Item Types Rules

This chapter covers the rules specific to using each category of item.

General Weapon Rules

Each weapon has different rules for both how it is used in game and what an acceptable prop looks like based on how it will be used.

Characters can bring mundane weapons (those with no special features) into the game at any time after they have been inspected for safety by player outreach & education. If a weapon has any special abilities or is made of an unusual material it will need to be crafted by a character to be brought into play.

When a character is holding any weapon (or combination of weapons) in their hands that they may not legally use, they should do so poorly, never in a way that would indicate to others they can actually attack with those weapons.

All weapon props must be inspected by player outreach and education for safety reasons before being brought into play. Props staff also need to inspect weapons for aesthetic reasons as well. No weapons may have visible duct tape on them. Cloth covered weapons are also not permitted.

Weapons must appear to be weapons, objects that are game safe, but not weapons (such as frying pans, throwing books/ potatoes, etc made by some vendors are not allowed).

Props for weapons have certain requirements to be used in play. If a weapon is rejected for not being safe, but is found still being used it may be summarily destroyed to ensure an unsafe weapon is not brought onto the field.

Illegal weapons include, but are not limited to: flails, punch daggers, slings, ball & chain weapons, and blowguns.

Melee Weapons Rules

A melee weapon is any weapon that never leaves your hand for close ranged combat and direct attacks.

Melee weapons determine damage based on the user's Might. These weapons are further divided into 3 sub-categories based on the length of the weapon: Non-Martial, Martial, and Great Weapons.

Characters with only one hand occupied are capped at 4 Might. If a character has a weapon in each hand or a weapon and shield they are capped at 2 Might.

To use a weapon in both hands the character must know the appropriate off-hand skill.

Melee Weapon Types

Non-Martial Weapons

A non-martial weapon is any melee weapon between 16 inches (40.64cm) and 35 inches (88.9cm) in length. These weapons may be wielded one or two-handed depending on personal preference. No skill is required to use a non-martial weapon.

Weapon Type	Crafting Skill	Crafting Cost	Combat Skill	Damage Skill
Basic Non-Martial Weapon	None	None	Melee Training	Might
Crafted Non-Martial Weapon	Weaponsmithing Basics	None	Melee Training	Might

Martial Weapons

A martial weapon is any melee weapon between 35 inches (88.9cm) and 45 inches (114.3cm) in length. These weapons may be wielded one or two-handed depending on personal preference. Martial Weapons require the Melee Proficiency skill to use.

Weapon Type	Crafting Skill	Crafting Cost	Combat Skill	Damage Skill
Basic Martial Weapon	None	None	Melee Proficiency	Might
Crafted Martial Weapon	Weaponsmithing Proficiency	4	Melee Proficiency	Might

Great Weapons

A great weapon is any melee weapon over 45 inches (114.3cm) in length. Great weapons require the Melee Expertise skill to wield.

Great weapons must be wielded with both hands except under two exceptions. A player may make straight thrusts one-handed with a great weapon. Afterwards the player must immediately return to having two hands on the weapon. When blocking an attack with a great weapon only having one hand on it is also permitted.

When wielding a great weapon any character may reduce their Might by half (after cap is applied, rounded down) to add the 'Slay!' modifier call to an attack.

Great javelins are a throwable type of great weapon. When wielding a great javelin, a weapons master may fight with a great javelin in one hand and a second weapon or shield in the other. When fighting this way only jabs may be made with the great javelin.

Weapon Type	Crafting Skill	Crafting Cost	Combat Skill	Damage Skill
Basic Great Weapon	None	None	Melee Expertise	Might
Basic Great Javelin	None	None	Thrown Expertise	Circumstantial
Crafted Great Weapon	Weaponsmithing Master	16	Melee Expertise	Might
Crafted Great Javelin	Weaponsmithing Master	16	Thrown Expertise	Circumstantial

Melee Weapon Props

To bring a melee weapon into game the prop must meet the following criteria.

All striking surfaces must have a minimum of 5/8 inch (1.59cm) closed-cell foam.

All non-handle, non-striking surfaces of a weapon should have a minimum of 3/8 inch (.96cm) of closed-cell foam.

All melee weapon props must have a rigid core. Cores of wood or metal are forbidden. Acceptable core materials include, but are not limited to: plastic, PVC, fiberglass, and carbon fiber. The core of the weapon should be securely held within the padding by glue, tape, or some other adhesive. Padding that slides or twists on the weapon's core will be rejected. Cores that rattle or bounce within the padding will also be rejected.

All pommels, crossguards, quillions, basket hilts, and other hilt fittings (not including the grip itself) must be composed of a flexible material.

The minimum length for ANY melee weapon is 16 inches (40.64cm). Non-handle pommels do not count towards the overall length measurement of a weapon.

Weapons that can flex more than 45 degrees will be rejected.

No swung weapon may have more than 1/3 of its length unpadded for striking. The total unpadded section of a swung weapon may not be more than 30 inches (76.2cm) total.

Any weapon with a flexible component or which strikes primarily with a punching motion of the arm rather than a swing are forbidden.

Weapon props must have the appearance of being a weapon. This means that a 'larp safe' object that otherwise meets these guidelines, but appears to be an every day item like a frying pan, book, etc. is not appropriate for Novitas.

Projectile Weapons

Projectile Weapon Rules

Projectile weapons include both bows and crossbows. These missile weapons deal damage based on a character's Accuracy which is capped at 4 for projectile weapons.

Projectile weapons may never be fired inside of any fully enclosed building. This is to prevent real damage to the campsite and objects kept in the buildings.

Modern archery equipment is not allowed, although there are some exceptions for fletching and nocks. Arrows and bolts must always be fired, they can never be thrown. Bows (and crossbows) can never be used to parry or block. If a bow is struck in melee combat it gains the Broken condition. When firing a missile weapon at a range less than 10 feet archers are required to only half-draw their bows (pull it back only half way). Crossbows may only fire at targets under 10 feet away if their bow has been tested to have a draw of 15 pounds or less.

