full range of armor types, grades, materials, conditions, and quality adjustments that affect character survivability and combat mechanics.
Armor Base Value
The following base prices apply to Common rank full armor sets. Rank multipliers and quality adjustments are applied on top of the base price. Base price is determined by Armor Mould only, grade and material do not affect the base price formula. Common rank armaments cannot be crafted from rare or exotic materials (e.g. a Common fur armor cannot use whale fur, material rarity must match rank). This keeps base prices consistent across rank tiers. Composite armor price varies significantly by material, Dragon Scale, Starmetal, and Adamantium all differ in cost, covered in the GM's Codex. Technologically Advanced Body Armor (TABA) cost 10% more than their standard Mould equivalent (e.g. TABA Heavy Plate: 1,200 + 120 = 1,320 Gold).
| Armor Grade | Mould | Material | Base Price (Common, Full Set) | TABA, Technologically Advanced Body Armor (+10%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delicate | Robes | Silk | 5 Gold | 6 Gold |
| Half Light | Mithril Weave | Mithril | 8 Gold | 9 Gold |
| Light | Leather | Hide | 10 Gold | 11 Gold |
| Half Medium | Reinforced Studded | Hide | 35 Gold | 39 Gold |
| Medium | Chainmail | Steel | 60 Gold | 66 Gold |
| Half Heavy | Reinforced Half-Plate | Hardened Steel | 600 Gold | 660 Gold |
| Heavy | Plate | Steel | 1,200 Gold | 1,320 Gold |
| Half Dense | Reinforced Plate | Refined Steel | 1,600 Gold | 1,760 Gold |
| Dense | Plate | Osmium | 2,000 Gold | 2,200 Gold |
| Half Composite | Rnfcd. Plt. | Dragon Scale fragments | 2,500 Gold | 2,750 Gold |
| Composite | Exosuits | Dragon Scale | 3,000+ Gold (varies by material) | 3,300+ Gold |
| Rank | Price Multiplier |
|---|---|
| Common | x1 (base) |
| Uncommon | x3 |
| Rare | x8 |
| Unique | x15 |
| Heroic | x25 |
| Elite | x200 |
| Legendary | x1,000 |
| Divine | Not for sale |
Cultural Price Modifiers
Base price is set by Armor Mould alone, but a Mould's culture of origin adjusts what it actually sells for. The modifier below is applied to the base price before rank and quality multipliers. A culture's own markets do not charge its own modifier, an Ignis smith sells Primal at base to another Ignis native; the modifier is what the rest of Essentia pays.
Complex Rule Set only.
| Culture | Cultural Armor | Modifier |
|---|---|---|
| Omnè | TAA (TAW and TABA) | +10% |
| Imperials (Tredeki) | Techmat (is Technologically Advanced Body Armor / TABA) | +10% |
| Ignis | Primal | x% |
| Human (Zailister) | Tactical Armor, Tactical Gear (Tact. Gear) | y% |
| Orcus | Orcus Armor | z% |
Value = Base Price × Rank Multiplier. When quality is not Good (0%), apply the percentage adjustment to that result. Good quality leaves the value unchanged. For ranked armaments, value is always determined by Mould, not grade or material. A Legendary Composite Dragon Scale Plate uses the same Heavy Plate base (1,200 Gold) as any other Legendary Plate. Example: Heavy Plate (1,200 Gold) at Heroic rank (x25) = 30,000 Gold. At Masterful quality: 30,000 + 5% = 31,500 Gold. At Good quality: 30,000 Gold (no adjustment).
Armor Quality
Armor quality is rolled on receipt using d100, assigned by the GM, or determined by the item's source. Higher quality generally provides better protection and potential for enhancements.
Complex Rule Set only.
| Armor Quality | Roll d100 | Value Change |
|---|---|---|
| Poor | 1-7 | -5% (applied to Base × Rank) |
| Good | 8-30 | 0% (no adjustment) |
| Extravagant | 31-60 | +3%, +1 CHA |
| Exquisite | 61-80 | +4%, +2 CHA |
| Masterful | 81-100 | +5%, +3 CHA |
The armor's rank (Common to Divine) indicates its origin, craftsmanship LVL, or discovery status and influences its overall condition and potential enhancements. Common rank base Armor Score (Armor Scr.) by armor type is listed below, all higher ranks add their bonus on top of the Common base:
| Armor Grade | Mould | Material | Common Base Armor Scr. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Delicate | Robes | Silk | 10 |
| Half Light | Mithril Weave | Mithril | 18 |
| Light | Leather | Hide | 25 |
| Half Medium | Reinforced Studded | Hide | 30 |
| Medium | Chainmail | Steel | 35 |
| Half Heavy | Reinforced Half-Plate | Hardened Steel | 40 |
| Heavy | Plate | Steel | 45 |
| Half Dense | Reinforced Plate | Refined Steel | 52 |
| Dense | Plate | Osmium | 60 |
| Half Composite | Rnfcd. Plt. | Dragon Scale fragments | 58 |
| Composite | Exosuits | Dragon Scale | 55 |
- Common: (poor, good, or extravagant). Base Armor Scr. as listed above.
- Uncommon: (poor, good, or extravagant). +6 to Base Armor Score.
- Rare: (poor, good, or extravagant). +12 to Base Armor Score.
- Unique: (good or extravagant). +15 to Base Armor Score.
- Heroic: (good, extravagant, or exquisite). +18 to Base Armor Score.
- Elite: (good, exquisite, or masterful). +24 to Base Armor Score.
- Legendary: (exquisite or masterful). +30 to Base Armor Score.
- Divine: Obtained only by Lore Quests, and very rarely discovered or dropped. Characters must meet the Prerequisite for Divine Armor. See Attunement rules below. +42 to Base Armor Score.
Armor Condition
Armor condition is rolled on receipt and can degrade during play. Broken armor requires a blacksmith to restore, see Armament Repair below. Three conditions apply:
Complex Rule Set only.
| Condition | Roll d100 | Armor Scr. Effect | Movement | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Excellent | 81-100 | +1 Armor Scr. | No penalty | No restrictions |
| Fair (Damaged) | 11-80 | -2 Armor Scr. | Movement -3 sq. | No restrictions |
| Broken | 1-10 | Armor Scr. halved | Movement halved | No enhancement bonuses apply; adds 2 lbs. per rank (warped/collapsed shape) |
Condition in Play: Armor degrades by the same rule as all armaments, see Weapon Condition above.
Maintenance Fee: Maintenance is a restoration fee, it is only owed when an armament's condition has dropped below its default. If no condition damage was taken during a rest period, no fee is owed. When condition has dropped, the cost to restore it is Item Value × 0.05 per long rest. Maintenance requires a blacksmith and is therefore linked to town or settlement rests. Characters may still take long rests at camp, degraded armaments simply cannot be restored without a blacksmith and their condition carries forward until the party reaches one. Camp rests are fully supported when all armaments are at Fair condition or better, or when the party carries backup armaments to swap readied weapons or donned armor the following morning. Skipping maintenance when condition has dropped means the degraded condition persists, it will not restore on its own. Armaments cannot exceed their default condition without being enhanced.
An Armorer in the party may perform field repairs before a blacksmith is reached, charging the party lower fees. Each repair costs the Armorer one daily action, their action pool is limited and replenishes after rest. Armaments repaired by an Armorer before a long rest do not owe the maintenance fee for that rest. See the GM Codex for Armorer pricing and daily action limits.
Divine armaments have no standard market value and are never sold. Their maintenance fee is listed on the card and is always at least 50% above the equivalent Legendary armament's fee, many Divine items carry significantly higher fees. See the card for the exact amount.
See the Wayfarer section for the Wayfarer, a multi-LVL tool that allows a party to mark their departure point and return to it provided a light source is present. Higher LVLs extend its range and capability, making it invaluable for parties venturing deep into unmapped wilderness.
Armor Grades & Materials
Armor is categorized into six main areas: condition, quality, rank (all mentioned above), grades, materials, and Armor Moulds. These factors collectively determine its default weight, armor score, and overall characteristics.
The armor grade defines the overall strength and durability of the armor. It indicates how well-protected the wearer is and influences its weight and mobility. The materials used to craft armor influence its strength, weight, flexibility, and magical properties. Ranging from mythical metals to natural fibers, each material offers unique advantages suited for different warriors, environments, and combat styles.
Material Compatibility: Each armor grade is associated with specific materials suitable for its design, strength, and purpose. Materials are restricted to particular armor grades, and cannot be used interchangeably across all grades. This ensures consistency in armor crafting and maintains the distinctiveness of each grade's characteristics. Mithril is the clearest example: it is Half Light Grade, and Half Light in turn is defined by Mithril, Mould and Grade are one and the same for it, it does not appear at any other Grade.
Armor splits the same two ways weapons do, and they are not the same thing:
Recipe Manufacturing: A full armor set's crafting recipe lists every component that goes into it, the Cuirass, pauldrons, greaves, boots, gloves, plus secondary materials like leather straps, mesh lining, padding, and buckles. Each component can be crafted from its own material, at its own Grade, and the recipe's full material list is what determines crafting cost, weight, and what a Blacksmith or other crafter actually needs on hand to build it.
The Main Piece: Separate from the recipe, the armor's Grade, Armor Score (Armor Scr.), and Armor Grade Threshold standing are set ONLY by the material of its Cuirass, the main structural piece covering the torso. Every other component in the recipe (straps, lining, padding, buckles) can be a different, usually lesser Grade without changing the armor's Grade, Armor Scr., or Threshold at all, those parts exist in the recipe, but they don't count toward what the armor IS.
Example: A cuirass's recipe calls for Heavy Grade (Steel) plate over leather straps and cloth lining. The recipe needs all three to build and price it, but for Armor Scr., Armor Grade Threshold, and Set purposes, this is a Heavy Grade armor, full stop, the straps and lining never enter that math.
The table below covers Tactical Armor Type specifically, ordinary craft rather than magic, technology, or elemental substance. See Magic Armor, Technologically Advanced Body Armor (TABA), and Chthonic Armor below for the Materials and Armor Moulds unique to those three Types.
The Armor Mould describes its style and pattern, including design elements like plate, beaded, stitched, scale, or studded configurations. These structural choices affect both the appearance and functional properties of the armor.
Characters' movement is affected by their armor grade and condition. Movement penalties and bonuses are measured in squares (sq.), each square equals 5 ft. Base character speed is measured in feet (ft.); divide by 5 to get squares for tile movement. Each armor grade carries a specific movement penalty in sq. (see Armor Grades table in the Combat section). Additional penalties from armor condition and bonuses from buffs, gear, or abilities stack accordingly.
For example, a Character with a base speed of 30 ft. (6 sq.) wearing full plate armor (-5 sq.) moves 1 sq. (5 ft.) per turn. If the armor is broken, an additional -1 sq. is added for a total of -6 sq. Conversely, movement bonuses (e.g., +2 sq.) are added separately and can offset or negate penalties if specified.
While characters can still move with penalties or bonuses, if their armor or gear is broken or heavily encumbered, they may be able to move but cannot fight effectively or at all, depending on severity. Heavy encumbrance that exceeds the Character's capacity results in total incapacitation, meaning they cannot move or fight at all until their load is reduced. Additionally, damage to gear, such as broken weapons or armor, can severely impair combat. For example, a broken armament prevents a character from fighting, regardless of their movement ability.
Cloth armor's default Armor Scr. is 10, but it can be enhanced to improve its Armor Scr. without incurring movement penalties. Cloth is often used as under armor or for concealment, and such items (faulds, gambesons) may also be enhanced within their respective caps.
| Grade | Description | Materials | Moulds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Composite | The most legendary and powerful armor in existence. Composite weight varies by material, lighter exotic materials such as Dragon Scale weigh significantly less than denser composites like Adamantium or Titanium. This row covers Composite's Tactical materials, see Magic Armor below for its Magic-Type Composite materials. | Dragon Scale, Adamantium, Vibranium, Titanium | Plate, Chainmail, Scale, Studded, Exosuits |
| Half Composite | A cross between Composite and Dense, carrying some of Composite's legendary properties without its full weight or cost. | Dragon Scale fragments, partial Adamantium, partial Vibranium | Reinforced Exosuits, Rnfcd. Plt. |
| Dense | Heavy-duty armor designed for maximum protection in the most dangerous environments. | Osmium, Iridium, Platinum, Tungsten, Ruthenium | Heavy types: Plate, Exosuits, Reinforced Chainmail |
| Half Dense | A cross between Dense and Heavy, more protection than Heavy without the full bulk of Dense. | Refined Steel, Chromium alloy, partial Osmium, partial Tungsten | Reinforced Plate (Rnfcd. Plt.), Reinforced Chain |
| Heavy | Bulky, high-coverage armor suited for front-line combat and extreme threats. | Chromium, Steel, Inconel (nickel based), Hadfield (magnesium based) | Plate, Scale, Chainmail, Hvy. Techmat, Tactical Armor |
| Half Heavy | A cross between Heavy and Medium, extra coverage over Medium without the full bulk of Heavy. | Hardened Steel, Bronze alloy, partial Iron, reinforced Bone Plate | Reinforced Half-Plate, Heavy Brigandine, Reinforced Lamellar |
| Medium | Balanced armor trading some mobility for real protection, the standard front-line coverage for a character not fully committed to either speed or bulk. | Steel, Bronze, Iron, Hardened Leather, Bone Plate | Chainmail, Scale, Half-Plate, Med. Techmat, Brigandine, Lamellar |
| Half Medium | A cross between Medium and Light, more coverage than Light without giving up all of its mobility, favored by characters who need to stay light on their feet but can't afford to go without real protection. | Reinforced Leather, Hide, Light Chain, Bone | Reinforced Studded, Partial Chain, Light Brigandine, Hybrid Gear |
| Light | Flexible and agile armor ideal for stealth, reconnaissance, and quick movement. | Hide, Bone, Wood | Leather, Fur, Studded, Chain, Lt. Techmat, Hybrid Light Gear, Stealth Armor, Tactical Gear |
| Half Light | A cross between Light and Delicate, defined chiefly by Mithril, its signature Mould and Grade both at once, tougher than Delicate without giving up Delicate's near-weightlessness. | Mithril | Mithril Weave, Reinforced Robes, Light Ceremonial Plate |
| Delicate | Lightweight and finely crafted armor for ceremonial, stealth, or concealment purposes. | Hemp, Silk, Cloth, Nylon | Robes, Ceremonial Attire, Stealth Suits, Lightweight Body Armor |
Cultural Armaments
In development, read before using at the table
This section is new and still settling. The cultural attributions below, which people invented which Mould and who borrowed from whom, are working history rather than settled canon, and some may move. The Cultural Price Modifiers table carries placeholder values (x, y and z) that are not yet real numbers and must not be used to price anything. Everything here is safe to read for flavour and unsafe to build a character or a shop around until this notice comes down. Full histories live in the Tomes of Essentia. Priced examples of Cultural Armaments already appear under Starting Equipment on pg. 2, the Ashhide Wrap and Obsidian War Club of Ignis, the TABA Light Suit and TAW Sidearm of Omnè, and the Warscar Plate, Resonance Buckler and Crystal-Edged Blade of Tredeki. For details on cultural armor Moulds and more, refer to Playable Races, where each race carries its own Cultural Armament briefing.
