Armor and Weapons
Classes | Combat | Commands | Getting Started | Skills | Spells | Weapons and Armor
This chapter covers the specifics of the various skills related to armor and weapons, and the various armor and weapons themselves. This begins with a section on 'Armor', and is followed by sections on 'Additional Armor' (helms, boots, gauntlets, etc) and 'Shields'. Weapons are then covered in 'Swords,' 'Ranged Weapons,' and 'Other Weapons'. Lastly, a section on 'Other Combat Skills' (skills like 'Dodge', 'Fundamentalism', 'Backstab' etc) is included. However, before going any further, two concepts that are significant to everything: Agility and fatigue.
For many weapons, armor, and other gear, there are stat requirements, and there are also stat bonuses. These are pretty straightforward (i.e., if you have the stat requirement you can use the item) for all stats except Agility, which is broken down into 'Body Agility' (BA) and 'Arm Agility' (AA), each equal to your Agility stat UNLESS modified due to the armor and other gear you are wearing. In other words, if your Agility is 18 and you want to use a Greatsword (Arm Agility requirement of 16) you cannot be wearing gear whose total Arm Agility modifiers are greater than -2 (giving you an Arm Agility of 16) or you will not be able to use the weapon. In general, Body
Agility has a significant impact on one's dodging ability, while Arm Agility affects all attacks and blocks with one's weapon and shield. The specifics of what stats are required and what stats are used as bonuses, as well as what affect an item has on one's BA and AA, are listed in the sections in the remainder of this chapter.
Fatigue is another important factor in the game, and armor, weapons and other gear are each listed with a 'Fatigue Factor' (FF) representing how much fatigue the use of that item causes. To understand how this affects one's character, the suggestion is to try adding an item that increases your character's FF by one, and seeing how much this affects your character's fatigue in combat compared to not wearing the item. In practice, as characters build up their stamina over time, they will be able to add gear that they were not able to wear before without becoming excessively fatigued in combat as well as replace starting gear with heavier items. Again, this is something that occurs only over time.
ARMOR
In the lands of Mystic Realms, general melee combat abilities are taught in one of six skill areas based on the armor type being used by the individual being trained. The important thing to understand about these skills is that they do not represent characters 'using' their armor per se, but instead represent a character's overall melee combat ability when wearing that type of armor, and this affects ALL melee combat actions, both attacking and defending. A character's armor skill is thus the most important skill for fighter type classes and an important skill for all other classes as well.
One important aspect of armor skills is that they might be said to be 'stepped'. In other words, there are lighter and heavier armor skills, and the training for the heavier armor skills in many cases includes training for the lighter armor skills. For example, if a character is trained in Leather Vest, that character may use all armor and other gear requiring the Unarmored
skill in addition to the armor and gear requiring Leather Vest. Similarly, the Leather Hauberk and Breastplate skills include all armor and gear requiring Leather Vest and Unarmored, the Chainmail skill includes all armor and gear requiring Breastplate, Leather Vest and Unarmored, and the Plate Armor skill includes all armor and gear for all other armor skills. However, the heavier armor skills are more expensive, in terms of training point cost, so in practice it is wise to just train in the armor skill for the armor that you plan to wear. If you come to a point where you want to move to a heavier armor skill, you can always retrain to that heavier armor skill (you must tell the trainer [name] RETRAIN [new skill]); this transfers your current skill point total over to the new skill and figures your new level; if you have more TRp than the minimum required, but not enough for the next level, the extra TRP are added to your current unspent total. (For example, if you had L10 - say, 150,000 TRP - in Breastplate and wished to retrain to Chainmail, it would simply transfer the TRP total over to the new skill and grant a level based on those TRP.)
Another important aspect of armor skills is that, in general, heavier armor is better, but this is not necessarily so in all cases. In other words, there are tradeoffs. Heavier armor has greater Body Agility and Weapon Agility modifiers, and this affects a character's abilities to dodge and use weapon and shield. Heavier armor is also more fatiguing, and the stamina required could instead be used to increase a character's Combat Intensity. So the recommendation is that one read the discussion for a particular armor skill and understand what ramifications the armor available for that skill would have on their character before deciding to go to it.
