Holy Ground

It is All Hallow's Eve, so I thought a discussion of Holy Ground was in order.

Holy Ground in this case, is any ground consecrated to a spiritual being through a ritual of consecration. Each spiritual being (gods mostly) will have their own tailored ritual of consecration, which will involve prayer and sacrifice to achieve. Roughly, each day's worth of prayer (24 hrs) and coinciding sacrifices (really varies per deity), will consecrate a totem or altar to store 1 point of spiritual energy. Over time, these amounts can climb to extraordinary levels (or max out if the altar or totem is of insufficient quality). Of course, consecrating the alter does not also provided the energy to store there. That energy comes from the sacrifices and prayers that come later and presumably on a regular basis.

Furthermore, the altar can act as a battery for protection (or other spells) that are tied to the alter in yet another time-consuming ritual. As long as the altar's energy level is maintained, such spells are maintained. Also, any spirit caster who worships that particular deity can tap the altar (through touch) and use the energy in casting. Thus, such sites are also well protected. Crude altars, idols, or totems may be made of base materials, but they store little power compared to ones made of valuable and special materials.

Such focal points of communion with a deity are not portable, and can only be moved to a new temple site at great pains. Portable focal items are possible, and most serious casters take the time to create a holy symbol that is consecrated. each storable point requires 120 hours of prayer specifically for that purpose. The maximum number of points in a mundane holy symbol is 1 point per die of spirit magic casting skill. Once consecrated, the symbol can be charged and recharged as needed.

Spirits can be bond to higher quality altars for any number of duties, including security. More on that later.

Souls and Spirits

As I started fleshing out some spells in my previous post, I realized I had some choices to make concerning the spirit world.

At first, I just wanted an ethereal backdrop of spiritual-soul derived energy. The place where gods could be born and dwell, but not reign over the living world in a direct way. Then, I thought it would be appropriate to have a path of apotheosis for those living on our alternate earth, which would allow characters to grow in spiritual awareness/ spirit power wielding skill until they reached a point of influence in the spirit world. This influence would be an entry-level position in the hero pantheon, with many possible role-playing angles, as the player's character matured beyond simply adventuring, and became a lasting hero. Then I thought, what about the small people? Do their souls not merit any individuality in the afterlife? Are they just absorbed by the deities they worshipped in life, becoming part of the very ideals they strove toward? Are they a constant? Do they have the chance to grow? Can they fade away or be reincarnated? While characters may never know for certain how these things work, I see that writing spells that call upon spirits needs a little structure behind it, so that everything flows naturally. This could go any of a number of ways, but I have a proposal.

Every being on our alternate earth who can safely be identified as having a soul, will enter the spirit world upon death. Their presence and powers there being determined by their relative level of spiritual achievement. While, heroes and legends would take positions of prominence, normal folks would also have a place in the glowing radiance of their deity of choice. As it was originally envisioned, the spirit world gave birth to representations of cultural ideals (gods), but the relative power of such would be reflexive of the amount of prayer/sacrifice made in their name. Thus, the common folk would also gain in the afterlife if those that remembered them from life prayed for them or honored their memory in other ways. Blatant ancestor worship would facilitate a ready pantheon of lesser spirits that might aid a family member, so this might be a solid fixture in many cultures. Those that are forgotten, for good or ill, drift into a slumber and may ultimately have their soul's energy reborn in another life (though this doesn't have to be made a rule). Certainly, my idea is that beings long dead and rarely spoken of would be in a slumber, but the length of that slumber would be proportional to their original power as a spirit. Gods could slumber for eons to be awoken and worshipped again, while forgotten heroes would have a shorter span, and most common folks might be reborn in 10-20 generations.

Of course, this ignores the usefulness of such spirits to more powerful spirits. Minion spirits could be retained by a more powerful spirit. Perhaps these faithful spirits can provide their power to their deity as their spirit experiences a sort of half-life effect over time. On the other hand, spirit slaves might provide many benefits for the various gods, demons, heroes of the spirit world. Souls could easily be a commodity of power, or simply a fuel for perpetuation. I'd like to leave this open to further development at some future point. If we accept that spirits of the dead reside in the spirit world for at least a while, then the spirit casters of our earth could commune with them, ask favors of them, and receive help from them. The Game Master would need to have a clear idea of what needs the spirits have in their world. As in any role-playing opportunity, each faction maneuvers others toward their goal. The goals may be the same (serving a god's desire) or the spirit may need to trick the adventurer to get what they want from a more powerful being. These concepts are old ones, but they are the core of folklore and mythologies.

That being said, it is my intention to keep a wall between the living and the spirit world, that only skilled spirit casters can breach. It will take some playtesting to iron out, but the costs of spells that deal directly with spirits will have a high casting target. Of course, gates and other breaches could be achieved with even higher magic, but that is another subject entirely.

There is another wrinkle I wanted to mention concerning spirit spells. There will be spells where the deity sends the power to the caster, and there will be spells where a minion of the god is sent to aid the caster in a specific task. Separate rules will have to be framed to incorporate these different processes, and the possible measures an opposing caster could use to foil the caster's spirit agent.

Finally, at some point, soul-binding magics will have to be worked-out. Binding souls to items, or links to spirits, is very viable. Soul forging of items, such as weapons, where the crafter actually places a bit of there spirit in the item is something to clarify.

Spiritual Spell List

Here is where I plan to put all Spiritual Magic Spells. I plan to use a simple template like this:

Spell Name:   name of spell

History:  a brief description of how the spell developed in game terms

Maximum Casting Time:   maximum number of 6 second segments that the caster can chant/pray/evoke to help add to their casting skill check at the rate of 1 point per 6 seconds. The caster can continue past the maximum time without penulty, but there is no further bonus.

