This section details different kinds of weapons, armor, and other equipment that characters may have. Weapons are generalized for gameplay ease, but players that specialize in a particular weapon (by taking a Specialty in the related skill) can gain particular benefits for their specialized weapon.
A note on Melee Weapons vs Ranged Weapons
Melee and ranged weapons have the same base damage amounts but have different strengths and weaknesses. The main weakness of a melee weapon is simple, that the enemy is right beside the PC. Ranged weapons have the advantage of potential safety, attacking enemies from afar. Furthermore, ranged weapons can deal additional damage by spending ammo.
Ranged weapons have a few weaknesses though. First, an attacker takes a -1 penalty when using a ranged weapon against an adjacent enemy or one that is partially behind cover, and a -3 penalty against opponents fully hidden behind cover. Second, if an attacker spends all of their ammo then they need to take a separate action to reload the weapon before they can attack with it again (prompting an opponent’s action).
When fighting in tight spaces, winding hallways, or forests with plenty of cover, and when dealing with magical means of movement and cover, many combat mages prefer to have a melee weapon available.
Melee Weapons
Melee weapons come in two types, single-handed and two-handed. They may also deal bashing or severe damage, depending on whether or not the weapon has a blade or sharpened end.
- One-handed melee weapons deal 1|3 damage. Gear 1
- Two-handed melee weapons deal 2|4 damage. Gear 2
Melee Specialty
When a player chooses a melee weapon specialty for the Combat skill, they choose two of the following benefits for that weapon. These effects should make sense for the type of weapon and only apply when the player’s character is using that type of weapon. Specialties can be taken twice per weapon type, for a total of 4 bonus effects.
- Concealed: The weapon can be hidden from casual inspection, even from metal detectors.
- Increased Low Damage: Increase the low damage of the weapon by 1.
- Increased High Damage: Increase the high damage of the weapon by 1.
- Stressful: When an attack using this weapon deals damage, the victim takes a -1 penalty to their next action (or reduces their tier by 1)
- Piercing: Damage ignores 2 points of armor.
- Reach: Using the weapon provides a +1 reach. When fighting a melee opponent with less range than you, and you are not in a desperate position, reduce their damage from high to low, or low to zero.
- Throw: The weapon does not take a penalty when getting thrown.
- Trick: The weapon can be used to perform a non-damaging trick, providing a +1 bonus to rolls for that trick. Tricks may involve feinting, grappling, entangling, disarming, tripping, or other non-damaging maneuvers.
Note on Thrown Weapons: Thrown weapons suffer -2 die penalty against Far Away Targets unless they have the “Throw” effect provided as a weapon specialty.
Note on Two Weapon Fighting (one in each hand): Two weapon fighting applies the same bonus as a two-handed weapon, meaning an attack done with two weapons has a base damage of 2|4.
Ranged Weapons
Ranged weapons come in two types, single-handed and two-handed, but also vary in ammo capacity based on type and quality. Ammo is not strictly tracked, allowing the assumption that it is easy enough to restore in order to reduce resource tracking. Instead, certain ranged maneuvers allow a combatant to spend a point of ammo for an additional effect. This expenditure generally represents use of ammo beyond a normal attack, such as with suppressing fire.
- One-handed modern ranged weapons deal 1|3 damage, Range Far Away, Ammo Range 2-3.
- Two-handed modern ranged weapons deal 2|4 damage, Range Far Away, Ammo Range 1-5.
Ranged Specialty
When a player gains a ranged weapon specialty for the Combat skill, they choose two of the following list of effects. These effects should make sense for the type of weapon and only apply when the player’s character is using that type of weapon. Specialties can be taken twice per weapon type, for a total of 4 bonus effects.
- Increased Critical: 5s count as Hits when using this weapon.
- Increased Low Damage: Increase the low damage of the weapon by 1.
- Increased High Damage: Increase the high damage of the weapon by 1.
- Increased Range: Increase the range of a two-handed weapon from “Far Away” to “Off the Map.” Imposes “Setup” to the weapon.
- Increased Ammo: Increase the ammo of weapon by 1.
- Quick Reload: Requires a simple ranged weapon (bow) or a one-handed ranged weapon with a free hand. You may reload this weapon on the same turn it takes to fire it by spending 2 Stress.
- Silent: The weapon does not use gunpowder or have explosions that would make noise. When attacking from stealth your location is not revealed.
- Spread: The weapon hits all engaged targets within a Large area.
Ranged Terms / Ammo Use
- Autofire: Some modern weapons allow their user to simply hold onto the trigger to release more bullets. Weapons with the Autofire trait can spend ammo for autofire bursts.