The six armor skills are listed below, with the armor types that require that skill and a discussion. The armor types are listed with Body Agility (BA), Arm Agility (AA) and Fatigue Factor (FF) modifiers as discussed previously in this chapter. If 'Con' is listed with a number, it
represents a minimum Constitution score required to wear that armor.
Skill: UNARMORED
Armor: Cloth Vest (BA-1, AA0, FF1)
The Unarmored skill is generally used by Monks, Magic Users and, sometimes, by Warriors using the Rapier skill. Monks are prohibited from wearing any armor, including cloth vest, if they are to get their fundamentalism bonus. Magic Users cannot use any armor other than cloth vest or they risk killing themselves when casting spells.
As for the Rapier skill, it has body Agility as well as arm Agility as its stat modifiers, and thus the disadvantage of armor with greater body or arm Agility modifiers.
Skill: LEATHER VEST
Armor: Leather Vest (BA -2, AA 0, FF 2)
Armor: Studded Leather Vest (BA -3, AA 0, FF 3)
Armor: Brigandine Vest (BA -5, AA 0, FF 5)
Armor: Scale Vest (BA -8, AA 0, FF 9)
The Leather Vest skill is generally used by Thieves, Assassins and Rangers, because metal armor and heavier armor affect their stealth abilities, and also sometimes by fighting class characters who want to retain maximum arm Agility or do not place too much emphasis on dodging (there are no AA penalties but the BA penalties, which affect dodging, are somewhat high). The leather vest is of the hardened variety, while studded leather has metal studs interlaced at intervals on a soft leather base. Brigandine also uses metal on a soft leather (or cloth) base, but in this case the metal is formed in squares and is completely contained within the armor. The scale vest uses a soft leather vest as a base with plates of armor attached in such a fashion that they overlap, much like the scales of a fish.
When trained in this skill, you may use any armor or gear requiring the Unarmored skill in addition to armor and gear requiring Leather Vest.
Skill: HAUBERK
Armor: Leather Hauberk
Armor: Brigandine Hauberk
Armor: Scale Hauberk
A 'hauberk' is a coat of armor covering the shoulders and part of the upper arms, and down almost to the knees, usually split in the front and back from the waist down to facilitate movement. It is typically used by characters wanting the best armor protection they can get, who do not place much emphasis on dodging, and who do not have the constitution or stamina required by plate armor, and is a good choice in any case for characters using weapons that have Strength only as their stat modifiers (e.g. axe, mace). It includes leather hauberk and those armor types built upon leather (or, sometimes, cloth).
The leather, brigandine and scale types are the same as used for the Leather Vest armor, except formed into a hauberk, and with softer portions of armor covering the joints. The reinforced brigandine hauberk is like the brigandine hauberk, except with a metal breastplate added covering the upper torso.
When trained in this skill, you may use all armor and gear requiring the Unarmored and Leather Vest skills in addition to armor and gear requiring Hauberk.
Skill: BREASTPLATE
Armor: Bronze Breastplate (BA -2, AA -1, FF 3)
Armor: Thin Breastplate (BA -3, AA -1, FF 4)
Armor: Plate Breastplate (BA -5, AA -1, FF 6)
A breastplate is a piece of solid metal covering the upper torso from the shoulders (the joints are not covered) down to the waist (a second piece covers the back), and is typically used by fighting class characters (Warriors and Rangers in particular) wanting to maximize their Agility bonuses but desiring greater armor protection than provided by Leather Vest. The bronze breastplate is the lighest of the above but also gives the least armor protection. The thin breastplate is about the same thickness as the bronze breastplate, but is made from iron and thus has greater protection. The plate breastplate is also made from iron but is much thicker and thus has much better protection, but also has a greater Agility penalites and fatigue.
When trained in this skill, you may use armor and gear requiring the Unarmored, Leather Vest, and Hauberk skills in addition to armor and gear requiring Breastplate.
