Hey all. I have the core plot for The Box locked down, and will start plugging it in shortly. Before I add the new interface puzzles and Skill Testing mechanics, I have decided to take a step back and add new Heirlooms to Rogues Gallery. The current plan is that there will be 3 categories; weapons, armour and equipment. Each will have 10 options - nothing and 9 specific objects.
I'll attach the plans below, including the older items as some of these will change around slightly.
Nothing – Not every hunter has access to rare equipment, and some shun these fancy gadgets in order to retain the purity of the hunt. Some have also fallen on hard times, and have sold their beloved equipment in order to live in a style to which they have become accustomed. Which are you?
- Empty Pockets – You gain no bonuses, but also do not give up an equipment slot. Keep reminding yourself that a bowl is most useful when it is empty.
Weapons
Brutal Hunter Set – Some hunters rely on sheer, raw damage to win the day. This option means your hunter has a wickedly serrated blade and a powerful handgun loaded with flesh-shredding Hunter's Shot rounds. So armed, they can bludgeon down any foe with spectacular overkill.
- Crippling Damage – You deal 1 extra point of damage in combat.
- Overspecialised – You no longer win drawn combat rounds, automatically losing the round instead.
- Set – You may only have one weapon set at a time, and may not combine it with Offhand items or individual weapons.
Precise Hunter Set – Instead of relying on brute force to best their foes, some hunters rely on skill. You are one such hunter, and carry a devilishly sharp rapier and carefully sighted duelling pistol. With these weapons, you can constantly out-class your enemies and land a series of hits that will leave them reeling.
- Rain of Blows – You adds 1 to your dice rolls in combat.
- Overspecialised – You no longer win drawn combat rounds, automatically losing the round instead.
- Set – You may only have one weapon set at a time, and may not combine it with Offhand items or individual weapons.
Witch-Silver Weapons – While enchanted weapons are rare, some hunters do carry them. The swirling inlay of witch-silver on your sword and pistol means that they can deal lasting damage to creatures not of this world. The wounds they cause also fester and seethe, making a mockery of most beast's powers of regeneration.
- Baleful Enchantments – Enemies cannot regenerate, ignore or reduce damage dealt by these weapons.
- Night Terrors – Even the presence of small amounts of witch-silver cause violent nightmares. Despite the protective case you keep them in, your hunter will suffer from these as long as they carry the weapons. You regain no lost Skill when you sleep.
- Set – You may only have one weapon set at a time, and may not combine it with Offhand items or individual weapons.
Boot Knife – This slender dagger is small enough to be concealed inside one of your boots or strapped to your ankle. It is hardly the most fearsome of blades, but it is literally better than nothing.
- Last Resort – Thanks to having this item with you, you are not affected by the 'Unarmed' condition in combat.
- Contraband – Having such a concealed weapon on you may, depending on the circumstances, have unforeseen and unfortunate consequences.
Saints Rounds – These blessed bullets have each been individually consecrated and baptised by priests of militant faiths. They can easily pierce the veil between life and death, sending spirits and other undead back where they came from.
- Sanctified – These bullets add 1 to your dice roll and damage when fighting Undead enemies.
- Limited – There are enough bullets to last for 10 encounters, so use them sparingly!
Venom Shots – While these glass-tipped bullets are tricky to land a clean hit with, the potent poison they contain is deadly to most living things. Just make sure not to get too badly jostled, and keep them inside the protective packing case for safety.
- Toxic – These bullets reduce your roll by 1 in combat, but deal +2 damage to all Humans, Mutants and Beasts when you do manage to hit.
- Limited – There are enough bullets to last for 10 encounters, so use them sparingly!
Parrying Pistol – Your pistol has been heavily modified with either a short, dagger-like bayonet or a toughened handle with a heavy spike at the base. This allows you to use it like a parrying dagger or club in combat, providing an extra layer of defence alongside its damage.
- Parry Master – You are able to deflect blows which would otherwise be devastating to you. Enemies which deal extra damage in combat reduce this bonus by 1 as a result.
- Cumbersome – The extra weight and odd balance of your pistol will reduce your dice rolls in combat by 1.
- Offhand – You may only have one Offhand item equipped at a time, and may not combine it with weapon sets.
Execution Blade – This heavy sword straddles the line of what is acceptable for hunters to use. It is one handed, but with a blade of such length and weight it is impractical to wield for all but the strongest of hunters. The benefits are obvious when you land a blow, as it can cleave through most enemies in a single, dolorous strike.
