Saturday, December 28, 2024

Equipment for the Tower Lands

A lot of people have said a setting's equipment list is one of its most important worldbuilding tools. It instantly communicates a lot to players about the world while being one of the parts of the game they interact with most directly. I thought I'd share my setting's current equipment list (not including magic items, though I posted some stuff about that a while back). It's mostly pretty standard D&D fare--the Tower Lands are meant to be as approachable as possible for players at first blush, with the unique stuff only becoming apparent further in--but there are a few standouts.

Trade and Prices

Common folk trade with their neighbors on barter and credit. Travelers and the wealthy measure value in Dust. This shimmering powder, found in ruins of the old world or refined from rare minerals at the holiest of shrines, is recognizable by its soft blue-green glow and the way it gathers and moves on its own when undisturbed. The smallest amount of Dust that will gather is called a Mote, noted as Đ. A free wage laborer typically earns about 5 Đ per day.

Weapons

Type Properties Price
Axe Throwable 18 Đ
Battleaxe Two-handed 120 Đ
Bow Range 150' 60 Đ
Club Small 7 Đ
Crossbow Range 180', slow to load 150 Đ
Dagger Small, throwable 7 Đ
Javelins (2) Range 120' 80 Đ
Mace - 30 Đ
Maul Two-handed 120 Đ
Polearm Two-handed, reach 150 Đ
Sling Small, range 300' 5 Đ
Spear Throwable, reach 30 Đ
Staff - 12 Đ
Sword - 60 Đ
War sword Two-handed 150 Đ

Ammunition

Type Price
Arrows, quiver of 20 30 Đ
Bullets, pouch of 20 10 Đ
Quarrels, case of 20 30 Đ

Armor

Type Price
Light 150 Đ
Medium 600 Đ
Heavy 2,000 Đ
Shield 120 Đ

Tools and Provisions

Item Description Price
Alembic, portable Enough for basic apothecary work in the field. 375 Đ
Backpack The mark of soldiers and relic hunters. 40 Đ
Bottle, pint - 2 Đ
Caltrops, bag Sharp metal spikes used to deter pursuers. Restricted by law in most places. 50 Đ
Candles (4) - 2 Đ
Case, map or scroll - 12 Đ
Clothing, common Linen or woolen tunic, belt, sandals, cloak. 40 Đ
Clothing, warm Thick woolen shirt and tunic, gloves, leggings, fur boots, heavy cloak. 120 Đ
Clothing, extravagant Fine embroidered tunic or gown, expensive furs and silks, jewelry. 400+ Đ
Compass - 250 Đ
Cosmetics set A box containing makeup, brushes, perfumes, tweezers, etc. Common among the wealthy, often lavishly decorated. 100+ Đ
Costume Suitable for a theatrical performance (or a disguise). 120 Đ
Crowbar - 12 Đ
Dust phial A reinforced bottle with a dropper built into the lid for measuring out Dust by the mote. Often ornate. Holds up to 100 Đ. 20+ Đ
Flint and steel - 1 Đ
Gaming set A board game and pieces, set of dice, or deck of cards. 30 Đ
Grappling hook - 25 Đ
Inhaler mask Has a socket for a Dust phial, allowing quick inhalation by a Tuner. Each is a unique likeness, embodying its user’s reputation. Restricted by law in most places. 500+ Đ
Lantern - 18 Đ
Lockpicks Also includes a set of skeleton keys. Restricted by law in most places. 100 Đ
Map Regional, provincial, or realm-wide. 80 Đ
Medical supplies - 25 Đ
Mirror, hand - 30 Đ
Naphtha, jar Highly flammable 50 Đ
Net - 25 Đ
Oad Five-stringed musical instrument, plucked with the fingers. 100 Đ
Oil, flask, 1 pint Macca or other vegetable oil. Not flammable without a wick. 12 Đ
Pickaxe - 12 Đ
Rations, fresh, 1 day Spoil in 1 week. 2 Đ
Rations, preserved, 1 day - 4 Đ
Đ
Rope, 50' - 12 Đ
Sack, small - 1 Đ
Sack, large - 2 Đ
Shovel - 12 Đ
Spikes, iron (10) - 10 Đ
Tinderbox - 2 Đ
Torch - 1 Đ
Water or wineskin Holds 3 days' worth. 10 Đ

Animals and Vehicles

Item Description Price
Barding - 300 Đ
Cart, beast-drawn - 80 Đ
Cart, hand 35 Đ
Dog, hunting - 50 Đ
Feed grain, common, 1 day - 2 Đ
Feed grain, fine, 1 day Suitable for feeding a warhorse. 4 Đ
Gyne Small flying hunters, cousins to the wild valit. Kept by the rich for small game. 60 Đ
Horse, riding - 150 Đ
Horse, war Must be fed fine grain to remain in fighting shape 375 Đ
Kelbi Small, hopping herd grazers with curling horns. Kept for wool, meat, and milk. 12 Đ
Mol Furry, waist-high burrowers sometimes raised for meat. Easy to feed, but foul-tempered and sharp of tooth. 10 Đ
Mule - 120 Đ
Nog Knee-high, round-bodied scavengers with dark blue skin and short trunks. Kept for meat and food waste disposal. 20 Đ
Phen Small, flightless winged beasts. Poor eating themselves, but lay tasty soft-shelled eggs. 1 Đ
Rox Powerful, shoulder-high grazers with plated heads. Kept as dairy and draft beasts, slaughtered for leather and expensive meat. 80 Đ
Saddle, riding - 120 Đ
Saddle, war - 250 Đ
Saddlebags - 20 Đ

Services

Item Price
Carriage, local, per trip 2 Đ
Carriage, long-distance, per day 15 Đ
Meal, cheap 2 Đ
Meal, excellent 5 Đ
Drink, cheap 1 Đ
Drink, excellent 3 Đ
Freight, per barrel, per day 2 Đ
Inn, common room, per night 2 Đ
Inn, private room, per night 5 Đ
Messenger, local 1 Đ
Messenger, long-distance 20 Đ
Rent, cheap apartments, per month 100 Đ
Rent, luxurious apartments, per month 500 Đ
Ship's passage, per person, per day 18 Đ
Ship's charter, per day 100 Đ
Stabling, common animal, per day 1 Đ
Stabling and grooming, warhorse, per day 3 Đ
Wage, common laborer, per day 5 Đ
Wage, expert retainer, per day 15 Đ
Wage, mercenary, per day* 20 Đ

*: Base wage per fighting member of the company. For leaders, multiply by renown. Expenses must also be paid, and plunder will be expected when engaging in battle.

A Note on Slavery

Slavery is a ubiquitous and essential part of the Tower Lands’ economy. Halish slavery is not the chattel slavery of Earth’s Atlantic slave trade, but it is nevertheless a deeply cruel and inhumane practice. Slaves are routinely forced to work in brutal conditions and abused in countless ways.

It is assumed that players won’t want to play as slave owners or slave traders. However, they may want to do things like buying the freedom of slaves. For such cases, a typical commoner in decent health without any specialized skills can usually be bought out of slavery for about 300 Đ. People with specialized skills may cost as much as double, and those of formerly high birth, triple or more.

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Equipment for the Tower Lands

A lot of people have said a setting's equipment list is one of its most important worldbuilding tools. It instantly communi...