Skill: CHAINMAIL
Chain Vest (DA -2, WA 0, FF 3)
Chain Shirt (DA -2, WA -1, FF 5)
Chain Hauberk (DA -2, WA -2, FF 7)
Full Chain Shirt (Con 16, DA -3, WA -2, FF 11)
Chainmail armor consists entirely of interlocking metal rings and is generally used by characters wanting to retain as much of their Agility adders as possible, but otherwise desiring better protection than that offered by Breastplate. The chain vest and chain shirt are just that, with the former covering from the shoulders to the waist and the latter covering part of the upper arms and down to the mid thighs. The chain hauberk is a coat of chain, completely covering the arms and down almost to the knees. The reinforced chain hauberk is the same, except with a breastplate added covering the upper torso. Full chain covers the entire body, and comes in the form of a full sleeve shirt, leggings, and a head/neck covering.
When trained in this skill, you may use all armor and gear requiring the Unarmored, Leather Vest, Hauberk, and Breastplate skills in addition to armor and gear requiring Chainmail.
Skill: PLATE ARMOR
Platemail (Con 17, DA -4, WA -3, FF 10)
Field Plate (Con 18, DA -5, WA -4, FF 15)
Full Plate (Con 19, DA -6, WA -5, FF 18)
Plate armor offers the best protection one can get from armor, while having Agility modifiers only slightly greater than chainmail. As such, it is the most desired armor by all characters except those who cannot use it because of their class (e.g. Monks, Magic Users, etc) and those who really need more Agility due to their weapon of choice. However, the Constitution requirements (due to the difficulty of the body breathing with plate armor on) are such that those with a Constitution of less than 17 simply cannot wear the armor. Also, for characters that do have a high Constitution, the fatigue is still way too much for a starting character to handle, and thus one must increase their stamina over time to the point wear they can handle the heaviest armor in their current armor skill before they can even think about going to plate armor.
Given this, platemail is a suit of chain (excepting boots, gauntlets and helm) with plate sections covering the upper torso and the more exposed areas otherwise on the body. Field plate is a full suit of plate armor covering the entire body except for the areas listed above. Lastly, full plate is like field plate, except heavier and better constructed to deflect blows, and is simply the best armor that can be found.
When trained in this skill, you may use armor and gear requiring ANY other armor skill as well as armor and gear requiring Plate Armor.
ADDITIONAL ARMOR
This section covers gear that is added AFTER you put on your armor, like helmets, boots, gauntlets, epaulettes, etc. These items do not have a skill associated with them directly (i.e., there is no 'Helm' skill) but are instead associated with the armor skills. What you can wear is based on your highest armor skill - for example,if you have the Chainmail skill and are wearing a chain shirt, you can use any of the helmets listed below except the Visored Helm.
The items are listed below by category with the armor skill required (if any) and any Body Agility, Arm Agility or Fatigue Factor modifiers.
Helms
Leather Helm (Leather Vest, FF 1)
Pot Helm (Leather Vest, FF 1)
Pot Helm w/Aventail (Leather Vest, FF 2)
Bronze Helm (Breastplate, BA -1, FF 1)
Full Helm (Breastplate, BA -1, FF 2)
Plate Helm (Breastplate, BA -1, FF 3)
Visored Helm (Plate Armor, BA -2, FF 4)
The advantage that the leather helm has over the other helms is that it has no effect on stealth abilities. The pot helm (simply a metal crown covering the top of the head but not the ears or neck) is no more fatiguing than the leather helm and offers better protection. An aventail is a piece of chainmail or other material that attaches to the pot helm and covers the ears and neck areas. The rest of the helms completely cover the head, with the full helm being about the same thickness as the bronze helm except made from iron, and the plate helm being like the full helm except made with thicker armor. The visored helm is also made from plate armor, but covers the face as well as the rest of the head.