- Execution Stroke – Instead of 2, you will deal between 1 and 6 points of Stamina damage to your enemies in combat.
- Unwieldy – The huge weight of the blade requires you to be in peak condition to wield it effectively. You receive a -1 penalty to your dice roll in combat for every 2 points of Stamina you have lost.
- Set – You may only have one weapon set at a time, and may not combine it with Offhand items or individual weapons.
Relic Weapons – You carry weapons of proven provenance, either handed down to you by a mentor or friend within the hunters clubs, or passed to you through your family. Whatever the case may be, the familiar weight of them and the litany of foes they have felled fills you with pride and determination every time you draw them.
- Inspiring Legacy – You regain 1 Skill at the end of every combat where you are victorious.
- Naked Without Them – You must reduce your dice roll by 2 in any combat where you are fighting without your weapons, including when the Unarmed penalty is in effect.
- Set – You may only have one weapon set at a time, and may not combine it with Offhand items or individual weapons.
Armour
Heraldic Breastplate – Most hunters skip wearing this cumbersome item except when facing particularly deadly foes. It hinders the movement of the wearer, but does result in an additional level of protection that can mean the difference between life and death.
- Hardened Protection – The toughened steel of the breastplate means you have a 50% chance to reduce all damage (including damage sustained outside of combat) by 1, to a minimum of 1.
- Cumbersome – Using this item restricts your movement, meaning you must subtract 1 from your dice roll in combat
- Body Armour – You may only have one set of body armour equipped at a time.
Toughened Leathers – Some hunters choose to add a few extra layers of leather to their gear, as well as brass or steel studs at the shoulders and hips. These precautions help to deflect incoming attack from your blind spots, at the cost of reduced mobility and extra weight.
- Backstab Insurance – The extra protection of the toughened leather means that you cannot take automatic damage in combat. IE – any enemy that inflicts damage 'regardless of the combat result' loses this ability against a hunter with this item.
- Cumbersome – Using this item restricts your movement, meaning you must subtract 1 from your dice roll in combat
- Body Armour – You may only have one set of body armour equipped at a time.
Light Armour – Not every hunter places their faith in thick leather and steel. Hunters who take this option have stripped down their protective layers to the bare minimum. This allows them to keep one step ahead of all but the most ferocious enemies. Of course, should they be caught out, it could spell disaster...
- Swashbuckling Skills – All enemies must reduce their dice roll by 1 in combat against you.
- Glass Cannon – All enemies inflict 1 extra point of damage in combat against you.
- Body Armour – You may only have one set of body armour equipped at a time.
Wrist Buckler – You have a small, round shield which you can slip over your off hand. It does not require you to grip it, so you are free to use another weapon or pistol as needed. While not as useful as a full shield, you can deflect smaller blows with it before giving a dazzling riposte.
- Precise Protection – If an enemy imposes a Skill penalty on you in combat, you will reduce this penalty by 1, to a minimum of 0.
- Takes a Moment – As you need to slip the shield onto your arm, and having it on all the time is impolite, you will not gain the benefit of the buckler until the 3rd round of combat onwards.
- Offhand – You may only have one Offhand item equipped at a time, and may not combine it with weapon sets.
Blessed Seals – As a devout member of your religion, you have coated your armour in parchments and seals showing your adherence to whatever this creed may be. This makes your gear an anathema to those spirits who have escaped judgement as well as any Infernals you might encounter.
- Sacred Protection – All Undead and Infernal enemies you face must reduce the dice roll to hit you by 2.
- Fragile – If you are ever hit by an enemy in combat, there is a 1 in 6 chance that the intricate scrolls and delicate parchment are destroyed.
Lead-Lined Armour – While Witch-Silver is obviously the best solution to dealing with Externals, lead is the best alternative available which will not leave you screamingly insane through constant exposure. Small panels of the material can be inserted into your gear to keep you from being exposed to baleful energies generated by these unnatural beings.
- Energy Dissipation – Externals must reduce their attack rolls against you by 2 and damage by 1.
- Cumbersome – Using this item restricts your movement, meaning you must subtract 1 from your dice roll in combat.
- Body Armour – You may only have one set of body armour equipped at a time.
Steel Helmet – While not exactly fashionable, a good, thick helmet like this can deflect blows which would leave you stunned otherwise. It does reduce your peripheral vision somewhat, but that can be compensated for with practice.
- Cranial Protection – You are immune to enemy effects which would reduce your skill, permanently or temporarily, when they strike you in combat.
- Cumbersome – Using this item restricts your movement, meaning you must subtract 1 from your dice roll in combat.