Minimum Casting Cost (Base Duration):   this is the minimum total of the casting skill roll necessary to successfully cast the spell (duration that spell will lasts is in parenthesis)

Overage Effect:   the amount rolled on the casting skill check over the Minimum Casting Cost is the Overage- usually the overage adds to the duration of the spell, but may have other effects.

Spell Effect:   effect of the successfully casted spell.

Range:   most spiritual spells are touch based, but there are spells where the spirits aid the caster by carrying the effect a certain distance.

Spell Name:   Bless Action

History:   As the proto-religions first came to be throughout the various cultures, the primitive shamans evoked their gods for assistance.  This spell represents the first, minimal response of the gods to the faithful.

Maximum Casting Time:   1 round.
Minimum Casting Cost (Base Duration):  40 points (1 round)

Overage Effect:   1 extra round duration per point of overage.

Spell Effect:  For the first round and any additional rounds, the recipient of this spell receives assistance from the gods in the form of a 1d6 bonus to any action of their choice. The recipient may change the focus of the bonus die at the beginning of their turn each round. Actions can include any skill or ability check, including those skills that the recipient has no training in. This bonus is stackable, if multiple casters cast it upon the same recipient, but each duration is determined by each different caster's roll.

Range:  Touch


Spell Name:   Commune With Spirits
History:   Over time, as casters became attuned to the spirit world, they realized that they could call upon spirits of those they knew in life to speak with.
Maximum Casting Time:   3 rounds.
Minimum Casting Cost (Base Duration):   80 points (1 minute)
Overage Effect:  15 seconds per point over (note-the spirit can extend the visitation with their own power, if they wish)
Spell Effect:   The caster calls upon the spirit of dead to commune with. The caster will know when the spirit is present, though no visible sign may appear. Spirits have their own abilities, and do not have to answer a request of this sort, though the caster will sense the spirit's rebuff if denied communion. Spirits are just as likely to start asking questions as answer them, and are not compelled with this spell to answer or even speak. Handled with proper respect, though, spirits will respond. The caster will have the most benefit from someone they know well, and when the spirit is called near a site they frequented in life. Casting is aided by holding an item used/worn by the spirit being call (i.e., a sword, ring, hat, note, etc) The more personal the item was to the spirit during their life, the more it will aid the spell casting.
Range: not applicable. If the spirit is not answering, try again at another of their old haunts...spirits are limited by where they can appear.

Spell Name:   Barter with Spirit

History:  Once casters learned they could commune with spirits, they learned that spirits need spiritual energy to sustain themselves. Casters learned to hold the overage of the their spell to offer in exchange for services of the spirit. The caster must always pay first, and the spirits usually comply (they are not bond to do so, but many spirits will cater to casters).
Maximum Casting Time:   2 rounds
Minimum Casting Cost (Base Duration):   120 (4 rounds)
Overage Effect:   Held in reserve and given to the spirit in payment. Can be negated, if the caster decides not to deal with the spirit summoned.
Spell Effect:   acts as Commune with Spirit, but caster negotates with spirit to perform a simple task, such as scout beyond a closed door, activate trap (if spirit is capable), translate language (if spirit can), etc. In general, spirits can not manipulate more than 1 lb of pressure in the material world (more powerful spirits can) and will not do more than the bare minimum requested. Typically, spirits will not stay around beyond a 5 pts/ round maximum after the initial 4 round duration.
Range:   only spirits who haunt the given area are likely to hear the request, unless the caster has a specific focus to summon a particular spirit.

Spell Name:   Spiritual Aura

History:  As dealings with spirits became more advanced, casters studied how to read the auras of spirits to better understand the nature of the spirits encountered.
Maximum Casting Time:   5 rounds.
Minimum Casting Cost (Base Duration):   160 (10 rounds)
Overage Effect:   1 round extra duration per point over.
Spell Effect:   Allows a caster to see spirits through the filter of their own experience. That is to say, each spirit (in a living being, spirit being, or spiritual effect) they see will be associated in their mind with the god-like force in the caster's pantheon that best represents the spirit encountered. Thus, the caster can associate the spirit with the spirit's spiritual goals or ideas. While not foolproof, it can aid the caster in dealing with strangers.
Range:   Any spirit they are Communing with (per Commune with Spirit spell) or 10 feet.

Spell Name:   Heal Wounds

History:  It was not long before shamans were asking for the favor of healing wounds from their gods.
Maximum Casting Time:   1 round.
Minimum Casting Cost (Base Duration):   80 (instant)
Overage Effect:   each point over heals one additional point on the recipient.
Spell Effect:   Accelerates the natural healing process, stopping all bleeding and heals 1 point.
Range:   Touch.

Spell Name:   Cure Disease

History:  this was yet another boon asked of the gods.
Maximum Casting Time:   10 rounds.
Minimum Casting Cost (Base Duration):  Special-based on type of disease. Bacterial 40, Viral 80, Cancerous 160, Organ Failure 320, Genetic 640. Magical-Various.
Overage Effect:   see below
Spell Effect:   recipient is instantly cured of any disease below the roll of the caster. Other diseases above the roll are slowed for the number of rounds of overage from the highest category cured by the caster's roll. Magical diseases have their own target, which the character will not know.
Range:   Touch.

Just One Spell

Taking a fresh look at spells has lead to the primary Spiritual Magic spell, Bless Action. As early cultures discovered the nature of spiritual magic, they learned how to ask for assistance. This simple evocation of a spiritual entity for aid garnered a significant assistance for any number of activities. In game terms, this assistance comes in the form of 1d6 bonus to be added to whatever action the blessed is attempting. The blessed individual can use the bonus 1d6 on only one activity per combat round, but can change the activity the next round, and each round until the spell expires. So, in the first round, the blessed individual can add the bonus die to his attack, then in the second round, add the bonus to his attempt to jump a chasm, then in the third round add the 1d6 to his fire resistance as he runs though a wall of fire, etc.

The upshot is that the flexability of this spell would effectively replaces in all or majority over a dozen different D&D spells.