Archers (within reason) can declare hits on their targets. This might be done if the arrow lands too lightly on heavy plate armor, or if the confusion of melee combat causes the person to not notice the archer's shot. Abusing this can result in being barred from using archery.

When firing a bow or crossbow a character may reduce their Accuracy by half (after cap is applied, rounded down) to add the 'Pierce!' modifier call to an attack.

If a crossbow requires a stirrup, goatsfoot lever, or other comparable device it always adds the 'Pierce!' call, following the normal rules for that call.

In order to use a bow or crossbow a character must have the Projectile Training skill.

Spells (such as Silvershine) and effects (such as the Corruption alchemical) that enhance weapons are applied to a bow or crossbow and not on its ammunition. Each attack made from such an enchanted weapon will gain the effect of the spell (or effect).

Spells with a range of tag bag can be delivered by missile weapons. The projectile takes the place of the tag bag in all respects, replacing its normal call with the appropriate call for the spell.

Weapon Type	Crafting Skill	Crafting Cost	Combat Skill	Damage Skill
Basic Bow or Crossbow	None	None	Projectile Training	Accuracy
Basic Ammunition	None	None	Projectile Training	Accuracy
Crafted Bow and Crossbow	Weaponsmithing Expert	4	Projectile Training	Accuracy
Crafted Ammunition	Weaponsmithing Training	None	Projectile Training	Accuracy

Projectile Weapon Props

Compound bows, PVC bows, takedown bows, brightly colored fiberglass bows, modern crossbows, or any other obviously modern archery equipment (including but not limited to peep sights, weights, camouflage or brightly colored shafting) are prohibited.

Brightly colored and/ or rubber fletching is allowed. Brightly colored plastic nocks will not disqualify arrows.

Each bow entering play must have at least 3 legal, arrows accompanying it.

Bows must have a draw weight of 35 pounds or less at 28 inches draw.

Crossbow draw weight should comply with the table below.

Crossbow Draw Weight

Show Crossbow Draw Weight Table

Arrows and Bolts

Arrow shafts may not be made of wood. The head of an arrow must be at least 2 inches in every dimension and must be a uniform, round shape. The head of an arrow or bolt must not be wobbly or move from side to side.

A draw stop must be present on all arrows to ensure they are not drawn past 28 inches.

All arrows must contain a coin or similar small rigid disk perpendicular to the end of the shaft to prevent shaft punch-through. Commercially made rubber bird blunts also fulfill this requirement. Golf tube arrows are not permitted.

All arrows and bolts must have at least two full fletchings and a nock.

Thrown Weapons

A thrown weapon is designed primarily to be thrown. Thrown weapons deal damage based on Accuracy which is capped at 2 for thrown weapons.

You may not fight in melee with thrown weapons unless they possess a core. When a thrown weapon is used as a melee weapon they follow the standard rules for melee weapons instead of thrown weapons.

Thrown Weapon Types

The length of a thrown weapon determines what type of thrown weapon it is..

Standard Throwing Weapons

A standard throwing weapon is one greater than 6 inches (15.24cm) in length and shorter than 30 inches (76.2cm) in length. These require the Thrown Training skill to use.

Weapon Type	Crafting Skill	Crafting Cost	Combat Skill	Damage Skill
Basic Thrown Weapon	None	None	Thrown Training	Accuracy
Crafted Standard Thrown Weapon	Weaponsmithing Training	None	Thrown Training	Accuracy

Javelins

A javelin is a throwing weapon greater than 30 inches (76.2cm) in length and shorter than 45 inches (114.3cm) in length. These require the Thrown Proficiency skill to use.

Weapon Type	Crafting Skill	Crafting Cost	Combat Skill	Damage Skill
Basic Javelin	None	None	Thrown Proficiency	Accuracy
Crafted Javelin	Weaponsmithing Expert	4	Thrown Proficiency	Accuracy

Great Javelins

A great javelin is a throwing weapon greater than 45 inches (114.3cm) and no longer than 84 inches (213.36cm) in length. These require the Thrown Expertise skill to use. Great javelins can be used in melee or they can be thrown. When used in melee they follow all the standard rules for a great weapon. When thrown they can determine their damage based on the character's Might instead of Accuracy and the cap is increased to 4.

Weapon Type	Crafting Skill	Crafting Cost	Combat Skill	Damage Skill
Basic Great Javelin	None	None	Thrown Expertise	Circumstantial
Crafted Great Javelin	Weaponsmithing Master	16	Thrown Expertise	Circumstantial

Boulders

Boulders are a special kind of thrown weapon. A boulder may never be thrown by a player character, only certain species of Novitas are capable of lifting boulders effectively enough to use them as weapons. When thrown they follow the rules for tag bags to determine if they hit, and always call for 'Torso Wound!'.

Thrown Weapons Props

Thrown weapon props must be completely padded including the hilt and rip. Each thrown weapon must look like a weapon, either knives, axes, or some other historical or fantasy weapon. No "throwing" rocks, disks, or paddles are allowed. A thrown weapon doesn’t have to have a core, but if it does have a core the core cannot go within 1 inch (2.54cm) of either end of the weapon. Cored throwing weapons may also be used in melee. Coreless throwing weapons may not be used in melee.

For all varieties of javelin both ends must be at least 2 inches (5.08) in diameter. Players are encouraged to incorporate some open-cell foam into the ends of their javelin designs.

Tag Bags

Tag bags represent spells flying through the air or thrown alchemical vials and may not be thrown without one of those things telling you to use a tag bag. The source that allows you to throw the tag bag will tell you what to call when you throw the tag bag.

Characters may not hold a tag bag in their hand unless they have cast a spell in the last minute that has a range of tag bag, or they are representing a thrown alchemical item being in their hand.

Tag Bag Props

A tag bag is an out-of-character prop created by sewing two squares of cloth together and filling them with bird seed. All tag bags should be biodegradable so that in the likely event that some get lost in the woods litter isn't left everywhere.

