Equipment in Cypher plays only a small role. It's far more important to focus on what you can do than on what you have. Still, sometimes it's important to know if you've got enough rope or what kind of gun your space pilot has at their hip.
| Equipment by Genre |
|---|
| Real World |
| Fantasy |
| Sci-fi |
| Postapocalypse |
| Superhero |
In the Cypher rules, when it comes to prices we talk in generalities rather than specifics. Instead of having exact currency values like “10 gold pieces” or “30 Imperial credits” or “50 exodollars,” we use general price categories like “inexpensive” and “expensive.”
The GM can figure out what those categories mean in their setting. In a fantasy setting, an inexpensive item might be 1 or 2 copper pennies, while an expensive item might require gold coins. In a futuristic setting, a moderately priced item might cost a few hundred credits, and a very expensive one costs kilocredits or megacredits.
Some GMs prefer exact currency numbers for items—so a backpack is 2 gold or 50 credits—and you'll keep track of your character's money much like you do in real life. If this is the case in your game, the GM will develop a detailed price list for the setting you're playing in, you'll track your character's money on your character sheet to determine what you can afford, and you'll never use the price categories after you initially build your character.
But some GMs might want to keep things simple and use only the general categories, indicating currency just as flavor now and then. In a fantasy game, looting a dungeon might net each character enough gold and gems for a couple of moderately priced items. In a spacefaring sci-fi game, hauling passengers to another star system might earn the whole PC crew enough for six expensive items after paying for fuel and such. In either case, the exact amounts don't matter—the fantasy characters are probably trading old coins and jewelry for new things, and the sci-fi characters may be dealing with currencies from two different planetary economies.
There are five price categories for goods and services.
An inexpensive item is something that common people buy. A simple meal or a drink in the bar. A pen and some paper. A book or magazine.
A moderately priced item is something that common people buy, but not too often and not in great quantities. A small piece of furniture. A major entertainment. An expensive meal. A new outfit.
An expensive item is something that would strain a common person's finances. Rent on a simple apartment. A major piece of furniture. A very nice outfit. The cost to travel a long distance (if appropriate to the setting).
A very expensive item is probably out of the reach of most people except in very special circumstances. Jewelry. Luxury furnishings.
An exorbitant item is something only the very rich can afford. A very nice house. A ship. Extremely expensive jewelry or art.
Each price category costs about ten times more than the one before it. For example, a moderately priced item is about ten times the cost of an inexpensive item. An expensive item is about ten times the cost of a moderately priced item. A very expensive item is about ten times the cost of an expensive one, a hundred times the cost of a moderate one, and a thousand times the cost of an inexpensive one. An exorbitant item is ten times the cost of an expensive one.
You can use the price categories in a variety of ways. It's easy for a GM to say to you, “You can afford two extra moderately priced things at the start of the game.” Then you can look on the list and pick two moderately priced items without worrying about their cost. Plus, this approach makes it clear that you get two items, not twenty inexpensive items (which might be a lot to carry) and not an expensive item (which might not be appropriate for a starting character). The categories make it easy to lump similar items together.
The GM can also say “You can have whatever inexpensive items you want, and don't worry about the cost.” For later stages of the campaign, when the PCs have more wealth, followers, and so on, the GM can do this with moderate or even expensive items. This allows the group to skip over playing through a shopping trip to get supplies, and you don't have to track prices down to the last coin or credit.
You can use the categories to estimate the cost of a lower-or higher-quality item. If an average-quality shirt (like a T-shirt) is an inexpensive item, a nice shirt (like a button-down shirt for an office job) is a moderately priced item, and an exceptional shirt (fashionable and/or suitable for a fancy event) is an expensive item. If a typical broadsword is an expensive item, a rusted or low-quality broadsword is a moderately priced item (and likely to break after a few fights), and a jeweled sword is a very expensive item.
Finally, you can use the categories as shorthand when evaluating loot, dividing up the spoils among the PCs, and resolving other story-based occurrences that crop up in the game without dealing in the minutiae of exact prices. This is especially useful in high-powered games where your PCs are rich and powerful.
