Tools

The tools presented here are used primarily to aid in ability checks. The lists give here are suggestions only – other options are available.

Attunement

It requires special effort to make full use of some gear. If a tool requires attunement, a PC can only use it while attuned. A PC can attune or unattune to a tool during a short or long rest, but can only attune to three items at a time.

Amateur Tools

These tools are available to anyone for a cost of 1 treasure. Amateur tools give a +2 bonus on applicable skill checks.

  • Block & Tackle: For moving heavy items vertically.
  • Boots: For protecting feet from a hostile environment.
  • Cloak: For protecting a person from a hostile environment.
  • Crowbar: For the application of leverage with minimal collateral damage.
  • Gloves: For protecting hands from a hostile environment.
  • Grease: For lubricating moving parts.
  • Grappling Hook: For climbing when an anchor point for a rope is unreachable.
  • Magnifying Glass: For examining things up close.
  • Mirror: For looking round corners, signalling, and avoiding direct eye contact.
  • Outrider’s Horse: For scouting while journeying overland.
  • Pole: For prodding things from a distance and aiding balance.
  • Research Notes: Notes on a relevant topic are useful for Intelligence checks.
  • Rope: For securing or climbing when an anchor point is available.
  • Sledgehammer: For the application of force with significant collateral damage.
  • Spyglass: For examining things far away.
  • Tinderbox: For starting fires.

Special

As well as the normal +2, the following have additional mechanical uses (as specified in the regular rules):

  • Arcane Focus: Wands, Rods, and Orbs normally use Hand slots while Amulets and Rings are Accessories
  • Masterwork Backpack: Treat your strength score as 2 higher for calculating carry capacity. Requires no encumbrance slot.
  • Material Components: For a single spell. The cost is the level of the spell.
  • Musical Instrument: Such as lyre, lute, horn, pipes, or drum.
  • Spellbook: Used by wizards to store known spells.

XP

PCs can spend extra on training to advance in skill rapidly. Alternatively, they may spend loot carousing recklessly to slow their progress.

  • Training: Gain 5xp for 1 treasure.
  • Carousing: Lose 5xp, to a minimum of 0, at a cost of 1 treasure.

Adventurer Tools

These tools are available to Adventurers for 2 treasure. They provide a -4 bonus on appropriate skill checks. On a failed check, the Tool can be broken to make a reroll with the same bonus. A broken tool cannot be used until it is fixed, costing 1 treasure. Directly upgrading an Amateur tool may reduce the cost. Tools of this quality are generally more specialised than Amateur tools.

  • Hand Drill: For breaking into delicate mechanisms.
  • Manacles: For securing a prisoner.
  • Pitons: For climbing large rough faces.
  • Rope Ladder: For climbing.
  • Skirmisher’s Horse: For scouting while journeying overland.
  • Tome of Lore: Giving details on a particular subject.

Special Expenses

The following expenses bring certain benefits, but are unlikely to be used directly in a skill check.

  • Mount: A non-combat trained mount costs 2 treasure. Saddlebags provide an additional 4 encumbrance slots. If an entire party is mounted, they ignore rural terrain when calculating the DC of survival checks to avoid wilderness encounters. Otherwise, they ignore 1 tile of rural terrain per mounted character.
  • Vault: For 2 treasure a PC may store an unlimited amount of treasure without encumbrance concerns. Vaults can be accessed for despots or withdraws only during a long rest.
  • Strongholds: Strongholds are bases of operation that influential PCs can establish. They require 6 favour with the relevant faction.
    • Keep: 10 treasure, used to build and manage armies
    • Establishment: 6 treasure, used to collect and spread rumours and gather funds
    • Temple: 8 treasure, used to serve a supernatural entity and seek their aid.
    • Tower: 8 treasure, used for spell research, general research, and improving spell potency.

XP

More advanced training is harder to come by. Similarly, the costs of carousing increases as adventurers grow used to a more decadent life.

  • Training: Gain 5xp for 2 treasure.
  • Carousing: Lose 5xp, to a minimum of 0, at a cost of 2 treasure.

Veteran Tools

One can only dream about what the most experienced explorers might invest in…