Armor and weapons are cultural before they are anything else, and the oldest of them are older than the borders they now cross. A cultural Mould is not a separate system, it still carries a Grade, a Material and a Type like any other armament, it simply came from somewhere. Cultures below are playable races only. Where a people's craft is drawn from a world rather than a race, the playable race of that world is the one that carries it.
None of it developed in isolation. Trade, war, and salvage have moved patterns between peoples for as long as there have been peoples, and most of what follows shows another culture's fingerprints somewhere in it.
- Human, Tactical Armor (Heavy) and Tactical Gear (Tact. Gear, Light), with Tactical weapons to match. Modular panels and mounts reconfigured for the job rather than committed at the forge. The youngest of the cultural traditions and the most widely traded, Zailister being the hub it is. Humans invented little of it outright, Tactical is openly borrowed, dwarven plate cut into panels and Omnè mounting hardware copied badly and then copied well.
- Omnè, the TAA family: Technologically Advanced Body Armor (TABA) and Technologically Advanced Weapons (TAW). Manufactured tech from a world that developed without magic and had to build every advantage instead. The oldest continuous manufacturing tradition in Essentia, and the one every other culture has tried to copy. Carries a cost premium everywhere it is sold.
- Imperials, Techmat in three weights, Lt., Med. and Hvy., and Techmat-hafted weapons. Rooted in Tredeki, where the laminated psi-conductive mat was first pressed, and pressed by the Imperials, the human-resembling people of that world and innate masters of psionic ability. Industrial work, doctrine behind it, and tuned to carry psionics the way no other Technologically Advanced Body Armor (TABA) is. Tredeki tech answering Omnè tech, and it shows.
- Orcus, Orcus Armor, grave-iron and salvage, and heavy tunnel-fighting arms. Hooded against a sun their skin cannot take and deliberately open at the ear so Stonesense is never sealed away. The salvaged steel in it is human, taken off the miners fortified east of the Tantalizing Mountains, so Orcus work carries dwarven and human plate patterns inside a wholly Orcus silhouette.
- Primal, Primal Armor, bone, stone and hide worked by hand, and the blunt weapons that go with it. The oldest tradition here by a long way and the least changed, built to absorb impact rather than turn an edge. Where every other culture borrowed, Ignis stayed put, and the rest of Essentia has borrowed from it, most Half Medium and Half Heavy work anywhere descends from Primal bone-and-hide layering.
These are summaries only. For the full histories, regional variants, and the long argument over who copied whom, refer to the Tomes of Essentia.
Reinforced Plate, abbreviated Rnfcd. Plt. on Cards and in the tables above, is the Half Dense and Half Composite standard, a Plate Mould carried past what its Material would normally hold. Both spellings refer to the same Mould.
Magic Armor
Magic Armor's protective quality comes from an inherent magical nature rather than craft alone. It still runs the full Grade ladder, and most Grades pair a mundane-sounding base with a warded or runed treatment, except Half Light, which is Mithril alone, Mould, Grade, and Type are one and the same for it (see Half Light above).
| Grade | Materials | Moulds |
|---|---|---|
| Composite | Eldritch Obsidian, Celestial Bronze, Starmetal | Enchanted Plate, Ritual Robes, Astral Exosuits |
| Half Composite | Starmetal alloy, Celestial Bronze alloy | Astral Half-Plate, Ritual Half-Robes |
| Dense | Wardsteel, Runed Osmium | Runed Plate, Warded Exosuit |
| Half Dense | Wardsteel-Osmium blend | Runed Half-Plate |
| Heavy | Runed Plate Steel, Warded Iron | Runed Plate, Sigil-Battle Armor |
| Half Heavy | Warded Steel-Iron blend | Sigil Half-Plate |
| Medium | Runed Chainmail, Sigil-Forged Iron | Runed Chain, Sigil Scale |
| Half Medium | Sigil-Stitched Hide, Warded Chain-Leather | Warded Half-Chain |
| Light | Enchanted Leather, Runed Hide | Runed Studded, Enchanted Chain |
| Half Light | Mithril (see Half Light, above, Mould and Grade are one and the same for it) | Mithril Weave |
| Delicate | Spellsilk, Warded Linen | Warded Robes, Spellweave Vestments |
Armor Grade Vulnerabilities & Resistances
Vulnerabilities and resistances directly adjust a character's Armor Scr. for that attack type. Vulnerability: Subtract the penalty from Armor Scr. Resistance: Add the bonus to Armor Scr.
Complex Rule Set only.
| Armor Grade | Mould | Material | Base Armor Scr. | Vulnerable To (Armor Scr. Penalty) | Resistant To (Armor Scr. Bonus) | Movement Penalty (sq.) | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delicate | Robes | Silk | 10 | Slashing, Range (-4) | Magic (+2) | 0 sq. | 5 lbs |
| Half Light | Mithril Weave | Mithril | 18 | Slashing (-2) | Magic (+3), Range (+1) | 0 sq. | 10 lbs |
| Light | Leather | Hide | 25 | Piercing (-3) | Range (+2) | -1 sq. | 15 lbs |
| Half Medium | Reinforced Studded | Hide | 30 | Piercing (-2) | Range, Piercing (+1) | -2 sq. | 22 lbs |
| Medium | Chainmail | Steel | 35 | Blunt (-3) | Piercing (+2) | -3 sq. | 30 lbs |
| Half Heavy | Reinforced Half-Plate | Hardened Steel | 40 | Blunt (-4) | Piercing, Slashing (+2) | -4 sq. | 40 lbs |
| Heavy | Plate | Steel | 45 | Blunt, Magic (-5) | Slashing (+3) | -5 sq. | 50 lbs |
| Half Dense | Reinforced Plate | Refined Steel | 52 | Magic (-6), Corrosive (-2) | Slashing (+4), Piercing (+1) | -5 sq. | 57 lbs |
| Dense | Plate | Osmium | 60 | Magic (-6), Corrosive (-4) | Slashing (+4), Piercing (+2) | -6 sq. | 65 lbs |
| Half Composite | Rnfcd. Plt. | Dragon Scale fragments | 58 | Corrosive (-4), Magic (-3) | Slashing (+2), Range (+3) | -5 sq. | 52 lbs |
| Composite | Exosuits | Dragon Scale | 55 | Corrosive (-4) | Range (+4) | -4 sq. | 40 lbs |
Armor Spell Power Modifiers
Armor grade affects a character's ability to cast Spells effectively. Heavier armor interferes with spellcasting, while lighter armor enhances it. These modifiers apply to all Spell attack rolls and damage calculations.
Complex Rule Set only.
| Armor Grade | Spell Power Modifier |
|---|---|
| Delicate (Cloth, Silk) | +5 |
| Half Light (Mithril Weave) | +3 |
| Light (Leather, Hide) | +2 |
| Half Medium | +1 |
| Medium (Chain) | 0 |
| Half Heavy | -3 |
| Heavy (Plate) | -5 |
| Half Dense | -7 |
| Dense (Osmium Plate) | -10 |
| Half Composite | -12 |
| Composite (Dragon Scale) | -15 |
These modifiers stack with the caster's Acuity score and any bonuses from spells, abilities, or items. Example: A Mage in Half Light armor (+3) with Acuity 6 rolls D100 for a Spell attack: D100: 68 + Acuity 6 + Armor Modifier 3 = 77 vs PROTS 70. Hit.
Special Armor
Past the standard Armor Grades above sits a smaller category of individually named, Path- or Branch-exclusive Armor pieces, rare crossover gear that doesn't fit neatly into the standard Armor Cards (see Special Weapons, below, for the equivalent on the weapon side). No Special Armor piece is ever available at the Tier LVL, each is tied to a specific Path or Branch and everything that pick requires. See Special Armor for the full, still-growing list.
Complex Rule Set only.
Technologically Advanced Body Armor (TABA)
Technologically Advanced Body Armor (TABA) uses materials exclusive to the last six planets. Although very little is known about the last, thirteenth planet, Tredeki. TAA is lighter than standard armor of the same grade, providing lower movement penalties, some grades grant movement bonuses (see TAA Stats table below). However, TAA is vulnerable to melee attacks and Technologically Advanced Weapons (TAW) ranged attacks, its advanced materials are not designed to withstand direct physical strikes or energy-based projectiles. Melee and TAW ranged attackers gain a +5% bonus to their base hit rate against TAA regardless of grade, Standard ranged attacks (bows, crossbows, slug launchers) do not gain this bonus. TAA is best suited for ranged and tech-based combat roles. TAA can be modified with a wide variety of gadgets, including thrusters, grappling hooks, cloaking modules, shield emitters, and more, making it highly adaptable for specialized roles. See the GM's Codex for available modifications and compatibility by grade.
| TABA Grade | Base Armor Scr. | Vulnerable To | Resistant To | Movement (sq.) | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delicate | 10 | Melee, TAW Range (+5% hit) | Standard Range (+2 Armor Scr.) | +2 sq. | 2 lbs |
| Half Light | 18 | Melee, TAW Range (+5% hit) | Standard Range (+2 Armor Scr.) | +2 sq. | 4 lbs |
| Light | 25 | Melee, TAW Range (+5% hit) | Standard Range (+2 Armor Scr.) | +2 sq. | 7 lbs |
| Half Medium | 30 | Melee, TAW Range (+5% hit) | Standard Range (+2 Armor Scr.) | +1 sq. | 9 lbs |
| Medium | 35 | Melee, TAW Range (+5% hit) | Standard Range (+2 Armor Scr.) | 0 sq. | 12 lbs |
| Half Heavy | 40 | Melee, TAW Range (+5% hit) | Standard Range (+3 Armor Scr.) | -1 sq. | 16 lbs |
| Heavy | 45 | Melee, TAW Range (+5% hit) | Standard Range (+3 Armor Scr.) | -2 sq. | 20 lbs |
| Half Dense | 48 | Melee, TAW Range (+5% hit) | Standard Range (+3 Armor Scr.) | -3 sq. | 24 lbs |
| Dense | 50 | Melee, TAW Range (+5% hit) | Standard Range (+3 Armor Scr.) | -3 sq. | 28 lbs |
| Half Composite | 53 | Melee, TAW Range (+5% hit) | Standard Range (+4 Armor Scr.) | -2 sq. | 23 lbs |
| Composite | 55 | Melee, TAW Range (+5% hit) | Standard Range (+4 Armor Scr.) | -1 sq. | 18 lbs |
Note: TABA movement values replace standard armor movement penalties for the equivalent grade. Gadget modifications (thrusters, grappling hooks, etc.) may further alter movement. All movement values are in squares (sq.), each square equals 5 ft. Divide base speed by 5 to get squares.
