| Site Index > Rules > Gameplay > Item Types |
| Item Rules | |
 |
This page defines categories of items and discusses rules common to different types of items.
Mundane Items
Not every item needs to have abilities associated with it. Some are exactly what they say they are. A mundane item is any item that can be brought into play without needing to be crafted or produced. We still give some mundane items rules. This could be because they are important to gameplay (such as weapons and armor). It could be because we have guidelines on what an acceptable prop looks like (such as lanterns). Some items have entries because they are important to the setting (such as bells). Safety reasons are another reason some objects have entries (such as torches). A few items have entries because of how they interact with our other rules (such as containers).
Mundane objects can be brought into game at any time by anyone with no skills or special rules required as long as they follow the guidelines listed for that type of object.
Some items seem like they should be mundane are not, this includes things like locks and light tubes (flash lights) which are made using tinkering, and things like coins. Always be sure to check the mundane items list to see if the thing you want to bring in already exists as an item with rules to it.
Valuable Items
Valuable items are those things which have a value in currency. Anyone with the estimate value skill is capable of appraising the worth of any valuable item, which are marked with a number starting with a 'V'.
There are no regulations on value when trading between players, they can trade for whatever value they think is fair, the value listed for an item is how much merchants can trade that item in to get coins between games.
Valuable items can be created by any player using pre-production, with no skills required. Simply tell logistics what prop you have that you want to be valuable, and turn in the same amount of coin. This can only be done with items that are not already numbered. They will create a new item number for your prop and it will be worth that amount.
While anyone can create valuable items, only Merchants can convert them back into coin. Coin can be kept out of play this way, which can be more managable. Characters might also use this rule simply to show off their wealth by wearing extremely valuable items in public. |
Unlisted Items
Not every item deserves its own write up in the rules. Our players are creative people who can (and have) come up with a wild number of things they feel would be useful at game. If an item is not written up in these rules, is appropriate to the atmosphere (as well as the setting) of the game, and perhaps most importantly it is safe to bring; you can bring it with you into the game at any time.
Some items may meet some of these requirements, but not all, or may be questionable on one of these requirements. Be sure to talk to staff and they can help let you know if something is appropriate. When an item creates rules issues we'll create a new entry in the rules to deal with those issues at that time.
Tinkering Items
Tinkering items are neither magical nor mundane. These are as close as our game gets to 'science' equipment. All tinkering items are useful tools often represented by actual working tools. Mechanically they either do exactly what they are (Locks, Light Tubes), they have magic-item-like effects that the game doesn't consider magical (Shackles of Grounding) or they are tools used for magic that are not magical themselves (Ritual Candles and Quills).
A few tinkering items function exactly like magic items except they are created with tinkering and are completely standardized (Magic lock Picks). See the rules for magic objects for more on how these items work.
All tinkering items are numbered items that must be created using the crafting system to bring them into play.
Encampment Items
An encampment item is a subtype of tinkering item that is completely stationary. They must be kept at a party's encampment in order to be used and are never lootable. Each party can have at most one of each encampment item shared between them unless the item explicitly says otherwise.
Many encampment items have a fixed number of uses per event, all members of the party share those uses between them. Like many magic items, once the item has been used up for the event the item must wait until the next event to be used again. Parties are expected to have a means that works for them to determine how many uses remain for these items.
An encampment item that states that "party members" get some benefit can only be used by members of the party who own the encampment item. If the encampment item has a blanket effect (such as a Grounding Stone, then it applies to anyone who visits the encampment. For other items that don't specify party members and aren't blanket effects, any member of the party who owns the item may allow any other character to use that item. Parties are allowed to designate temporary extra members for an event up to a total of 6 people (counting existing permanent party members). A player character may only be part of one party at a time and can't change party mid-event.
When individuals who are not in parties make encampment items that are used by a party they may create a temporary party for the event and share the encampment item with up to 5 other individuals who do not have a party or encampment of their own. Those individuals can't use another encampment for the duration of the event they do this.
Consumable Items
A consumable item is any item with a limited number of uses. Most consumables can only be used once. Wands are an exception to this, they have a fixed amount of power points available to them when created and when those power points are consumed the item is consumed.
Paper Consumables
Most consumables are represented by a slip of paper with an official logistics stamp on it. These papers are then the finished product (in the case of scrolls and trap tags) or placed inside other objects (like alchemicals and potions). There are standard potion vials the game uses for alchemicals and potions, which are available at cost at the logistics desk. Players are welcome to use their own as well so long as the container is safe, and should not be made of glass. We use plastic bottles for safety reasons making them an exception to the period materials guideline.
Only one slip should go inside any given container.
Paper consumables are generally not numbered. They are lootable however. Treat any in-game document with a logistics stamp and no number as lootable.
Outdated Consumables
Rules are updated on a yearly basis. Sometimes particularly complicated situations arise that require updates immediately. Over time, printed consumables can become grossly out-of-date with very wrong information on them. Players are allowed to update them, turning old copies in to logistics to get up-to-date copies instead. This is purely optional, but helps to allow you to read what the consumable does ACCURATELY while in play. Players should consider doing this because they might not be the person who ultimately uses the consumable.