Wristbands
Leather Wristbands (Leather Vest)
Metal Wristbands (Leather Vest)
Leather wristbands have no negative affects and increase armor protection slightly. Metal wristbands increase armor protection slightly more, but have a negative impact on stealth abilities. In both cases above, if you are wearing leather gauntlets, leather hauberk armor, or plate armor, then no armor protection benefits are gained.
Gloves/Gauntlets
Leather Gloves (Leather Vest, AA -1, FF 1)
Chain Gloves (Chainmail, AA -1, FF 1)
Plate Gauntlets (Plate Armor, AA -1, FF 2)
Leather gauntlets are heavy leather gloves covering the arm almost up to the elbow. Chain gloves are meant to be worn with chain armor, and can only be worn with chain hauberk, full chain and platemail. Similarly, plate gloves can only be worn with field plate and full plate.
Boots
Leather Boots (Leather Vest, BA -1, FF 1)
Chain Shoes (Chainmail, BA -1, FF 1)
Plate Shoes (Plate Armor, BA -2, FF 2)
Leather Boots represent hardened leather boots ususally covering to above the calf and thus providing a level of armor protection. Chain shoes can only be worn with full chain or platemail armor. Plate shoes can only be worn with field plate or full plate armor.
Other Armor
Leg Greaves (Breastplate, BA -2, FF 1)
Epaulettes, Leather (Leather Vest, BA -1, FF 1)
Epaulettes, Metal (Breastplate, BA -2, FF 1)
Studded Leather Skirt (Leather Vest, BA ??, FF ??)
Heavy Armored Skirt (Leather Vest, BA ??, FF 3)
Leggings, Leather (Leather Vest, BA ??, FF 3)
Pants, Chain (Chainmail, BA ??, FF 5)
Leg greaves are metal covering protection the lower leg from the ankle to above the knee. They may not be worn with armor that covers the lower legs (e.g. full chain and plate armor). Epaulettes are shoulder armor, made from leather for flexibility or metal for more protection, and may be worn with any armor except the hauberk and plate armor types. Skirts are strips of leather (the armored version features metal studs) that hang to just above the knees. Leather leggings and chain pants are just that - pants made of leather or chainmail. They cannot be worn with skirts or leg greaves.
SHIELDS
There are two shield skills, and the difference is more a matter of usage than anything else. With the Round Shield skill, the shields are round and, to a greater extent, moved to the point of attack to block, while with the Kite Shield skill, the shields are rectangular and held more stationary, thus the different stat modifiers. The Kite Shield skill is a typical choice for those without a very high Weapon Agility.
Skill: ROUND SHIELD (Strength, Agility)
Buckler (FF 1)
Small Wooden Shield (BA -1, FF 1)
Round Shield (BA -1, FF 2)
Skill: KITE SHIELD (Strength, Strength)
Kite Shield (BA-2, FF2)
Large Wooden Shield (BA-3, FF3)
Large Kite Shield (BA-4, FF3)
Body Shield (BA-4, FF3)
The buckler is a small shield that attaches directly to the forearm, and has the advantage in that there is no modifier to a character's body Agility (and is thus a favorite of those using the Rapier skill). The small wooden shield has the advantage over the round shield in that there is no effect on stealth abilities, but the round shield is made from metal and has superior blocking with the same Body Agility modifier. The kite shield is actually slightly inferior to the round shield in blocking ability, but is typically used by those wearing armor covering the arm joints because of the stat modifiers. The wooden shield is larger than the kite shield and offers slightly greater protection, but has greater modifiers. The large kite shield is similar in width to the kite shield but is much longer, running from shoulders to toes. It offers superior protection, but has a significant Body Agility modifier and is thus usually only used by those not caring too much about dodging. Lastly, the body shield runs from shoulders to toes also, but is wider than the large kite shield, and offers tremendous protection, but is so wide that the only weapons that can be used with it are the short sword, spear and javelin.
