Alternative Weapons and Armor For Forbidden Lands RPG: G.O. Thorsveen [PDF]

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Alternative weapons and armor for Forbidden Lands RPG

The wagon train I joined when leaving the village of Kandra had six caravan guards in their employ. Their scout was a hafling in a simple leather armor and armed with a composite bow and a ALTERNATIVE WEAPONS AND ARMOR FOR THE FORBIDDEN LANDS. Belifar dagger. Three of the guards were clad in brigandine armor and bore swords, round shields and poleaxes. The last two were a large, bearded man clad in gambeson and a kettle helm, and his young squire. The large man carried a large two-handed steel axe and a massive windlass crossbow, while the squire carried for him a selection of crossbow bolts and a long pike. I inquired about his choice of equipment, and he replied curtly; “I come prepared for beasts, not for bandits” -From the diaries of Cidarun the Bard by G.O. Thorsveen

The Mist has also put an end to warfare and massed combat, and the focus of weapon development has been on small skirmishes, personal defense and defense against monsters. Swords are great for fighting against other armed opponents, but axes and polearms are usually better against oversized monsters. So even though polearms aren’t deployed in units on the battlefield, they still have had a role in defending against monstrous attackers.

INDEX MELEE WEAPONS ............................. 2 RANGED WEAPONS ........................ 10 SHIELDS ............................................. 13 ARMOR & HELMETS ....................... 14 WEAPON TABLES............................ 18 FEATURES ......................................... 20

It is worth remembering that both the dwarves and elves seems to have been largely unaffected by the mist, and that they would have better access to whatever weapons and armor they would prefer. But for the other kin we must keep in mind that not everyone is running around with longswords and plate armor.

CRAFTING TABLES ......................... 21 TALENTS............................................ 23 APPENDIX ........................................ 23 AFTERWORD .................................... 25

The following pages describes the different weapons and variations thereof available in the Forbidden Lands. These are just my interpretations and ideas, and I encourage you to alter and add to this for your own campaigns as you see fit

MELEE WEAPONS The Forbidden Lands have emerged from 260 years of isolation which has had an impact on the development and availability of weapons. For one, radical limitations in trade has made the raw materials for production very scarce in some villages, and those that have a supply of raw materials have been unable to distribute their produced weapons. Another factor is the survival of the weaponsmiths and armorer traditions and skills through nearly ten generations of isolation.

BUCKLER

The buckler is a small, circular metal shield up to about 14 inches in diameter, it has a ball boss with a central grip in the middle and a metal rim around it. There are many different styles and production methods for the buckler. Some are just plain discs with a boss in the middle, others have decorations and reinforcements in the form of fluting or added metal bands or plates. It is too small to be effective against missiles, but it is a good defensive option for close combat, and it is widely used, especially among human kin.

This usually means that simpler weapons in terms of production and materials, are more widespread after the Mist. Axes, maces, clubs, daggers and spears are more widespread than swords, as an example. Maces and axes are sometimes made from lower quality steel, iron, or even bronze, while most longer swords require both higher quality steel and craftsmanship to make them effective.

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DAGGER

Daggers are common weapons that comes in a variety of different shapes and sizes. They usually have double edged blades between 8-12 inches long. The Player’s Handbook has illustrations of Elven, Orc and Dwarven daggers (PH p.109, 110, 112 “DAGGER”). Some of the other types you can find are:

BUCKLER AS A WEAPON

Although usually considered to be a shield, the buckler is included under melee weapons as it makes more sense in the context of the game mechanics. The buckler does not benefit from the advantages of a shield when parrying. It cannot, as an example, parry missiles. Talents that effect shields do not work on the Buckler, and so on.

Quillon daggers have cruciform hilts with a quillon (cross guard), grip and pommel. A very popular kind of dagger for anyone in need of a light weapon for selfdefense.

KNIFE

Knives are tools that every self-respecting adventurer should have in his belt, that can be used as a backup weapon in a pinch. Knives have single edged blades usually between 3-10 inches in length. The grip is made of two halves of wood, bone or horn riveted and glued to either side of the tang. There is usually a small round guard between blade and grip, just to prevent the hand slipping up to the blade. As a tool, a knife is made for cutting, but in combat you need to stab with it to do any kind of significant damage. All kin and cultures have knives, often of different styles.