Players are required to provide their own tag bags if they are needed.

The size of a finished tag bag should be larger than a golf ball and smaller than a tennis ball. Any color cloth can be used. Tag bags must be pliable and soft enough to not cause injury when thrown. Materials used should be soft, smooth, and not spill birdseed. The ends should be sewn shut or sealed with cloth tape. Tag bags should be kept in good condition. Worn or damaged ones should be retired from play.

Leather, rubber, plastic, tape, foil, staples, pins, plastic ties and plastic tape are all prohibited from being used in a tag bag.

A downloadable guide for making tag bags with pictures can be found here.

Requirements

• Material should be biodegradable, preferably light and/or bright colored, and with a tight enough weave to prevent birdseed from escaping.
• Filled with birdseed.
• Between 2-4 inches in any dimension or no larger than a tennis ball & no smaller than a golf ball.
• Pliable and soft.
• Sewn closed, tied shut with string, or closed with cloth tape (sewn closed is the preferred method).

Things to Avoid

• Made from synthetic fabric, plastic, metal, rubber, or hard materials.
• Filled with anything other than birdseed.
• Larger or smaller than 2-4 inches in any dimension.
• Hard.
• Loose/open/unfinished, closed with staples, pins, plastic ties, tape, etc.
• Old bed sheets/pillow cases.
• Old t-shirts.
• Socks.

How to Make a Tag Bag

There are various methods for making tag bags, but outlined below is what has come to be more or less the standard for Kingdoms of Novitas. Variations are acceptable as long as they adhere to the above guidelines. If in doubt about your construction method or materials, please ask the props staff, (Christina Mevec and Liska Gutierrez). It’s better to find out beforehand if something will or won’t work rather then spend time, energy, and funds on something that may turn out to be unacceptable.

Step 1: Cut a long rectangle. The long side should be twice the length of one dimension as it will be folded in half when sewn (makes it so there’s one less seam to sew). For example a 3”x8” tag bag will be approximately 3”x4” when completed.

There’s a bit of length and width lost to seam allowance, so err on the side of giving yourself a bit extra to work with.

Step 2: One side (where folded) will be left as is. Sew the other 3 sides together making sure to leave an opening to fill with birdseed.

Step 3: Fill the tag bag with birdseed. There are various ways to fill a tag bag, but generally a funnel is the easiest. If you don’t have a funnel, you can make one by cutting off the top of a water bottle (bonus: the bottom can be used as a scoop for the birdseed!). Don’t fill the bag to capacity or it will be more difficult to sew closed and will make the tag bag too hard. Filling it approximately ¾ of the way should provide it with flexibility and give it the heft that makes for a good tag bag.

Step 4: Close the tag bag. If you’re able to control the seed/opening and take care when doing so, it is possible to use a sewing machine to sew tag bags closed. This should be done with great care, however, as birdseed in your sewing machine is no good for it. The other option is to hand-sew the opening closed.

Make sure to remove any hanging threads, please and thanks.

Physically Worn Armor

Armor is a prop that a character wears to gain physical armor points from. Any player may bring mundane armor into the game at any time, after it has passed a safety inspection from a member of the player outreach and education staff. This is to ensure safety for both the user and for other combatants. It is also to make sure the armor will not cut into weapons that hit it (which would then make those weapons less safe).

Armor does not occupy a slot unless it is a magic item. Using ornamenting, armor can be crafted into a magic item. In this case it will take up a slot and gains the features crafted into it.

Characters in armor must still wear appropriate costuming. This includes wearing species required costuming under helmets.

Physical armor points only apply to where the armor actually is located on your person. Damage from a hit to a spot where the armor is not covering cannot be applied to your physical armor points. Helmets and some rare rules sometimes give "floating" or "universal" coverage which covers places armor does not.

Wearing multiple pieces of armor at once will only give you the bonus of the best type of armor. Armor does not stack with other armor, use the highest value of any armor you are wearing.

Example: You are wearing a chain shirt and a light leather vest at the same time because you heard that was stylish. The chain shirt provides 3 points of physical armor, while the vest only provides 1. You have 3 total points of physical armor that apply to any hits against any of the armor you are wearing. If an attack hits the leather armor in a spot not covered with chain, you still have exactly 3 physical armor points to defend against that hit with.

Different armors grants between 1 and 4 points of protection in the form of armor points, also called physical armor points. Should armor be made of ineffective material or be visibly damaged it may have the number of armor points it provides downgraded. Player Outreach and Education staff will determine how many physical armor points a piece of armor provides.

Your total physical armor is based on the armor you are wearing plus any effects that improve your armor's physical armor points. Things that might improve your quantity of physical armor points include: helmets, spells (like Enhance Armor), or magic items.

It is the responsibility of those wearing armor to know when a legal hit takes place even if the thickness of the armor stops them from feeling it.

Plate and Half-Plate

Half-plate and plate armors count as monstrous armor. This benefit only applies in hit locations where you are wearing the half-plate or plate armor. If at least 75% of the hit location is covered by half-plate or plate the entire hit location counts as covered by that half-plate or plate.

When less than 75% of a hit location has plate or half-plate and some of the rest of that hit location is covered by other types of armor, a hit to that other type of armor will not benefit from monstrous armor. Damage in full will be subtracted from physical armor points, which is likely disadvantageous.

Limbs cannot benefit from monstrous armor if the armor on a player's torso isn't also monstrous armor.

Players wearing plate armor are required to wear some form of padding or safety equipment that is hidden (such as modern safety equipment like elbow pads) or props staff () approved (such as a padded gambeson or arming jack).