One common piece of RPG equipment is armor, which protects characters from wounds.Various kinds of armor are described in this chapter, but they all fall into one of three armor categories—light, medium, or heavy.
Various kinds of armor are described in this chapter, but they all fall into one of three armor categories—light, medium, or heavy.
Light armor eases your block rolls and hinders your dodge rolls.
Medium armor eases your block rolls by two steps and hinders your dodge rolls by two steps.
Heavy armor eases your block rolls by three steps and hinders your dodge rolls by three steps.
If you cannot freely use the armor you are wearing, its dodge penalty also applies to all of your Speed tasks (not just to Speed defense rolls to dodge). For example, if you are wearing heavy armor but can't freely use it, all of your Speed tasks are hindered by three steps.
Your type tells you what kind of armor you can freely use.
Not all characters can freely use all kinds of weapons. Your type determines which ones you are experienced with and can freely use, meaning that you don't have a penalty when using that kind of weapon. If you attack using a weapon you can't freely use, your attack roll is hindered.
Obviously, warrior types like the Barbarian, Paladin, and Soldier can use all kinds of weapons, and other types like the Mage and Diplomat have a more limited selection.
In a few cases, your focus might add to the list of weapons you can freely use.
There are three categories of weapons in the game.
Light weapons inflict 2 damage. Attacks with them are eased because they are fast and easy to use. Light weapons are punches, kicks, knives, handaxes, darts, very small handguns, and so on. Weapons that are particularly small are light weapons.
Medium weapons inflict 4 damage. Medium weapons include broadswords, battleaxes, maces, crossbows, spears, typical handguns, light rifles, sawed-off shotguns, and so on. Most weapons are medium weapons. Anything that could comfortably be used in one hand (even if it's often used in two hands, such as a quarterstaff or spear) is a medium weapon.
Heavy weapons inflict 6 damage. You must use two hands to attack with them. Heavy weapons include greatswords, greataxes, polearms, heavy crossbows, rifles, regular shotguns, assault rifles, and so on. Anything that must be used in two hands is a heavy weapon.
Because the weapon categories are generalized, if you want to use a specific weapon that's not listed in the book, you can use the game stats for a similar weapon. For example, if you want your character to wield a katana, you can choose a broadsword from the equipment table and call it a katana. If you'd prefer a two-handed nodachi, choose a greatsword and call it a nodachi.
In general, light weapons are moderately priced items, medium weapons are expensive, and heavy weapons are very expensive. Ammunition for a ranged weapon is inexpensive.
The rest of this chapter is divided into sections based on genre, and those sections give more specific details on what weapons are available in that genre.
Keep in mind that in many genres, it's not acceptable to run around carrying dangerous weapons. Your sword might not draw much attention in a fantasy game, or your oversized handgun in a sci-fi game, but carrying either of those weapons in a real-world game set on modern-day Earth is a different story.
You can use a melee weapon to attack a foe that's adjacent to you (next to you) or within reach (immediate range).
Some melee weapons are also meant to be thrown, such as knives and axes. You can throw this kind of weapon up to short range.
A ranged weapon specifies what its maximum range is; most ranged weapons can attack out to short range or long range. If your target is just at the limit of the weapon's range, that's called extreme range, and your attack against them is hindered.
Bombs, grenades, missiles, and other explosives operate differently than weapons like swords and handguns—they can affect multiple targets in an area (usually an immediate area). When you attack with these kinds of weapons, make separate attack rolls for each creature in the area (although the GM may simplify this by having you make one attack roll, which they'll compare to the difficulty of each target in the area). Success means the target takes the normal damage for the explosive weapon; failure typically means the target still takes a smaller amount of damage, usually 1 point.
PCs in the area of an explosive weapon make block or dodge rolls instead of the attacking character making attack rolls.
You can throw a grenade or similar explosive a short distance. Otherwise, you need another weapon or device (such as a grenade launcher or rocket launcher) to shoot them at the target area.