WEAPONS
The first rule of thumb regarding weapons is that the higher the stat requirements for a given weapon, the better the weapon. The second is that two-handed weapons are better when attacking compared to weapon and shield combinations, but are inferior when defending. Otherwise, the game is designed so that all weapon combinations are equally viable. The most important thing to understand, however, is that there is too wide a variety of weapons and weapon abilities to describe here. So, you should decide what weapon YOU want to use, make sure you will have the right stats, including the somewhat involved Weapon Agility, and then go fo it. If you want to get into a more detailed study of what weapon possibilities are available, you can do that by reading through the weapon descriptions later in this chapter.
The table below lists weapons in alphabetical order, along with stat requirements, if any, Fatigue Factors, and which skill it falls under.
| Weapon | Stats | FF | Skill |
| Battle Axe | Str 17 | 3 | Axe |
| Bastard Sword | Str 17 | 3 | Longsword |
| Broadsword | Str 18 | 4 | Longsword |
| Claymore | 2H, Str 17, Agl 15 | 5 | Greatsword |
| Crossbow, Hand | -- | 1 | Crossbow |
| Crossbow, Large | 2H | 3 | Crossbow |
| Crossbow, Small | 2H | 2 | Crossbow |
| Cutlass | -- | 2 | Scimitar |
| Dagger | -- | 0 | Dagger |
| Epee | Agl 17 | 1 | Rapier |
| Falchion | Agl 16 | 3 | Scimitar |
| Fauchard | 2H | 3 | Halberd |
| Flail | -- | 2 | Flail |
| Flail, 2-handed | 2H, Str 17 | 5 | Maul |
| Greataxe | 2H, Str 18 | 6 | Axe |
| Greatbow | 2H | 3 | Longbow |
| Greatstaff | 2H | 3 | Staff |
| Greatsword | 2H, Str 18, Agl 16 | 6 | Greatsword |
| Greek Sword | Str 15 | 2 | Longsword |
| Halberd | 2H, Str 18 | 4 | Halberd |
| Hammer | Str 18 | 4 | Maul |
| Hand Axe | -- | 1 | Axe |
| Javelin | -- | 1 | Spear |
| Longbow | 2H | 2 | Longbow |
| Longsword | Str 16 | 2 | Longsword |
| Mace | -- | 2 | Mace |
| Mace, Heavy | -- | 3 | Mace |
| Mace, Spiked | -- | 4 | Mace |
| Main Gauche | -- | 1 | Dagger |
| Morningstar | -- | 3 | Mace |
| Maul | 2H, Str 18 | 6 | Maul |
| Pike | 2H | 2 | Pike |
| Rapier | Agl 16 | 1 | Rapier |
| Saber | -- | 2 | Scimitar |
| Scimitar | -- | 2 | Scimitar |
| Shortbow | 2H | 1 | Shortbow |
| Sling | -- | 1 | Sling |
| Spear | -- | 1 | Spear |
| Spear, 2H | 2H | 3 | Spear |
| Staff | 2H | 2 | Staff |
| Stiletto | -- | 0 | Dagger |
| Trident | -- | 2 | Spear |
| Warhammer | 2H | 6 | Maul |
Weapon Skills
This section covers the weapon skills in detail; the skills are listed in alphabetical order, with the weapons in that group under each header, and brief discussion afterward.
Skill: AXE (Strength, Strength)
Axe (FF 1, Hack, Bash)
Battle Axe (Str 17, FF 3, Hack, Bash)
Great Axe (2H, Str 18, FF 6, Hack, Sweep, Bash)
Axes are simple weapons derived from the woodsman's tool. A handaxe (axe) is a short, 18-inch handle with a smaller head on one side, often balanced for throwing. A battle axe is a double-bitted weapon with a thick wooden handle, specifically designed for fighting. A greataxe is a battle axe with larger blades and a longer handle, which requires two hands to wield properly.
Skill: SHORTBOW (Agility, Empathy)
Shortbow (2H, FF 1, Shoot, Loft)
Skill: LONGBOW (Agility, Empathy)
Great Bow (2H, FF 3, Shoot, Loft)
Longbow (2H, FF 2, Shoot, Loft)
Bows are common weapons among peasants and soldiers alike. The simplest are little more than an ash or yew stave and a gut string, while composite bows feature multiple layers of bone or wood to create a greater pull and more power, at the sacrifice of range. Short bows are ideal for shorter characters, being only 4 feet tall; longbows are around 6 feet tall, and greatbows are around 7 feet tall.