The target for this spell is a roll of 40 or better. It is the easiest spell to cast, but there will be several that are similar in target. Of course, there are more powerful spells with much higher targets. I've been working on Spiritual spells first, and have identified about 20 spells so far. I'm trying to keep the design of the spells in line with the concept of how they were disovered.

Bless Action is derived from those first shamans calling for assistance and receiving it! These shamans learned that the chant they used and the symbols they used aided their casting. Thus, the spell shows how these help.

Our example again:

Let's say our hero, Braegar, is going to cast the spell Bless Action, which has a threshold target of 40. Braegar has a Spirituality of 4d6 (giving him 8d6 Faith Dice), a Evocation Skill of 2d6, and a quality holy symbol. Braegar can spend the entire minute of casting time praying aloud for a 10 point bonus to his coming roll (1 point per 6 sec to a 10 pt max), and he has a quality holy symbol (which provides another 5 pt bonus to his roll). Braegar cast his spell rolling a 2d6 for his evocation skill and 8d6 of his Faith Dice for a total of 34. when added to the 10 points for the full prayer and 5 more for his holy symbol, his total is 49, nine more than his threshold. Not only was he successful, but his spell will last 9 additional combat rounds (49-40=9) past the first. Braegar has used all his Faith Dice Pool to cast the spell, and cannot cast another until he replenishes at least 1 die. One die minimum is required from the Faith Dice Pool to cast any spell. Braegar didn't have to use all his faith dice at once, but he chose to.

Braegar can replenish his Faith Dice pool by praying/meditating as follows:

15 mins= 1 Faith Die renewed

30 mins= 2 Faith Dice renewed

45 mins= 4 Faith Dice renewed

60 mins= 8 Faith Dice renewed

75 mins= 16 Faith Dice renewed

90 mins= 32 Faith Dice renewed

etc.

This must be uninterrupted prayer/communion. The character can be moving (slow walking on riding only) and recoup dice, but it takes twice as long to gain the dice back (30 min segments instead of 15). Any interruption will cause the process to start over. For instance, if the prayer was interrupted at 20 mins, 1 Faith Die would be renewed, and the process could start over.

Faith Dice represent the amount of spirit power that the skill of the caster can pool at one time. Various rituals and items can aid in filling or expanding the Faith Dice pool, but more on that later.

Regardless of culture, Bless Action is the foundation of spirit magic casting.

Time Out For Fun

A good friend of mine, Jeff K., told me I have been a bit too serious in my posts here. Ha Ha! As he is my first follower of this blog, I'll try to relax and have fun with this one. ;-)

At the same excellent gathering, Eric G. mentioned several ideas that got my mind moving. Unfortunately, I have a horribly poor power of recollection, so I'm going with what little I have this morning. Eric mentioned a few different games he had played that approached skill cost and progressions differently. One particular issue that I have been trying to nail down is starting skills, and how they are determined. Reflecting on Eric's comments, I think it might be best if we kept everything based on the culture the character comes from. With a little work, the skills could be marked in a table as to which and how high they can get complete training assistance with in their culture. Most cultures would have a blacksmith, for instance. Getting a basic level of training would not be an issue, but the quality of the training might vary greatly. Based on the culture, the highest level of 1DP per die advancement (due to training facilities/teachers), might only be 3, 4, or 5 in a human culture, but might be 6, 7, or 8 in a dwarven culture where metalsmithing is much more advanced. As we define which cultures exist in our fantasy system, we can define what training opportunities are available in each. Beyond that, exceptions can be handled on a case-by-case basis during character creation.

While defining the adventure world, it would fall on the Game Master (GM) to have a clear idea of what organizations and individual teachers the characters can reach out to for future training. Role-playing being a member of an organization (Church of Odin, Knights of Doom, Five Finger Discount Club, etc) could be an important resource for story development. Certainly, the higher lethality of general combat makes traveling in larger groups advisable, and as characters gain rising reputations, they will attack followers.
Followers would be controlled by the GM until the character had developed a bond of loyalty with the follower, then the player would control their actions. Followers would train and advance as regular characters.

It has not really been emphasized before now, but the intent is to have rules that make sense, then let the story take center stage during play. The goal is to make rules that reinforce the social interactions that drive the story. In medieval societies, power, wealth, knowledge, training are all reserved and dispensed after commitments are made to those who hold the power. This is how society works. You are only as powerful as the amount of such things you can keep from all the greedy cutthroats who would relieve you of them. Most games try to trivialize such realities to facilitate game simplicity, but I say rising to greatness is in no small part achieved by how one manages people and relationships. While slavery of different types will be in play in this fantasy world, treating followers that way might not endear them to you.

So, rather than a open village in the peaceful kingdom, characters will most likely come from armed camps that fight off predators with regularity. Though few actually succeeded in stopping the Viking hoards, every village they sought to raid had defenses. These defenses only got more elaborate as the reputation of the Vikings spread before them. In this world, what your human neighbors will not take from you, orcs, golbins, dragons, and every other beast will. Orcs will gladly enslave the weak humans. Human slavers will gladly sell you to the orcs, or as food to be offered to a dragon. This world is too competitive to allow unchallenged advancement. There are no public libraries...

Before the dark world I envision comes to be, I welcome discussion as to how the wolves are held at bay. Magic is a wonderful equalizer, but the enemy has those tools also. While there will certainly be powerful cultures who can beat back all challengers (Romans might have secured much of the Italian peninsula, for instance), it may not be that simple. Early human societies will revolve around Priest-Kings and religious wars, as raw spiritual power generated my masses are unleashed by despots. But this is dependent of what races reach this level of society first. Could the elves, dwarves, orcs, or other become overlords of the humans for some dark period? Could dragons or some other group control larges parts of the globe?