You can use Effort for damage with explosive weapons, but each level of Effort adds only 2 damage (instead of the normal 3).
Exactly what items are available for sale varies greatly based on the setting—blasters and spaceships aren't available in a typical fantasy game, and a sci-fi game probably doesn't have many places where you could buy a sword. Items like food, lodging, and clothing are available in just about any setting, and in different levels of quality according to the price category. For example, you can buy an inexpensive meal, a moderately priced meal, an expensive meal, and so on. An inexpensive meal is light and probably not very nutritious. An expensive meal is available only in nice restaurants in certain locations. An exorbitant meal is probably a feast for a crowd, with the finest food and drink available.
Lodging for a night is similar, although the bottom end starts out worse. An inexpensive night's lodging is probably a flea-ridden mat on the floor of a room filled with other lodgers.
Moderate lodging is usually a private room with a decent bed. Very expensive lodging might be a suite of rooms with delicious meals and personal services (such as massages and laundry) included.
Inexpensive clothing is just a step up from rags, but moderately priced clothing is decent enough. For a formal party, you'd want expensive clothing. Rich people likely wear very expensive clothing most of the time, and put on exorbitant clothing (and jewelry) when they go to a fancy party.
Typical equipment is about level 4—less if it's of inferior quality or materials, more if it's of superior quality or materials. This means that in a setting based on the distant past, the default level might be 3, while in the future it might be 5 or 6. So an average serf's tool in the Dark Ages is level 3, easily broken, while an average tool on a space station is level 6, made of advanced polymers. A tiny item like a ring or watch will usually have a lower level, and a large item like a car will have a higher level.
The context in pricing often matters. In a real-world setting on modern-day Earth, a matchstick is almost worthless (many establishments give away books of them), but it would be very valuable in an Iron Age or Stone Age society. A sword might be expensive in a fantasy setting, but mostly worthless in the far future other than as a collector's item (although it hurts just the same if you're hit with it), making it either inexpensive or very expensive. A motorcycle would be expensive in a real-world setting, moderate at best in a future setting—again, unless it's a collector's item—and utterly priceless in the Iron Age (as long as the fuel lasted) if it somehow found its way to 1000 BC (where it would be an artifact). In a fantasy setting, a magically fueled motorcycle might have the same value as a flying carpet or trained gryphon.
This is why you can't have a standardized price list that applies to every setting, genre, and time period. It's all about context.
Cyphers are one-use abilities. In some settings, cyphers are physical items, like a magic potion or high-tech gizmo, but you shouldn't think of them as regular equipment like backpacks, swords, and horses—they have special rules and often aren't available to buy or sell. Cyphers are more like special abilities (from your type or focus) than common equipment. Chapter 11 has more information on cyphers, including how they work, how many you can carry, and how to get them. to get them.
Some character types and some foci allow you to craft cyphers, modify the power level of a cypher, or use a cypher more than once.
Artifacts are like cyphers in that they're more like special abilities than common equipment. Unlike cyphers, artifacts can be used more than once.
Every artifact has a special statistic called depletion, which is usually written as a number range, like “1 in 1d6” or “1-3 in 1d20.” When you use or activate an artifact, you roll the die in the depletion stat. If your roll is in the depletion range of numbers, the artifact works, but that is its last use.
Some rare artifacts have a depletion stat of “—” which means they never deplete.
The GM has more information about artifacts.
Artifact depletion means you never have to keep track of how many charges an item has or its “battery level.”
If desired, the group can ignore ammunition amounts for guns, bows, and the like and simply rely on GM Intrusions to indicate when one runs out of ammo. Running out of ammo is a great and easy intrusion for when a player rolls a 1 with a weapon that uses it.
The following items (and anything else appropriate to the real world, meaning modern-day Earth) are usually available for purchase.
