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7: Equipment (February 1999) The last step in creating your AD&D character is outfitting her with weapons, armor, and the equipment she’ll need in her adventuring career. Although your character has some impressive abilities and skills, she won’t fare well against the monsters and villains of the AD&D game until she arms and armors herself. Not only does she need to select the weapons and armor she’ll use, but she also needs to equip herself with a pack of supplies, rope, tools, and anything else she’ll need to explore dismal dungeons and labyrinthine caverns. Finally, your character also has to cover her living expenses until such a time as she can support herself with the proceeds from her adventuring—rewards, titles, and recovered booty. Equipping Your CharacterThere are three ways you can choose to equip your character. First, you can simply record everything in the standard kit for your character group, described below. Second, you can ask your Dungeon Master to assign the equipment he thinks your character should have. Finally, you can generate a starting sum of money for your character and then purchase your character’s gear item by item. The Standard KitIf you want to save some time in character creation, you can assume that your character is carrying a typical selection of weapons, armor, and gear appropriate to her class. Refer to the tables below, referencing the appropriate table according to your racial size, and read across to determine the armor and weapons your character begins play with, then select from among the available adventuring packs to complete your character. (Some classes are limited to choosing from only one, two, or three of the packs.) After these selections, your character finishes with 2d4 gold pieces in her pocket. You can choose to spend these on equipment from the tables later in this chapter to pick up some additional gear, or you can have your character hang on to her grubstake for now. Each adventuring pack has a cost listed in case you’d prefer to select all these items together during an item-by-item selection; you don’t have to pay this cost if you’re using the Standard Kit method. Note that there’s a slight discount for taking these adventuring packs instead of purchasing each item individually. Table 7–1a: Standard Arms and Armor by Class (Size M)
Note: Movement rates
in brackets are for dwarves. 1. Basic Pack: Cloak, soft boots, breeches, tunic, backpack with waterskin, three day’s rations, 3 torches, flint and steel, large sack (empty). Cost: 8 gp. Weight: 22.5 pounds. 2. Outdoor Pack: Cloak, soft boots, breeches, tunic, backpack with waterskin, one week of rations, hooded lantern, 2 flasks of oil, 50 feet rope, flint and steel, bedroll. Cost: 16 gp. Weight: 50 pounds. 3. Scholar’s Pack: Cloak, soft boots, breeches, robes, backpack with waterskin, one day’s rations, 3 candles, flint and steel, 2 map cases, 6 sheets parchment (blank), ink. Cost: 23 gp. Weight: 19 pounds. 4. Delver’s Pack: Cloak, soft boots, breeches, tunic, belt, small belt pouch, backpack with waterskin, five day’s iron rations, bull’s-eye lantern, 4 flasks of oil, crowbar, 50 feet of rope, 10 pitons, mallet, spade, flint and steel, 3 pieces of chalk. Cost: 30 gp. Weight: 62 pounds. 5. Deluxe Pack: Cloak, shoes, breeches, tunic, belt, vest, cap, small belt pouch, backpack with waterskin, three day’s iron rations, hooded lantern, 2 flasks oil, flint and steel, 6 candles, 50 feet of silk rope, grappling hook, mallet, small mirror, large sack (empty), 10 pitons, bedroll. Cost: 38 gp. Weight: 46 pounds. Table 7–1b: Standard Arms and Armor by Class (Halfling or Gnome)
* Figures in parentheses are normal damage, critical damage, and (for missile weapons) range increment. An asterisk after a critical damage figure indicates that the weapon causes critical damage on a roll of 19 or 20. 1. Basic Pack: Cloak, soft boots, breeches, tunic, backpack with waterskin, bedroll, three day’s rations, 3 torches, flint and steel, 50 feet silk rope, large sack (empty). Cost: 16 gp. Weight: 23.5 pounds. 2. Outdoor Pack: Cloak, soft boots, breeches, tunic, backpack with waterskin, one week of rations, hooded lantern, 2 flasks oil, 50 feet silk rope, flint and steel, bedroll. Cost: 23 gp. Weight: 42 pounds. 3. Scholar’s Pack: Cloak, soft boots, breeches, robes, backpack with waterskin, one day’s rations, 3 candles, flint and steel, 2 map cases, 6 sheets parchment (blank), ink, small metal mirror. Cost: 31 gp. Weight: 16 pounds. 4. Delver’s Pack: Cloak, soft boots, breeches, tunic, belt, small belt pouch, backpack with waterskin, ten day’s iron rations, bull’s-eye lantern, 4 flasks oil, crowbar, 50 feet of silk rope, 10 pitons, mallet, spade, flint and steel, 3 pieces of chalk. Cost: 42 gp. Weight: 57.5 pounds. 5. Deluxe Pack: Cloak, shoes, breeches, tunic, belt, vest, cap, small belt pouch, backpack with waterskin, ten day’s iron rations, hooded lantern, 2 flasks oil, flint and steel, 6 candles, 50 feet of silk rope, grappling hook, mallet, small mirror, large sack (empty), 10 pitons, bedroll, small metal mirror. Cost: 52 gp. Weight: 48 pounds. You may exchange your character’s weapons for any other weapons of the same price or less, although you should be careful to select weapons your character knows how to use. For example, the fighter begins play with a longsword and a spear, but if you wanted to trade those in for a footman’s flail and a javelin, you could do so. Make sure you record the damage figures for your weapons and the protective value of your character’s armor (see Tables 7–4, 7–5, and 7–6, later in this chapter). All other items are described later in this chapter.
