Equipment Bond

Equipment Bond (New Perk)

1 point
You own a tool or a tool kit that’s uniquely suited to
you, giving +1 to the skill associated with that equip-
ment. This is cumulative with any bonus inherent to the
gear. This has nothing to do with magic or quality –
you’re just used to your stuff. If you lose the equipment,
you lose this perk! You may start play with bonds to any
tools or tool kits bought with cash or points.
2. Consumable nonmagical item that suits the user’s profes-
sion. This can be used once. Ignore weight! The important
limit is cost: the article must be a single, expendable item
worth no more than $50, one use of a kit worth at most $250,
or – for heroes with Book-Learned Wisdom (p. 8) only – notes
that give one reading of a manual (p. 13) worth $250 or less.
Common choices are fishing gear for barbarians; a bottle of
holy water or one use of a healer’s kit for clerics; garlic, wolfs-
bane, or an herbal antitoxin for druids; notes for scholars; cal-
trops or a nageteppo to hurl, a vial of monster drool, or one use
of lockpicks for thieves; and paper and ink, or some oddity like
eye of newt, for wizards.
3. Minor, common gadget that anybody might have. This
works exactly as for gear that suits the user’s profession, except
that the cost cutoffs are lower: $10 for a single item or $50
for one use of a kit. Common choices are lone alchemist’s
matches, arrows, bandages, candles, crossbow bolts, meals,
and torches, as well as single uses of first aid kits.
When Gizmos accompany Quick Gadgeteer, they become
more versatile. Provided that suitable tools are available (see
Artificer’s Tools, p. 12), each Gizmo lets the user attempt an
Engineer (Gadgets) roll to cobble together any nonmagical
item other than one that contains information (no books or
maps!), or an Alchemy roll to mix any chemical or potion.
There’s no price limit, but either roll is at -1 per $250, or
fraction thereof, of item value. Preparation takes a Ready
maneuver – but a successful Fast-Draw (Gadget) roll lets the
gadgeteer ready caltrops, grenade potions, nageteppos, and
similar hurled weapons instantly. The catch is that the result-
ing article lasts for one use (see What Use Is It?, p. 7), after
which the jury-rig fails or the concoction is consumed.
Don’t bother trying to rationalize Gizmo weight. The user
might scrounge the item nearby, find it hanging from the pack
of a buddy who has ST to spare, or even receive divine aid. It
really doesn’t matter!
Quick Gadgeteer
see p. B57
Quick Gadgeteer serves two purposes in dungeon fantasy.
First, it “uncaps” Gizmos, allowing any number of Gizmos
instead of the usual limit of three.
Second, with suitable tools (see Artificer’s Tools, p. 12), it
allows Engineer (Gadgets) rolls to adapt existing items to serve
as similar ones. The final creation must resemble the starting
gear in either form or function. For instance, turning a spy’s
horn for listening at doors into a musical horn for a bard
would be fine – both are horns. Turning a flail into a crossbow
wouldn’t make much sense. When in doubt, the GM gets the
final say.
The Engineer roll is at -1 per $250 of final item value or
fraction thereof – regardless of the starting goods – and takes
1d¥5 minutes. If the desired creation is heavier than the gear
it’s made from, also make a Scrounging roll to locate spare
parts (low-value junk like scrap metal, sticks, and rocks). This,
too, takes 1d¥5 minutes.
The adaptation is permanent if the final item is worth no
more than the initial gear. If the final creation is worth more,
a successful Engineer roll gives a jury-rig that endures for one
use (see What Use Is It?, p. 7). The original components are
always recoverable unless the Engineer roll was a critical fail-
ure, which destroys them.