For any game set in the modern day, catalogs or shopping websites can provide prices for any kind of item that you might need. Likewise for historical games, an internet search can quickly get you price lists from old mail-order catalogues.
| Inexpensive Items | |
|---|---|
| Item | Note |
| Bullets (50) | Ammunition for handguns and rifles |
| Knife, simple | Light weapon; easily destroyed |
| Duct tape roll | Level 2 adhesive, level 3 with multiple layers; eases various tasks |
| Flashlight | Normal light out to short distance |
| Padlock with keys | Level 3 lock |
| Trail rations (1 day) | Nutritive food |
| Moderately Priced Items | |
| Item | Note |
| Backpack | |
| Bag of heavy tools | |
| Bag of light tools | |
| Binoculars | Asset for perception tasks at long range or longer |
| Bolt cutter | Cuts objects like bolts, chains, and bars up to level 5 |
| Climbing gear | Asset for climbing tasks |
| Crowbar | Asset for prying open things |
| Electric lantern | Normal light in an immediate area, dim light in a short area; three to four hours |
| First aid kit | Asset for healing tasks; five uses |
| Hand grenade | Explosive weapon, can be thrown a short distance, inflicts 4 damage in immediate radius |
| Handcuffs | Level 4 restraints |
| Hunting knife | Light weapon |
| Leather jacket | Light armor |
| Machete | Medium weapon |
| Mobile phone | |
| Nightstick | Light weapon |
| Rope | Nylon, 50 feet (16 m) |
| Shield | Can block wounds |
| Sleeping bag | |
| Tent | Fits two adults |
| Expensive Items | |
| Item | Note |
| Bow | Medium weapon, long range |
| Cold weather camping gear | Wounds from cold temperature environments are reduced by two steps |
| Computer/Laptop | Apps and internet, asset on knowledge-based tasks |
| Disguise kit | Asset for disguise tasks; five uses |
| Kevlar vest | Medium armor |
| Light handgun | Light weapon, short range |
| Medium handgun | Medium weapon, long range |
| Nightvision goggles | Reasonably accurate vision in darkness up to long range |
| Portable hidden camera | Transmits at long range |
| Portable hidden microphone | Transmits at long range |
| Rifle | Medium weapon, long range, attack hindered if fired with one hand |
| Scuba gear | Breathe underwater for an hour, down to 130 feet (40 m) |
| Shotgun | Heavy weapon, immediate range, extreme range extends to short range,
attack hindered if fired with one hand |
| Shotgun (sawed off) | Medium weapon, immediate range, extreme range extends to short range |
| Smartphone | Mobile phone with apps, internet access, and immediate-range
flashlight, asset on knowledge tasks that can be found on the internet |
| Straightjacket | Level 4 restraint, hand tasks hindered by two steps |
| Very Expensive Items | |
| Item | Note |
| Assault rifle | Heavy weapon, rapid-fire weapon, long range |
| Heavy handgun | Heavy weapon, long range |
| Heavy rifle | Heavy weapon, 300-foot (90 m) range |
| Military body armor | Heavy armor |
| Small boat | Sail or engine, comfortably carries about six people |
| Submachine gun | Medium weapon, rapid-fire weapon, short range |
| Used car | Fairly reliable, seats four |
| Exorbitant Items | |
| Item | Note |
| Large boat | Sail or engine, comfortably carries twenty people |
| Luxury car | SUV, limousine, or anything with advanced features, comfortably seats four to six people |
| Sports car | Fast and flashy, seats two or three |
1 Easily destroyed: The item might break on a GM Intrusion, through frequent use, over time, or for no apparent reason at all.