WeaponsThe world of the AD&D game is filled with dangerous animals, ferocious monsters, heartless brigands, and dastardly villains. A hero’s best defense against these perils is his trusty sword or bow. While some spellcasting characters may rarely resort to physical violence, even they may find themselves at close quarters with a foe. All weapons are rated in the following categories: Cost: The weapon’s cost in silver pieces or gold pieces. One weapon—the common club—has no listed cost, since anyone can find a serviceable club with a little looking around. Weight: The weapon’s weight in pounds. Weapon Size: All weapons are classed according to a size category—light, 1h (one-hand) or 2h (two-hand). Light weapons are approximately two feet or less in size; 1h weapons are two to five feet long; 2h weapons are generally six feet or greater in length. This length is a general rule, however, because what the term really indicates is how many hands it takes to wield. Some weapons, like the medium lance, are quite long, but they’re meant to be used one handed on a mounted charge (the other hand is used to hold a shield). These size indicators are useful because they explain which weapons can be used with a shield, with something in the off hand, etc. Also, see Chapter 5, "Skills and Heroic Feats," for how weapon size affects the Two-Weapon Fighting combat maneuver. These size indicators are for Medium-sized characters. Characters that Small-sized can also use these weapons, but light weapons become 1h, and 1h become 2h. Size S characters cannot use 2h weapons. A 2h non-missile weapon cannot be used by a thief or an assassin in a sneak attack. See "Character Size versus Weapon Size" below for more detail. Type: Weapons are classified according to types—bludgeoning (B), piercing (P), and slashing (S). Some monsters may be partially or wholly immune to attacks with some types of weapons; for example, a skeleton only suffers half damage from anything except a blunt weapon. Damage: All weapons are rated for the amount of damage they can cause on a normal hit and on a critical hit. Critical hits are explained in greater detail in Chapter 9, "Combat"; generally, a weapon scores a critical hit on a natural attack roll of 20. Some weapons, particularly swords, score critical hits on rolls of 19 or 20. Two weapons—the morning star and the bastard sword—have two separate damage ratings, depending on whether they’re used one- or two-handed. If a character must use a weapon two-handed because he is naturally size S (small), he only uses the one-handed damage track. In effect, he gains no bonus for using the weapon two-handed. Range: The range in feet at which the weapon can be fired or hurled against a target without an attack penalty. Each additional increment of the stated range carries a cumulative –2 attack penalty. For example, a short bow may be fired up to 70 feet without penalty; shots of 70–139 feet are at –2, shots of 140–209 feet are at –4, 210–279 feet at –6, and so on. Thrown weapons such as axes or daggers have a maximum range of five times their range figure, while propelled missiles such as bows, crossbows, and slings have a maximum range of ten times their range figure. Table 7–4: Weapons
* Attacker may roll
for critical damage on a natural (unmodified) attack
roll of 19 or 20. Character Size versus Weapon SizeThe above weapon table is keyed to human and other size M characters. Halflings and gnomes, both size S, have a difficult time using weapons sized for humans. They suffer a –2 attack penalty using any such weapon (and cannot use size L weapons at all). To use weapons appropriate to their smaller stature, halfling and gnome characters can cut the weight and cost in half, and lower the damage (both normal and critical) by one category on the following table. Damage Categories1 point When converting weapon damage up or down a step, use the first damage listed for the new step on the chart. Thus, 2d10 or 3d6 converts to 1d12 on a step down and 3d8 on a step up. Example: A longsword for a size M character inflicts 1d8/2d8, so the same weapon sized for a halfling would inflict 1d6/1d12 damage. A longsword for a size H giant (2 size category steps larger than size M) would inflict 2d8/4d8. The "Damage Categories" list can be used to create weapons for size T creatures, such as a pixie sword, and for size L or larger creatures. Thus, it allows for weapons sized appropriately for a giant or even a titan. Each step down halves the weight and cost, and each step up doubles the weight and cost. Likewise, each step up or down imposes a –2 attack penalty for not using an appropriately sized weapon. Weapon DescriptionsTable 7–4 assumes a high medieval setting. The weapons and armor represent equipment available from approximately A.D. 500 to 1500 in Western Europe. There are thousands of variations on the weapons