Given that humans have been the dominant species on our earth throughout recorded history, we have to be careful in how we design fantasy beings and their cultures on earth. Some writers and video game designers would simply divide the races in to two factions (usually good and evil). While humans have a long history of allying themselves with whatever group best offers survival or success in conflict, good and bad or right and wrong are not always clearly defined.

Defining how developed cultures are is important in determining roles and skills available to characters.

Multiracial adventuring is not likely unless the races involved have a long-standing alliance, so this might be a humans only style to start.

Darn it! I meant to keep this light...

Magical Evolution of Creatures Large and Small

This is a tough call. As we all know, the fantasy races (elves, dwarves, orcs, goblins, etc) don't actually exist. There is no strong template for their evolutionary development throughout the eons. Creatures of low or animal intelligence are easy to place and split from similar species already existent on earth. Intelligence is the characteristic that makes the timeline for development tricky. Here are some questions, and my present thoughts on them:

1. Are Dragons evolved from dinosaurs? If so, when did sufficient intelligence to manipulate magic develop? My original thought was to have an island in the pacific ocean be the home of dragon. The magic local to that island pushed these giant lizards to dragons over time, and intelligent dragons that use magic (vs the fierce, dumb, fire-breathing type) came along at some point. Magic is the catalyst for all the fantasy races coming into existence, of course.

2. That raises my follow-up, Are the fantasy humanoid races just humans that lived too many generations around a magical area? Or, did each develop from a split with proto-humans in the distant past, or both? Did lizard men come from a lizard progenitor? Also, do any such races share enough genes to have mixed offspring (half-elves, etc.)?  I'm not set on any of these, but I do envision elves being smaller in stature and more closely related to fairies in the sylvan environment, though there should (could) be many different varieties of elves, or dwarves, or whatever, just as there are humans. The hard process will be determining which human cultures get squeezed out by dominating non-human cultures. Deciding the order of development to civilization for each race will determine their ability to seize resources and lands, thus denying other races.

3. Also, how does ecology balance out for all the predators (monsters and humanoid races) that are present in the food chain? Sure, magic could boost reproduction in livestock to facilitate survival, but this might be a slippery slope... Seems like fishing will be important.

4. History, as a record of which cultures seized and manipulated resources most effectively, may not be human dominated in any way. Domination of one culture over another is likely (humans did this among themselves throughout history), and I could see humans emulating successful, non-human races... Any thoughts?

Elemental Magic vs Spiritual Magic

As noted in previous posts, Spiritual Magic is generated though the caster's spiritual relationship with the Universe (often through a God or other worshipped entity). This type of magic flows through the cast and chiefly effects only those things or people the caster can physically touch. That is to say, that most Spirit Magic spells are touch spells, and the few that project to a distance use direct help from the spirits. Spirit Magic is a force that is drawn from the Spirit Plane. having been placed there by the prayers and actions of the faithful. Gathered and held by embodiments of the worshipped ideals. Still, this magic is real in every sense, and if it could be studied on a sub-atomic field, it would be revealed at a force that responds to emotion, unlike the sub-atomic particals that power Elemental Magic, which respond to focused mental prodding.

Elemental Magic is found in nature, usually in a restive state. The restive state of elemental magic is like magic stored in the horn of a dead Unicorn. This magic has to be unlocked or energized to be useful. There are numerous spells and rituals that take these material components from dormant to energized. These spells have a minimum target number for success, which the caster uses their skill dice to overcome. Elements of spellcasting that can help ad to the casting are quality material components (these can range widely, but will be dealt with in a later post), a somantic element (body movements that help focus the mind) which can add up to 20 pts, and a verbal component which is a memorized sequenced that adds a pattern of orginization and thought (again, up to 20 pts). Verbal and Somantic components have a progressive sum quality based on how long the caster can maintain them before casting. Usually 1pt each (Verbal and Somantic, 1+1=2pts) per 6 seconds continuous casting. There is a maximum amount the caster can gain from this effort (noted in the spell description) before casting. Neither is required. A very skilled mage can cast without Verbal or Somantic components, but the Material component is rarely avoidable. Of course, since duration and potency of a spell are determined by the amount over the target, few mages would routinely ignore the benefit of using verbal and somantic components.

In those rare instances where free energized magic is discovered, the mage may direct it without any additional material component. Elemental spellcasting is limited by the the caster's ability to sense both the magic and any target. If the caster can see it, hear it, taste it, feel it, or even smell it, then the caster can manipulate it. Casting over distance is much easier for Elementalist Mages than Spirit Casters. Very few are the spells that require the mage to touch anything beyond the material component (except drawing glyphs, making scrolls, and other magic items). In mage battles, mages can fight over the same activated energy (activated by any source), or each provide their own. When one mage or the other loses a clash, they temporarily lose skill die for every 6 pts of overage they cannot absorb from their rivals attack. But, more on Mage battles later.

As noted in the equipment listing, certain metals disperse or resist elemental magic attacks. The total resistance of the target is considered before the target has to react. A spell effect will fail completely if the power of the casting does not surpass the minimum amout required to cast the spell plus the resistance. So, a mage cast a Gout of Fire at a fighter wearing a variety of metal that gives him a total of 15 resistance. The spell requires 40 points to cast, so when the mage rolls 58, there is a 18 overage. 15 points of this is deflected by the metal resistance, having only 3 pts effect the targeted fighter. The fighters Reation Dice (3d6), helps him completely avoid damage, but he used his reaction dice for this combat round to avoid this attack, which may hurt his chances to avoid another attack.

Equipment Price List (adjusted values--house rules)

Here are some house rules (using the equipment list from D20 open source) based on the concept of metals being able to give resistance to Elemental magic based on conductivity. While not necessary to any core rules, it seems a good balance to power of Elemental Magic.