Here are some suggested real-world currency values (in US dollars) for the general price categories.
| Category | Dollar Value |
|---|---|
| Inexpensive | 10-20 |
| Moderate | 100-200 |
| Expensive | 1,000-2,000 |
| Very expensive | 10,000—20,000 |
| Exorbitant | 100,000—200,000 |
In a typical pseudo-Medieval fantasy setting, the following items (and anything else appropriate to that time period) are usually available.
| Inexpensive Items | |
|---|---|
| Item | Note |
| Arrows (12) | Ammunition for bow |
| Burlap sack | |
| Candle | Dim light in an immediate area; one hour |
| Crossbow bolts (12) | Ammunition for crossbow |
| Iron rations | (1 day) |
| Tinderbox | Asset for creating fire |
| Torch (3) | Normal light in an immediate area, dim light in a short area; one hour |
| Waterskin | For water, wine, beer, and so on |
| Wooden club | Light weapon |
| Moderately Priced Items | |
| Item | Note |
| Backpack | |
| Bedroll | |
| Blowgun | Light weapon, short range |
| Crowbar | Asset for prying open things |
| Dagger | Light weapon, melee or thrown short range |
| Grappling hook | |
| Guard dog | Guard dog: level 3, attacks and perception as level 4;
suitable for patrolling an area but not for accompanying adventurers into dangerous locations |
| Hammer | Light weapon, melee or thrown short range |
| Handaxe | Medium weapon, can be thrown up to short range |
| Hand mirror | Useful for signaling or seeing around corners |
| Hides and furs | Light armor |
| Hourglass | |
| Lantern | Normal light in an immediate area, dim light in a short area; three to four hours |
| Leather jerkin | Light armor |
| Lockpicks | Asset on lockpicking for mechanical locks |
| Mace | Medium weapon |
| Magnifying glass | Asset on perception to notice close-up details |
| Matchsticks (10) | Asset for creating fire |
| Oil flask | Fuels a lamp for three to four hours; can be prepped with a wick, lit, and thrown up to short range for 2 fire damage |
| Rapier | Light weapon |
| Rope | Hemp, 50 feet (16 m) |
| Shield | Can block wounds |
| Signal horn | Can be heard up to 1 mile (1.6 km) away |
| Spikes and hammer | 10 spikes |
| Tent | Fits two adults |
| Expensive Items | |
| Item | Note |
| Bag of heavy tools | |
| Bag of light tools | |
| Battleaxe | Medium weapon |
| Blank book | For writing notes or spells |
| Book of lore | Asset on one type of knowledge tasks |
| Bow | Medium weapon, long range |
| Breastplate | Medium armor |
| Brigandine | Medium armor |
| Broadsword | Medium weapon |
| Chainmail | Medium armor |
| Compass | Points north, eases some navigation tasks |
| Disguise kit | Asset for disguise tasks; five uses1 |
| Healing kit | Asset for healing tasks; five uses1 |
| Light crossbow | Medium weapon, long range |
| Maul | Heavy weapon |
| Musical instrument | Guitar, harp, flute, hand drum, or something similar |
| Quarterstaff | Medium weapon (requires two hands) |
| Riding horse | Riding horse: level 3; moves a long distance each round |
| Saber | Medium weapon |
| Very Expensive Items | |
| Item | Note |
| Blank book | 100 pages |
| Dwarven breastplate | Medium armor, eases block tasks by an additional step |
| Full plate armor | Heavy armor |
| Greatsword | Heavy weapon |
| Heavy crossbow | Heavy weapon, long range |
| Spyglass | Asset for perception tasks at long range or longer |
| Warhorse | Warhorse: level 4; moves a long distance each round |
| Exorbitant Items | |
| Item | Note |
| Elven chainmail | Medium armor, encumbers as light armor |
| Sailing ship (small) | |
1 You might not want to track how many uses are left in your healer’s kit or disguise kit, or how much ammunition you have left, and just leave it up to the GM to decide if you’ve run out—or the GM might give it a depletion stat like an artifact.
GM Intrusion: The character’s limited-use piece of equipment (like a healer’s kit, disguise kit, or box of ammunition) has run out. Perhaps they used it all up and didn’t realize, they spilled some, it’s expired, or it’s been ruined somehow.