Excerpt from Into the Uncharted Worlds of Essentia: The Tredeki are humanoid creatures that actually resemble humans, but due to the nature of their planet's environment, have different features. They seem to be more Technologically advanced than their neighbors, the Omne, however are populated by theologian beliefs and are innate masters of psionic abilities.
| Grade | TABA Variants |
|---|---|
| Composite | Phalanx Mantle (Ceramite-Polymer), Sentinel Plate (Titanium Mesh), Vanguard Array (Carbide Laminate), Spectre Harness (Polyflex Laminate) |
| Half Composite | Aegis Halfshell (Lesser Ceramite-Polymer), Vanguard Half-Array (Carbide-Osmium Blend) |
| Dense | Obelisk Shell (Tungsten Matrix), Titan Ward (Osmium Plate), Gravitas Cloak (Dense Nanoalloy), Bulwark Vest (Plasteel Core) |
| Half Dense | Obelisk Halfshell (Lesser Tungsten Matrix), Bulwark Half-Vest (Plasteel-Chromium Blend) |
| Heavy | Ironclad Harness (Titan Alloy), Juggernaut Plate (Boron Carbide), Bastion Array (Ballistic Composite), Thunderbound Vest (Impact Gel Layer) |
| Half Heavy | Ironclad Half-Harness (Lesser Titan Alloy), Bastion Half-Array (Ballistic-Steel Blend) |
| Medium | Citadel Mesh (Nano-Chain), Sentinel Link (Microfiber Chain), Bastion Weave (Ballistic Chain), Ironveil Array (Reactive Chain) |
| Half Medium | Citadel Half-Mesh (Nano-Chain/Leather Blend), Ironveil Half-Array (Reactive Chain/Hide Blend) |
| Light | Shadowstep Garb (Nano-Fiber), Wisp Array (Light Alloy Mesh), Quickstride Mesh (Polyflex Laminate), Swiftguard Vest (Microfiber Mesh) |
| Half Light | Shadowstep Half-Garb (Nano-Fiber/Mithril Blend), Wisp Half-Array (Light Alloy/Mithril Mesh) |
| Delicate | Whispercloak (Silicar Thread), Seeker Array (Flexweave), Mirage Harness (Reactive Polymer), Tasker Mesh (Microfiber Mesh) |
| General / Advanced | Arcguard Shell (Nano-Carbon), Radiant Mantle (Photon Mesh), Pulse Array (Smart Polymer), Flux Harness (Morphic Gel) |
Primal Armor
Ignis, closer to Adoria's warmth than to Tawdry Dwarf's fading light, produces no tech and little magic-forged steel, its craft is bone, stone, hide, and raw brute force. Ignis is barbaric even by the standards of Zailister's own medieval worlds, a people further from civilization, brutal and unrefined, and their gear reflects it, functional, unadorned, and effective. Primal Armor is smash-protecting, built to absorb impact rather than deflect an edge.
| Grade | Primal Variants |
|---|---|
| Heavy | Skullcrusher Maul (Bound Skull-and-Femur), Ravager's Yoke (Lashed Bone Plate), Warhide Cuirass (Boiled Beast-Hide over Bone) |
| Half Heavy | Bonecage Half-Plate (Lashed Rib and Hide), Tuskguard Half-Vest (Bound Tusk Plating) |
| Medium | Gorehide Wrap (Layered Beast-Hide), Ashbone Harness (Charred Bone and Sinew), Clanhide Mail (Knotted Hide Rings) |
| Half Medium | Ashbone Half-Wrap (Charred Bone/Hide Blend), Clanhide Half-Mail (Loose-Knotted Hide Rings) |
| Light | Huntskin Garb (Cured Hide), Fangstitch Vest (Beast-Fang Trim), Wanderer's Wrap (Woven Hide and Sinew) |
| Delicate | Ashcloth Wrap (Rough-Spun Hide Cloth), Bonecharm Sash (Knotted Sinew and Teeth) |
Orcus Armor
The Orcus dwell beneath the Tantalizing Mountains in the Grimhold region of Nivis, and their armor is made for the dark and for the ambush. Generations underground gave them pale, sunken skin that turns against them under open sky, so every Orcus Mould carries a hood, a veil, or a deep gorget cut to keep the sun off. What they cannot mine themselves they take, and Grimhold work is full of salvaged human steel beaten flat over grave-iron, a people who trace their lineage to broken oaths sworn over the dead have no scruples about wearing what they take off a miner.
Orcus armor is deliberately open at the ear. An Orcus reads stone the way a sighted creature reads a room, and no Orcus smith will seal that sense away behind a helm. It is the culture's great trade-off, Orcus Moulds leave the head vulnerable to sound, and against a bard, the one thing an Orcus already hates most, that opening costs them dearly.
| Grade | Orcus Variants |
|---|---|
| Dense | Deepstone Plate (Osmium and Cavern Stone), Grimhold Warplate (Grave-Iron over Osmium Seam) |
| Half Dense | Rnfcd. Grimhold Plt. (Osmium-Seamed Grave-Iron) |
| Heavy | Grimhold Plate (Grave-Iron Plate), Oathbreaker's Cuirass (Salvaged Steel over Bone) |
| Half Heavy | Cairn Half-Plate (Stone-Set Grave-Iron), Tunnelwarden's Yoke (Salvaged Plate and Hide) |
| Medium | Deepmail (Grave-Iron Rings), Cairn Harness (Bound Stone Plate and Hide) |
| Half Medium | Gravemesh Half-Wrap (Salvaged Ring and Hide) |
| Light | Shroudhide Wrap (Boiled Cave-Beast Hide), Ambusher's Veil (Sooted Hide and Ring) |
| Delicate | Mourner's Shroud (Grave-Linen), Oathcloth Sash (Knotted Sinew) |
Cultural traits. Every Orcus Mould is built sun-shielded and silent, no ring or plate is left loose enough to sound in a tunnel. Orcus armor never impedes Stonesense, and it is always open at the ear, which is where its weakness lives.
Techmat
Techmat is the cultural armor of the Imperials, and it is Technologically Advanced Body Armor (TABA), those are not competing labels. Its roots are on Tredeki, where the mat was first pressed, and the Imperials, the human-resembling and innately psionic people of that world, are the ones who press it. The Tredeki are more technologically advanced than their Omnè neighbors and are innate masters of psionic ability, and their armor reflects both. Where Omnè plates and Ignis binds, the Tredeki laminate, pressing a synthetic mat in layers until it holds. Each weight is the same mat at a greater number of plies.
Techmat exists in exactly three weights, Lt. Techmat, Med. Techmat and Hvy. Techmat, sitting at Light, Medium and Heavy Grade respectively. There is no Half-grade Techmat and no Dense or Composite Techmat, the lamination cannot be stacked past Heavy without the plies delaminating under their own weight. A Tredeki who wants protection beyond Hvy. Techmat wears something that is not Techmat.
| Mould | Grade | Advantage | Disadvantage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lt. Techmat | Light | Psi-conductive, the wearer's own psionic abilities cost less to hold. Lightest ply, keeps TABA's movement bonus. | Thinnest lamination, takes the full TABA melee and Technologically Advanced Weapons (TAW) penalty with the least material to absorb it. |
| Med. Techmat | Medium | Balanced ply. Psi-conductive, and the mat dampens incoming psionic effects as readily as it carries the wearer's own. | Requires periodic recalibration like Technologically Advanced Gear (TAG), an uncalibrated set loses its psionic properties entirely and is simply armor. |
| Hvy. Techmat | Heavy | Densest ply Techmat can hold. Strongest psionic dampening of the three. | The plies fight the wearer, Hvy. Techmat cannot benefit from TABA's movement bonus, and it is the Grade ceiling for the Mould. |
Cultural traits. All Techmat is Technologically Advanced Body Armor (TABA) and carries TAA's stats, vulnerabilities and the +10% cost premium (see Technologically Advanced Body Armor (TABA), above). What is distinctly Tredeki is the psionic behavior of the mat, which no other TAA has, and the hard ceiling at Heavy.
Chthonic Armor
Chthonic Armor is a barrier style of protection, elemental substance given form and held in shape around the wearer rather than plating worn over the body. It has no conventional Materials the way Tactical or Magic armor does, its elemental source doubles as its Armor Mould. Six elemental sources cover the type: Flame, Lightning, Water, Wind, Plasma, and raw Energy Waves. Chthonic Armor still scales through the same Grade ladder as any other armor, Delicate through Composite, a Grade describes how much of that element is held and how densely, not what it's made of.
| Element | Moulds |
|---|---|
| Flame | Flame Barrier, Cinder Shroud, Ember Ward |
| Lightning | Lightning Ward, Storm Veil, Voltaic Shell |
| Water | Aqueous Shell, Tidal Barrier, Torrent Ward |
| Wind | Wind Veil, Gale Shroud, Cyclone Ward |
| Plasma | Plasma Shroud, Ion Barrier, Fusion Ward |
| Energy Waves | Wave Field, Resonance Barrier, Pulse Shroud |
Chthonic Armor is never Technologically Advanced Body Armor (TABA), no factory manufactures it, and never Tactical, it cannot be forged or sewn. Whether a given Chthonic Armor piece counts as Magic instead of its own Type is a GM call per Module, some elemental barriers are cast and sustained through Magic, others are innate to a creature or character's own nature and count as Chthonic alone.
Set Bonus
A set is built from five parts:
| Part | Covers |
|---|---|
| Armor Core | Pauldrons, cuirass and greaves. These are never separated. |
| Helmet | — |
| Gloves/Bracers | Bracers allow Parry, Gloves do not (see Defense Roll, pg. 5). |
| Boots | — |
| Accessories | See Accessories, below. |
The Armor Core carries the set's base bonus. Each further part adds its own bonus on top. Set bonuses are favorably more powerful than typical enhancements.
Complex Rule Set only.
Set bonuses are structured in three parts: the Main Bonus, the Gloves Bonus, and the Boots Bonus. The Main Bonus is the most powerful and requires all pieces equipped together. The Gloves and Boots Bonuses are each powerful on their own, making the decision to replace either a meaningful trade-off.
Replacing boots grants the stats of the new boots and removes the Boots Bonus entirely, the new boots are treated as any standard boots slot and may be freely enhanced. Replacing gloves grants the stats of the new gloves and removes the Gloves Bonus entirely, the new gloves are treated as any standard gloves slot and may be freely enhanced. Each replacement also reduces the Main Bonus by 25% of its numerical stats. If both are replaced, the Main Bonus loses 50% of its numerical stats.
Only the Cuirass may receive a set-LVL enhancement.
Only Heroic rank and above may have a set bonus. Common, Uncommon, Rare, and Unique sets do not include set bonuses.
Weapons
Offensive gear covering melee, ranged, and caster weapons with detailed mechanics for grades, materials, conditions, quality, and damage interactions with armor types.
Cultural Weapons
In development, read before using at the table
Cultural attribution on the weapon side is newer than on the armor side and is still settling. Treat what follows as working history rather than settled canon.
Weapons are cultural in exactly the way armor is, and they follow the same Taxonomy: a weapon has a Grade set by its Material, a Mould, and a Type (Tactical, Magic, TAW or Chthonic). A weapon's Grade for damage and prerequisites is set only by the material of the part that strikes, a head, a blade, a tip or a point, so a Dense Grade head on a Half Medium haft is a Dense Grade weapon. Every people worked what their world gave them and then traded, raided and copied, which is why an Obsidian War Club and a Pulse Blade can end up on the same table.
Priced examples already appear under Starting Equipment on pg. 2, the Obsidian War Club and Ember-Fang Spear of Ignis, the TAW Sidearm of Omnè, and the Crystal-Edged Blade of Tredeki. For the cultural weapon traditions of each people, refer to Playable Races, where every race carries its own Cultural Armaments briefing covering both its armor and its arms. Full histories live in the Tomes of Essentia.
Weapon Grade & Materials
| Category | Weapons |
|---|---|
| Tactical Melee | 1h Hammer (main), 2h Hammer, 1h Short Staff (may dual-wield), 2h Quarterstaff, 2h Long Staff, 1h Bō, 1h Jō, 1h Mace, 2h Mace |
| Tactical Range | 1h Short Bow, 2h Heavy Crossbow, 2h Slug Launcher |
| Caster Weapons | 2h Stave, 1h Magic Scepter, 1h Orb, 1h Tome, 1h Magic Dagger |
| TAW Melee | 1h Plasma Knife, 1h Shock Baton, 1h Nano-Edge Sword, 2h Nano-Edge, 1h Pulse Blade, 2h Pulse Blade |
| TAW Range | 1h Laser Pistol, 1h Plasma Thrower, 1h Throwing Grenade (smoke, gas, blinder, sticky plas, explosive), 1h Shock Dart, 2h Plasma Cannon, 2h Railgun, 1h Pistol, Clip, 1h Pistol, Revolver, 1h Mini Sprayer, 2h Shotgun, 2h Assault Rifle, 2h Sniper, 2h Chain Gun |
| Chthonic Melee | 1h Flame Brand, 2h Flame Brand, 1h Chthonic Dagger, 1h Lightning Lash, 1h Tide Edge, 1h Gale Talon, 1h Plasma Fang, 2h Wave Maul |
| Chthonic Range | 1h Ember Sling, 2h Storm Caster, 1h Tide Lance, 1h Chthonic Bow, 2h Gale Bow, 1h Plasma Spitter, 2h Waveform Cannon |
Common rank weapon attack values are calibrated so that a baseline attacker (no character modifiers) hits each armor grade at the rates listed in the Base Hit Rate table in the Combat section. All weapon types share the same base hit rates, advantages and disadvantages between weapon types come from armor Vulnerabilities and Resistances, not from the base rate. A blunt weapon benefits from chain's vulnerability to blunt; a piercing weapon benefits from leather's vulnerability to pierce. These interactions are listed in the Armor Grades table.
Type and Ability Gating: A weapon's Type gates which Class Abilities may be readied with it, and that gate is the main work the four Types do. A Martial Ability requires a Tactical weapon, and a Spell Ability requires a Magic weapon. TAW and Chthonic sit outside this rule entirely: neither answers the Martial or the Spell requirement, and neither takes a Blessing. A TAW piece may be Modified but never Enchanted, there being no magic in it to enchant.
Alignment Requirement: TAW and Chthonic Armaments and Equipment require an Ambivalent alignment to carry and use. Neither family answers the Martial or the Spell gate on Class Abilities, neither takes a Blessing, and a wielder of either draws no Higher Power Benefit toward Class development (see Higher Power, pg. 2). The refusal belongs to the Higher Power rather than to the one carrying the weapon: a Power sanctions nothing drawn from outside its own universal elements, and both of these are drawn from outside them. Ambivalence is what lets a Character carry them without standing in that contradiction.
Cultural Bonuses: TAW and Chthonic are Cultural Armaments like any other, and the rule is the same as for every Culture: a Character native to one gets its bonuses when using its Armaments, the six Tawdry Dwarf-lit worlds with TAW and Ignis with Chthonic. Both are rare outside their culture's reach and common within it (see Cultural Armaments, pg. 2).
