Obviously an RPG consists for far more than your sidekicks and baddies. How do they mix together? And more importantly, how shall they attempt to dispose of each other?
There's no need to fret over weapons. You'd be surprised at the number of things that can qualify as an attacking item. Do you have a large supply of Swords? If so, distribute them to everybody and you're all set. Nothing supports old-fashioned chop and slash like a Sword. Your RPG doesn't take place in ancient times? No problem. Swords adapt themselves very well to all eras. In fact, there's probably nothing that will increase the popularity of an RPG like a hero/ine armed with a Sword and riding a motorcycle. Nevermind the fact that any civilisation advanced enough to manufacture motorcycles probably has better ways to eliminate people than Swords. Remember, though, that the hero/ine must be armed with a Legendary Sword. The Legendary Sword is the one which people will speak about with great awe, but in reality is just a stronger Sword than your other ones.
Though it is true that Swords go well with any ally or villain, RPGs need greater variety than chop and slash. Introducing a Spear and a Bow addeds thrust and pierce into an RPG's list of sound effects. Spears and Bows allow long-range attacks, and thus are preferred by female allies who wouldn't want their pretty shrunken outfits to be bloodied. Worried about running out of arrows? No need to worry! Every Bow in an RPG comes packaged with an endless supply of arrows from an invisible quiver. This is very convenient since it means that the hero/ine won't have to waste valuable money on arrows when it can be used on stylish cloaks and hair-styling products (much needed to keep those spikes spikey and that ally's golden hair golden).
The weapons mentioned above are all rather stylish and one might find a Legendary Weapon belonging to the above categories. However, when you come right down to it, nothing is quite as effective as an Axe or Blunt Bludgeoning Item. These weapons should be left to the stupid ally. Such weapons suggest incredible mindless violence, and though the hero/ine is sweeping through the land hacking through every monster and villain in his/her path, villages must be led to believe that the hero/ine is someone who is righteous beyond imagination and thus would never just kill things for the sake of getting more money or experience. An Axe is pretty much self-explanatory, but Blunt Bludgeoning Items are a much larger category. These Items are often just fists, but you'll find in more innovative RPGs that they include mops, pans, and even turtle shells.
With such a fascinating array of injury-causing devices, you should expect an equally intriguing variety of protection items. Of course, there is the standard Upper Body Armour, Helmet, and Shield. There is no need to worry about the material of the armour. Regardless of the weather, armour will never rust, scorch, get soaked, or become climately inappropriate. Whether the hero/ine is travelling through snow, sand, or water, the same ninja suit will do. As well, the ability of a hero/ine to move through various terrain will never be affected by his/her armour. The hero/ine will find no difficulty in climbing a mountain wearing a stone plate, nor will s/he be attacked by activists for wearing animal skins.
Note, though, the special armour for female allies. It would be quite a waste for the hero/ine to find a shapely lass with a penchant for minimalist outfits if she had to be all covered up in armour. Thus, for female allies, you will find that often the defensive ability of a piece of armour is inversely proportional to the fraction of the female body it actually covers. A female ally is never better protected than when she's squeezed into a battle bikini.
There are also many Jewellery Armour. Are you aware that wearing a hair ribbon or a belt increases your defense? You'd be surprised at the number of attacks directed at a character's hair that a hair ribbon will fend off. Note, though, that the number of jewellery that can be worn by one character is limited. If an ally is already wearing a few rings, don't even think about getting him/her to wear an earring. There has been much debate concerning a character's reluctance to wear more than a few pieces of jewellery, and the tentative theory is that the hero/ine would hate for anyone to steal his/her limelight by being more glittery than the hero/ine, and thus limits the jewellery worn by all allies. The hero/ine him/herself will not wear too much jewellery for fear of seeming egocentric and/or vain.
Do not be surprised if wearing a piece of armour or carrying a certain weapon increases certain attributes of the hero/ine. Certain weapon and armoursmiths have advertising gimmicks where they proclaim a weapon will increase the hero/ine's intelligence. There is, of course, no truth to this claim, but often the hero/ine uses this as an excuse to bedeck him/herself in finery. This causes an increase in the hero/ine's opinion of his/her own good looks, boosting his/her self-esteem, and leading to an increase in certain stats.