Bollock daggers have grips made entirely from wood, and the guard is simply two round wooden balls, or bollocks, all carved from the same wooden piece and capped on the end by a simple brass cap and pin. This is the poor man’s or peasant’s dagger, simple yet effective. Rondel daggers often have slender, but thick, blades. Both the guard and the cap on the grip are made as rondels, or flat disks, about 2 inches across. This is a warrior’s back up weapon, and it is designed to punch through armor in clinched combat, when your sword won’t be effective.

By-knives are knives that come with another sword, usually an arming sword, that has its sheath attached to the sheath of the weapon. They are very popular among adventurers, and sometimes also comes with a “pricker”, a short and sharp nail or needle with a small grip used as a fork, to clean your teeth or as a tool.

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riveted to the metal and rounded to form a comfortable grip.

SHORT SWORD

Short sword is a collective term used to describe a variety of different swords, normally with blades of between 15-24 inches long. They fall somewhere between knives, and the arming sword, and are for the most part older sword designs that were developed from knives. Despite being older designs, they are substantial weapons and are still popular as a sidearm particularly for those that can’t afford an arming sword, or for whom those swords are too large to wield singlehandedly.

Orcish short swords resembles a shorter cross between a Falchion and a Scimitar, usually with a crossguard. (PH p. 109 “SHORTSWORD”) Dwarves and elves also have shorter versions of arming swords, with characteristically cruciform hilts. But they are not very common. (PH p. 110, 112 “SHORTSWORD”)

Fang blades are the traditional swords of goblins. They have single-edged blades with a distinct fang-like appearance, making them effective for slashing and stabbing. They have a short guard sticking up between the thumb and fingers, and a longer guard that curves slightly over the fingers. Belifar daggers, also called cabbage-cutters, are hafling swords. They have double-edged blades with a characteristic widening shape. The entire hilt is made from cast bronze and is pinned to the blade. It has a short cross-guard in the shape of the crescent moon, turning up towards the blade, with finer swords often decorated with iconography relating to Éor. ARMING SWORD

Hargas are long, straight-bladed, single-edged knives, with the point being a simple diagonal from the edge to the spine, giving them a very characteristic profile without any curves. They have simple organic grips, usually of wood, antler or bone, and rarely have a guard. This is an old Alderland design developed in the Forbidden Lands centuries ago.

Arming swords, or simply swords, are the archetypical one-handed swords, coming to the full length of what is effective as a single gripped weapon, usually with a blade length of 27-32 inches and a cruciform hilt. The blade tapers down to a fine point for thrusting, usually with a fuller running down the blade to lighten it and move the balance point towards the cross-guard.

Falenards are usually found among Ailanders. They resemble a shorter version of the cruciform arming sword, with both the guard and pommel in the form of a straight crossbar, with the guard being slightly longer than the “pommel”. The crossbars are part of the same piece of metal as the blade. The entire hilt is sandwiched between to pieces of wood which are

The superior balance, speed and versatility of the sword make it a very popular sidearm for personal defense, but it doesn’t have quite the same impact as an axe or warhammer. An arming sword is slightly more expensive than a short sword or scimitar, and are the

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weapons of professional warriors, adventurers and lords.

gripping the blade and using it more like a polearm and giving more power to thrusts and parries. This technique is called half-swording, and can be used with other swords as well, but the greatswords are often designed with this technique in mind to compensate for its weight and need for space.