Devotion: Each keeps its own practice in place of a Higher Power. The races native to Ignis have only Adoria to pray to, the inner sun being the one power near enough to answer. The worlds out near Tawdry Dwarf do not pray to the Goddess at all; they meditate, and give respect to everything that still provides sustainable life in their part of the universe, which with Tawdry dying is growing thin.
Weapons use the same eleven Grades and the same four Types (Tactical, Magic, TAW, Chthonic) as armor, and draw from the same Materials lists above, Steel and Iron for Medium, Osmium and Tungsten for Dense, Mithril for Half Light, and so on. This covers two separate things, and they are not the same:
Recipe Manufacturing: A weapon's full crafting recipe lists every component that goes into building it, head, haft, grip, guard, fletching, whatever the weapon has. Each component can be crafted from its own material, at its own Grade, and the recipe's full material list is what determines crafting cost, weight, and what a Blacksmith or other crafter actually needs on hand to build it.
The Damage-Dealing Part: Separate from the recipe, a weapon's Grade for damage, DMG Mods, and Weapon Prerequisite purposes is set ONLY by whatever material makes up the part that actually strikes the target, a hammer's head, a sword's blade, a spear's tip, an arrow's point. Every other component in the recipe (Grip, Haft, Hilt, fletching) can be a different, usually lesser Grade without changing the weapon's Grade, DMG Mods row, or Weapon Prerequisite standing at all, those parts exist in the recipe, but they don't count toward what the weapon IS.
Example: A war hammer's recipe calls for a Dense Grade (Osmium) head and a Half Medium Grade (reinforced leather-wrapped wood) haft. The recipe needs both materials to build it and prices/weighs accordingly, but for damage, DMG Mods, and Weapon/Hand Proficiency purposes, this is a Dense Grade weapon, full stop, the haft never enters that math.
Tactical and Magic Weapons
Tactical is the oldest of the four and the only one every people on every world can make. It is ordinary craft, forged, sewn, carved or knapped, and it asks nothing of a sun. Primal peoples hold the longest unbroken line of it, bone, stone and hide worked by hand, changed less in an age than any other tradition has changed in a generation. Humans built the modular pattern that most of Essentia now copies, panels and mounts reconfigured for the job instead of committed at the forge, which is why a Human kit turns up on worlds Humans never settled. Orcus smiths work grave-iron and salvage into tunnel-fighting arms, hooded against a sun their skin cannot take and left open at the ear so Stonesense is never blinded. Dwarves hold the mountain-hall standard for Steel and Iron, Ogres the two-handed weight nobody else can carry well, and Elves the bow. Tactical is full strength on Adoria-lit and Tawdry Dwarf-lit worlds alike and falls off only out past the thirteen, where ordinary steel finally meets conditions ordinary craft was never asked about.
Magic answers to Adoria. Her light carries sorcery as well as warmth, so an Enchanted weapon and a caster's implement both do their best work on the eight inner worlds, Ignis through Zailister, and both weaken the further out they are carried. Elves keep the deepest tradition of it, nature magic and the Enchanting of ordinary arms, and Halflings the luckiest, small charms worked into everyday things. Zailister sits at the balance point, the one world equally at home with a Stave and a rifle. On the six Tawdry Dwarf-lit worlds magic still works and is simply weaker, never absent, and past the thirteen it is weaker still. A caster who travels outward learns to carry steel.
Chthonic Weapons
Chthonic Armaments cover Chthonic Weapons, Chthonic ammunition and Chthonic Armor, the same three an Armament is anywhere else. Gear and Items with Chthonic properties are Chthonic Gear and Chthonic Items instead, a separate category, the way TAG is to TAA.
Chthonic Weapons are worked from ore and gem taken out of Ignis. Ignis is the nearest of the thirteen to Adoria and receives more of her magic than any other world. More arrives than anything living or made there can take up, and rather than let the surplus drift off into open space the world pulls it in and keeps it. What it keeps goes into the ground, into the veins, and a vein that has taken it becomes magic itself. The ore that runs in that vein is magic because the vein is, and the same holds for a pocket and the gem grown in it. A Chthonic Armament is that ore or that gem, worked into a weapon or a piece of armor.
Every world takes Adoria's magic and every world can harness it. What Ignis has is surplus. Elsewhere there is none, so nothing collects; the magic is used and that is the end of it. Ignis is the only world where it stays in the rock, which is why it is the only world Chthonic comes out of.
Because what it carries is Adoria's own magic, a Chthonic Armament is strongest where her light is strongest. It takes the Bonus on Adoria-lit worlds and the Penalty on Tawdry Dwarf-lit worlds and beyond, the same as Magic does (see Tech and Magic Across Essentia, below).
Ignis is where Chthonic is focused and where it is made, the way Omnè is for the TAA family. It is available on every planet all the same, through global trade, exactly as TAG is. Primal peoples took to it first and hardest, having always worked with what a place gives rather than against it, and Orcus tunnel-smiths adapted it underground where a held flame is light and weapon at once.
Slope Mod does not touch a Chthonic Weapon (see Slope Conditions, Combat, pg. 5). What does the harm is the energy, not the weapon carrying it, and energy is not a mass for gravity to pull on. High Ground and Low Ground change nothing about its range or its damage. It is the same reason it takes no planetary Bonus or Penalty, its source is the universe and not the place the wielder happens to stand.
Biotics
Chthonic Armaments are enhanced through Biotics rather than through Modification or Enchantment, the element around the weapon being grown and trained rather than machined or spelled. Biotics is the Chthonic family's own path, and neither Tactical, Magic nor TAW uses it.
Full Biotics rules are still being written.
Technologically Advanced Weapons (TAW)
Technologically Advanced Weapons (TAW) covers the Tactical Melee and Range categories' tech-advanced counterparts (see the table above), manufactured tech in the same TAA family as Technologically Advanced Body Armor (TABA), and carries a +10% cost premium over its standard equivalent (see Weapon Base Value, below). TAW's damage modifiers against each Armor Type and MAC Type are their own row, separate from Tactical, Magic, and Chthonic (see Weapon Type DMG Mods, below). Melee and TAW ranged attackers also gain a flat hit-rate bonus against TABA specifically (see Technologically Advanced Body Armor (TABA), above).
TAW is the work of the four Tawdry Dwarf-lit worlds, Corpus Caeleste, Undeximus, Omnè and Tredeki, where Adoria's light never reached far enough to seed magic and every advantage had to be built instead. Omnè gave the TAA family its shape, body armor, weapons and gear as one engineered set. Tredeki pressed the first Techmat and the Imperials carry it still. Zailister, the most balanced of the thirteen, learned the manufacture later and now builds it too, the one Adoria-lit world that does. Nothing about it is gated by race or by blood, only by where a thing can be made and who will sell it.
Air is what a TAW Range weapon fights. A beam scatters in dense air and a round is dragged by it, so a TAW Range weapon does its best work where the air is thin and its worst where the air is heavy. Height is the nearest source of thin air, which is why a TAW line will bleed to take a ridge: from above, the beam holds its line and the weapon reaches further than its card says. From the floor of a valley, shooting up through the thickest air on the field, it decays early and gives out short. This is the same rule as the planetary one, read at the scale of a hillside instead of a world, and it is why High Ground and Low Ground shift a TAW Range weapon's range bands (see Slope Conditions, Combat, pg. 5).
At the scale of a world the same physics runs harder. On a thin-aired, low-gravity world out past the thirteen, a TAW Range weapon is a monster at any elevation, nothing in the air to scatter what it throws. On a heavy world under a thick atmosphere it is choked, and a Tactical bow in the same hands will out-reach it.
Element Vector
Every TAW Armament and every piece of TAW Equipment is fed by an Element Vector, the channel carrying charge or propellant from the source to the working end of the piece. The Vector is what a TAW piece runs on, standing in the same place for TAW that the held element does for a Chthonic Armament. TAW Charged pieces draw a light or plasma Vector; TAW Ballistic pieces draw a propellant Vector, nuclear pulse propulsion or an electrothermal-chemical charge. A spent Vector leaves the piece inert until it is replaced or recharged. A Vector may be Modified, never Enchanted, and no Blessing takes on one.
Vector Grades, capacities, recharge times and costs are still being set.
Weapon Base Value
The following base prices apply to Common rank weapons. Rank multipliers and quality adjustments are applied on top of the base price. Common rank weapons cannot be crafted from rare or exotic materials, material rarity must match rank. TAW weapons cost 10% more than their standard equivalent. Higher ranks use the same rank multiplier table as armor.
| Weapon Type | Base Price (Common) | TAW (+10%) |
|---|---|---|
| 1h Melee | 15 Gold | 17 Gold |
| 2h Melee | 25 Gold | 28 Gold |
| 1h Range (e.g. Short Bow) | 10 Gold | 11 Gold |
| 2h Range (e.g. Heavy Crossbow) | 30 Gold | 33 Gold |
| Caster (Stave, Scepter, Orb, Tome, Dagger) | 20 Gold | 22 Gold |
Weapon Quality
Weapon quality is rolled on receipt using d100, assigned by the GM, or determined by the item's source. Quality affects value only, it does not change damage or combat stats.
| Weapon Quality | Roll d100 | Value Change |
|---|---|---|
| Poor | 1-7 | -5% |
| Good | 8-30 | 0% (no adjustment, value stays as Base × Rank) |
| Extravagant | 31-60 | +3% |
| Exquisite | 61-80 | +4% |
| Masterful | 81-100 | +5% |
Value = Base Price × Rank Multiplier. When quality is not Good (0%), apply the percentage adjustment to that result. Good quality leaves the value unchanged. Example: 2h Melee (25 Gold) at Heroic rank (x25) = 625 Gold. At Masterful quality: 625 + 5% = 656.25 Gold. At Good quality: 625 Gold (no adjustment).
Weapon Condition
Weapon condition is rolled on receipt and can degrade during play. Broken weapons require a blacksmith to restore, see Armament Repair below. Three conditions apply:
| Condition | Roll d100 | Damage Effect | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Excellent | 81-100 | Full damage, no penalties | No restrictions |
| Fair (Damaged) | 11-80 | -Xd4 damage by rank (see below) | No restrictions |
| Broken | 1-10 | Cannot be used in combat | No enhancement bonuses apply; adds 2 lbs. per rank (warped/collapsed shape) |
| Rank Tier | Fair Damage Penalty | Example Rolls |
|---|---|---|
| Common / Uncommon | Roll 1d4; penalty = -(4 - roll) | Roll 1: -3 | Roll 2: -2 | Roll 3: -1 | Roll 4: 0 |
| Rare / Unique | Roll 2d4; penalty = -(8 - sum of rolls) | Roll 2-8: -6 to 0 |
| Heroic / Elite | Roll 3d4; penalty = -(12 - sum of rolls) | Roll 3-12: -9 to 0 |
| Legendary / Divine | Roll 4d4; penalty = -(16 - sum of rolls) | Roll 4-16: -12 to 0 |
Fair (Damaged) Damage Penalty Clarification: When a Fair (Damaged) weapon hits in combat, roll the indicated number of d4s and calculate the damage reduction using the formula shown. For example, with a Common-rank weapon, if you roll a 3 on the d4, the damage reduction is -(4-3) = -1, meaning the weapon does 1 less damage than its normal roll. If you roll a 4, the damage reduction is -(4-4) = 0, meaning the Fair (Damaged) condition incurs no penalty on that particular hit.
Condition in Play: All armament condition, weapons and armor alike, degrades by the same rule. If a character is taking damage during an encounter, it is presumed their weapons were being used defensively or offensively. Condition is resolved at the end of each encounter: if the Character was incapacitated (reached 0 Life) at any point, all carried armaments drop one condition tier. If the Character was killed, all carried armaments drop one additional tier. Condition does not regenerate when Life does, armaments remain at their degraded condition until maintained at a blacksmith. Armaments cannot be repaired mid-session.
Weapons Carried
Characters may have up to 3 weapons readied at any time, drawn (Main Hand / Off Hand) or sheathed for quick access. Only readied weapons can activate weapon-specific abilities, so weapon sets should be readied that adhere to a character's Ability choices matching Main Class Tree, path and later branch. Additional weapons may be packed, stored in a backpack, on certain Companion types, such as draft/pack animals, or in a wagon used for transport, sale, or trade. Packed weapons cannot be drawn or used in combat. All carried weapons (readied + packed) count toward the Character's total carry weight; exceeding 50% of capacity triggers Burdened/Encumbered penalties (see Encumbrance, pg. 5). Swapping the Armament Set: Characters set their full Armament Set at the start of each long rest (8 hours). Mid-adventure, characters may drop or pick up weapons from their packed inventory, but cannot ready them for combat use until the next long rest.
Throwing Weapons and Ammunition
Ammo (arrows, bolts, slugs, etc.) and throwing weapon sets are always tracked as a bundle regardless of count, from a single remaining arrow to a full quiver of 50. Bundle size is noted on the card. The maintenance fee for any ammo bundle is Bundle Value × 0.05 per long rest. If ammo was expended during the day, the replacement cost is the same rate, replacement is the repair in this case. Bundle count resets at every long rest, representing restocking and upkeep. Ammo maintenance is always owed regardless of whether ammo was expended, as bundles require general upkeep. Characters may carry additional ammo bundles beyond their Armament Set by storing extras with henchmen, draft animals, or guardian mounts.
Throwing Weapons (throwing daggers, sudikons, throwing axes) do not occupy a readied weapon slot and are not part of a character's Armament Set. The number a character may carry is limited only by carry weight capacity and having the appropriate storage on hand, such as quivers, sheaths, holsters, boot straps, or belt straps, container type and count must be noted on the Character sheet. Throwing weapons may be retrieved after an encounter and count toward carry weight and maintenance fees. They are repaired as any other armament when their condition degrades.