described in this list; if you want to call your character’s scimitar a tulwar or a falchion, or think of his spear as a pilum or assegai, feel free to do so. The Dungeon Master has more information on weapons of different cultures and eras. Ax, battle: Generally, any heavy ax that can be used one-handed or two-handed falls into this category. (If an ax can only be used two-handed, it’s a two-hand ax.) Battle axes often have a spike, hammer, or smaller blade backing the primary blade. In some cases, both blades are equal in size in weight and can be used interchangeably. Ax, hand or throwing: Not every hand ax can be thrown; the weapon must be built for balance to be thrown, although this isn’t particularly rare or unusual. The Franks made excellent use of throwing axes as a shock weapon; the Frankish line would halt just short of the enemy and hurl a murderous volley of axes before closing for hand-to-hand fighting. Thrown axes can be used to execute special maneuvers in the Power combat style. Ax, two-hand: This mighty weapon consists of a four- to five-foot haft with a very heavy blade. The ax may be double-bitted, with blades on both sides of the haft, or it may only have a single blade. It is an unwieldy weapon, but a skilled fighter can strike blows of tremendous strength with it. Poleaxes such as the bardiche, voulge, or Lochaber ax fall into this category. Bow: One of the most common weapons throughout history is the bow. The simple self bow, or short bow, has been used for hunting and war since before the dawn of civilization. A plain long or short bow is made from a single piece of wood. Composite bows are made from laminated horn, wood, or bone and built with a recurve, meaning that the bow remains bow-shaped even when unstrung. The power of a bow is measured by its pull. The greater the pull, the higher the Strength score needed to work the bow. Thus, characters may purchase bows that grant them damage bonuses for high Strength. Likewise, characters with low Strength scores suffer damage penalties when using a bow (they are forced to use weaker bows or simply cannot draw back as far). The pull of a bow doesn’t prevent a character from using the weapon, only from gaining the full effect. Heavier pull composite bows are available, but more expensive than standard bows. These bows must be custom crafted and cost two to four times the normal price; multiply the listed cost of the bow by the damage bonus desired. Note that bows crafted for characters of high Strength never grant attack bonuses, only damage bonuses. Damage Bonus Cost Notes
For example, a character with a 17 Strength wishes to buy a bow that will allow him to use the +3 damage bonus for his high Strength score, so the bow costs four times as much as normal. If a character has an unusually low Strength score, he must apply any attack or damage penalties to his archery. He is forced to use bows that have a lighter pull. Short bows can be found in any setting. Even if they are not used for war, they are the weapons of choice for many hunters. Long bows are simply bigger short bows. They are drawn to the cheek, instead of being drawn to the chest as other bows are. Long bows cannot be used from horseback. Composite short bows are the favorite of horse archers everywhere. Composite long bows are usually only found in eastern campaigns. They can be fired from horseback if they have been specially built for it, at twice the normal cost. An arrow used as a stabbing weapon in melee inflicts 1d4 /2d6 damage. Club: Clubs range from something as simple as an animal’s thigh bone to a well-balanced work of art. Not all clubs can be thrown, but throwing weapons are common enough that a PC can obtain one as easily as a melee-only weapon. Clubs are effectively free, but if a PC wants to get one that is recognized as a warrior’s weapon it may cost anywhere from 5 sp to 10 gp. Clubs incur no attack penalty if used in a subdual attack; see Non-Lethal Combat in Chapter 9.
1. By this point, we’ve converted all weapon damage to dice without bonuses. 2. We’re still using ad hoc critical damage ratings. 3. This version of the weapon table shows a new way to handle weapon size. The idea was that you’d be able to get these weapons sized to characters of different sizes. The idea has some merit, but it made it really hard to equip halflings and gnomes. We did wind up keeping some version of the rules for weapon damage by size. We use those rules, for example, to determine how much damage a fire giant’s greatsword does, or how much damage a lion’s bite does if you make the lion twice as big. |
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The
new standard kits demonstrate one of our general goals:
to give the players the information they need when they
need it. By putting the weapon and armor data here,
we made it easier to get your character ready to go.