Paper consumables will have a date printed on them. If the item (or the spell the item is based on for potions and scrolls) have been updated the page in this wiki will list the date it was last changed. This is an impractical way of checking large numbers of items however, and is mostly useful if you think something is off. A method of checking more items rapidly is being worked on and will hopefully be available by mid 2024.
Using Consumables
When you use a consumable you should roleplay using that item. For potions this means role-playing drinking it, or feeding it to someone else. Lids do not need to be removed from containers, you are allowed to mime the action. Alchemicals depend on what type of alchemical it is. After doing this the effect begins immediately. At your earliest convenience destroy the paper (rip it in half) after removing it from the container (if any). This does not have to be done right away, and often combat makes doing it immediately impossible.
Containers that belong to you should be kept for future use, if the container came from the game (such as from loot) return it to logistics to be reused. Odds are you won't remember which is which, so follow a ratio that makes sense to you. If half your consumables were probably loot, give about half the containers you use back to logistics.
Scarce Items
Some consumables are labeled as being scarce. These items cannot be produced at all. They also can't be copied, reproduced, or used in any way without being consumed. Only items that explicitly interact with scarce items may break this restriction. Scarce items are intended to only ever be available as loot.
The purpose of a scarce items is to ensure there is always the potential for something unusual and hard to find to be available from encounters.
Plants - Found Consumables
Some consumable plants can be found in play. There are currently no methods for player characters to create these plants. Consumable plants are sometimes placed around the campsite to be discovered by a player lucky or skilled enough to notice them. The plant will have an item number that explains what it does. Characters with identify magic or herbalism can look up what the plant does.
If a gamemaster has you put out a plant to be found, be sure to remember where you put it. At the end of the shift you'll need to go verify that someone found it. If no one found it, pick it up and bring it back in to logs, we do not wish to leave props behind to get lost and our hosts don't want us leaving behind things that won't biodegrade on their site. These items should only go out for one shift at a time (so there's never a situation where the person who put a plant out has to avoid finding it).
Magic Items
A magic object or item is any item with magical properties. There are no automatic rules for what a magic item could do, some very unique ones are in circulation, as are a variety of more standardized ones.
All magic items will have a number on them and should be represented with a prop that is better than average looking for whatever it is.
In order to use the special abilities of the item a character must first either identify the item themselves using the identify magic skill or they must have someone else do that for them. Weapons which have not been identified still call for their damage types because those damage types should be readily identifiable to everyone just by looking at the weapon.
Anyone who looks at a magic item should be able to immediately tell the item is magical. Characters can simply ask one another 'Is that glowing?' in reference to an item, and the other player should say 'yes' if the object is magical. Sometimes magic items are given a blue glow using an electric light or glow stick of some kind to make it very clear the item is magical. This is done to avoid a situation where one character figures out something is magical, and they are able to slip away with it while others don't ever realize the object had value - when it should be obvious.
There are a wide range of effects magic items can have. These are some of the more regular terms/ abilities you will encounter with them.
Common Magic Item Properties
There are a wide range of effects magic items can have. These are some of the more regular terms/ abilities you will encounter with them.
Casting Spells with Magic Items
To use a spell provided by an item the character must perform all the normal steps of spell casting, except that the item provides any needed power points instead of the character.
Uses Per Event
Many magic items have a fixed number of uses (aka charges) per event. Often this will be a spell that can be cast a certain number of times per event. A character can use these charges at any time they deem appropriate. Once all the charges are used that ability can no longer be used for the remainder of the event. At the start of the next event the player attends the uses will all be refreshed, ready to be used again.
Permanent Effects
Some effects are always active. These affect the character as long as the item in question is being used as intended. For most items this means as long as the item is being worn. These effects only require an incantation to use if they explicitly say they do.
Invisible Items
Some items are in-game, but are only visible to their owners. These items should be made of blue material and accented with orange, or marked with an orange flag. Only a people attuned to such items can interact with them in any way.
One common example of this is a blue bag. These pouches are used by characters to hold valuable goods to prevent them from being robbed. Often gamemasters will give these to NPC's when carrying goods too valuable to let PC's acquire by simply robbery. Players can also potentially acquire blue bags through the annual fundraising events.
Some encampment items are also invisible in this fashion. If you see orange on an encampment item, you should not open it.
Crafted and Epic Items
A crafted or craftable item is any item a player character can create themselves through the crafting rules.
Characters with the Weaponsmithing or Ornamenting skills can craft custom magic items between events using crafting points and the preproduction system. This creates numbered items characters can keep for as long as they hold onto them.
Tinkering can also be used to craft tinkering items.
An epic item is any magic item that cannot be crafted using the normal crafting rules. This could be because it has more crafting points spent on it than an item for that item slot could have, because the item has abilities that can only be assigned to an epic item, or because the item does something unique that doesn't follow the crafting rules.
Epic items are generally loot from major stories or large events.