Characters must be proficient through an appropriate class (such as Fighter or Marksman) to use throwing weapons efficiently. Out-of-class characters may attempt to use them but do so with combat penalties.
Projectile Grade
Projectiles cover ammunition and throwing weapons both, everything that leaves the hand or the launcher, and what modifies one against the base rules is its Projectile Grade. Grade is the material of the part that strikes, the head, the tip or the point, the same way a weapon's Grade is read, so a shaft of ordinary wood under an Adamantium head is an Adamantium projectile (see Weapon Grade & Materials, above). A Projectile carries a Grade in place of a Rank, and its own Card carries its damage, its bundle size and its cost (see Armament Cards, above).
Slope Mod belongs to whatever launches the projectile, the arm, the bow or the barrel, and is read off the launcher's own rules (see Slope Conditions, Combat, pg. 5).
| Variant | Projectile Grade |
|---|---|
| Telluric | Wooden, Bone, Stone, Obsidian — knapped and carved heads, the oldest projectiles on any world and the only ones every people can make |
| Steel / Iron, Bronze, Hardened Steel, Chromium — the forged standard, what most bundles are built from | |
| Silver, Mithril, Refined Steel — light metals, worked for the cut rather than the weight | |
| Tungsten, Osmium, Iridium, Platinum, Ruthenium, Titanium, Vibranium, Adamantium, Dragon Scale — the dense and the legendary, heads that punish the drawing arm as much as the target | |
| Magic | Orichalcum, Aetherium, Pyronium, Wardsteel, Sigil-Forged Iron, Celestial Bronze, Starmetal, Eldritch Obsidian — heads that carry the working rather than merely the edge |
| Technologically Advanced | Starsteel, Quantum Alloy, Quantite, Stingers, Cryo-Exotic Alloy, Dark Matter Infused Ore, Nano-Infused Crystal, Voidstone — engineered heads, usually out of the further planets |
| Chthonic | Plasma Crystal, Laser Crystal, Photon Core, Energy Conduit — the working part is the element held around the head, not the head |
Every material above is drawn from Earth Elements, Metals, Sci-Tech Elements and Armor Grades & Materials, later in this chapter and in the Valuables section, where each carries its own value, harvesting technique and properties. A projectile's Grade prices and weighs against those same entries.
Weapon Type Damage Modifiers
These flat damage modifiers apply when a weapon hits its target. Positive values add to total damage dealt; negative values reduce it. These modifiers stack with rank, Trait bonuses, and enhancements. Refer to the GM Codex or specific Module for all instances.
Slashing, Blunt, Piercing, Chop, Flexible, Grab, Chain, and Range rows below cover the Tactical Type of each Style (see Weapon Type vs. Weapon Style, Appendix), a hammer or a bow uses its own row. Any Magic-Type weapon, regardless of Style, a Stave, an enchanted blade, an orb, uses the Magic row instead. TAW and Chthonic are separate rows, TAW is manufactured tech, Chthonic is a physical weapon surrounded by energy, plasma, flame, lightning, and the like. Grab weapons don't roll for standard attack damage at all, their modifier below applies to a Grapple or Grab check instead (see Grapple and Grab, Basic Rules pg. 5). Chain is the one Style forged into more than one shape, a Chain weapon uses whichever row its specific form calls for, Flexible for a chain-whip, Slashing for a chain-sword, or Blunt for a chain-and-weight flail mounted on a pole, stated on that weapon's own Card.
vs. Armor Mould
| Weapon Type/Style | Cloth | Leather | Chain | Plate | Dense | Composite |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Slashing | +4 | +2 | -2 | -3 | -4 | -4 |
| Chop | +3 | +1 | +1 | +2 | 0 | -1 |
| Blunt | -2 | 0 | +3 | +5 | +4 | +3 |
| Piercing | +2 | +3 | -2 | 0 | -2 | -2 |
| Flexible | +3 | +2 | -1 | -3 | -4 | -3 |
| Grab | +2 | +1 | 0 | -2 | -3 | -2 |
| Range | +4 | -2 | 0 | -4 | -5 | -5 |
| Magic | +2 | 0 | +2 | +5 | +6 | +4 |
| TAW | +3 | +2 | +2 | +2 | +2 | -3 |
| Chthonic | +3 | +2 | +2 | +1 | 0 | -2 |
| Oxidize | +2 | +2 | +2 | +2 | +1 | 0 |
vs. Monsters, Animals and Creatures Types
| Weapon Type/Style | Beast | Undead | Construct | Aberration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Slashing | +3 | -2 | -4 | -4 |
| Chop | +2 | +1 | 0 | -4 |
| Blunt | +1 | +4 | +4 | -4 |
| Piercing | +2 | -2 | -3 | -4 |
| Flexible | +2 | 0 | -2 | -4 |
| Grab | +1 | +2 | 0 | -4 |
| Range | +2 | 0 | -2 | -4 |
| Magic | 0 | +4 | +3 | +6 |
| TAW | +1 | +2 | +6 | +1 |
| Chthonic | +1 | +4 | +3 | +5 |
| Oxidize | +2 | +2 | +3 | +1 |
Refer to the GM Codex or specific Module for all instances.
Stave vs. Staff
These are two separate weapon families, not two spellings of the same thing. A Staff is Tactical, part of the same weapon family as the Quarterstaff, Bō, Jō, Long Staff, and Short Staff (see Weapon Cards, above), a plain length of wood or metal, no Type restriction beyond Tactical. A Stave is the dedicated caster implement, Magic by its own nature the same way an orb or wand is (see Weapon Type vs. Weapon Style, Appendix), never Tactical, and the one that can carry a Crown (see Special Weapons, below). Wielding a Staff never satisfies a Stave requirement, and wielding a Stave never satisfies a Staff requirement, even though both are, at a glance, a long stick.
Special Weapons
Past the standard Weapon Cards above sits a smaller category of individually named, Path- or Branch-exclusive weapons, rare crossover pieces like a Stave-family martial weapon fitted with a magic Crown, a curved polearm built around one, or a Witch's dagger doing double duty as both blade and spell focus (see Basic Rules pg. 3). No Special Weapon is ever available at the Tier LVL, each is tied to a specific Path or Branch and everything that pick requires. See Special Weapons for the full, still-growing list, including the Mythical Weapons and Cultural Weapons sections, both stubs awaiting future content.
Primal Weapons & Accessories
Ignis's Primal Weapons run almost entirely Blunt, clobbering and bone-crushing pieces built the same functional, unadorned way as Primal Armor (see Primal Armor, above): Bonecrusher Club, Ravager's Femur-Maul, Skullsplitter Hammer, Tuskhead Warclub, all Blunt, 1h or 2h, Melee, bone, stone, or hardened wood construction. Primal Accessories: Fang Necklace, Boneknot Bracer, Trophy Belt, Ashclan Warpaint Kit, mostly flavor and minor Trait bonuses rather than heavy Enhancements, see the GM Codex for specifics.
Bound and Unbound Armaments
| Status | How Acquired | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Unbound | Drop, Auction | Can be traded within the party at home. Becomes Bound if equipped or enhanced (Common through Unique). Digitally traded cards reset to base LVL, the new owner must go through the process to restore them. |
| Attuned | Heroic and above | Not Bound until Attuned. Cannot be enhanced until Attuned. Becomes Bound upon Attunement, cannot be traded once Bound. Attunement automatically unattunes from original bearer. Attunement becomes more difficult the higher the rank. |
| Bound | Crafted, Quest, Vendor | Cannot be traded. Bound to the Character permanently. |
Note: Bound cards may not be traded under any circumstances. Items attuned to Bosses exist only once per campaign, they are unique and cannot be duplicated. Parties may run multiple campaigns, but not with the same character. Players may encounter the same items in online lobbies, this is expected, as identical armaments can be obtained from different realms.
As covered in Weapons Carried (above), armaments found during an adventure may not be worn or drawn until the next day when characters set their armament choices, but may be carried within encumbrance limits. See Companions for carrying options.
Armament Repair
Broken armaments cannot be repaired mid-adventure and must be held until the party reaches a blacksmith. The cost to repair a Broken armament equals its value at Excellent condition. After repair, condition is re-rolled (d100), the armament may return only to Fair. Armaments received at Broken condition, whether from a drop, purchase, or gift, cannot be repaired beyond Fair, even with a Guardsmith Scroll. Repair cost also factors in location and isolation; a blacksmith in a remote settlement charges more than one in a major city.
Blacksmiths sell Guardsmith Scrolls, which guarantee the repaired armament returns to Excellent condition and increase the chance of successful Enhancements. Guardsmith Scrolls require Merchant Standing with the blacksmith and are not cheap, cost scales with Standing LVL. See the GM Codex for Guardsmith Scroll pricing and Standing requirements.
If an armament is already Broken when the Character is incapacitated or killed, it is Destroyed and cannot be recovered. Only Excellent armaments can be Sundered by an Armorer (see Sundering in Enhancements below).
Sentimental Value
Sentimental value applies to armaments (weapons and armor), accessories, charms, rings, amulets, cloaks, symbols (holy, unholy, or any other class-specific implement), and any other item readied or worn on the person. A character may have at most one sentimental item accruing per type at a time, one weapon, one piece of armor, one accessory, and one symbol, never two of the same type building at once. Readying a second item of a type that already has one accruing does not begin a new bond, the Character may still carry or wear it, but its own sentimental process cannot start until the first is enhanced past the standard process (see Rank Progression) or its bond otherwise ends. A sentimental item carries a personal bond between the Character and the piece. Unlike living companions, an armament or accessory does not return that bond (or does it?), yet the bond forms all the same. Characters who carry or wear the same piece through years of struggle, loss, and victory develop a deep, almost protective attachment to it. The item becomes an extension of themselves, not just a tool or covering. This emotional tie, whether the Character acknowledges it or not, shapes how they perform with it.
Physically, the Character grows intimately familiar with the item over time, the exact weight of a blade in the hand, its grip worn to the shape of their fingers, the way it bites and carries through a target, how armor settles on the shoulders after years of wear, the feel of a ring never removed, such as a soul mate's wedding ring. This familiarity sharpens performance in ways no training or upgrade can fully replicate.
For each Character LVL (LVL) the Character has kept a sentimental weapon readied without removing, it accrues damage along three separate lines, one per stage of class development. Each line tracks independently, displays separately on the Character sheet, and reflects how the Character's identity has shaped the way they use that weapon. The damage type for each line is determined by the Character's class, path, and branch respectively, see the Sentimental Damage Type table on the class entries (pg. 3) and on pg. 6.
- Class line: +1 [class type] DMG per LVL, accruing from LVL 1
- Path line: +1 [path type] DMG per LVL, accruing from when the path is chosen
- Branch line: +1 [branch type] DMG per LVL, accruing from when the branch is chosen
All three lines stack with each other. A character who has not yet chosen a path or branch does not accrue those respective lines. Armor accrues +1 Armor Score per LVL rather than damage. Accessories accrue +1 per LVL to a Trait determined by the accessory's primary function, confirmed when the item first enters the sentimental process and recorded on the Character sheet. The class/path/branch damage typing applies to weapons only. Accessory Trait accrual guide: offensive accessories (those that boost hit, damage, or attack output) accrue Strength or Agility; defensive accessories (those that boost protection, resistance, or Armor Scr.) accrue Toughness; presence and social accessories accrue Charisma; magical and casting accessories accrue Piety or Wit; mobility accessories accrue Agility; utility accessories accrue the Trait most applicable to their stated effect. The GM confirms the applicable Trait at the time the bond begins.
Example: A Barbarian (Mountaineer path, Amazon branch) who chose their path at LVL 4 and branch at LVL 15, now at LVL 20, carries: +20 Physical DMG (class), +17 Piercing DMG (path, from LVL 4), +5 Slashing DMG (branch, from LVL 15).
Requirement: The item must remain readied or worn on the Character without removing. If the item is taken off or put away, the sentimental value locks permanently at its current LVL. This does not mean the Character no longer loves the item, only that they have grown accustomed to its absence, or chosen a more powerful piece over it. The bond remains, but it no longer grows.
Lost Items: The GM can assist with helping characters retrieve lost sentimental items. If found, as long as the Character readies or wears it immediately at the beginning of the next adventuring day (see rules on readying), the sentimental process is not interrupted.
Gifted by the Adored, Family, or a Companion: Any item gifted by a character the Player holds an Adored standing with, by a family member, or by a bonded Companion, begins the sentimental process at +1 rather than +0 on its primary growth line, the class damage line for a weapon, Armor Score for armor, or the primary Trait accrual for an accessory or symbol. Family and Companion gifts qualify regardless of any formal Standing, the bond itself is what counts. This means that line accrues from +1 at LVL 1 and will always sit one point higher than it would on a standard sentimental item, the peak remains one above normal. For a weapon, the path and branch lines still accrue normally from their respective starting points, only the class line gets the head start.
Rank Progression (Weapons): A sentimental weapon gains one rank every 5 Levels it remains readied on the Character's person. Once it reaches Rare, it becomes eligible for enhancement. Rank is tracked on the Character sheet and armament card. This rank progression is a product of the bond between character and item, it is not an enhancement in the conventional sense and bypasses the standard Bound and Attuned rules that apply to enhanced armaments (see Bound and Unbound Armaments). A sentimental weapon that gains rank through this bond does not require Attunement and does not become Bound unless the Character chooses to enhance it through standard means, at which point those rules apply normally.
