Chapter 8: Equipment

The common coin of the world is the golden piece (gp). Smaller purchases are paid in silver and copper, and large ones in platinum. Ten coins of one kind are worth one coin of the next.

A new character begins with 15 golden pieces, as described in Making a Character. A thousand coins weigh 1 Bulk; fewer than that weigh nothing worth counting.

Every item lists a Price, which is what it costs to buy it in a settlement that sells it. Selling an item you no longer need usually brings in half its Price, unless it is a coin, a gem or a piece of art, which sell for their full value.

Every item has a level, which measures its power in the same way a character's level does. Ordinary gear is level 0. Most items above your own level are not for sale where you are, and the GM decides what a given place has to offer.

Most weapons, armor, shields and loci come in five grades of quality. Quality decides how many runes the item can hold.

Shields, clothing and other items that are not weapons, armor or loci can hold one rune at most, and only if they are at least Fine.

A rune is a magical mark etched into an item, which adds an effect to it: a weapon that burns, armor that shrugs off cold, a locus that sings. Each rune describes what it does.

Runes never add to your attack rolls, your damage dice or your Defenses: those come from your own proficiency, as described in Game Basics.

Some magic items only work while you have invested them, lending them a small part of yourself. You invest an item when you prepare for the day, and it stays invested until your next daily preparations.

You can keep a number of items invested at once equal to 5 + your Charisma, as described under Charisma.

You can hold an item in one hand, both hands, wear it, or stow it in a pack. Drawing a stowed item or putting one away takes an Interact action. Wearing an item that is meant to be worn, such as armor or a cloak, keeps your hands free.

How much an item weighs and how awkward it is to carry is measured in Bulk. Most items have a Bulk of 1 or more. An item written L is light: ten light items add up to 1 Bulk. An item marked — weighs nothing worth counting.

You can carry up to 5 + your Strength in Bulk without trouble. Above that, you are encumbered: you take a −10-foot penalty to all your Speeds and are clumsy 1. You can't carry more than 10 + your Strength in Bulk at all.

An item can be damaged, usually because a creature attacked it or because you blocked a blow with it. Every item that can be damaged has three statistics.

Hardness is subtracted from any damage the item takes. Durability is how much damage it can take before it is destroyed. The Broken Threshold is the Durability at which it becomes broken: a broken item still exists, but it no longer does its job, and a broken weapon, armor, shield or locus stops giving you its benefits until it is repaired.

A magic item has the magical trait. Most work only when you activate them, which the item describes: the actions it takes, what triggers it, and how often you can do it. Items you wear usually need to be invested first, and consumables are used up the moment you activate them.

The magic items are listed by kind: Runes, Consumables, Worn Items, Held Items, Staves, Wands, and Specific Items, which covers named weapons, armor and shields, precious materials and artifacts.

Items are made for Medium and Small creatures unless their entry says otherwise. An item made for a Large creature costs twice as much and has twice the Bulk; one made for a Tiny creature costs the same and has half the Bulk, rounded down.