Skill: CROSSBOW (Agility, Cognition)
Hand Crossbow (FF 1, Shoot)
Large Crossbow (2H, Str 18, FF 3, Shoot)
Small Crossbow (2H, Str 16, FF 2, Shoot)
Crossbows are used exclusively by soldiers, as they are expensive and difficult to make, and are not generally used for hunting. A hand crossbow is a compact version of the normal crossbow, small enough to be held in one hand. The main difference between small and large crossbows is that the small one can be reloaded by hand with only a cocking hook, while the large one requires a crank, making it a slow (but very powerful) weapon.
Skill: DAGGER (Agility, Luck)
Dagger (FF 0, Thrust, Slash, Stab)
Main Gauche (FF 1, Thrust, Slash, Stab)
Stiletto (FF 0, Thrust, Slash, Stab)
Daggers are perhaps the most common weapons in a fantasy setting. A dagger is merely a long knife, around 12 inches long, with a single- or double-edged blade. A main gauche is a fencing weapon; it has small quillons on the side designed to catch an opponent's blade and either trap or turn it aside. A stiletto is a knife the same length as a dagger, but with a narrower blade designed to slip through gaps in armor and make deep punctures - it is often considered an assassin's weapon, with good reason.
Skill: FLAIL (Agility, Strength)
Flail (FF 2, Strike, Bash)
Morning Star (FF 3, Strike, Bash)
A flail is a two to three-foot handle with typically three chains attached and small balls with sharpened spikes at their ends. The large flail is the same except being larger and requiring two hands to use. The morning star is similar to the flail except having just one chain with one large ball having many sharpened spikes. In practice the flail makes a good alternative to the mace for those, such as clerics, who have reasonably good Agility and do not wear very encumbering armor (e.g. hauberk), and have a lot of other skills that they must put time and effort into. The flail may not do as much damage as other weapons (though it does more than the mace), but is relatively easy to hit with. The large flail will do more damage than the flail but has the disadvantage in not being able to use a shield. The morning star, on the other hand, is one of the more effective one-handed weapons, assuming one has the stats to use it.
Skill: GREATSWORD (Strength, Agility)
Claymore (2H, Str 17, Agl 16, FF 5, Thrust, Hack, Bash)
Greatsword (2H, Str 18, Agl 17, FF 6, Thrust, Hack, Bash)
A claymore is a Scottish broadsword, one of the largest swords made - it often stands 6 feet tall when driven into the ground, and is wielded with two hands. A greatsword is the same length, but has a broader, heavier blade.
Skill: HALBERD (Strength, Agility)
Fauchard (2H, FF 3, Thrust, Hack)
Halberd (2H, FF 4, Thrust, Hack)
Lucern Hammer (2H, Thrust, Strike)
Polearms are derived from commoners' farming tools - pruning hooks, pitchforks, or knives or cleavers tied to long poles. A fauchard is a long, curved blade on a pole; a halberd is an axe head backed by a spike or hammer head, and a lucern hammer is a hammer head backed by a spike. Fauchards are commonly used by peasant irregulars; halberds are commong among soldiers and guards, as are lucern hammers; the latter are often used against cavalry, as they can yank riders from the saddle.