Trait Growth: Every 5 Levels the item remains readied or worn without removing, it grants +1 to a specific Trait tied to the item type, weapons grant +1 Courage, armor grants +1 Toughness, accessories grant +1 Charisma, and symbols grant +1 Piety. These bonuses are cumulative and stack with all sentimental damage progression.
Traditional Armaments only. Nothing technologically advanced can become sentimental, so no Technologically Advanced Weapons (TAW), no Technologically Advanced Body Armor (TABA) and no Technologically Advanced Gear (TAG), and neither can a Chthonic Weapon, Chthonic Armor or Chthonic Gear. A sentimental bond is built on a thing being the same thing year after year, and neither a manufactured item nor an energy-held one is. Tactical and Magic Armaments, accessories, charms, rings, amulets, cloaks and symbols are what the system is for.
Sentimental items are noted on the Character sheet. Refer to the GM Codex or specific Module for all instances.
Accessories
Accessories are items worn or held in the offhand slot that provide utility, passive bonuses, or special effects. These include rings, amulets, bracelets, cloaks, and other wearable items that enhance a character's abilities or provide protection without taking up primary weapon or armor slots.
Attire
Attire encompasses clothing and wearable garments that characters don for protection, style, or cultural significance. From simple traveling clothes to formal regalia, attire covers all non-combat clothing worn by characters in their daily lives and adventures.
Adventuring Gear
The everyday practical tools covered under Gear above, cheap, mundane items every character carries alongside their armaments. Weight is listed for encumbrance purposes, see Encumbrance, pg. 5.
| Item | Cost | Weight | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Backpack | 2 Gold | 5 lbs | Standard carrying capacity |
| Bedroll | 1 Gold | 7 lbs | |
| Belt Pouch | 5 Silver | 1 lb | |
| Blanket | 5 Silver | 3 lbs | |
| Candle | 1 Copper | Negligible | Burns 1 hour; dim light |
| Chalk (1 piece) | 1 Copper | Negligible | |
| Crowbar | 2 Gold | 5 lbs | |
| Fishing Tackle | 1 Gold | 4 lbs | |
| Flask or Tankard | 2 Copper | 1 lb | |
| Grappling Hook | 2 Gold | 4 lbs | |
| Hammer, Small | 1 Gold | 3 lbs | |
| Lantern | 5 Gold | 2 lbs | Bright light 30 ft.; burns 1 Oil Flask per 6 hours |
| Manacles | 2 Gold | 6 lbs | |
| Mirror, Steel | 5 Gold | 0.5 lb | |
| Oil Flask | 1 Silver | 1 lb | Fuels a lantern for 6 hours |
| Piton | 5 Copper | 0.25 lb | |
| Rations (1 day) | 5 Silver | 2 lbs | |
| Rope, Hempen (50 ft.) | 1 Gold | 10 lbs | |
| Rope, Silk (50 ft.) | 10 Gold | 5 lbs | |
| Sack | 1 Silver | 0.5 lb | |
| Sewing Needle | 5 Copper | Negligible | |
| Shovel | 2 Gold | 5 lbs | |
| Signal Whistle | 5 Copper | Negligible | |
| Tent, 2-person | 2 Gold | 20 lbs | |
| Tinderbox | 5 Silver | 1 lb | |
| Torch | 1 Copper | 1 lb | Bright light 20 ft.; burns 1 hour |
| Waterskin | 2 Silver | 5 lbs (full) | |
| Whetstone | 1 Silver | 1 lb |
Gear & Items
Gear & Items covers everything carried that is not an Armament. Gear includes the practical tools of exploration and survival: backpacks, rope, bedrolls, tool kits, lanterns. Items cover everyday objects with cultural or narrative significance, such as holy water or heirlooms, alongside raw components like metals or herbs used for crafting and repairs. Like Armaments, both exist in five variants: Telluric, TA-Equip., Chthonic, Oxidize, or Malign. Gear carries Quality and Value. Items are covered under Item Cards.
Carrying capacity is determined by the Strength Trait, with encumbrance affecting movement and combat Ability. Exceeding capacity leads to incapacitation, while being within limits may still impose Penalties. For detailed information on currency systems used by each planet and region, refer to the Tomes of Essentia.
Gear & Item Variants
Gear and Items also come in five variants, paralleling the Armament categories.
- Telluric, Zailians
- TA-Equip., Omnè
- Chthonic, Primal
- Oxidize, Omnè (Astral) / Caelen†
- Malign, Ossein
| Variant | Gear & Items |
|---|---|
| Telluric Earthborn, of the worlds themselves, craft forged, sewn or carved from what a planet gives rather than drawing a charge or holding an element | Mechanical Gear, ordinary Items |
| TA-Equip. Engineered with advanced technology, usually out of the further planets. Encompasses TAG (Technologically Advanced Gear) and Items | TA-Equip.: — TAG (Technologically Advanced Gear) — Items |
| Chthonic Elemental substance held around the thing itself, answering to no sun | Chthonic Gear, Chthonic Items |
| Oxidize Joined to the bearer via Attachment and drawing on the body that carries it, neither worn nor held. It borrows from Telluric, Advanced and Malign alike, the broadest of the five and the strongest at none | Oxidize Gear, Oxidize Items |
| Malign Telluric craft with a curse worked into it at the forge, never after, and never lifted out | Malign Gear, Malign Items |
Mechanical and TAG Tools
Tool kits come in three builds, Mechanical, TAG (Technologically Advanced Gear) and Chthonic, and they do not fail the same way. Both grant a bonus to the DIFS check they're built for (Trap Tech, Lockpicking, and similar Talent/Skill checks) only while the kit is the genuine article, a makeshift substitute grants no bonus (see Makeshift and Professional Tools, pg. 2). A Poor kit still works, it simply works worse.
Mechanical: Traditional tools, like a Thief's Kit's lockpicks and tension wrench, need routine physical maintenance, oiling, sharpening, replacing worn parts, to keep working at their best. A Mechanical kit never simply stops working outright, a rusted lockpick still turns a lock, just worse.
Technologically Advanced Gear (TAG) is the Gear and Items engineered with advanced technology, usually out of the further planets. TAG covers far more than tool kits, though tool kits are where a party meets it most.
TAG: Advanced kits, like a Thief's Kit, Advanced (Omnè import)'s signal-spoofing lock bypass tool, grant a stronger bonus than their Mechanical equivalent while fully operational, but carry disadvantages Mechanical tools don't. TAG runs on a Charge Cell (see Omnè, The Circuit Exchange, below) and stops granting any bonus at all the moment its charge runs out, no partial function, unlike a worn-down Mechanical tool. TAG also needs periodic calibration, separate from charging, an uncalibrated TAG tool functions at Mechanical-tier bonus only until recalibrated, and calibration typically requires a Tinker or Engineer's workshop (at the GM's discretion), not simple field maintenance.
Chthonic: Kits whose working part is energy held around ordinary tools, an Ember Lantern for light and heat, a Tide Flask, a Gale Bellows, a Wave Lens. They take no Charge Cell and never run flat, drawing on the elemental energy around them instead, and they do not wear the way a Mechanical kit does because the tool underneath is doing less of the work. What they will not do is hold still, a Chthonic kit is a poor choice for fine, quiet work where a steady mechanical hand is wanted.
Talent Tree Kits and Backpacks
Every Talent Tree carries one piece of Gear of its own, either a Kit or a Backpack, never both, and which one it is follows from the work the tree does. A Kit is a set of specialised tools for close work, done on an object, a body or a page, so it requires an Artistry score Prerequisite, the hand, the eye and the craft. A Backpack is a rig for carrying a trade out into country, so it requires a Physique score Prerequisite, the back and the wind to keep it moving. Each one's Prerequisite score is listed on its own Card and differs from tree to tree.
A Kit or a Backpack carries Quality and Value like any other piece of Gear, both set by what it is built from, and a Poor Quality Kit still works, it simply works worse. What sets these apart is the Prerequisite above, which no other Gear carries.
| Talent Tree | Gear | Prerequisite |
|---|---|---|
| Actuary | Actuary's Kit | Artistry |
| Anchor | Anchor's Kit | Artistry |
| Artificer | Artificer's Kit | Artistry |
| Astrologist | Astrologist's Kit | Artistry |
| Automationist | Automationist's Kit | Artistry |
| Bounty Hunter | Bounty Hunter's Backpack | Physique |
| Brewmaster | Brewmaster's Kit | Artistry |
| Bushcrafter | Bushcrafter's Backpack | Physique |
| Cartographer | Cartographer's Kit | Artistry |
| Crypt Raider | Crypt Raider's Backpack | Physique |
| Excavator | Excavator's Backpack | Physique |
| Field Medic | Field Medic's Backpack | Physique |
| Geomancer | Geomancer's Kit | Artistry |
| Hauler | Hauler's Backpack | Physique |
| Hermitmancer | Hermitmancer's Kit | Artistry |
| Hunter | Hunter's Backpack | Physique |
| Leprechaun | Leprechaun's Kit | Artistry |
| Lorekeeper | Lorekeeper's Kit | Artistry |
| Olympiad | Olympiad's Backpack | Physique |
| Patriarch | Patriarch's Backpack | Physique |
| Performer | Performer's Kit | Artistry |
| Quartermaster | Quartermaster's Kit | Artistry |
| Scout | Scout's Backpack | Physique |
| Tactician | Tactician's Kit | Artistry |
| Thief | Thief's Kit | Artistry |
| Traveler | Traveler's Backpack | Physique |
| Treasure Hunter | Treasure Hunter's Backpack | Physique |
| Tribalist | Tribalist's Backpack | Physique |
| Urbanite | Urbanite's Kit | Artistry |
| Vivisectionist | Vivisectionist's Kit | Artistry |
| Voyager | Voyager's Backpack | Physique |
A character who has not opened a tree may still carry its Kit or Backpack, it simply grants nothing, the same as a makeshift substitute. Advanced and Chthonic builds of any Kit or Backpack follow Mechanical and TAG Tools, above.
Planetary Markets
Not every world shops the same way. Ignis and most other planets mint and trade in standard coinage, but Futurem, Omnè, and Tredeki run on laser-secured credit systems and treat coins as worthless (see Currency System above), anything bought there is priced in Credits, not Gold, and the two are not interchangeable at any vendor. What's for sale also shifts with the world, a volcanic forge-world stocks heat-worked goods a crystal-scarred battlefield world never would, and vice versa. Characters whose Background originates from one of these worlds may begin play with items from that world's table as their starting equipment, at the GM's discretion, the same way a character's Background can grant them access to Omnè's TAA (Technologically Advanced Weapons and Body Armor) (see Alignment, pg. 2). Characters whose race originates from Ignis, Omnè, or Tredeki (see Playable Races, pg. 2) may draw their entire starting equipment loadout from that world's table below instead of Zailister's, at the GM's discretion.
Tech and Magic Across Essentia
Essentia is lit by two suns (see the Prologue and Into the Uncharted Worlds of Essentia). Adoria, the inner sun, emits magic along with her light, sorcery and steel thrive on the planets closest to her, Ignis through Zailister among them. Tawdry Dwarf, Adoria's dying twin, sustains the four outer, technologically advanced planets (Corpus Caeleste, Undeximus, Omnè, and Tredeki) on her fading light alone, magic never took root there, and technology filled the gap instead.
This split powers a reciprocal Penalty between TAA (Technologically Advanced Weapons and Body Armor) and magic, on top of the gravity and atmosphere range penalty already covered under Technologically Advanced Weapons (TAW) Range (Basic Rules pg. 5):
- Technologically Advanced Weapons (TAW) and Technologically Advanced Body Armor (TABA) function at full strength on their native Tawdry Dwarf-lit worlds (Corpus Caeleste, Undeximus, Omnè, Tredeki), the baseline for both, no Bonus or Penalty. Venture beyond Tawdry Dwarf itself, into the uncharted worlds past Essentia's known thirteen planets, and TAW gains +2 Hit and +2 Damage while TABA gains +2 Armor Scr., technology's edge sharpening the further it gets from Adoria's magic entirely. On any of the first nine, Adoria-lit worlds, including Zailister, the most balanced of the thirteen planets between sorcery and technology, TAW instead suffers -2 Hit and -2 Damage and TABA instead suffers -2 Armor Scr..
- Magic and Spells function at full strength on Adoria-lit worlds. On Tawdry Dwarf-lit worlds and beyond Tawdry Dwarf alike, magic still works but suffers -2 to Spell Hit and potency, weaker there, never absent.
- Tactical weapons and armor (mechanical, non-magic, non-TAW, non-TABA gear, ordinary steel and craft) function at full strength on both Adoria-lit and Tawdry Dwarf-lit worlds, untouched by either sun. Further out than Tawdry Dwarf, in the uncharted worlds past Essentia's known thirteen planets, Tactical weapons and armor instead suffer -2 Hit and -2 Damage (weapons) or -2 Armor Scr. (armor), only the sharpest technology holds up out there.
Chthonic Weapons, Chthonic Armor and Chthonic Gear are the exception to all of the above, drawing on the elemental energy of the universe rather than on either sun, and take no Bonus or Penalty on any world (see Chthonic Armaments, above). These Penalties and Bonuses stack with any others already listed on a weapon, armor, or Spell card, and apply regardless of which world a character's race or background originates from, it's the world the Character is standing on, not the world they're from, that decides which sun is powering (or starving) their gear.