Armor Values

One point armors include:

• A full costume approved by props staff ().
  • This does not count as 'wearing armor'. It can't be improved (such as with Enhance Armor), may not be combined with a helmet, or in any way count towards mechanics that require you to wear armor.
• Studded Leather (Leather too thin to count as light leather must have studs to count as anything)
• Light Leather
• Fur (Real animal hides with the fur on, unless the leather itself counts for a higher value)
• Brigandine (Light leather backing with light plates)

Two point armors include:

• Studded Light Leather
• Heavy Leather
• Scale Armor/ Lamellar (Overlapping light leather pieces)
• Brigandine (Leather or light leather with heavy leather plates)
• Riveted Aluminum Chain Mail

Three point armors include:

• Studded Heavy Leather
• Scale Armor/ Lamellar (Overlapping heavy leather pieces)
• Chain Armor (Interlocking butted or riveted metal wire, note that aluminum is only 2 points)
• Metal Scale or Lamellar Armor
• Brigandine (Heavy leather backing with heavy leather plates)
• Brigandine (Any backing with metal plates)
• Half-Plate (Metal armor, no articulated joints, up to 25% chain/leather)
  • Lorica Segmentata is half-plate armor.
  • A 2-piece back-and-breast is half-plate armor
  • Half-Plate armor counts as monstrous armor.

Four point armors include:

• Articulated Plate Armor
  • Plate armor with flexible joints that can bend and move with the movements of the player while still providing complete coverage. Must be a complete harness. For example articulated arms would contain a full vambrace, articulated elbow, rerebrace, and pauldrons.
  • Wearing incomplete articulated plate (such as wearing a back-and-breast without fauld, tassets, and a gorget) make it half-plate armor.
  • Plate armor counts as monstrous armor.

Armor Props

There are requirements for the armor that can be worn in the game. All armor must be inspected by player outreach & education staff for safety and by props & atmosphere staff for aethetics.

Armor must never impede normal movement in a fashion that endangers the wearer or prevents the player from following the rules of the game.

Armor must be attached or fitted on the body with proper integral closures such as buckles, laces, or snaps. Players are not allowed to attach armor to their body with tape, string, or similar temporary means.

Armor made of non-period materials (plastics, kydex, nylon, etc.) are not allowed. Non-period metals or alloys, such as aluminum, titanium, galvanized steel, stainless steel, nickel-plated steel, or anodized aluminum are allowed. Pleather, vinyl, or other synthetic leathers are not acceptable.

Armor that consistently causes unreasonable damage to weapons will be removed from play.

Metal Armors

Metal plates must be at least .0478 inches thick. (18 gauge or thicker for ferrous metals, 16 gauge or thicker for non-ferrous metals). All edges of metal plates should be safely blunted or rolled.

Chain mail rings should be of no greater than one-half inch inside diameter.

Metal scales must be of at least .015 inch thickness (28 gauge or thicker for ferrous metals, 26 gauge or thicker for non-ferrous metals) and must overlap to provide armor value.

Metal brigandine is armor constructed of non-overlapping metal plates on a backing material. Brigandine plates must be within one-half inch of each other. Brigandine plates must have multiple points of attachment to the backing or to each other, or be held in individual pockets. Non-leather backing materials generally reduce the armor value of metal brigandine armor. These plates may be inside or outside the backing material.

Leather Armors

Leather brigandine is armor constructed of non-overlapping leather plates on a backing material. Non-leather backing materials do not contribute to the armor value of leather brigandine armor. Leather brigandine plates must equal or exceed the quality of the backing leather to be counted as armor.

Leather armor must be constructed of real leather of any thickness (unless otherwise specified). Studded leathers may be studded with metal spots, rings, washers or rivets. No bottle caps, brads or plastic may be used. Studded leather should have no more than 1 inch of un-studded leather on any part of it. The simple test used for this will be to try and place a US quarter dollar coin between studs. It should fit with a small bit of wiggle room, but no more. Leather scales must overlap to provide armor value. Light leather is leather of at least 6 ounce weight (3/32 inch). Heavy leather is leather of at least 12 ounce weight (3/16 inch). Leather is a natural material with natural variations that may result in irregular measurements. Players are free to request an average of multiple (up to five) measurements when their armor is measured for its armor point value. No layering of leather is permitted in any area being measured for armor point value.

Helmets

As long as you already have any physical armor points from wearing armor (the one point from full costuming does not count), you gain an additional universal physical armor point for wearing a helmet. Because the head is not a legal hit location, the point of armor from a helmet works like magic armor points, in that it covers any possible hit location. The point from a helmet breaks the cap on physical armor points and stacks with other sources of physical armor points.

Leather helmets must have 3/4 head coverage. Metal helmets need a minimum of cap coverage. Regardless of material the helmet must meet the normal armor thickness requirements as mentioned previously in this page.

Shields and Bucklers

Bucklers and shields are used to defend against incoming attacks completely blocking certain attacks. A blocked attack does not count as a legal hit. Shields may not ever be used as weapons. Intentionally making physical contact with another player or their shield with your shield is not allowed.

A player may only carry one shield at a time, and you may not curl yourself up such that a shield completely prevents you from being attacked from one direction.

Spell calls (delivered by tag bag or arrows) may not be blocked by a shield. If a tag bag (or arrow) delivering a spell hits your shield it counts as hitting the arm holding the shield. Each call specifies if it can be blocked by a shield.

All melee attacks can always be blocked (bear in mind 'Acid!' damage will break the shield though). 'Acid!', 'Blight!', 'Disease!', 'Poison!', and untyped ('1!') tag bags and projectiles can always be blocked by shields. All other calls delivered by tag bag may not be blocked by a shield. 'Elven Steel!', 'Nature!', 'Primal!', and 'Silver!' calls (plus the ones listed above) may be blocked when they come from projectiles. Any other call from a projectile may not be blocked by a shield.

Mundane shields and bucklers may be brought into play at any time after they have been inspected by a member of player outreach & education for safety.

If a character has a shield or a buckler in one of their hands their might is capped at 2.

To create a shield with special abilities require crafting using the ornamenting skill.

Shield Props

Shields are rigid defensive items held in one hand. They must be padded on all edges to prevent wear to weapons and minimize accidental real injury to players.