The bane to Elemental magical energies is any of those metals or alloys that conduct electricity. In the ratio that follows:

1. Silver +1 resistance per 8 ounces

2. Copper, Electrum +1 resistance per pound

3. Gold or high copper bronze +1 resistance per 24 ounces

4. Aluminum +1 resistance per 2 pounds

5. Brass or Bronze +1 resistance per 4 pounds

6. Iron +1 resistance per 8 pounds

7. Steel +1 resistance per 20 pounds

Purity of base metals used is key to the effectiveness of resistance. Typically, Dwarven alloys and armor/weapon smithing produces even more effective resistances. Also, goblin/orc smithing produces less effective resistances.

To receive these protections, the character simply needs to be in skin contact with the metal. Commonly, torques and necklaces have a connecting chain to a mail shirt or breastplate, as padding underneath such armor may otherwise reduce the resistive bonus. Mages can use metal armor or weapons, but typically do not. Binding arcane protections to such metals is nearly impossible, and a robe or vest of fine cloth can be made equal to a mail shirt in protection with arcane magic.

Because of the added value of magical resistance:

8,000 quarters(iron)=4,000 halves(iron/steel)=2,000 commons (steel)=100 copper (.25 ounce weight)= 20 silver (0.5 ounce weight)= 10 gold (0.5 ounce weight)=1 platinum (1.0 ounce weight)

The iron/steel low grade coins are often called commons or irons. The copper coins are often called luckies or brass. Silver coins are often called salutes. Gold coins represented here are often electrum pieces and 1 ounce pure gold takes the place of the platinum piece listed. Gold coins are often referred to as hammers (as the old dwarven gold coins had two hammers on the back) and platinum coins are called imperials, as the Empire is best known for minting them. Various blends of copper, silver, and copper can be found coinage and those variations can adjust the resulting values.

The dwarves also use alloys of nickel and zinc with their steel, copper, silver and gold coinage. Their gold coins are the purity standard. The dwarves also use rarer coinage when dealing among themselves.

The elves do not use metal coinage at all, preferring a system of magically coded crystal coins. Called mage-coins by humans, not all traders will take them, but mages prefer them. So, those who trade with mages often carry some.

COINS

The most common coin in the Imperial Cities is the low-grade steel common. Silver and gold are hoarded because of their magical protective properties. Platinum is rarest and used mostly by the most wealthy in the Empire.

The standard coin weighs about a third of an ounce (fifty to the pound).

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Table: Coins
	QP	HP	SC	CP	SP	GP	PP
Iron Quarter pieces (qp)=	1	1/2	1/4	1/80	1/400	1/800	1/8,000
Iron Half pieces (hp)=	2	1	1/2	1/40	1/200	1/400	1/4,000
Steel Commons (sc)=	4	2	1	1/20	1/100	1/200	1/2,000
Copper piece (cp) =	80	40	20	1	1/5	1/10	1/100
Silver piece (sp) =	400	200	100	5	1	1/2	1/20
Gold piece (gp) =	800	400	200	10	2	1	1/10
Platinum piece (pp) =	8,000	4,000	2,000	100	20	10	1

WEALTH OTHER THAN COINS

Merchants commonly exchange trade goods without using currency. As a means of comparison, some trade goods are detailed below.

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Table: Trade Goods
Cost	Item
1 sc	One pound of wheat
2 sc	One pound of flour, or one chicken
10 sc	One pound of iron
50 sc	One pound of tobacco or copper
1 sp	One pound of cinnamon, or one goat
1 gp	One pound of ginger or pepper, or one sheep
3 sp	One pig
2 gp	One square yard of linen
5 sp	One pound of salt or silver
5 gp	One square yard of silk, or one cow
15 sp	One pound of saffron or cloves, or one ox
50 gp	One pound of gold
500 gp	One pound of platinum

SELLING LOOT

In general, a character can sell something for one fourth its listed price.

Trade goods are the exception to the half-price rule. A trade good, in this sense, is a valuable good that can be easily exchanged almost as if it were cash itself.