Zailister, The Free Market
Zailister is the starting world, diverse, free, and the universe's reserve currency hub, and its markets reflect that. Standard coinage only, but goods from every world pass through, including imported Omnè tech sold at a premium far from home. Below are early examples of the Standard and Advanced Kit split noted above, using Thief and Hacker as the first two Talent Trees itemized.
| Item | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Thief's Kit, Traditional | 10 Gold | Lockpicks, tension wrench, wax impression block, muffled leather wraps |
| Thief's Kit, Advanced (Omnè import) | 140 Gold | Signal-spoofing lock bypass tool, keycard data-skimmer |
| Hacker's Kit, Traditional | 12 Gold | Rune-scraping tools, ward-reading lens, counter-sigil chalk, manipulates wards and sigil-locks in place of digital systems |
| Hacker's Kit, Advanced (Omnè import) | 160 Gold | Decryption rig and data pad |
| Low-Tier Personal Communicator (Omnè import) | 90 Gold | Static-choked and short-range this far from Omnè's networks, the cheapest, worst model still worth carrying |
Ignis, The Ashfield Camp
Ignis (Glacies et Ignis) is an elemental world of extreme heat, home to wandering fire elementals and golems as much as the primal, tribal peoples who settle its ash fields between them. Nothing sold here is refined, it is chipped, tanned, bound, and carved by hand, with ritual standing in for the forges and tools other worlds rely on. Priced in standard coinage. The peoples of Ignis do not trust technology. Nothing of the Technologically Advanced Armaments (TAA) family is stocked or traded here.
| Item | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Obsidian War Club (1H Melee) | 12 Gold | Chipped volcanic glass studs |
| Ember-Fang Spear (2H Melee) | 16 Gold | Fire-hardened shaft, obsidian-flake head |
| Ashhide Wrap (Light Armor) | 14 Gold | Soot-cured tanned hide |
| Bone Talisman of the Ember Kin | 5 Gold | Ritual charm, chanted over to ward off scorching wind |
| Cinder-Bound Torchstone | 6 Gold | A stone ritually bound to hold a living ember; relit by chant, not flint |
| Slag-Bone Pick | 5 Gold | Mining tool; tip carved from a fossilized elemental's remains |
| Cinder Hound Bone Whistle | 6 Gold | Calls a trained cinder hound, sold separately as a Companion |
| Ash-Cured Waterskin | 4 Silver | Hide skin treated in ash-lye against the heat |
| Cooling Root Poultice | 3 Silver | Chewed root paste; soothes burns |
| Soot-Woven Face Wrap | 2 Silver | Plain cloth wrap; keeps ash from the lungs |
| Obsidian Grinding Stone | 2 Silver | Sharpens blades on volcanic glass grit |
| Fire-Struck Kindling Bundle | 3 Copper | Ordinary tinder; no ritual needed |
| Pyronium Ingot | 150-300 Gold | See Earth Elements, Metals, pg. 4, for standard rates |
Omnè, The Circuit Exchange
Omnè is the most technologically advanced of the planets, an older human world that developed without relying on magic. Its markets deal exclusively in TAA (Technologically Advanced Weapons and Body Armor) and synthetic goods, and coins are not accepted here, only Credits.
| Item | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| TAW Sidearm, Common | 180 Credits | |
| TAW Rifle, Common | 340 Credits | |
| TABA Light Suit | 260 Credits | |
| Micro-Drone Scout | 220 Credits | Palm-sized; scouts ahead and relays a live view |
| Grav-Stabilizer Boots | 150 Credits | Softens falls, steadies footing |
| Signal Beacon | 75 Credits | Transmits a distress or extraction call |
| Atmospheric Filter Mask | 90 Credits | Required for extended off-world travel |
| Insulated Tool Kit | 60 Credits | For Tinker profession |
| Data Slate | 55 Credits | Records and stores notes digitally |
| Photon Torch | 40 Credits | Handheld, rechargeable light source |
| Nanoweave Bandage | 25 Credits | Self-sealing medical wrap |
| Charge Cell | 20 Credits | Powers TAW and Electric-type Non-Organics |
Tredeki, Fracture Row
Tredeki is a crystal-scarred world shaped by generations of conflict, its ground littered with old battlefields and growing crystal formations. Its markets cater to mercenaries and scavengers alike. Coins are not accepted here, only Credits.
| Item | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Warscar Plate (Medium Armor) | 260 Credits | Forged from salvaged battlefield metal |
| Crystal-Edged Blade (1H Melee) | 200 Credits | |
| Resonance Buckler | 175 Credits | Small shield; hums when struck by magic |
| Crystal Growth Kit | 90 Credits | Seeds and slowly grows a weapon-grade shard over several days |
| Fracture Charge | 45 Credits | Thrown; shatters into crystal shrapnel on impact |
| Chasm-Fiber Rope | 35 Credits | Crystal-woven; resists cutting |
| War Ledger | 30 Credits | Records kills, bounties, and campaign history; used by mercenaries |
| Scarfield Poncho | 20 Credits | Worn by scavengers picking through old battlefields |
| Trench Rations | 15 Credits | Preserved, long-lasting battlefield food |
| Bonecrystal Whetstone | 15 Credits | Sharpens blades using ground battlefield crystal |
Enhancing and Modification Armaments
There are several methods of Enhancements and each uses a different process to apply. For instance, salvaging or sundering plate armor uses different techniques that require skills of a blacksmith, while unweaving or burning cloth requires the skills of a stitcher.
Enhancing Armaments is done in many ways, including:
- Blessing: A Church sanctifies a piece in exchange for Contribution rather than crafting it (see Religion, pg. 3).
- Combining: Merges two Armaments of the same Mould into one, keeping the better of each part. No materials drop.
- Enchanting: Lays magic onto a finished piece as a layer over the craft.
- Inscribing: Marks the piece with script or colour that carries an effect of its own.
- Modifying: Fits a made part to a piece, and is the only path a TAW Armament has.
- Nesting: Lines the inside of a piece with a second material.
- Reforging: Rebuilds a broken piece from its own materials and brings it back out of the boneyard.
- Resonating: Tunes a piece to one Armament Type so it answers to that Type more strongly.
- Socketing: Sets a Jewel, Rune or like piece into a slot cut for it.
- Sundering: Consumes a Chthonic piece for its new enhanced version, with a chance to drop materials.
- Upgrading: Raises a piece a step at a time, and every step raises the chance of breaking it.
If armor is broken during enhancements, most of the materials drop and it can be reforged. Some easier than others so be careful, otherwise the Armor Card goes to the boneyard until it's reforged. All enhancements are lost upon armor breaking and the chance of it breaking increases with every enhancement.
For example, if a weapon has been upgraded to +3, the chance of upgrading it to +4 is lower than it was to reach +3. If the armor breaks while attempting a +4 upgrade, it is destroyed and sent to the boneyard, and most of its materials are harvested. The amount of mats harvested is random.
When the armor breaks, it loses all of its previous enhancements, such as socketed gems, upgrades and nested fur, and all the materials used to enhance it, such as the gem socketed, vanishes as well. The broken armor stays in the boneyard until all the necessary materials to reforge it have been gathered.
Sundering: Only Chthonic can be Sundered. It is an Armorer skill performed on an Excellent condition Armament, the piece is required and is consumed, and it returns the recipe one step back down: what was worked into bars returns as ore, what was worked into rings returns as ore, and so on to the raw material the recipe began from. Only materials the new piece did not call for may drop.
What a Sunder returns. Roll one Divine Roll (d100 + d100, 2 to 200) for each line of the recipe. Never more than half of what that line called for comes back, rounded down, and the roll decides how much of that half is recovered:
Recovered = (Divine Roll − Value Mod) ÷ 200 × (recipe quantity ÷ 2), rounded down, minimum 0.
Value Mod by the material's Value: Common 0, Uncommon 20, Rare 40, Unique 60, Heroic 80, Elite 100, Legendary 130, Divine 160.
Salvage does exactly what a Sunder does and costs less, and it is not an upgrade. It is what a Character does to a piece they have replaced, breaking it down for its materials alone. Telluric and TAW Armaments may be Salvaged. It runs on the same half cap and the same Value Mods.
Divine Armaments have their Enhancements baked in. Nothing further may be added to one, by any Enhancement or Modification.
These techniques can only be done by craftsmen trained in Professions aligned with these skills. For instance, Upgrading requires a Blacksmith Proficient in the Upgrading process of the Armament. Crafting requires a recipe (and the proficiency in the respective Profession), the materials and at least a makeshift workshop.
Weapon Mods
Weapon Mods are special upgrades that can be added to a character's weapons by NPCs or Players with the right professions (like blacksmiths, alchemists, or engineers). Each mod gives a weapon an added effect, such as poison, extra impact, shock, or better aim. Only Rare weapons and above may be upgraded. The effect can happen once per the Weapon's Rank beginning at Rare, so a Rare could grant the Mod's effect once per round. Seek out specialists, or learn the techniques directly, to modify weapons and gain an edge in combat.
Weapon Mod Scaling: Whenever a weapon mod refers to x (for example, "+x d6 damage" or "x times per round"), use the weapon's rank to determine x. This value applies to both the maximum number of times a mod can trigger each round and any scaling for damage or effects. Refer to the table below:
| Weapon Rank | x Value (per round & scaling) |
Example Damage (+x d6) |
|---|---|---|
| Rare | 1 | +1d6 |
| Unique | 2 | +2d6 |
| Heroic | 3 | +3d6 |
| Elite | 4 | +4d6 |
| Legendary | 5 | +5d6 |
| Divine | 6 | +6d6 |
Reagents (1h blade and piercing)
- What it does: Adds a groove or reservoir to a blade or piercing weapon, letting it hold and deliver liquid reagents (poison, acid, disease, etc.) on hit.
- How to get it: Modified by a blacksmith, alchemist, or specialist NPC in towns or shady markets.
- Effect: When loaded with a reagent, deals +1d4 damage of the reagent’s type (poison, acid, etc.) on a successful hit. Each application lasts 3 attacks before needing to be reapplied.
- How to use: Applying a reagent takes ½ turn in combat, or can be done outside of combat before the first attack.
Weighted Head (1h blunt)
- What it does: Adds a dense metal cap or spikes to a mace or club, increasing impact and chance to stun.
- How to get it: Installed by a blacksmith or weapon crafter in town.
- Effect: Deals +1d4 bludgeoning damage on hit. On a natural attack roll of 19-20, the target must make a Grit check or be stunned for 1 round.
Shock Coil Adapter (2h melee)
- What it does: A modular adapter affixed to the pommel (bottom) of a two-handed weapon. When the wielder successfully parries an attack, the adapter delivers a powerful shock to the attacker.
- How to get it: Crafted and installed by an engineer or tinkerer in a workshop or guild, requiring specialized tools and materials.
-
Effect: When the wielder successfully parries an attack (see trait Defense) the attacker takes +xd6 shock damage; where x is the weapon's rank (see table below). Rolling a natural 1 (or as per GM rules), the attacker is also stunned for x rounds. The adapter can only trigger once per rank per round.
Reminder: Only Rare weapons and above are qualified for Mods. This means a Rare weapon would have one Shock per round, while a Unique (the next rank up) weapon could have two shocks per round, and a Divine could have 6 (Divine always gets the effect on a miss).
| Weapon Rank | Shock Damage (per parry) | Max Shocks / Round | Stun Duration (on crit fail) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rare | 1d6 | 1 | 1 round |
| Unique | 2d6 | 2 | 2 rounds |
| Heroic | 3d6 | 3 | 3 rounds |
| Elite | 4d6 | 4 | 4 rounds |
| Legendary | 5d6 | 5 | 5 rounds |
| Divine | 6d6 (also triggers on miss) | 6 | 6 rounds |
Reagent Ammo (1h ranged)
- What it does: Allows arrows or bullets to be dipped into reagents for extra effects.
- How to get it: Modified by an alchemist or fletcher (arrow maker).
- Effect: When loaded with a reagent, attacks deal +1d4 damage of the reagent’s type (poison, acid, etc.) on a successful hit. Each application lasts for 3 shots before needing to be reapplied.
- How to use: Applying a reagent to ammo takes ½ turn in combat, or can be done outside of combat before the first shot.
Scope (2h ranged)
- What it does: Adds a lens or tube to a bow or rifle for improved aim.
- How to get it: Installed by a glassworker or engineer at a city shop.
- Effect: Gain advantage (or +2 bonus, depending on the system) on ranged attack rolls made at long range.
Refinement and Mining (Armorer Tree) Rules
Rule: When a character mines ore, they roll a d100 and add their Mining Bonus (if they've learned the Mining Skill under the Armorer Profession Tree). The total determines the refinement yield percentage based on the table below. The value of the raw ore is a fixed base amount specific to each ore type per ounce, multiplied by the weight in ounces and the yield percentage to determine the final value of the ore.
The final ore value = Raw ore base value per ounce × Weight in ounces × Refinement yield percentage
This process models the quality and efficiency of extraction, with higher rolls indicating better yields.
Refinement Yield Table
| Roll Range (d100 + Bonus) | Purity Percentage | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 - 50 | 20% | Low purity, rough or unrefined gemstone |
| 51 - 70 | 50% | Moderate purity, semi-refined gemstone |
| 71 - 85 | 70% | Good purity, refined gemstone |
| 86 - 99 | 85% | Very high purity, near-flawless gemstone |
| 100 | 100% | Flawless or divine-quality gemstone |
Raw Ore Base Values (per ounce)
| Ore Type | Base Value per Ounce (Gold) |
|---|---|
| Pyronium | 1 |
| Quantite | 2 |
| Iridium | 1 |
| Orichalcum | 2 |
| Aetherium | 3 |
| Mithril | 2 |
| Dragon Scale | 4 |
| Vibranium | 5 |
| Eldritch Obsidian | 3 |
| Celestial Bronze | 4 |
| Starmetal | 4 |
| Titanium | 4 |
| Osmium | 6 |
| Tungsten | 4 |
| Ruthenium | 4 |
| Chromium | 4 |
| Steel | 2 |
| Inconel | 4 |
| Magnesium (Hadfield) | 4 |
Valuables
Valuables encompass high-value items including gems, stones, and precious materials regardless of their category. This section covers Earth Elements and Gems that hold significant monetary or intrinsic worth.
