User:Paleomancer/Emerald Sun (3.5e Campaign Setting)/Gear and Equipment

Gear and Equipment

Depending on the area, technology level ranges from stone age to industrial revolution level, though the average is late Medieval/early Renaissance. Firearms, airships, and paddle boats exist alongside magic rings, swords, and golems. The term for magical equipment, technomancy, reflects the combination of magical enhancements with manufactured tools and devices; an enchanted sword is a low-end technomantic item, while a golem is higher end.

Gear

• Firearms: Behold the power of my mighty blunderbuss! Firearms are valued for their relative ease of use and high damage output. Requires the Weapon Group (firearms) feat to use without penalty.
• Shields: The armor bonus from a shield applies to touch and ranged touch attacks.
• Spellbooks: A spellbook is nothing more than a collection of notations and notes to aid spell preparation, visualization, and study. While a spellbook can become magical, it is not inherently so, since it is a study aid, not a spell container. Actual spell containers are grimoires, and these are potent and dangerous artifacts. A spell requires a single page in a spellbook (except for 0th level spells, which require 1/2 page), and uses Arcana and Ciphers checks to scribe the scroll (replacing Spellcraft, Decipher Script, etc.), usually taking 10 minutes per spell level (5 minutes for a 0th level spell). Note that the player can disguise their notation or even the appearance of the text, using one or more Ciphers checks, if desired, although this doubles or triples respectively the time needed to scribe it, and many spellbooks may appear to be personal diaries, class notes, or dense volumes on metaphysical philosophy. The cost of inscribing a spell is 2 sp per spell level (1 sp for 0th level spells), and that is more the cost of the ink, pen, and paper than anything else.
• Ritual Blade: Used by magicians, and in some circumstances by priests, as a spellcasting aid, a ritual blade grants the benefits of the Eschew Materials feat to its wielder, and can be used in conjunction with blood sacrifice magic (usually magicians their own, priests someone else's). If a player has the Eschew Materials feat, this function does not stack. Ritual blades are modified daggers, with the same abilities and traits, but the user need not be proficient with the dagger to gain the benefits of its use.
• Prayerbook: Alternate device for priests, aids rituals and casting of spells longer than one round.
• Icon: The holy symbol of a patron spirit. While all priests use these items in some form or another to cast spells, Heretic Priests with multiple spirit patrons prefer to use icons, often strung on a cord, because they can call upon particular domains only with the icon of the spirit that grants it. Commoners with a devout mindset often wear icons. Note that the spirit patron can see through its icon at any time. Icons are also often magic items, granting some minor bonus or spell-like ability.
• Priest Staff: Priests with only one patron, especially those of the Great Old Ones, usually choose modified quarterstaffs to channel their powers. The staff usually bears the icon of their patron on its top, and is functionally identical to both a quarterstaff and an icon.
• Manadala: Mat or circle with geometric pattern. Used as focus for astral/ethereal spells, prayer, and magic circle/calling spells.

Vehicles and Mounts

• Horses are common only around the Crescent Sea. In other lands, more exotic mounts may be more common. More powerful nations may have access to Golem mounts.
• Airships are becoming more common, and are relatively simple enough to construct that many Crescent Sea nations use them in trade, exploration, transport, and war.
• Sailing ships are still the norm, but some Crescent Sea nations have invested in ironclad warships, many of which are powered by simple clockwork or steam engines.
• Early armored vehicles, such as war wagons or armored tanks, can be found, but golems are usually preferred for their greater mobility and sophisticated tactics (at least when compared to a cannon or a wagon).

Magic Items

Magic items primarily use the Tome Magic Items variant rule, with a few exceptions. Any character may have up to eight attuned items at one time.

Potions and Alchemy

The default tool for low-level adventurers, modified a little to be more practical. Potions, alchemical items, and holy/unholy water are crafted in batches, a process which takes one hour plus one hour per level of the equivalent spell (minimum +1 hour) and produces 2d4+1 doses per batch. Brewing these items requires an Arcana, Geomancy, or Thaumaturgy check (depending on class spell, default Arcana for alchemy) each hour (DC 20 + spell level). If a check fails by less than 5, ingredients and time spent so far is wasted; if the check fails by 10 or more, some minor mishap occurs (lose eyebrows, minor explosion (weak or nonlethal damage), turn into talking toad for 1d2 hours, etc. as DM sees fit).

Since potion brewing is based on skill, rather than spellcasting ability, spellcasting ability is not required for any potion, nor do you have to have the spell in any form to make the potion (the exception is holy/unholy water, which requires a spirit patron to imbue the water and thus requires spiritualist or divine magic; this variant requires no ). A character must have 5 + spell level ranks to brew a potion of a particular level, and at least 6 ranks in Arcana, Geomancy, or Thaumaturgy is required to brew potions and alchemical items at all. Casters may have a slight edge by being able to take 10 on the skill check, provided they could cast the spell (due to spell level, knowledge of discipline).

Talisman/Charm

Very basic magical items, which anyone can create. Such items are very weak, generally last only for 24 hours after creation (often less once activated), and take up an attunement slot. Their sole purpose is to replicate the simple charms and items employed by most people in fantasy worlds, but are useful for characters starting out (talismans tend to be overtaken by later magical items). Charms are imbued with power as the result of cultural belief, which is why these items have any power at all. Require at least 2 ranks one of the following skills to craft, but not to use, depending on the item: Arcana, Cultures, Devices, Healing, Geomancy, Survival, or Thaumaturgy. Also has . Examples include:

• Tool: Grants a +2 competence bonus on a particular skill for 1d4+1 appropriate skill checks made within 24 hours. Examples: Rowan Dowsing Rod (+2 Dowsing checks), Adder Stone (+2 Perception checks), Black Cat Bone (+2 Acrobatics checks).
• Charm: Grants a +1 bonus to a single save, attack roll, or initiative roll, or allows for a basic attack form or enhancement, and lasts for 24 hours after being made or until used. Examples include: Eighteen-Leaf Clover (+1 resistance bonus to the first save made within 24 hours, provided it is carried on person), Raven Feather (+1 resistance bonus to save versus enchantment spells and effects), Gallows Rope (+1 DC of first necromancy spell cast).
• Talisman: Slightly more elaborate than a charm, grants minor benefit for 24 hours. Examples: Serpent-Tongue (fossil shark tooth) necklace (+1 Athletics checks and +1 Fortitude saves).

Grimoire

Magic books that contain forbidden knowledge and forgotton lore. Highly prized by Ritualists, but even Priests can gain some benefit from study. TBA.