Skill: LONGSWORD (Strength, Agility)
Bastard Sword (1/2H, Str 17, FF 3, Thrust, Hack, Bash)
Broadsword (1/2H, Str 18, FF 4, Thrust, Hack, Bash)
Greek Sword (Str 15, FF 2, Thrust, Hack, Bash)
Longsword (Str 16, FF 2, Thrust, Hack, Bash)
In the land of TMF, a broadsword is a sword that is as large and heavy as possible, but not too heavy to be used in one hand, and can be used both one-handed and two-handed. The bastard sword gets its name from the fact that its hilt is larger than needed for just one hand, but not large enough to fit both hands, so when used two-handed the second hand doesn't completely grip the weapon. The broadsword, on the other hand, is larger and has a hilt that can be gripped completely by both hands. It should be noted here that the two-handed usage of these weapons is not exactly the same (and not as effective) as the two-handed usage for the greatsword skill, and thus there is no Agility requirement and no 'sweep' attack type. Greek swords are shorter, stabbing weapons, while longswords are the archetypal sword - single- or double-edged, around 36 inches long, with a single-handed hilt.
Skill: MACE (Strength, Strength)
Mace (FF 2, Strike, Bash)
Mace, Heavy (FF 3, Strike, Bash)
Mace, Spiked (FF 4, Strike, Bash)
The mace is one of the simplest of weapons, a metal handle with a heavier striking end. A heavy mace is simply a larger head and a longer handle to provide better leverage; a spiked mace is a mace with spikes protruding from the ball.
Skill: MAUL (Strength, Strength)
Flail, 2-handed (2H, FF 5, Strike, Bash)
Hammer (Str 18, FF 4, Strike, Bash)
Maul (2H, Str 18, FF 6, Strike, Bash)
Warhammer (2H, FF 5, Strike, Bash)
The hammer is like a normal wood hammer, except with a heavier, two sided-head on the striking end. The maul is a hammer except larger, requiring two hands to use. The mace is a popular weapon for clerics and others that have good Strength but not much Agility and/or wear encumbering armor (e.g., hauberk). It may not do as much damage as other weapons, but is easy to hit with. The hammer, on the other hand, is one of the more effective one-handed weapons available, assuming one has the Strength to use it. The maul is even more deadly than the hammer, but has the disadvantage of not being able to use a shield. The warhammer is somewhere between the maul and hammer in size and damage-dealing capability, though it also requires two hands.
Skill: PIKE (Strength, Strength)
Pike (2H, Str 15, FF 2, Thrust)
A pike
Skill: RAPIER (Agility, Agility)
Epee (Agl 17, FF 1, Thrust, Slash)
Rapier (Agl 16, FF 1, Thrust, Slash)
Epees and rapiers are fencing weapons often used by nobles and those who rely more on agility in combat than armor and staying power. Epees are needle-thin blades about the length of a longsword, while rapiers have a narrow, single-edged blade.
Skill: SCIMITAR (Agility, Agility)
Cutlass (FF 2, Slash, Bash)
Falchion (Agl 16, FF 3, Slash, Bash)
Saber (FF 2, Slash, Bash)
Scimitar (FF 1, Slash, Bash)
A cutlass is a common pirate's weapon, as it is relatively short and easy to use; it consists of a curved, single-edged blade and a hilt with a thick hand guard that can be used to punch opponents in melee. The saber is similar to the cutlass, but with a narrower blade and hand guard. The falchion is the longest of this group of weapons; it too has a curved, single-edged blade, but no handguard. A scimitar is between the cutlass and falchion in length, and also has no handguard.
Skill: SLING (Agility, Agility)
A sling is one of the easiest weapons to make - it is simply a length of leather with a small pocket for stones or bullets (small lead balls). It is whirled about the head, then one end let go to shoot the stone at the target. Shepherds are often very proficient with these weapons, as they are simple and easy to use, and have plentiful ammunition (stones can be found anywhere).
Skill: SPEAR (Strength, Agility)
Javelin (FF 1, Thrust, Strike)
Spear (FF 1, Thrust, Strike)
Spear, 2-handed (2H, FF 3, Thrust, Strike)
Trident (FF 2, Thrust, Strike)
A javelin is a double-ended metal or wooden shaft with metal points, 4-6 feet long; it is often thrown, though it can be used in melee combat. A spear is a long wooden pole with a sharpened wood or metal point; a 2-handed spear is simply a longer version requiring two hands. The trident was adapted from the farmer's pitchfork; it is a long wooden handle and a three-tined head, made famous by gladiatorial games.