WEAPON DESCRIPTIONS

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Table: Weapons
Simple Weapons	Cost	Dmg (S)	Dmg (M)	Critical		Range Increment	Weight1	Type2
Unarmed Attacks
Gauntlet	2 sp	1d2	1d3	x2		—	1 lb.	Bludgeoning
Unarmed strike	—	1d23	1d33	x2		—	—	Bludgeoning
Light Melee Weapons
Dagger	2 sp	1d3	1d4	19–20/x2		10 ft.	1 lb.	Piercing or slashing
Dagger, punching	2 sp	1d3	1d4	x3		—	1 lb.	Piercing
Gauntlet, spiked	5 sp	1d3	1d4	x2		—	1 lb.	Piercing
Mace, light	5 sp	1d4	1d6	x2		—	4 lb.	Bludgeoning
Sickle	6 sp	1d4	1d6	x2		—	2 lb.	Slashing
One-Handed Melee Weapons
Club	—	1d4	1d6	x2		10 ft.	3 lb.	Bludgeoning
Mace, heavy	12 sp	1d6	1d8	x2		—	8 lb.	Bludgeoning
Morningstar	8 sp	1d6	1d8	x2		—	6 lb.	Bludgeoning and piercing
Shortspear	1 sp	1d4	1d6	x2		20 ft.	3 lb.	Piercing
Two-Handed Melee Weapons
Longspear4	5 sp	1d6	1d8	x3		—	9 lb.	Piercing
Quarterstaff5	—	1d4/1d4	1d6/1d6	x2		—	4 lb.	Bludgeoning
Spear	2 sp	1d6	1d8	x3		20 ft.	6 lb.	Piercing
Ranged Weapons
Crossbow, heavy	50 sp	1d8	1d10	19–20/x2		120 ft.	8 lb.	Piercing
Bolts, crossbow (10)	1 sp	—	—	—		—	1 lb.	—
Crossbow, light	35 sp	1d6	1d8	19–20/x2		80 ft.	4 lb.	Piercing
Bolts, crossbow (10)	1 sp	—	—	—		—	1 lb.	—
Dart	50 sc	1d3	1d4	x2		20 ft.	1/2 lb.	Piercing
Javelin	1 sp	1d4	1d6	x2		30 ft.	2 lb.	Piercing
Sling	—	1d3	1d4	x2		50 ft.	0 lb.	Bludgeoning
Bullets, sling (10)	10 sc	—	—	—		—	5 lb.	—
Martial Weapons	Cost	Dmg (S)	Dmg (M)	Critical		Range Increment	Weight1	Type2
Light Melee Weapons
Axe, throwing	8 sp	1d4	1d6	x2		10 ft.	2 lb.	Slashing
Hammer, light	1 sp	1d3	1d4	x2		20 ft.	2 lb.	Bludgeoning
Handaxe	6 sp	1d4	1d6	x3		—	3 lb.	Slashing
Kukri	8 sp	1d3	1d4	18–20/x2		—	2 lb.	Slashing
Pick, light	4 sp	1d3	1d4	x4		—	3 lb.	Piercing
Sap	1 sp	1d43	1d63	x2		—	2 lb.	Bludgeoning
Shield, light	special	1d2	1d3	x2		—	special	Bludgeoning
Spiked armor	special	1d4	1d6	x2		—	special	Piercing
Spiked shield, light	special	1d3	1d4	x2		—	special	Piercing
Sword, short	10 sp	1d4	1d6	19–20/x2		—	2 lb.	Piercing
One-Handed Melee Weapons
Battleaxe	10 sp	1d6	1d8	x3		—	6 lb.	Slashing
Flail	8 sp	1d6	1d8	x2		—	5 lb.	Bludgeoning
Longsword	15 sp	1d6	1d8	19–20/x2		—	4 lb.	Slashing
Pick, heavy	8 sp	1d4	1d6	x4		—	6 lb.	Piercing
Rapier	20 sp	1d4	1d6	18–20/x2		—	2 lb.	Piercing
Scimitar	15 sp	1d4	1d6	18–20/x2		—	4 lb.	Slashing
Shield, heavy	special	1d3	1d4	x2		—	special	Bludgeoning
Spiked shield, heavy	special	1d4	1d6	x2		—	special	Piercing
Trident	15 sp	1d6	1d8	x2		10 ft.	4 lb.	Piercing
Warhammer	12 sp	1d6	1d8	x3		—	5 lb.	Bludgeoning
Two-Handed Melee Weapons
Falchion	75 sp	1d6	2d4	18–20/x2		—	8 lb.	Slashing
Glaive4	8 sp	1d8	1d10	x3		—	10 lb.	Slashing
Greataxe	20 sp	1d10	1d12	x3		—	12 lb.	Slashing
Greatclub	5 sp	1d8	1d10	x2		—	8 lb.	Bludgeoning
Flail, heavy	15 sp	1d8	1d10	19–20/x2		—	10 lb.	Bludgeoning
Greatsword	50 sp	1d10	2d6	19–20/x2		—	8 lb.	Slashing
Guisarme4	9 sp	1d6	2d4	x3		—	12 lb.	Slashing
Halberd	10 sp	1d8	1d10	x3		—	12 lb.	Piercing or slashing
Lance4	10 sp	1d6	1d8	x3		—	10 lb.	Piercing
Ranseur4	10 sp	1d6	2d4	x3		—	12 lb.	Piercing
Scythe	18 sp	1d6	2d4	x4		—	10 lb.	Piercing or slashing
Ranged Weapons
Longbow	75 sp	1d6	1d8		x3	100 ft.	3 lb.	Piercing
Arrows (20)	1 sp	—	—		—	—	3 lb.	—
Longbow, composite	100 sp	1d6	1d8		x3	110 ft.	3 lb.	Piercing
Arrows (20)	1 sp	—	—		—	—	3 lb.	—
Shortbow	30 sp	1d4	1d6		x3	60 ft.	2 lb.	Piercing
Arrows (20)	1 sp	—	—		—	—	3 lb.	—
Shortbow, composite	75 sp	1d4	1d6		x3	70 ft.	2 lb.	Piercing
Arrows (20)	1 sp	—	—		—	—	3 lb.	—
Exotic Weapons	Cost	Dmg (S)	Dmg (M)		Critical	Range Increment	Weight1	Type2
Light Melee Weapons
Kama	2 sp	1d4	1d6	x2		—	2 lb.	Slashing
Nunchaku	2 sp	1d4	1d6	x2		—	2 lb.	Bludgeoning
Sai	1 sp	1d3	1d4	x2		10 ft.	1 lb.	Bludgeoning
Siangham	3 sp	1d4	1d6	x2		—	1 lb.	Piercing
One-Handed Melee Weapons
Sword, bastard	35 sp	1d8	1d10	19–20/x2		—	6 lb.	Slashing
Waraxe, dwarven	30 sp	1d8	1d10	x3		—	8 lb.	Slashing
Whip4	1 sp	1d23	1d33	x2			2 lb.	Slashing
Two-Handed Melee Weapons
Axe, orc double5	60 sp	1d6/1d6	1d8/1d8	x3		—	15 lb.	Slashing
Chain, spiked4	25 sp	1d6	2d4	x2		—	10 lb.	Piercing
Flail, dire5	90 sp	1d6/1d6	1d8/1d8	x2		—	10 lb.	Bludgeoning
Hammer, gnome hooked5	20 sp	1d6/1d4	1d8/1d6	x3/x4		—	6 lb.	Bludgeoning and piercing
Sword, two-bladed5	100 sp	1d6/1d6	1d8/1d8	19–20/x2		—	10 lb.	Slashing
Urgrosh, dwarven5	50 sp	1d6/1d4	1d8/1d6	x3		—	12 lb.	Slashing or piercing
Ranged Weapons
Bolas	5 sp	1d33	1d43	x2		10 ft.	2 lb.	Bludgeoning
Crossbow, hand	100 sp	1d3	1d4	19–20/x2		30 ft.	2 lb.	Piercing
Bolts (10)	1 sp	—	—	—		—	1 lb.	—
Crossbow, repeating heavy	400 sp	1d8	1d10	19–20/x2		120 ft.	12 lb.	Piercing
Bolts (5)	1 sp	—	—	—		1 lb.	—
Crossbow, repeating light	250 sp	1d6	1d8	19–20/x2		80 ft.	6 lb.	Piercing
Bolts (5)	1 sp	—	—	—		1 lb.	—
Net	20 sp	—	—	10 ft.		6 lb.	—
Shuriken (5)	1 sp	1	1d2	x2		10 ft.	1/2 lb.	Piercing
1 Weight figures are for Medium weapons. A Small weapon weighs half as much, and a Large weapon weighs twice as much.
2 When two types are given, the weapon is both types if the entry specifies “and,” or either type (player’s choice at time of attack) if the entry specifies “or.”
3 The weapon deals nonlethal damage rather than lethal damage.
4 Reach weapon.
5 Double weapon.