Here are some suggested fantasy currency values for the general price categories.
| Category | Gold Piece Value |
|---|---|
| Inexpensive | Less than 1 |
| Moderate | 1-100 |
| Expensive | 100-1000 |
| Very expensive | 1000-10000 |
| Exorbitant | 100,000+ |
In a science fiction setting, the following items are usually available. An item marked with an asterisk (*) indicates fantastic-level technology (such as cybernetic limbs, multidimensional storage, and personal energy shields) available only in far-future or advanced-technology settings.
| Inxpensive Items | |
|---|---|
| Item | Note |
| Bullets (50) | Ammunition for handguns and rifles |
| Energy pack (50) | Ammunition for blaster weapons |
| Everlight* | Normal light out to very long distance, radio isotope power cell lasts years |
| Flashlight | Normal light out to short distance |
| Knife (simple) | Light weapon; easily destroyed 1 |
| Needles (50) | Ammunition for needler |
| Survival rations | food for 1 day |
| Moderately Priced Items | |
| Item | Note |
| Apex edge knife | Light weapon; resists breaking and damage as level 8 object |
| Auton* | Robot follower; Auton: level 1, one modification as level |
| Backpack | |
| Bag of heavy tools | |
| Bag of light tools | |
| Binoculars | Asset for perception tasks at long range or longer |
| Breather | Eight hours of breathable air |
| Climbing gear | Asset for climbing tasks |
| Communicator | Planetary range |
| Crowbar | Asset for prying open things |
| Digital intoxicant | Smart device app that makes character inebriated, easing social tasks and hindering physical tasks for one hour;
any additional doses end the easing and each hinders all tasks by one step |
| Electric lantern | Normal light in an immediate area, dim light in a short area; three to four hours |
| Environment tent | Wounds from extreme temperature environments are reduced by two steps |
| First aid kit | Asset for healing tasks; five uses 2 |
| Grenade | Equivalent to a bomb cypher (adhesion, fiery, flash, poison, shrapnel, or sonic) |
| Handcuffs | Level 4 restraints |
| Hunting knife | Light weapon |
| Interface module | Electronic device that allows user to connect to a wide variety of different computer systems or
computerized devices, usually for the purpose of hacking |
| Leather jacket | Light armor |
| Machete | Medium weapon |
| Nightvision goggles | Reasonably accurate vision in darkness up to long range |
| Restraints | Plastic wrist handcuffs, hinders escape attempts by two steps |
| Rope | Nylon, 50 feet (16 m) |
| Sleeping bag | |
| Smart device | As modern smartphone, but available in various shapes
(wristwatch, badge, glasses, and so on); has apps, internet access, and immediate-range flashlight, asset on knowledge tasks that can be found on the internet |
| Space-fit serum | Restores 3 points to one Pool; gives one month of protection against long-term health problems caused
by space travel's low gravity and cosmic radiation |
| Vacuum suit | Single-use mass-produced one-size-fits-all vacuum-protection
“suit” of thin polymer; action to wear;
GM Intrusion on a roll of 1- 2 on any physical action means the suit tears |
| Expensive Items | |
| Item | Note |
| Advanced scanner* | Palm-sized device; two assets on tasks to detect and identify life forms, machines, metal deposits,
electronic transmissions, energy fields, and power sources in long range |
| Armored bodysuit | Medium armor |
| Computer/Laptop | Apps and internet, asset on knowledge-based tasks |
| Disguise kit | Asset for disguise tasks; five uses 2 |
| Environment suit | 24 hours of breathable air; wounds from extreme temperatures are reduced by two steps |
| False ID | False identification accurate enough to get the character past most official checkpoints |
| Light blaster pistol* | Light weapon, short range |
| Lightweight body armor | Medium armor |
| Medical field kit | Two assets for five healing tasks, then one asset for five healing tasks 2 |
| Medium blaster pistol* | Medium weapon, long range |
| Needler | Light weapon, long range |
| Portable hidden camera | Transmits at long range |
| Portable hidden microphone | Transmits at long range |