Shields require a distinct, rigid core. Possible materials to craft a core out of include, but are not limited to steel, aluminum, plywood or rigid plastics. Plastic, foam and other modern materials must be covered with paint, cloth or leather. Exposed modern metals are acceptable. A shield may not have any exposed non-rounded metal hardware such as bolts or screws. The minimum padding on all edges of a shield is five-eighths of an inch of closed-cell foam. With rubber, vinyl, or similar flexible tubing or hose underneath the padding, the minimum padding may be three-eighths of an inch of closed cell foam.

Just like weapons, a shield will also be tested to make sure it is not too bendable or flexible. Shields that exhibit more than minor (approximately 10 degrees of) flex are not allowed.

A rectangular shield's surface area is it's total height multiplied by its total width with no allowances made for irregularities, cut-outs, or curves. Any shield that is not round or a regular polyhedral shape will be considered rectangular.

A rectangular shield may not be more than 40 inches in any one dimension and may not have more than 720 square inches of total surface area.

A round shield may not exceed a 36 inch diameter. Regular polyhedral shapes that fit inside a 36 diameter circle are also permitted.

The minimum dimension of a shield is 12 inches.

Curved shields are measured across the face of the shield (across the arc, not the chord).

All shields (that are not bucklers) must be hand held.

Bucklers

Bucklers are a sub-type of shield, and follow all prop rules for shields except where called out here.

Bucklers may be strapped to a character's arm in which case it is referred to as a passive buckler. Passive bucklers do not count as being in a player's hand, leaving them free to use that hand to cast spells, and the character is not subject to the cap for having an weapon in one hand and a shield in the other.

Buckler Props

A rectangular buckler may not exceed 24 inches in any one dimension and may not have more than 324 square inches of surface area.

A round buckler may not exceed a 24 inch diameter.

Bucklers may be built to be used hand-held, strapped to the arm, or both.

Alchemical Items

Alchemical items (sometimes called compounds or admixtures) represent the pinnacle of old world chemistry mixed with a tiny bit of occult knowledge. The products are considered everyday items with no magical properties, useful for bypassing magical defenses or circumstances where magical healing won't work. Alchemicals are produced by characters with the Alchemy skills and production points.

Alchemicals can generate a wide variety of game effects duplicating some spells. Characters who are immune to spells are still affected by alchemical items, only effects that specifically stop alchemical items or the call caused by an alchemical item will prevent them from working.

Many harmful alchemicals are poisons, though not all. Beneficial alchemicals can cure poison, restore spent power points, and heal wounds. Notably the only way to remove the Diseased, Exhausted and Lycanthropy conditions are alchemical items.

There are three primary subcategories of alchemical items: blade alchemicals, ingested alchemicals, and thrown alchemicals. Blade alchemicals are compounds applied to weapons to enhance their combat capabilities. Ingested alchemicals can be both helpful or harmful depending on the specific item. Thrown alchemicals are mixtures of chemicals that react when exposed to air, throwing a vial with these chemicals in them (represented with a tag bag) can be done as an attack.

Herbalism and Alchemy

The Herbalism skill is required to handle all blade alchemicals and thrown alchemicals safely. With ingested alchemicals it is only needed for those that are classified as 'harmful'. Each alchemical will list on it's paper if it is 'harmful' or not. If a character does not possess Herbalism and attempts to use an alchemical item that requires it, they suffer the effects of the item immediately and the item is consumed with no further effect. With blade alchemicals Herbalism is required to apply the alchemical, but not required to attack with the affected weapon.

Blade Alchemicals

A blade alchemical is a consumable item that is applied to a weapon in order to make it more deadly. All blade alchemicals replace a weapon's normal damage call with something else. In order to apply a blade alchemical you must possess the Herbalism skill and role-play the action of applying the compound to your weapon, then tie a flag to it.

Once applied a blade alchemical typically lasts for 10 minutes and/or replaces the next successful hit the weapon makes (whichever comes first). Some blade alchemicals require different special materials, or have bonuses based on what materials a weapon is made out of. Each blade alchemical lists any special interactions it has with a particular material type.

Some blade alchemicals reference a "pure" weapon. These are weapons made from only the material type listed. A weapon that has the mundane weapon craft feature (which allows it to strike for a material type or no material type) does not count as a pure weapon.

Elven Steel weapons may never have blade alchemicals applied to them. If a blade alchemical is applied to an Elven Steel weapon it is rendered inert immediately.

Ingested Alchemicals

Ingested alchemicals can be helpful or harmful. To use an ingested alchemical a character must role-play drinking it. Follow the instructions on the item for what it does.

Characters may also role-play putting the chemicals into something a character will later eat or drink. If a character does this they must then put a green sticker somewhere on the container the food or drink is contained in (this could be the bottom of a plate or a mug for example). The green dot allows characters with the herbalism skill to inspect the food and if they notice the green dot they will know 'something' is off, but not necessarily what. Should a person ingest the food or drink they should then be notified of exactly what was put in the food. Their character will not be aware of this, only the player gets to know. This can be done with both harmful or beneficial alchemicals if a character so chooses. When this is done with a large container, such as a pot of soup, only one person is affected per dose of ingested alchemical used. The first person to consume the food (or drink) is affected, and so on, until all doses have been used. It is acceptable to voluntarily take a harmful effect if a character consumes the food after all doses have been applied, so long as there is no mechnaical advantage in doing so.

Ointments

Ointments are like ingested alchemicals, but are applied topically, generally to treat wounds. To use them role-play applying the ointment to the target. Otherwise, follow the alchemical for any other special rules.

Thrown Alchemicals

A thrown alchemical represents a small easily breakable vial being hurled at an enemy. To use a thrown alchemical the vial being used must be easily reachable by the person using it, however they do not need to grab it right away. The player should role-play grabbing the alchemical, then instead grab a tag bag and throw that. Because thrown alchemicals are often used in the middle of combat, players are not expected to destroy the consumable tag right away. Players should keep track of what they use and how many of each, then at a later point that is more convenient make sure they should destroy the consumable tags for anything they threw.

The thrown alchemical will always state what call to use when you 'throw' it.