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Table: Armor and Shields
						–— Speed —–
Armor	Cost	Armor/Shield Bonus	Maximum Dex Bonus	Armor Check Penalty	Arcane Spell Failure Chance	(30 ft.)	(20 ft.)	Weight1
Light armor
Padded	5 sp	+1	+8	0	5%	30 ft.	20 ft.	10 lb.
Leather	10 sp	+2	+6	0	10%	30 ft.	20 ft.	15 lb.
Studded leather	25 sp	+3	+5	–1	15%	30 ft.	20 ft.	20 lb.
Chain shirt	100 sp	+4	+4	–2	20%	30 ft.	20 ft.	25 lb.
Medium armor
Hide	15 sp	+3	+4	–3	20%	20 ft.	15 ft.	25 lb.
Scale mail	50 sp	+4	+3	–4	25%	20 ft.	15 ft.	30 lb.
Chainmail	150 sp	+5	+2	–5	30%	20 ft.	15 ft.	40 lb.
Breastplate	200 sp	+5	+3	–4	25%	20 ft.	15 ft.	30 lb.
Heavy armor
Splint mail	200 sp	+6	+0	–7	40%	20 ft.2	15 ft.2	45 lb.
Banded mail	250 sp	+6	+1	–6	35%	20 ft.2	15 ft.2	35 lb.
Half-plate	600 sp	+7	+0	–7	40%	20 ft.2	15 ft.2	50 lb.
Full plate	1,500 sp	+8	+1	–6	35%	20 ft.2	15 ft.2	50 lb.
Shields
Buckler	15 sp	+1	—	–1	5%	—	—	5 lb.
Shield, light wooden	3 sp	+1	—	–1	5%	—	—	5 lb.
Shield, light steel	9 sp	+1	—	–1	5%	—	—	6 lb.
Shield, heavy wooden	7 sp	+2	—	–2	15%	—	—	10 lb.
Shield, heavy steel	20 sp	+2	—	–2	15%	—	—	15 lb.
Shield, tower	30 sp	+43	+2	–10	50%	—	—	45 lb.
Extras
Armor spikes	+50 sp	—	—	—	—	—	—	+10 lb.
Gauntlet, locked	8 sp	—	—	Special	4	—	—	+5 lb.
Shield spikes	+10 sp	—	—	—	—	—	—	+5 lb.
1 Weight figures are for armor sized to fit Medium characters. Armor fitted for Small characters weighs half as much, and armor fitted for Large characters weighs twice as much.
2 When running in heavy armor, you move only triple your speed, not quadruple.
3 A tower shield can instead grant you cover. See the description.
4 Hand not free to cast spells.