| Portable scanner | Two-handed device; asset on tasks to detect and identify life forms, machines, metal deposits, electronic
transmissions, energy fields, and power sources in long range |
| Shotgun | Heavy weapon, immediate range, extreme range extends to short range, attack hindered if fired with one hand |
| Shotgun (sawed off) | Medium weapon, immediate range, extreme range extends to short range |
| Spray-on impact armor | Device creates nanofiber armor over skin or clothing for ten minutes, protects as light armor without
hindering dodge tasks; applicator depletion 1 in 1d10 |
| Stunstick | Medium weapon, inflicts no damage, level 2 or lower creature loses their next action, level 3 or
higher is hindered by two steps for a round or two |
| Surelock* | Level 6 lock, can be attached to any opening with level 8 adhesive |
| Wrist computer | Asset for most knowledge-based tasks |
| Very Expensive Items | |
| Item | Note |
| Antigravity belt* | Provides flight at walking speed for an hour, several hours to recharge |
| Battlesuit | Heavy armor; 24 hours of breathable air; wounds from extreme temperatures are reduced by two steps |
| Carryall* | Backpack with dimensional-folding tech and unlimited capacity for items that fit through its mouth |
| Gravity regulator* | Belt device that regulates wearer's gravity to 1G if within 0-3 G conditions |
| Heavy blaster pistol* 3 | Heavy weapon, long range |
| Heavy blaster rifle* 3 | Heavy weapon, 300-foot (90 m) range |
| Hovercraft | Comfortably carries about six people |
| Impact cloak* | Fashionable cloak with attached hood; hardens if wearer is attacked, protecting as heavy armor but encumbering as light armor |
| Infiltrator | Asset on lockpicking for mechanical locks |
| Jetpack | Flies a long distance each round, or 120 mph (190 kph) overland, refuel every 1,000 miles (1,600 km) |
| Monomolecular blade | Light weapon, ignores 1 point of physical Armor, cuts through physical materials up to level 6 |
| Nanodoctor* | Palm-sized device; reduces treatment time by 90% |
| Pulse laser pistol | Medium weapon, rapid-fire weapon, long range |
| Stealthsuit | Asset for stealth tasks |
| Vacuum pistol | Medium weapon, long range |
| Vacuum assault rifle | Heavy weapon, rapid-fire weapon, long range; can switch to medium weapon configuration as an action |
| Exorbitant Items | |
| Item | Note |
| Blast cannon | Heavy weapon, 10 damage, very long range, requires a tripod and two people to operate, rapid-fire weapon |
| Luxury car | SUV, limousine, or anything with advanced features, comfortably seats four to six people |
| Personal force field* | Eases block and dodge tasks for one hour, several hours to recharge |
| Robot servant | Robot servant: level 3, positive social interactions as level 4. Not permitted to harm people or pets |
| Small spaceship | Comfortably carries about six people |
1 Easily destroyed: The item might break on a GM Intrusion, through frequent use, over time, or for no apparent reason at all.
GM Intrusion: The character’s limited-use piece of equipment (like a healer’s kit, disguise kit, or box of ammunition) has run out. Perhaps they used it all up and didn’t realize, they spilled some, it’s expired, or it’s been ruined somehow.
2 You might not want to track how many uses are left in your healer’s kit or disguise kit, or how much ammunition you have left, and just leave it up to the GM to decide if you’ve run out—or the GM might give it a depletion stat like an artifact.
3 Vacuum pistols and vacuum assault rifles use special self-propelling rounds that can fire in oxygen-free environments; the rounds produce no recoil, so firing the weapon doesn’t push or spin the character.
If the GM uses specific currency amounts and makes in-game prices about the same as the price of modern goods, that makes it easy for everyone to understand a quoted price. For example, if a nice sandwich costs 10 in modern-day Earth and 10 sol credits in a futuristic planetary exploration game, you have a reasonable idea of how much a ground car or apartment costs. With that in mind, here are some suggested sci-fi currency values for the general price categories, whether the GM is using sol credits, star dollars, Imperial credits, or platinum chips.