Earth Elements and Gems
Gem Purity and Quality
Gems can vary in purity and quality, which affects their value and magical potency. The purity percentage indicates how refined or flawless the gem is, influencing its base value and enchantment capabilities. Higher purity gems are more valuable and more effective in magical applications.
Gem Purity Roll Bonus
When mining or crafting gems, a character rolls a d100 and adds their Mining Bonus to determine the final quality and value of the gem. The total roll, combined with the gem's inherent purity percentage, influences the final worth and effectiveness of the gemstone. A higher roll plus bonus results in a better-quality gem, which can lead to higher value or more potent enchantments.
| Roll Range (d100 + Bonus) | Purity Percentage | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 - 50 | 20% | Low purity, rough or unrefined gemstone |
| 51 - 70 | 50% | Moderate purity, semi-refined gemstone |
| 71 - 85 | 70% | Good purity, refined gemstone |
| 86 - 99 | 85% | Very high purity, near-flawless gemstone |
| 100 | 100% | Flawless or divine-quality gemstone |
Gem Base Value per Carat
The base value of a gem depends on its quality, size, and rarity. The value per carat is used to calculate the total worth based on the gem's weight. Higher quality gems or those with higher purity typically fetch higher prices. These base prices serve as a starting point for valuing gemstones in trade, crafting, or enchantment purposes.
| Gem | Base Price (Gold) |
|---|---|
| Diamond | 100 |
| Sapphire | 50 |
| Ruby | 60 |
| Emerald | 50 |
| Topaz | 30 |
| Amethyst | 35 |
| Obsidian | 10 |
| Garnet | 25 |
| Citrine | 20 |
| Nyxium | 150 |
| Infernium | 150 |
| Aetherstone | 200 |
| Moonstone | 150 |
Earth Elements, Metals
Metals are foundational materials throughout Essentia, valued for strength, versatility, and magical conductivity.
| Metal | Harvesting Technique | Value | Power | Drop on Failed Modification |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pyronium | Extracted from magma flows | 150-300 Gold/ingot | Fire-resistant; ideal for heat-resistant weapons and armor | Pyronium scrap |
| Quantite | Harvested from interstellar dust fields | 300-600 Gold/ingot | Extremely valuable; used in advanced crafting and technology | Quantite scrap |
| Lead Alloy | Standard smelting | 1-5 Gold/ingot | Blocks magical detection; used in anti-magic containers | , |
| Iridium | Found in meteorite fragments | 150-250 Gold/ingot | Resists magical and elemental damage; used in legendary items | , |
| Orichalcum | Smelted from rare enchanted ore | 250-400 Gold/ingot | Greatly boosts enchantments and elemental affinity | , |
| Aetherium | Synthesized in magical laboratories | 400-800 Gold/ingot | Source of immense energy; powers world-altering devices | , |
Fuel Elements
Raw and refined materials that power Non-Organic beings, vehicles, and machinery, mined, distilled, or charged depending on the source.
| Material | Harvesting Technique | Value | Power | Drop on Failed Modification |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coal | Mined from underground seams | 1-3 Gold/lb. | Burns to power steam engines and basic mechanical vehicles | Coal dust |
| Natural Gas | Vented from underground pockets, refined and pressurized | 5-10 Gold/canister | Powers gas lanterns, engines, and pressure-driven tools | Gas residue |
| Galvanic Cell | Assembled from conductive metals and acid | 10-20 Gold/cell | Stores and discharges electric current; powers Droids, Robots, and electric vehicles | Galvanic scrap |
Photon Core, Quantum Alloy, and Aetherium (Sci-Tech Elements and Earth Elements, Metals) also serve as power sources for Photon, Quantum, and Magic-powered Non-Organics, respectively.
Organic Elements
Harvested from creatures, essential for rituals, enchantments, and alchemy. The following elements have spell, potion, and/or scroll versions. When these materials are used to cast, Mana is not consumed.
Hybrid Abilities always consume a reagent when used. Which specific reagent is required is not set by Class or Path - it's set by the individual Hybrid Ability itself, as stated on that Ability's Card, the same reagent for that Ability no matter who's using it.
| Reagent / Organic Element | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Bone Dust | 1 - 3 Gold /gm. | Common reagent, used in necromancy and curses. |
| Bat Wings | 5 - 10 Gold /gm. | Rare, used for flight, invisibility, and rituals. |
| Elderwood Ash | 2 - 4 Gold /gm. | Moderate rarity, channels ancestral energies. |
| Fairy Wings | 5 - 10 Gold /gm. | Delicate, used in enchantments and illusions. |
| Reptilian Tail | 3 - 6 Gold /gm. | Used for regeneration potions or curses. |
| Beast Blood | 4 - 8 Gold /gm. | Enhances strength and resilience. |
| Star Crystals | 10 - 20 Gold /gm. | Used to invoke divine or celestial effects. |
| Moonflower Petals | 5 - 10 Gold /gm. | Harvested at night, used in invisibility potions. |
| Luckstone | 3 - 7 Gold /gm. | Gives +1 to +3 chance, used in luck-based rituals. |
| Blessed Alloy | 50 - 100 Gold /gm. | Rare, used in high-LVL crafting. |
| Alicorn Dust | 50+ Gold /gm. | From shedded unicorns' Alicorns, extremely rare. |
| Dragon Ichor | 100+ Gold /oz. | From dragon-type creatures, effects depend on dragon type, extremely rare. |
| Dragon Heartstring | 150+ Gold /strand. | Drawn from a slain dragon's heart, extremely rare, favored as a Stave crown core for raw power. |
| Phoenix Feather | 200+ Gold /feather. | Shed by a living phoenix, exceedingly rare, favored as a Stave crown core for versatility. |
| Unicorn Hair | 75+ Gold /strand. | Drawn from a unicorn's mane or tail without harm to the creature, rare, favored as a Stave crown core for consistency. |
| MAC Waste | Varies by MAC /gm. | Dropped by any slain MAC as loot, waste and fluids used as a reagent for certain Spells and as a crafting material for professions such as Apothecary. |
Stave Crowns
A Crown is the fitted core or headpiece set into a caster's Stave (or, for a Path that draws on a wand-equivalent instead, that implement's own core), the part that actually channels its bearer's power. Not every class or Path that wields a Stave-family implement is built around a Crown, some carve or bind their power into the implement itself instead, with no separate core to set. Where a Crown applies, its allowed core material is restricted by class:
- Sorcerer (Conjurer, Seer, Wizard): Crystal or Gemstone, or Dragon Heartstring, Phoenix Feather, or Unicorn Hair (see Organic Elements, above).
- Witch (Lunar's Walking Stick, BrewMaster's Stirring Stave, and a Norwitch's dagger doubling as its Spell focus): Wood, Ivory, Bone, or certain other reagents at GM discretion, never Crystal or Gemstone. A dagger-set Crown channels at reduced strength (+1 and +1) next to a full Stave or wand's Crown (+2 and +2).
- Shaman: no Crown. A Shaman's Totem draws its power from what it's carved from and ritually bound to, not a mounted core, see each Path's named Totem items above for its equivalent bonus.
A Crown's material determines the flavor of its bonus, not just its existence, a raw-power core like Dragon Heartstring favors damage output, a versatile core like Phoenix Feather favors utility and adaptability, a consistent core like Unicorn Hair favors reliability and reduced variance. The named Stave items already listed per class above (Stormwood Stave, Riftcaller Stave, Cauldronbrew Stave, and similar) are examples of an already-Crowned Stave; a character can commission a custom Crown for a plain Stave from an Enchanter or Apothecary instead, GM's discretion on price and effect, using this section's material restrictions as the baseline.
Sci-Tech Elements
Advanced sci-tech materials mined, synthesized, or infused through high-energy and arcane processes. Form the building blocks of data chips, starship components, energy sources, and high-tech weaponry.
| Material | Harvesting Technique | Value | Power | Drop on Failed Modification |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plasma Crystal | Extracted from stellar plasma fields | 50 Gold/core | High-energy plasma source for starship engines and plasma weaponry | Plasma shard |
| Laser Crystal | Mined from asteroid belts; refined with high-energy alchemy | 30 Gold/crystal | Focuses and amplifies laser beams for weapons or cutting tools | Laser shard |
| Quantum Alloy | High-energy alchemical synthesis of rare space minerals | 75 Gold/batch | Crafts advanced circuit boards, processors, and energy conduits | Quantum alloy scrap |
| Photon Core | Photonic energy condensates with rare crystalline materials | 40 Gold/core | Energy source for photon-based weapons and propulsion systems | Photon shard |
| Dark Matter Infused Ore | Collected from cosmic dark matter reservoirs via ancient alchemy | 100 Gold/infusion | Reinforces armor and weapons; grants dark energy amplification | Dark matter fragment |
| Cryo-Exotic Alloy | Smelted from space metals infused with cryogenic magic | 35 Gold/ingot | Crafts heat- and cold-resistant plasma weapons and armor | Cryo alloy scrap |
| Starsteel | Forged from space minerals fused with cosmic energy | 45 Gold/ingot | Lightweight, ultra-strong material for starship hulls, weapons, and armor | Starsteel fragment |
| Synthetic Fiber | Nano-engineered polymers infused with magic for durability | 10 Gold/roll | Used in flexible stealth suits, armor, and high-tech gear | Synthetic fiber shard |
| Energy Conduit | Conductive crystalline materials infused with plasma and arcane energy | 25 Gold/unit | Facilitates high-capacity energy transfer in ships and weapons | Conduit fragment |
| Nano-Infused Crystal | Crystals infused with nano-machines and arcane energy | 60 Gold/crystal | Creates self-repairing technology or enhanced energy storage | Nano crystal shard |
| Voidstone | Mined from shadowed cosmic voids; infused with dark magic | 80 Gold/stone | Manipulates space, teleportation, or shadow energy | Void shard |
| Stingers | Found on Futurem, Omne, and Tredeki | , | Shimmering metallic purple hue; lattice structure makes it incredibly strong yet lightweight. Essential for advanced technology and spacecraft construction. | , |
Prism Elements
Captured when a creature is slain by an attack, spell, or effect linked to the Soul Prism, or when a soul-binding ritual is completed. Used in advanced rituals and enchanted crafting.
| Prism | Harvesting Technique | Value | Power |
|---|---|---|---|
| Light Prism | Forged from pure light-infused minerals | 60 Gold/prism | Focuses and refracts pure light or magical energies. Illuminates dark areas; may project illusions. |
| Ethereal Prism | Made from rare spirit shards found in the spirit realm | 200 Gold/shard | Captures or interacts with spiritual entities; used in communication with spirits or teleportation. |
| Void Prism | Crafted from shadow-infused obsidian and voidstone | 300 Gold/prism | Manipulates void or null energies; used for banishment or containment of evil entities. |
| Elemental Prism | Made with materials representing fire, water, earth, and air | 100 Gold/prism | Capable of creating gentle elemental activity. |
Special Items
Special Items are unique objects of singular importance, including quest items, trophies, and treasures earned through significant events or achievements. These items hold narrative weight and may have mechanical effects tied to their story or origin. Quest items are essential to specific storylines and objectives, while trophies commemorate victories and accomplishments. Special Items are tracked separately on character sheets and in campaign records.
Currency
Currency is the standard medium of exchange used throughout Essentia for buying, selling, and valuing equipment and items. The primary currency system consists of three denominations: Gold, Silver, and Copper, with fixed conversion rates between them. All prices for equipment, items, materials, and services are listed in these denominations. Zailister holds the role of the primary global reserve currency issuer, its position anchored by its great abundance in Gold, making Zailister Gold the backbone of inter-planetary trade and commerce.
| Currency | Symbol | Conversion Rate | Common Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gold | Au | 1 Gold = 10 Silver | Major purchases, high-value items, and wealth storage |
| Silver | Ag | 1 Silver = 10 Copper | Equipment purchases, lodging, and everyday transactions |
| Copper | Cu | Base unit | Common goods, supplies, and minor purchases |
Exchange Rate Summary: 1 Gold = 10 Silver = 100 Copper. Characters track their wealth on their Character sheet under Currency, with values shown in Gold, Silver, and Copper. When making purchases, prices are converted as needed based on available funds.
Regional Currency Systems
While the Gold, Silver, and Copper standard forms the basis of most commerce, certain regions operate under alternative currency systems due to geographic or political factors.
Ignis: Excluded from the global reserve currency system, Ignis operates independently through a trade-based economy. Ignis relies on direct trade of its magical emitting resources and very rare gems, making these materials as valuable as currency itself. Transactions in Ignis often involve bartering these resources rather than using standard Gold denominations.
Planets Further Out: These planets are excluded from the global reserve and operate under a credit system focused on digital transactions. Currency in these realms takes the form of credit cards, digital devices such as smart phones and data pads, and check writing. These financial services are backed by taxes collected from their respective residents and a secured reserve often collected through raiding other planets, including Zailister. This system creates a more technologically advanced but politically volatile economic structure.
Tredeki: Operates within a cooperative economic framework based on mutual trade networks and economic cooperation. Rather than relying on commodity backing or centralized authority, Tredeki's currency value is maintained through strong trade partnerships and the collective benefit of inter-planetary commerce. The currency is backed by the strength of these trade networks and the commitment of its trading partners to maintain economic stability through cooperative agreements. This system prioritizes mutual prosperity and shared economic interests over individual resource dominance or military power.