Ablative Armour – You have added some additional layers to your gear which will shred away harmlessly when struck. This will keep your body intact instead, but only for so long. After that you are on your own.
- Saving Grace – When you take damage in or out of combat, your armour will absorb half of the damage, rounding down.
- Fading Protection – Your armour will start with 12 Stamina points of absorption, which cannot be increased. Once this total is used up it will provide no more damage reduction.
Thick Cape – This cloak of animal hide, embellished with the skulls of some beasts you have slain, can be worn over your regular armour or with your regular clothes. Not only does it make you cut a dashing figure, but most mundane weapons carried by mortals will become tangled in it or deflected by the material.
- Extra Layer – Humans and Mutants must reduce their roll to hit you in combat by 1. Beasts must reduce their roll to hit you by 2.
- Cumbersome – Using this item restricts your movement, meaning you must subtract 1 from your dice roll in combat.
Equipment
Punch Dagger – Some hunters train to use a punch dagger strapped to their pistol hand to aid them in combat. The chance to use such an exotic weapon comes once in a blue moon, but when an opportunity appears the unexpected attack can be deadly.
- Scorpion Stab – If the result of a combat round is a draw, you not only win the round, but deal an additional 2 points of damage.
- Offhand – You may only have one Offhand item equipped at a time, and may not combine it with weapon sets.
Beloved Locket – A hunter's life is often lonely. Those lucky enough to have a romantic attachment of some sort tend to carry a keepsake with them wherever they are far from home. No matter how daunting the hunt, they can always use it as a touchstone when they dream of the life they will go back to when it is all over.
- Sweet Dreams, My Love – When you sleep, you regain 1 extra point of skill and 2 extra points of stamina.
Lucky Pocketwatch – While not always a pocketwatch, the logic of this item remains the same. By placing a small, metal object over their heart, the hunter hopes that fate will intervene and block a lethal blow. It happens more often than you think, although usually not more than once for a single person.
- Fate Averted – The first time you would be slain because you lost a round of combat, this item is destroyed instead. Any further damage taken that round will then be applied as normal.
Storm-Crow Claw – The preserved claw of a storm crow. These mystical beasts are considered lucky, although if that luck is good or bad depends on your perspective. When things are good they will be very good, but when they are bad...
- Fortune – You always deal 1 extra point of damage to enemies in combat.
- Ruin – You always take 1 extra point of damage in combat.
Shiny Medals – There are many awards a hunter will rack up as they gain prestige and fame. Some of these are simply ceremonial, while others are given for bravery and valour in the face of dire monsters. It may be a bit pompous to wear them all the time, but it can help to remind you of your past deeds.
- Overbearing Pride – The first time you would permanently lose Skill points outside of combat, you will discard this item instead.
Holy Relic – For those of a religious bent, carrying a shard of bone or piece of armour worn by a saint can bring great comfort. Indeed, in the darkest of times, they can often be the source of a miraculous recovery.
- Divine Intervention – The first time you would permanently lose Stamina points outside of combat, you will discard this item instead.
Quick-Draw Holster – Pistoleers and gunslingers favour these holsters as they allow for a quick, smooth draw. Some unscrupulous types also have single-shot pistols concealed on mechanical devices which can pop out of a sleeve and be ready to fire at a moment's notice. The result is the same; whoever has such a device is often the one to get the first – and last – shot of a fight in.
- Lightning Shot – As long as the Unarmed condition is not present, on the first round of every combat you will add 4 to your dice roll to hit.
Belt Censer – A small, metal ball which contains burning incense. These are designed to hang from the belt by a chain, spreading sweet-smelling fumes wherever you go. While the protection they add is often only spiritual, they can help to protect from some miasmic conditions.
- Healing Vapours – Whenever you win a combat, you will recover 1 Stamina point, 2 if the enemy you defeated was Undead or Infernal.
Surgical Kit – A step up from a simple first aid box, this kit is only usable by those who have been trained in field surgery. It is not a great surprise that many hunters have taken such courses even if they do not go on to be doctors. In the right hands the tools and medicines inside can work small miracles.
- Trauma Surgery – When using a Medical Kit to heal your wounds, it will heal 5 Stamina instead of 4. Other healing is unaffected.
Other changes which will be made is that the New Money Trait will give you a bonus
equipment item, instead of a random item overall. If anyone has any thoughts about these, let me know! I will be overhauling the system for a while so there is plenty of time to swap one out for someone head-canon item or deal with balancing changes.
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