Skill: STAFF (Strength, Agility)
Staff (2H, FF 2, Strike, Bash)
Greatstaff (2H, FF 3, Strike, Bash)
Along with the sling, the staff is the simplest weapon to make - one need simply cut a length of straight wood to the length he desires. Staves are typically 1-3 inches in diameter, and can be shod with metal to make them stronger (as a greatstaff).
Skill: SWORD (Strength, Agility)
Shortsword (Str 11, FF 1, Thrust, Hack, Bash)
Sword (FF 1, Thrust, Hack, Bash)
Short swords are, obviously, shorter than longswords (24-30 inches long) and are used more for thrusting and stabbing than hacking like the longer blades. A sword is slightly longer than a shortsword, but not as long as a longsword.
FATIGUE/REQS SUMMARY
For the convenience of the players, this section summarizes the stamina fatigue and stat requirements for the various gear. The factors affecting stamina fatigue are first listed, followed by the gear with the numbers listed indicating the fatigue factor for that item and any stat requirements. Abbreviations used include:
FF: Fatigue Factor
TFF: Total Fatigue Factor
DA: A Defensive Agility subtractor
WA: A Weapon Agility subtractor
CN: Minimum Constitution required
ST: Minimum Strength required
AG: Minimum Agility required
2H: A Two-Handed weapon
Fatigue
Fatigue Recovery Rate: 1 + 25% of Total Stamina (fractions rounded down)
Engaged in Melee Combat at End of Turn: 1 TFF
Attacking: 1 TFF per Attack
Movement: 25% of Movement Times TFF
Other Actions: 1 TFF per Turn Total
Armor
| Item | FF | DA/WA |
| Cloth Vest | 1 | -1/0 |
| Leather Vest | 2 | -1/-1 |
| Bronze Breastplate | 3 | -2/-1 |
| Thin Breastplate | 5 | -2/-1 |
| Plate Breastplate | 7 | -2/-1 |
| Chain Vest | 4 | -2/0 |
| Chain Shirt | 6 | -2/-1 |
| Chain Hauberk | 8 | -2/-2 |
| Leather Hauberk | 6 | -6/-4 |
| Brigandine Hauberk | 7 | -7/-5 |
| Scale Hauberk | 13 | -8/-6 |
| Plate Mail | 11 | -4/-3 (CN 17) |
| Field Plate | 16 | -5/-4 (CN 18) |
| Full Plate | 19 | -5/-4 (CN 19) |
Armor Add-Ons
| Item | FF | DA/WA | Armor Skill |
| Leather Helm | 1 | 0/0 | Leather Vest |
| Pot Helm | 1 | -1/0 | Breastplate |
| Bronze Helm | 2 | -1/0 | Breastplate |
| Full Helm | 3 | -1/0 | Breastplate |
| Visored Helm | 4 | -2/0 | Plate Armor |
| Leather Gloves | 0 | 0/0 | Leather Vest |
| Chain Gloves | 1 | 0/0 | Chainmail (only) |
| Plate Gauntlets | 2 | 0/0 | Plate Armor (only) |
| Epaulettes, Leather | 1 | 0/0 | Leather Vest |
| Epaulettes, Metal | 1 | 0/0 | Breastplate |
| Studded Leather Kilt | 1 | 0/0 | Leather Vest |
| Heavy Armored Skirt | 3 | ?? | Leather Vest |
| Leather Leggings | 3 | ?? | Leather Vest |
| Chain pants | 4 | ?? | Chainmail (only) |
| Leather Boots | 1 | 0/0 | Leather Vest |
| Chain Shoes | 1 | 0/0 | Chainmail (only) |
| Plate Shoes | 2 | 0/0 | Plate Armor (only) |
Shields
| Buckler | 0 |
| Small Wooden Shield | 1 |
| Round Shield | 1 |
| Lg. Wooden Shield | 2 |
| Kite Shield | 2 |
| Lg. Kite Shield | 3 |
| Body Shield | 4 |