- [Ammo 4] Autofire Long Burst: Spend 4 Ammo to target an entire cluster of adjacent targets, pending on GM approval. A +3 bonus is applied to the attack roll and defenders roll in any order they wish (or first declared rolls last). Each defender gets a +1 bonus to their roll for each defender that rolled before them. (care friendly fire)
- [Ammo 3] Autofire Medium Burst: Spend 3 Ammo to target up to three adjacent targets as the shooter wants, pending on GM approval. A +2 bonus is applied to the attack roll and defenders roll in any order they wish (or first declared rolls last). Each defender gets a +1 bonus to their roll for each defender that rolled before them.
- [Ammo 1] Autofire Short Burst: Spend 1 Ammo at a single target to gain a +1 bonus to the roll.
- [Ammo 1] Wounding Shot: Spend 1 Ammo after rolling for an attack to deal 1 additional damage. Not stackable
- Range: Most ranged weapons can be used from both nearby and far away ranges. Thrown weapons can only reach nearby targets. Weapons with an Off the Map range take an additional -2 penalty to attacks on Nearby or closer targets.
- Reload: A ranged weapon must be reloaded when its clip is emptied; ammo is empty. Reloading any weapon to refill ammo takes an action or spending an initiative token.
- Thrown Penalty: Thrown weapons suffer a -2 damage penalty and a -2 penalty against Far Away Targets unless they have the “Throw” effect provided as a weapon specialty.
- Setup: Requires an action to setup in a single spot. Takes a -2 penalty to use when not setup.
Armor
- Armor Rating: Armor provides protection against general physical attacks like bashing and slashing damage, though magical and advanced armors may protect against mental or elemental damage. Armor reduces damage equal to its current weakened value.
- Armor Penalty: When wearing armor, the wearer takes the armor’s Armor Penalty as a penalty to all Physical ability checks. If the wearer does not meet the strength requirements necessary to wear the armor the penalty is doubled.
| Name | Armor Rating | Armor Penalty | Requirements |
| Makeshift / Partial | 1 | 0 | – |
| Kevlar Vest | 2 * | -1 | Str 0 |
| Full Riot Gear | 4 * | -2 | Str 2 |
| Leather | 2 | -1 | Str 0 |
| Gambeson | 3 | -1 | Str 1 |
| Plate / Chainmail | 4 | -2 | Str 2 |
| Basic Shield | 1 | 0 | Str 0 |
| Tower Shield | 2 | -2 | Str 1 |
* Bulletproof armor also downgrades damage dealt by Firearms attacks from severe to bashing.
Bombardment:
Armor has two values: Max and Weakened. The values start the same, but only the weakened armor value reduces the damage from attacks.
Attackers might need to weaken their opponent’s armor before they can make lethal attacks.
To do so, an attacker can choose to target the defender’s armor directly. If the attacker succeeds with a Hit, the armor’s weakened value decreases by one and the wielder takes 1 Bashing damage.
Weakened armor can be repaired up to its maximum armor value.
Explosives
| Name | Damage | Blast Radius |
| Grenade * | 4(S)|6(A) | Nearby |
| Claymore | 3(S)|8(S) | Nearby (1 direction) |
| Dynamite | 6(B)|7(A) | Nearby |
| C-4 (1lb) | 4(S)|7(A) | Nearby |
| Rocket Launcher | 4(B)|6(A) | Nearby, Range Far Away |
All explosives knockdown and put a 2 dice “Deafened” aspect on targets when they hit.
* When the pin of a grenade is pulled the GM may decide to roll 1d6 to determine how many turns will pass before the grenade explodes; exploding at the start of the turn after actors are declared. Each character which ends its turn in an unexploded grenade’s blast radius may make a Agility ability check to throw the grenade elsewhere if they are adjacent to it.
A Note on Two-Handed Items:
What something is noted as “two-handed?” it means that the item can only be effectively used with two hands. By extension, this means a character could hold a two-handed item in one hand, and still effectively use one-handed items/spells with their other hand. They could even use the one-handed weapon, then drop it, and use the two-handed weapon! However, anytime a character drops something in order to free a hand for another action, they are providing an easy opening for the GM to use the “lost resource” consequence.
Magical Items
Mages fuel their spells using Mana, their understanding of magic, and may invest this understanding to create magical effects and items by use of enchanting. Many mages have had their enchantments stolen from them or died leaving their items behind. Beyond that, there are can be numerous other ways magical items have found their way into our world without a mage’s hand. Furthermore, their are some ways for mages to create enchantments without investing their own Mana.
Cine is a very rare substance that comes from ancient, magically warped trees. Physically, it appears as a solid blue amber, though purer forms are less opaque. Whatever it is, it seems tied to the nature of magic itself, and mages are able to use it to create constricted spells without using their own Mana. Most cine isn’t even equivalent to 1 point of Mana, but with enough of it (~ 1 pound or 1/4th a pound of very pure cine) a mage may still use it to replace their own Mana in an enchantment. As with all enchantments, the description of the spell is very important, and the GM is encouraged to have the effect work as described, if not as intended, more so than if the enchantment used the mage’s Mana.