Formulas

Formulas are a type of scarce item that can be acquired during play. They allow you to turn in specific combinations of items during preproduction to acquire specific scarce items in return. Each formula will state what gets turned in and what specific things you get in return on it. They do not explain what the items do, players will need to use the formula to learn about things that may be new to them.

The primary purpose of formulas is to allow players to turn back in loot plants they find during play. This helps players so that they don't have to carry bulky plants, ensures the plants don't get destroyed in people's bags and cuts down on how many of each plant logistics needs to have on hand. Most formulas produce a scarce item that duplicates the effect of the plant and some kind of byproduct to make the turn-in more worthwhile than holding onto the plant.

Imbued Items

One of the most common functions of magic items is to cast spells. These are sometimes referred to as imbued items. Often the item simply lists how many times per event it will cast a certain spell. A character must be attuned to an item to use it. To use the item, hold it in a hand (or wear it) then say an appropriate incantation. The spell works just like casting using your own Power, but the item provides the Power instead.

A character can only use one item per event to cast any given spell. Characters may wear more than one item that grants the same spell. Once a character has used one item to cast a spell, any other imbued items may not be used to cast the same spell. Potions, scrolls, wands and other consumables may still be used as normal, this rule only applies to imbued items that cast a spell each event.

For example, a PC has a ring equipped that casts Heal Body 3 times an event. They also have a cloak equipped that casts Heal Mortal Wound 1 time an event AND Heal Body 1 time an event. The PC uses the ring's power to cast Heal Body and bring a party member back to full health. They can still use the cloak's imbued Heal Mortal Wound, but the Heal Body that is also imbued is unusable until next event. They can still use the remaining 2 casts of Heal Body from the ring.

Imbued items can be crafted using craft points and either the Ornamenting or the Weaponsmithing skills. Some items made using the Tinkering skill work like this as well, but with no customization options.

Potions

Potions provide the effects of a spell to anyone who drinks them. They provide their own power and do not require an incantation.

A potion is used by role-playing drinking it, or by concealing it in food like an ingested alchemical. When someone consumes the potion they are affected by the spell as if it had been cast upon them. The user counts as the person casting the spell for the purposes of voluntarily dispelling it.

Oils are like potions, but for spells that are applied to objects or areas instead of characters. To apply an oil, role-play applying it to the affected area.

No skill is needed to identify a potion (or oil). Any character is capable of understanding the effects a potion will have.

After using a potion or an oil, the character does not have to destroy the consumable slip right away. A player may wait for the next convenient moment to do so, if for example they drink a potion in the middle of a combat.

When administering a potion to a character who has the Helpless condition, you must have the first aid skill.

Potions are created using production points and the brew potion skill.

Rituals

Rituals allow the game to have many different magic effects, while keeping the list of spells at a fixed size. There is no limit to the number of rituals that could exist, and most magical effects that don't fit into the template of a spell will be a ritual. Most of the time rituals are paper items with instructions on them. Some creatures are capable of performing acts that function like rituals without having a paper to read off of, those creatures will describe how that works in their encounter codex entry. The following text exclusively refers to the paper variety of ritual.

Rituals are typically reusable items. Some specific rituals are one-use consumable items, these rituals will indicate if this is the case. Each ritual is a printed piece of paper that will contain all the information needed to perform it. Rituals may not be duplicated. Players can transcribe rituals into a cooler looking prop, which must be lootable, if they destroy the original copy.

When a character first learns a ritual skill they receive the basic rituals for that school of magic for free. These may be reacquired each event at check-in should the player lose them. Other rituals must be acquired as loot during play.

Preparing to Cast a Ritual

To cast a ritual a character must have: the skills required for that ritual, the components needed to perform the ritual (which are consumed), any foci required to perform the ritual (which are not consumed), and a copy of the ritual itself. Some rituals may also require additional participants.

Skills

You will need the skills listed on the ritual to perform it. The caster of a ritual must have all appropriate ritual skills and any other required skills. Typically this is one skill for each school in the ritual. Some rituals may even require other more unusual skills as well. When multiple skills are required multiple participants may work together to enact the ritual so long as each one provides at least one of the necessary skills.

When a ritual requires additional participants the ritual will state if those participants also need to know the relevant skills.

Ritual Components and Foci

Most rituals will require specific components that are consumed or foci, items that must be present to perform the ritual, that are not consumed. When the ritual itself is consumed on use, it will be listed as a component.

There are a wide variety of ritual components. Basic ritual components are any component from the seven schools of magic. These are the most commonly used ones for rituals. There is no fixed shape for basic ritual components, but there are often themes among the different schools. These ritual components are found as loot during the game.

Other components can be absolutely anything. These are known as special ritual components to distinguish them from basic ones. These scarce ritual components (such as Dragon's Blood or Ghost Stones), cannot ever be substituted with other items or powers, you must use the exact item called for. Generally scarce ritual components are required for plots or the rarest of rituals.

Recognizing ritual components requires the Identify Magic skill.

This is a non-exhaustive listing of defined special ritual components.

GM Controlled Components

Gamemaster controlled ritual components are designed to be used by GM's to tell stories with. They have no fixed purpose. These items could be used as part of the Remedy ritual to cure a plague or remove a hexed item. They could be part of a plot from a GM, or even simply a red herring. All of these items are quest items and must be returned to logistics by the end of the event. The story reason for this is because none of them are stable, each one loses its potency in some way or another by the end of an event.

Ritual Created Components

Ritual created components are special ritual components which are all specially created by one-use scarce rituals. A character who performs the appropriate ritual will be rewarded with the created component to hold onto until they decide to use it for some further purpose.

Plot Marshal Controlled Components

Plot marshal controlled ritual components are exclusively the domain of the Plot Marshal and Second to decide when to send out. These items are as common or rare as the they deem appropriate. Players may attempt to submit PIPs to try to obtain these items, but it is solely up to the Plot Marshal and Second to decide if such PIPs have any chance of succeeding.