GOODS AND SERVICES

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Table: Goods and Services
Adventuring Gear
Item	Cost	Weight
Backpack (empty)	2 sp	2 lb.1
Barrel (empty)	2 sp	30 lb.
Basket (empty)	40 sc	1 lb.
Bedroll	10 sc	5 lb.1
Bell	1 sp	—
Blanket, winter	50 sc	3 lb.1
Block and tackle	5 sp	5 lb.
Bottle, wine, glass	2 sp	—
Bucket (empty)	50 sc	2 lb.
Caltrops	1 sp	2 lb.
Candle	1 sc	—
Canvas (sq. yd.)	10 sc	1 lb.
Case, map or scroll	1 sp	1/2 lb.
Chain (10 ft.)	30 sp	2 lb.
Chalk, 1 piece	1 sc	—
Chest (empty)	2 sp	25 lb.
Crowbar	2 sp	5 lb.
Firewood (per day)	1 sc	20 lb.
Fishhook	10 sc	—
Fishing net, 25 sq. ft.	4 sp	5 lb.
Flask (empty)	3 sc	1-1/2 lb.
Flint and steel	1 sp	—
Grappling hook	1 sp	4 lb.
Hammer	50 sc	2 lb.
Ink (1 oz. vial)	8 sp	—
Inkpen	10 sc	—
Jug, clay	3 sc	9 lb.
Ladder, 10-foot	5 sc	20 lb.
Lamp, common	10 sc	1 lb.
Lantern, bullseye	12 sp	3 lb.
Lantern, hooded	7 sp	2 lb.
Lock		1 lb.
Very simple	20 sp	1 lb.
Average	40 sp	1 lb.
Good	80 sp	1 lb.
Amazing	150 sp	1 lb.
Manacles	15 sp	2 lb.
Manacles, masterwork	50 sp	2 lb.
Mirror, small steel	10 sp	1/2 lb.
Mug/Tankard, clay	2 sc	1 lb.
Oil (1-pint flask)	10 sc	1 lb.
Paper (sheet)	40 sc	—
Parchment (sheet)	20 sc	—
Pick, miner’s	3 sp	10 lb.
Pitcher, clay	2 sc	5 lb.
Piton	10 sc	1/2 lb.
Pole, 10-foot	20 sc	8 lb.
Pot, iron	50 sc	10 lb.
Pouch, belt (empty)	1 sp	1/2 lb.1
Ram, portable	10 sp	20 lb.
Rations, trail (per day)	50 sc	1 lb.1
Rope, hempen (50 ft.)	1 sp	10 lb.
Rope, silk (50 ft.)	10 sp	5 lb.
Sack (empty)	10 sc	1/2 lb.1
Sealing wax	1 sp	1 lb.
Sewing needle	50 sc	—
Signal whistle	80 sc	—
Signet ring	5 sp	—
Sledge	1 sp	10 lb.
Soap (per lb.)	50 sc	1 lb.
Spade or shovel	2 sp	8 lb.
Spyglass	1,000 sp	1 lb.
Tent	10 sp	20 lb.1
Torch	1 sc	1 lb.
Vial, ink or potion	1 sp	1/10 lb.
Waterskin	1 sp	4 lb.1
Whetstone	2 sc	1 lb.
Special Substances and Items
Item	Cost	Weight
Acid (flask)	10 gp	1 lb.
Alchemist’s fire (flask)	20 gp	1 lb.
Antitoxin (vial)	50 sp	—
Everburning torch	110 gp	1 lb.
Holy water (flask)	25 gp	1 lb.
Smokestick	20 gp	1/2 lb.
Sunrod	2 gp	1 lb.
Tanglefoot bag	50 gp	4 lb.
Thunderstone	30 gp	1 lb.
Tindertwig	1 gp	—
Tools and Skill Kits
Item	Cost	Weight
Alchemist’s lab	500 gp	40 lb.
Artisan’s tools	5 gp	5 lb.
Artisan’s tools, masterwork	55 gp	5 lb.
Climber’s kit	80 gp	5 lb.1
Disguise kit	50 gp	8 lb.1
Healer’s kit	50 gp	1 lb.
Holly and mistletoe	—	—
Holy symbol, wooden	1 gp	—
Holy symbol, silver	25 gp	1 lb.
Hourglass	25 gp	1 lb.
Magnifying glass	100 gp	—
Musical instrument, common	5 gp	3 lb.1
Musical instrument, masterwork	100 gp	3 lb.1
Scale, merchant’s	2 gp	1 lb.
Spell component pouch	5 gp	2 lb.
Spellbook, wizard’s (blank)	15 gp	3 lb.
Thieves’ tools	30 gp	1 lb.
Thieves’ tools, masterwork	100 gp	2 lb.
Tool, masterwork	50 gp	1 lb.
Water clock	1,000 gp	200 lb.
Clothing
Item	Cost	Weight
Artisan’s outfit	1 sp	4 lb.1
Cleric’s vestments	5 sp	6 lb.1
Cold weather outfit	8 sp	7 lb.1
Courtier’s outfit	30 sp	6 lb.1
Entertainer’s outfit	3 sp	4 lb.1
Explorer’s outfit	10 sp	8 lb.1
Monk’s outfit	5 sp	2 lb.1
Noble’s outfit	75 sp	10 lb.1
Peasant’s outfit	10 sc	2 lb.1
Royal outfit	200 sp	15 lb.1
Scholar’s outfit	5 sp	6 lb.1
Traveler’s outfit	1 sp	5 lb.1
Food, Drink, and Lodging
Item	Cost	Weight
Ale
Gallon	20 sc	8 lb.
Mug	4 sc	1 lb.
Banquet (per person)	10 sp	—
Bread, per loaf	2 sc	1/2 lb.
Cheese, hunk of	10 sc	1/2 lb.
Inn stay (per day)
Good	2 sp	—
Common	50 sc	—
Poor	20 sc	—
Meals (per day)
Good	50 sc	—
Common	30 sc	—
Poor	10 sc	—
Meat, chunk of	30 sc	1/2 lb.
Wine
Common (pitcher)	20 sc	6 lb.
Fine (bottle)	10 sp	1-1/2 lb.
Mounts and Related Gear
Item	Cost	Weight
Barding
Medium creature	x2	x1
Large creature	x4	x2
Bit and bridle	2 sp	1 lb.
Dog, guard	25 sp	—
Dog, riding	150 sp	—
Donkey or mule	20 sp	—
Feed (per day)	5 sc	10 lb.
Horse
Horse, heavy	200 sp	—
Horse, light	75 sp	—
Pony	40 sp	—
Warhorse, heavy	400 sp	—
Warhorse, light	150 sp	—
Warpony	100 sp	—
Saddle
Military	20 sp	30 lb.
Pack	5 sp	15 lb.
Riding	10 sp	25 lb.
Saddle, Exotic
Military	60 sp	40 lb.
Pack	15 sp	20 lb.
Riding	30 sp	30 lb.
Saddlebags	4 sp	8 lb.
Stabling (per day)	50 sc	—
Transport
Item	Cost	Weight
Carriage	100 sp	600 lb.
Cart	15 sp	200 lb.
Galley	30,000 gp	—
Keelboat	3,000 gp	—
Longship	10,000 gp	—
Rowboat	50 sp	100 lb.
Oar	2 sp	10 lb.
Sailing ship	10,000 gp	—
Sled	20 sp	300 lb.
Wagon	35 sp	400 lb.
Warship	25,000 gp	—
Spellcasting and Services
Service	Cost
Coach cab	3 cp per mile
Hireling, trained	3 sp per day
Hireling, untrained	1 sp per day
Messenger	2 cp per mile
Road or gate toll	1 cp
Ship’s passage	1 sp per mile
— No weight, or no weight worth noting.
1 These items weigh one-quarter this amount when made for Small characters. Containers for Small characters also carry one-quarter the normal amount.
2 See spell description for additional costs. If the additional costs put the spell’s total cost above 3,000 gp, that spell is not generally available.