Item Special Properties
Some items have special properties that recur often enough they are worth discussing here. These properties could appear on items of any type.
Bound Items
Rarely items are labelled as 'bound to creator' or 'bound to <character name>'. These items are only ever usable by the person or persons who the item is bound to. Mostly this will occur for items designed for non-player characters use. With these items there is a reason we don't want player characters to ever be able to use the item (such as certain narrative rituals).
Some player character accessible items will also be bound. This occurs for exceptionally powerful, hard to assemble loot rituals player characters can acquire. Only those responsible for assembling the rituals are allowed to use them. This is to make it so that other characters must also go to the effort of assembling these rituals themselves if they wish to also perform them.
Feb Feast Items
Every year the game holds several fundraisers to support it. People who make donations are given special items known as 'Feb Feast' items. These items have a variety of special, often unique abilities. It is not unusual for these items to playtest new mechanics that rules wants to put into the game on a trial basis.
The Feb Feast item type is applied to most items acquired during fundraising events regardless of if the event happens in February or not. It's just the name that has stuck. |
All Feb Feast items have certain specific traits.
- The items' owner can replace the prop at any time between events.
- The item can be transferred between the owner's player characters.
Feb Feast items purchased before 2023 have these properties as well:
- If the item is stolen from its owner it must ALWAYS be returned to them at the end of the event.
- When loaned to another character then stolen from them the item will permanently lose all Feb Feast properties.
- If the item is permanently transferred to someone else it loses all Feb Feast properties.
Feb Feast items purchased during or after 2023 have these rules:
- This item may never be loaned to another player's character, or looted.
|
Because snow makes for a very different game experience, for many years a tradition of hosting a single winter event in February came about. Rather than try to run multiple winter events where everyone was cold and wet, a focus was placed on one single over the top event where everyone came together in the middle of the winter break and a large feast was held. To raise funds to make up for lower attendance, and to help fund additional props and costuming, items were auctioned off and a tradition was born. Feb Feast still happens nearly every year, but it isn't always in February. |
Cannot Gain the Feb Feast Trait
There is only one way an item could gain the Feb Feast trait. A regularly appearing auction or raffle item at Feb Feasts, is known as the 'Scroll of Feb Feast' which grants one item owned by a player the Feb Feast trait permanently.
Items earned from Capstone plots and some other specific items may say they 'Cannot gain the Feb Feast trait'. These items were designed for specific characters as rewards for special plots (such as Capstones) and are not intended for use by other characters.
Retired and Legacy Items
Some standardized items such as consumables and tinkering items may get retired or they can become legacy items. A retired item is no longer allowed in play. This could be a scroll or potion for a spell that no longer exists, or a tinkering item that was in some way problematic. When an item is retired a plan will always be created by logistics staff for what to do with those items. A replacement of some kind will be issued for it (or a cost refund in some cases). If you discover you have a retired item turn it in at the logistics desk. Even if you own the prop, you can take it in to have the number removed and get issued whatever replacement is due.
Legacy items can no longer be created through crafting or production. These items still exist in game to be used and do not need to be replaced. They can now be treated like an epic item. Most legacy items weren't popular or don't aren't as useful as they once were. Sometimes they are a little too powerful, but not so much that they needed to be removed from the game.
References
Numbered Items
Numbered items (a term which includes alpha-numberic labelled items) can sometimes be taken from their owners. On newer items the letter indicates if this can happen.
- E: A Former Feb Feast Item - This was a Feb Feast item purchased before 2023, but it has since lost its properties and is now a standard keepable/ lootable item. The letter E is used because it is easy to turn an F into an E. Players can identify what it does with the identify magic skill.
- F: A Feb Feast Item - A feb feast item from before 2023. These items may be taken temporarily but must be returned to their owner by the end of the event. Players can identify what it does with the identify magic skill.
- H: A Hybrid Item - This is a valuable item that also has special properties. It may be taken. Players with either Estimate Value or Identify Magic can identify what the item is.
- K: A Keepable/ Lootable Item - This is is an item that can be looted (We don't use the letter L because it is too easy to be mistaken for a 1). Players can identify what it does with the identify magic skill.
- N: A Non-Keepable/ Non-lootable Item - This item may not be taken. Some mechanics that players need to be able to look up that aren't represented by a prop (such as plagues) may also use a number with an N. Players can identify what it does with the identify magic skill.
- Q: A Quest item - This is something that needs to be returned to the logistics building by the end of the event. It cannot be kept long term. Players can identify what it does with the identify magic skill.
- V: A Valuable Item - This can be taken at any time. Players can identify what it does with the estimate value skill.
- <No Letter>: A Legacy Item - These items predate the alpha-numeric numbering system we are using now. You'll need to look the entry up on either the Magic Item list or the Estimate Value list to know if you can loot it.
Categories: Gameplay Rules | Spell and Item Rules | Item Types | Terminology | Crafting Rules | Tinkering | Ornamenting | Weaponsmithing
| Site Index | About Us | Event Calendar | Novitas Linktree | Contact Us |
 |