Casting the Ritual

Each ritual has on it a set of instructions for what must be done to perform that specific ritual. Follow the instructions exactly. If the ritual requires an incantation, the instructions will tell you when to read the incantation. You must use the incantation listed on the ritual and you must read it off the piece of paper, it cannot be read from memory. Otherwise this functions exactly like spell incantations.

Once you have completed the instructions on the ritual, it has been successfully performed. Now follow the information listed in the "Effect" portion of the ritual.

Rituals do not generally require power points to cast, however as each ritual is different it is possible one might need them. The ritual will say if it does.

Bound Rituals

Some rituals are so powerful they are bound to the person who assembled it. The harder a ritual is to assemble the more likely it is to be bound. Only the person the ritual is bound to may perform it.

GM Required Rituals

Some rituals have long reaching effects that players can't enact themselves. Others have very precise instructions on how to cast them that need a neutral adjudicator present. These rituals require a GM to be present when they are performed. Let the shift GM know that you are going to perform the ritual, and they will arrange for someone to be present. This could be the wind, an NPC or even a GM who is PCing and is expected to be present.

Dispelling Rituals

Rituals are far more powerful than normal spells. Most rituals require the Cleansing ritual (which is a scarce ritual) to dispel them and cannot be removed by the Dispel Magic spell. Each ritual will indicate how (or if) it can be ended prior to the duration expiring.

Loot Rituals

Some rituals are only available as loot during play. Loot rituals can either be one-use or they can be multiple use. One-use rituals are generally found as is and can be performed immediately. Multiple-use loot rituals generally must be assembled before they can be performed.

To assemble a loot ritual, a character must acquire a variety of elements, often scarce items. Those elements are:

• Essence of the Ritual: A scarce alchemical that contains the raw magical concept of the desired ritual. This will be in a vial, and will always list exactly what the final ritual actually does on it. You won't know what the ritual costs to perform, but you'll at least know what the ritual actually DOES so you know if it's a ritual you want to take the time to work on assembling.

• Intent of the Ritual: This is a scarce scroll that will have the incantation of the ritual you're assembling written on it. Most rituals have multiple common intents circulating, each designed by someone who had a certain idea in mind for usage of that ritual. If you don't like the text you have on an intent, you may want to wait to get another more to your liking, you're going to have that incantation on the finished product forever.

• Ritual Paper: A scarce part used by all assembled rituals. This paper is potent enough to hold the arcane energy together to make the final ritual.

• Ritual Binding Elixir: A scarce alchemical used by all assembled rituals that helps merge all the parts together into one cohesive whole.
• Ritual Ink (5 doses): A standard alchemical item used to scribe the finished product
• Ritual Quill: A specially prepared quill (made with Tinkering) that is needed to scribe the finished product. It is consumed by the process of making the ritual.
• Additional Items: Some rituals will require other additional unusual items to assemble them. If a ritual requires other things, they will always be listed in the Essence of that ritual.

When all of these things have been gathered a player may turn them in using the pre-production system between games to get a finished copy of the ritual. This does not require any skills to do.

Sigils

Some certain rituals that are nearly exclusively performed by NPCs require a non-lootable quest item known as a sigil. These rituals are tricky to execute and easy to disrupt. To represent this they will always be performed over the course of a long period of time. During this time the rituals leave behind sigils where the ritual is intended to be completed. If those sigils are disrupted by the Sigil Erasure ritual the original ritual will not work as intended. The original ritual will have instructions on it for what happens when the sigils are disrupted.

Rods

A rod is an object that allows a character who does not know a spell to cast it anyway. Some rods can also have features that modify what happens when you cast their spell if you are holding the rod. When using a rod a character always provides their own power points.

Props for rods must be between 18 and 36 inches in length and can never be used as a weapon.

Rods are creating using craft points and the ornamenting skill. A rod can only have crafting features explicitly designed for rods. There is no maximum number of craft points for a rod, but a rod can only have one spell associated with it.

Scrolls

A scroll is a consumable item that can be used by a character with the read magic skill to cast the spell written upon it. The scroll provides the power points and knowledge needed to cast the spell written on it and then it is destroyed.

When a scroll has a range of self, you may only use it if you know the spell on the scroll.

Scrolls are produced using the scribe scroll skill and production points.

Tomes

A tome functions very similarly to a rod. Tomes contain 1 or more spells in them. A character attuned to a tome can read from it to cast any spells contained inside using their own power points, but without needing to know the spell.

Crafting a tome requires craft points and the Scholar role-playing skill. Player crafting tomes can only contain spells from one school and have a cap of 120 craft points (enough for each spell in a school). Tomes can only take crafting features that specifically say they are for tomes.

Traps

There are two types of traps in the game: "zero-level" traps and level based traps. Traps only inflict killing blows if they explicitly say that they do.

Zero-level traps are stationary, simple traps such as a pit trap. They can't be armed or disarmed, they simply exist. Each zero-level trap has a fixed effect on anyone who is impacted by it. For example, if someone falls into a pit trap they take two leg wounds and cannot leave the pit. Player characters normally can't create zero-level traps.

Level based traps may or may not be stationary depending on the design, and are armed with one or more trap tags. A level based trap typically has a buzzer in it that indicates when the trap has been sprung. Other traps designs could potentially exist with rules and plot approval on a case by case basis.

Level based traps are each armed with trap tags indicating what the trap does if the buzzer goes off. A level based trap can be armed with a number of trap tags equal to or less than its level. When the trap is sprung, each of these tags take effect going from front to back, then the trap tags should be destroyed. Only the character who triggers the trap is affected by any trap tags included, though others can choose to voluntarily take trap effects for roleplaying reasons so long as they are not doing it gain a mechanical advantage.

For example a group are walking down a road and one character sets off a tripwire trap. The person right next to them could voluntarily also take the trap's effects because it seems appropriate to the circumstances. On the other hand if a group of characters want to have Dispel Magic used on them, they can't deliberately set up and set off one trap with a Spellbane trap tag in it and have everyone present get the effect. That would be using this rule for advantage.

