equipment

Equipment of Artheria

For the most part, equipment functions much as it does in a normal D&D campaign. But, there are several, potentially important, differences.

Armor:
Cover Bonus: Armor can't all-out deflect a blow. If something hits your armor, it steal deals damage; just not as much. All armors and shields have a cover bonus and damage reduction. Unless someone beats your AC by more than the cover bonus, they deal reduced damage.

Shields: Shields are the most efficient piece of armor that you can get for single combat. Not only can they be used to deflect an enemy attack, but they can also be used to hold his weapon away where they can't hit you.
Buckler: A Buckler has a DR of 2(wood) or 5(metal), with a cover bonus equal to one half your total dodge modifiers to AC, +1.
Light Shield: A Light Shield has a DR of 2(wood) or 5(metal), with a cover bonus equal to one half your total dodge modifiers to AC, +2.
Heavy Shield: A Heavy Shield is identical to a Light Shield, bar the bonus is +4 rather than +2.
Tower Shield: A Tower Shield has its own hardness and hit points, and provides a +8 cover modifier in the direction its facing.

Padded Armor: +8 Cover, DR 1
Leather Armor: +8 Cover, DR 2
Studded Leather: +6 Cover, DR 3.
Chain Shirt: +4 Cover, DR 4.
Hide Armor: +8 Cover, DR 3.
Scale Mail: +6 Cover, DR 4.
Chain Mail: +6 Cover, DR 4.
BreastPlate: +4 Cover, DR 5.
Splint Mail: +6 Cover, DR 4.
Banded Mail: +6 Cover, DR 4.
Half-Plate: +8 cover, DR 5.
Full-Plate: Total Cover, DR 5.

Note: A character suffers no armor penalty for armor which weighs less than twice his strength. Past that, he suffers a -1 to AC and a -5 to movement rate for armor weighing more than twice his strength, with an additional -1 and -5 per 10 pounds difference past the first. Thus, a strength 10 peasant wearing full plate would be moving at 15, while a strength 16 knight would be moving at 20, and a strength 18 knight would be moving at 25. Certain types of armor are cheaply and poorly made by default, and grant additional penalties.

Remember: AC is how hard you are to hit, not how likely a blow is to injure you.

Weapons:

Barbed Weapons: Barbed weapons are popular among goblins, and can be quie effective. If a barbed weapon successfully damages a target, then it deals full damage once again when it is removed from the target. Depending on the quality of the barbs, which is usually poor, the barbs will have a chance to break apart on removal and become useless. Note that strength damage is not added upon removal. When rolling to 'break' a barbed weapon, the 'defender' adds the DR value of his armor, if any. Barbed weapon values are added to the price of a normal barbed weapon; a barbed arrow will always break upon removal, and costs 1 gp in addition to the arrow's price.

Price, Break DC
10gp, 10
25gp, 13
50gp, 15
100gp, 17
200gp, 20
500gp, 25

Special Material Weapons: Making weapons out of special materials can have various benefits.
Tougher: Some materials, while weighing the same as iron or wood normally used, are significantly harder to damage than normal. This simply makes it harder to break the weapon.
Heavier: If a material is heavier than normal, it adds a bonus to damage dealt, and a penalty to hit, with the weapon. This penalty can reduce the number of attacks gained with that weapon if it is high enough.
Lighter: If a material is lighter than normal, it adds a bonus to hit, and a penalty to damage dealt. This bonus can increase the number of attacks gained with that weapon if it is high enough.
Weaker: Some materials are weaker and more fragile than others, making a weapon easier to break.

Gold Longsword: Heavy, Weak, materials: 1d8+2 damage, -2 to-hit, DR 5, Hps 10.
Mithral Longsword: Light, Tough, materials: 1d8-1 damage, +1 to-hit, DR 13, Hps 30.

Masterwork Weapons: Some weapons are simply higher quality than others. The cost to make a weapon masterwork is based on the size of the weapon, and just how 'masterwork' it is. A Masterwork weapon has a flat bonus which can be divided among bonuses to hit and bonuses to damage when it is made. The size of the weapon also applies a multiple to the amount of damage bonus masterworking adds, rounded down after multiplying.
1/2, 1/2
Tiny: 1/4th cost, 1/2 damage
Small: 1/2 cost, 3/4th damage
Medium: Normal cost
Large: x2 cost, x1.5 damage
Huge: x4 cost, x2 damage
x2, +x.5

200gp: +2
400gp: +4
800gp: +6
1,600gp: +8
3,200gp: +10
6,400gp: +12
x2: +2

Masterwork Longsword, +400gp, +2 to-hit, 1d8+2 damage.
Masterwork Dagger, +100(400/4)gp, +2 to-hit, 1d4+1(2/2) damage.
Masterwork Greatsword, +800(400x2)gp, +2 to-hit, 2d6+3(2*1.5) damage.
Masterwork Shortsword, +200gp(400/2), +2 to-hit, 1d6+1(2*.75) damage.

Special Materials Armor:
Lighter: Lighter armor material has obvious effects; decreasing how strong you need to be to wear it without penalty.
Heavier: Heavier armor is just as obvious; its harder to wear properly.
Tougher: Armor made out of tougher than normal materials has a DR value of 1/2 the DR of the material type used.
Softer: The same effect as tougher, only this is generally less.

Golden Full Plate: *1.5 weight, DR 2, Full Cover
Mithral Full Plate: *.5 weight, DR 6, Full Cover
Adamantite Full Plate: *1.5 weight, DR 10, Full Cover