| Category | Currenccy Value |
|---|---|
| Inexpensive | 10-20 |
| Moderate | 100-200 |
| Expensive | 1,000-2,000 |
| Very expensive | 10,000—20,000 |
| Exorbitant | 100,000—200,000 |
In a postapocalyptic game set after a modern-era apocalypse, the following long-lasting and newly made modern items are generally available. Fuel, batteries, and devices that rely on such things, as well as items that break down quickly or are difficult to manufacture, will be much rarer. The GM might decide that such things are at least one price category more expensive than what they're listed as in the Real-World Equipment table, or say that they are essentially unavailable and treat them like artifacts rather than equipment.
| Inexpensive Items | |
|---|---|
| Item | Note |
| Animal hide | Light armor, odor hinders stealth tasks |
| Candle | Dim light in an immediate area; one hour |
| Duct tape roll | Level 2 adhesive, level 3 with multiple layers |
| Knife (simple) | Light weapon; easily destroyed 1 |
| Plastic bag | Easily destroyed 1 |
| Preserved food | (1 day) |
| Shield | Can block wounds |
| Wooden club | Medium weapon |
| Moderately Priced Items | |
| Item | Note |
| Backpack | |
| Baseball bat | Medium weapon |
| Binoculars | Asset for perception tasks at long range or longer |
| Bolt cutter | Cuts objects like bolts, chains, and bars up to level 5 |
| Bullets (50) | Ammo for handguns and rifles |
| Climbing gear | Asset for climbing tasks |
| Crank flashlight | Normal light out to short distance; recharges with built-in crank |
| Crowbar | Asset for prying open things |
| First aid kit | Asset for healing tasks; five uses 2 |
| Gas mask | Breathable air for four hours |
| Handaxe | Light weapon, melee or thrown short range |
| Leather jacket | Light armor |
| Machete | Medium weapon |
| Multitool knife | Light weapon; asset to small repair tasks|
| Padlock with keys | Level 3 lock|
| Rope | Nylon, 50 feet (16 m) |
| Shield | Can block wounds |
| Scavenged doctor's bag | Asset for healing tasks; five uses 2 |
| Sleeping bag | |
| Water filter straw | Removes bacteria and parasites while drinking |
| Expensive Items | |
| Item | Note |
| Antiradiation pill (5) | Asset on defense rolls against radiation effects for 12 hours |
| Electric lantern, solar | Normal light in an immediate area, dim light in a short area; three to four hours, recharges in eight hours of sunlight |
| Kevlar vest | Medium armor |
| Nightvision goggles | Reasonably accurate vision in darkness up to long range |
| Radiation detector | Alert noise increases with intensity |
| Radiation tent | Prevents radiation damage for three days |
| Riot gear | Medium armor |
1 Easily destroyed: The item might break on a GM Intrusion, through frequent use, over time, or for no apparent reason at all.
2 You might not want to track how many uses are left in your healer’s kit or disguise kit, or how much ammunition you have left, and just leave it up to the GM to decide if you’ve run out—or the GM might give it a depletion stat like an artifact.
Postapocalyptic settings usually “reset” the common currency and amounts to small, manageable numbers, and they don't generally have inflation to drive up prices of common items to more than what you can carry in one hand. Here are some suggested postapocalyptic currency values for the general price categories. Depending on the setting, currency units might be bottle caps, teeth, bullets, cans of food, quarters, or gold rings.
| Category | Currency Value |
|---|---|
| Inexpensive | 1-2 |
| Moderate | 5-10 |
| Expensive | 50-100 |
| Very expensive | 500-1,000 |
| Exorbitant | 10,000+ |
| Inexpensive Items | |
|---|---|
| Item | Note |
| Homemade costume | Looks cheap, easily destroyed1 |
| Moderately Priced Items | |
| Item | Note |
| Simple cape | Mostly cosmetic, easily destroyed1 |
| Spandex costume | Elastic, fairly durable |
| Expensive Items | |
| Item | Note |
| Superhero costume | Elastic, durable, adapts to unusual superpowers (like stretching and invisibility) |
| Dramatic cape | Enhances dramatic entrances, risks getting snagged |