Traps must be created to be disarmable in some fashion. Any character can attempt to disarm a trap - by preventing the buzzer or triggering mechanism from functioning. If the buzzer doesn't go off the trap has been avoided.

When a player can access the trap tags in a trap without the buzzer going off they can 'disarm' the trap by removing the tags. Trap tags removed can be kept for later use (if they are not fragile).

Level based traps that are in containers can be moved when armed, but the person carrying the trap is the one affected by it if the buzzer goes off for any reason. Traps that take the form of trip wires, pressure plates, etc. must be stationary once armed and should only be moved if disarmed.

Crafting Level Based Traps

A level based trap is crafted using the Tinkering skill. Characters must have the same level or higher of tinkering skill as the trap to construct it. Traps cost 4 craft points per level to construct. A character who is a master crafter can create a level 6 trap for 24 craft points.

During preproduction these traps can be upgraded from one level to another by paying the craft point and coin difference. To do this the character must have a tinkering skill capable of crafting the level of trap being upgraded to. Keep in mind this will require putting a new item number on the trap.

Trap Tags

A trap tag is a one-use consumable item produced with tinkering. They are placed in level based traps to arm them, causing negative effects to anyone who triggers the trap. After performing their effect the trap tag is then consumed.

Each trap tag will have on it what type of tag it is: Alchemical, Physical, Spell, or Environmental. Alchemical trap tags are stopped by any effect that prevents harmful alchemicals (such as Spirit Shield, or Poison Immunity). Spell trap tags are prevented by any effect which prevents spells (such as Anti-Magic Shield or Anti-Magic Aura). Physical trap tags are just like getting hit with a melee attack to the torso, any relevant Armor or Body applies. If a trap tag's effect say it hits multiple times, such as two '4 Magic!' hits, it would take 2 prevention effects to stop both hits. Otherwise, one shield stops the entire trap tag.

Some trap tags give the Hexed condition, typically with a duration for the rest of the game day. These will often give a character another condition as well. When this happens the other condition cannot be removed through normal means, you must remove the Hexed condition to remove the other condition.

Fragile trap tags can be disarmed, but should be destroyed immediately whether the trap went off or not. All fragile trap tags say this on them.

Pit Traps

A pit traps is a zero-level trap, represented in game by tarps on the ground. If a player touches the tarp in any way their character is considered to have "fallen" into the pit.

When a character touches a pit trap they gain the Leg Wound condition for each of their legs. A spiked pit trap inflicts the Torso Wound condition. Other types of pits could be designed for unusual circumstances. If a pit has other effects an NPC will be around to inform players of what those effects are.

Once a character has fallen into a pit, unless the character has a special means of escaping it, they are stuck in it until another character assists them in getting out through role-playing, .

A player under the effects of the Shadow Skin spell that falls into a pit still takes the automatic leg wounds.

Trap Props

Traps have a great deal of freedom in what makes a valid prop. Unlike most props in Novitas modern electronics are acceptable (and more or less required) to build a trap prop. Those electronics should be concealed inside of the trap as much as is possible.

At their most basic a typical trap will have 3 parts, all available from any electronics vendor or Amazon for a few dollars each. You'll need a battery housing, a buzzer, and a switch. The stronger the battery you use, the louder the sound from the trap. This can be a double edged sword. You want the buzzer to be hearable, but you don't need to deafen everyone with it. Switches are typically pressure sensitive, but other ones can work too. You'll use the switch to set the trap off, if someone completes the circuit the buzzer goes off.

A second switch can be added to add another means of disarming a trap. You'll need to do this if the primary switch can't be reached to be disarmed. Remember all traps MUST have some way of disarming them. You can conceal the method or make it hard to do, but a trap requires that someone could conceivably figure out how to disarm it.

Traps are generally either inside of containers (your standard box trap) or trip wires.

With a standard box trap when the lid gets opened the trap goes off. The switches for these are generally in the lid with something on the bottom half of the container to keep the switch depressed. They can be disarmed by finding the switch and sliding something very flat into the opening to hold the switch down when you open the lid. If this is too difficult to do, a second switch can be added that a player can off. This might be a hole in the box where a tool can be inserted to depress the second switch, or a screw that can be turned to disable the second switch.

Trip wires are considerably less complex. A typically trip wire trap does not require a switch. Instead the circuit runs through two tacks placed onto each side of a clothespin. When the clothespin is closed the circuit is complete and the buzzer goes off. You can then place something with low friction that doesn't conduct electricity into the clothespin, such as a small scrap of leather. Tie fishing line to the scrap of leather and run the line to something stationary. Be sure to firmly attach the trap to something as well. When the fishing line gets pressure, the leather is pulled out from the clothespin and the circuit is completed setting off the buzzer. Players can disarm this style of trap by cutting the fishing line (so make sure the fishing line part of the trap is 'replaceable'), untying one end of the trap, or by removing the trap tags which are generally immediately visible in this type of trap.

Pressure plate traps are also a viable option. In this case you take a heavy object and set it up so that if the object is moved a circuit is completed and the trap goes off. This trap is generally disarmable by removing the trap tags which are immediately visible or by avoiding the object entirely. If these are impossible to disarm that is acceptable so long as nothing can be stored inside or underneath them .

It is helpful if traps have a clothespin inside or on them to hold trap tags, but this is not a requirement.

Wands

A wand is a crafted item that provides power points to cast a specific spell selected when the wand is made. The pool of power points a wand has available is also determined when the wand is first made.

You cast the spell out of the wand like you would for any other magic item, but when the wand would provide power points it consumes them out of the pool inside the wand. A single wand can be used as many times in an event as it has power, often far more than any other magic item, however once all the power points in the wand are depleted it is gone forever. Wands do not regenerate their power points under normal circumstances.

The prop for a wand should be between 8 and 16 inches in length. Wands may never be used in combat as weapons.

Wands are created using craft points and the ornamenting skill. When crafting a wand only features that explicitly go into a wand can be put into a wand.

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