Items & Equipment

Mundane gear carries new Students a long way, but these are mages: real power comes from spells and Mana. So weapons and armor stay abstracted, not rigidly simulated.

This chapter covers gear and crafting — what you carry, what tags mean, and how apprentices make tools. Making new gear uses Crafting; the procedure lives beside this page in the sidebar.

Acquiring Gear

To acquire a piece of equipment during the campaign, you must reach the appropriate Funds Level (see Economy) and spend a Time Slot to go shopping or black-market dealing in the city.

Weapons

Mundane weapons add a static modifier to the base damage a character inflicts when they successfully strike a target using the Strike in Combat move. If they hit, the target takes damage equal to the weapon's Base Damage rating.

Modifier: Masterwork Quality

A weapon purchased at the Wealthy Funds level or higher is perfectly balanced. It grants a +1 bonus to the attack roll (but does not increase Base Damage). (Masterwork sits above High-End gear; see the Gear Tier table above.)

Armor

Mundane armor does not raise a defense number or target threshold. It grants Temporary Physical Health Boxes that absorb damage before your real health pool is touched. The armor takes that damage, not your flesh, so it does not inflict Wound Penalties.

Armor Rules:

• A character can only wear one layer of armor effectively at a time.
• When the armor takes more damage than it has Temporary Boxes, it is considered "Shattered" or "Ruined" and provides no further benefit until repaired or replaced (requiring a Time Slot and Funds).
• Temporary Health Boxes from armor do not heal magically or through rest; the armor must be physically repaired or replaced.

Chainmail and riot shields buy excellent temporary health, but they cost mobility: the GM applies a -1 to -3 penalty to the 2d6 roll whenever a Physical or Mental action involves stealth or mobility while the character wears Heavy Armor.

Consumables and Magic Focus

Mage students chew through external magical aids, healing supplies, and raw power at a steady clip.

Acquiring Magic Items

Mundane weapons are easy to buy in the city. Alchemical ingredients, illegal potions, and refined crystalized Mana are heavily regulated by the local Guard and the Academy.

Acquiring anything magical beyond standard "student supplies" generally requires:

• Reaching the required Funds Level.
• Spending a Time Slot actively searching the black market or smuggling rings.
• Passing a Manipulate and Provoke or Perceive & Investigate roll to find a reliable supplier.

Alchemical Consumables

These are single-use items that are destroyed (or consumed) upon activation. If a character has Alchemy training, they can spend a Time Slot and use Brew Alchemy to brew these themselves (assuming lab access), often lowering Required Funds by 1-2 levels.

Spell Formula Items

These are pre-inscribed magical items powered by a Spell Formula. They are physically carved with glyph roots. They can be activated almost instantly (a free action) without a Casting Roll, but cost 2 Ticks on your Mana Track to fuel. Unlike alchemy, these items are rarely consumed. They are reliable backup magic, but inefficient.

Magical Focus

A focus is any wand, staff, ring, or specific gem that steadies and sharpens the shaping of specific spells.

Rules for Focus:

• A character may only actively utilize one Focus at a time.
• A Focus is tied to a specific Core School (e.g., a "Wand of Projection" or a "Seer's Orb").
• While holding the Focus, the caster gains a +1 bonus to all Casting Rolls for that specific School.
• If a Critical Failure (Natural 2) is rolled while casting through a Focus, the GM may rule that the Focus cracks or shatters instead of (or in addition to) the spell backfiring onto the caster.