Equipment

Chapter 6: Equipment

To make your mark on the world, you’ll need to have the right equipment, including armor, weapons, and other gear. This chapter presents the various equipment that you can purchase during character creation. You can usually find these items for sale in most cities and other large settlements.

Your character starts out with 15 gold pieces (150 silver pieces) to spend on any common items from this chapter. Items with an uncommon rarity can be purchased only if you have special access from abilities you selected during character creation or your GM gives you permission to purchase them.

Once you’ve purchased your starting items, there are three main ways to gain new items and equipment: you can find them during an adventure, make them using the Crafting skill, or purchase them from a merchant.

Coins and Currency

Though you might be able to barter valuable items in some areas, currency is the most versatile way to make transactions when you head to market. The most common currency is coins. For most commoners and beginning adventurers, the standard unit is the silver piece (sp). Each silver piece is a standard weight of silver and is typically accepted by any merchant or kingdom no matter where it was minted. There are three other common types of coins, each likewise standardized in weight and value. The first is the copper piece (cp). Each copper piece is worth one-tenth of a silver piece. The gold piece (gp) is often used for purchasing magic items and other expensive items, as 1 gold piece is worth 10 silver pieces or 100 copper pieces. The platinum piece (pp) is used by nobles to demonstrate their wealth, for the purchase of very expensive items, or simply as a way to easily transport large sums of currency. A platinum piece is worth 10 gold pieces, 100 silver pieces, or 1,000 copper pieces. See Table 6–1: Coin Values for the exchange rates of common types of coins.

Other Currency

Art objects, gems, and raw materials (such as those used for the Craft activity) can be used much like currency: you can sell them for the same Price you can buy them.

Price

Most items in the following tables have a Price, which is the amount of currency it typically takes to purchase that item. An item with a Price of “—” can’t be purchased. An item with a Price of 0 is normally free, but its value could be higher based on the materials used to create it. Most items can be sold for half their Price, but coins, gems, art objects, and raw materials (such as components for the Craft activity) can be exchanged for their full Price.

Starting Money

15 gp (150 sp)

CP

SP

GP

PP

Copper piece (cp)	1	1/10	1/100	1/1,000
Silver piece (sp)	10	1	1/10	1/100
Gold piece (gp)	100	10	1	1/10
Platinum piece (pp)	1,000	100	10	1

Item Level

Each item has an item level, which represents the item’s complexity and any magic used in its construction. Simpler items with a lower level are easier to construct, and you can’t Craft items that have a higher level than your own (page 243). If an item’s level isn’t listed, its level is 0. While characters can use items of any level, GMs should keep in mind that allowing characters access to items far above their current level may have a negative impact on the game.

Shoddy Items

Improvised or of dubious make, shoddy items are never available for purchase except for in the most desperate of communities. When available, a shoddy item usually costs half the Price of a standard item, though you can never sell one in any case. Attacks and checks involving a shoddy item take a –2 item penalty. This penalty also applies to any DCs that a shoddy item applies to (such as AC, for shoddy armor). A shoddy suit of armor also worsens the armor’s check penalty by 2. A shoddy item’s Hit Points and Broken Threshold are each half that of a normal item of its type.

Armor

Armor increases your character’s defenses, but some medium or heavy armor can hamper movement. If you want to increase your character’s defense beyond the protection your armor provides, they can use a shield. Armor protects your character only while they’re wearing it.

Armor Class

Your Armor Class (AC) measures how well you can defend against attacks. When a creature attacks you, your Armor Class is the DC for that attack roll.

Armor Class = 10 + Dexterity modifier (up to your

armor’s Dex Cap) + proficiency bonus + armor’s

item bonus to AC + other bonuses + penalties

Use your proficiency bonus for the category (light, medium, or heavy) or the specific type of armor you’re wearing. If you’re not wearing armor, use your proficiency in unarmored defense.

Donning and Removing Armor

Getting in and out of armor is time consuming—so make sure you’re wearing it when you need it! Donning and removing armor are both activities involving many Interact actions. It takes 1 minute to don light armor, 5 minutes to don medium or heavy armor, and 1 minute to remove any armor.