The dwarven broadsword is a variant of the arming Sword, with straighter edges coming to a more abrupt point, in contrast to the more gradual taper of an arming sword. This makes it more suited for slashing than stabbing, as the balance point lies closer to the cutting edge (PH p. 110 “BROADSWORD”). LONGSWORD

The longsword is designed for fighting in two hands, so it has a wide grip commonly 3 hand’s widths wide. The blade is between 35-44 inches long. It is still slender and well-balanced, meaning it can be gripped in one hand for extending your reach for single attacks or lounges, or grabbing and grappling with your offhand, but it is not sustainable to wield as a singlehanded weapon over time. The bastard sword is a variant of the longsword with a slightly shorter grip and blade, sort of a hybrid between an arming sword and longsword. The bastard sword’s grip is made two hand’s widths wide, usually tapering down towards the pommel. The blade is shorter but has a lighter taper towards a more defined tip, adding some more mass towards the cutting edge, but sacrificing some stabbing efficiency. The choice between bastard swords and longswords is usually a matter of personal preference and fighting style, but the shorter bastard sword is a bit less cumbersome in the field, and equally effective when fighting monsters and beasts.

Orcish greatswords are brutish, curved cleavers with a lot of weight at the cutting edge. They are usually in the shorter end of greatsword lengths, single edged and not designed for thrusting. (PH p. 109 “TWO-HANDED SWORD”) Elven greatswords are also primarily slashing weapons, resembling a large, elegant scimitar, but they are much better balanced and better suited for thrusting than the orcish greatsword. (PH p. 112 “TWOHANDED SWORD”)

GREATSWORD

The Greatsword, or two-handed sword, is too heavy to wield in one hand. It resembles the longsword, but is longer and heavier, with a blade length of between 45-55 inches, and a grip that is usually 4 hand’s widths wide. Greatswords also often have a ricasso, or unsharpened length of blade close to the quillon, usually with a second quillon or guard above it, making it possible to better handle the weapon by

FALCHION

The falchion is made with the same basic cruciform as other swords, but the blade has one straight, blunt spine and the sharp edge widens towards the tip. The tips may be shaped in a variety of different ways,

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but in its simplest form the wide edge just curves up to the straight edge forming a rather short point. (PH p. 102 “FALCHION”)

HAND AXE

The hand axe or hatchet is a tool, often used in a pinch as a weapon. Its head is usually a thick wedgeshape, made to chop wood, not through armor and flesh, but a blow from a hand axe can still be lethal, and is something to be avoided.

Its characteristic form appears to give it a very front heavy and unbalanced profile, but the falchion’s secret is that it’s significantly slimmer than an arming sword, and its longer edge taper makes it razor sharp. It is still a bit front heavy, but fairly easy to handle. It is not the brutal cleaver people think it is, but rather designed to be a vicious slashing blade against unarmored or lightly armored, opponents. This makes it a favorite among slavers, raiders and sailors. The elves also have a version of the falchion where the blunt edge is also slightly curved forward. (PH p. 112 “SCIMITAR #2”.)

Orcs also often bring their meat cleavers as a backup weapon in the field, these heavy, square shaped blades count as hand axes in combat. (PH p. 110 “FALCHION”). BATTLE AXE

The battle axe has a handle of around 2 feet and a metal axe head wedged onto the handle. Unlike a woodcutting axe the head is not thick and wedge shaped, but rather slender, to allow for a broader cutting edge without adding to much weight, and for cutting through armor and flesh. Some heads have a spike on the back. Double headed axes are usually ceremonial in nature but are sometimes seen in combat as well.

SCIMITAR

The word scimitar was first used to describe the curved light swords of the elves, but other kin have also adopted a curved sword design over the years, and the word scimitar has been expanded to cover all of them. There are therefore many different designs of scimitar, but they have in common that they are single edged, usually with a short double edge on the point, the blade is thinner than an arming sword, and curved back for better slashing. (PH p. 102 “SCIMITAR”)

The battle axe is top heavy and balanced for impact force and is usually used with a shield, since it is more difficult to use defensively than a sword. They are much cheaper and easier to make than swords and are therefore widespread among all manner of kin and cultures. Dwarves and orcs have a particular preference for axes.

The scimitar is widespread among orcs, elves and Aslene riders. The curved blade offers an advantage when attacking with momentum from horseback.

GREAT AXE

TUCK

The great axe, or two-handed axe, has a longer handle than the battle axe, usually 4-5 feet long, and a larger heavier head, and is designed to be wielded with two hands. Other than that, it resembles the battle axe in most aspects. Its head is still lighter and more refined than a tree-felling axe, making it more balanced than a tool, but it is still very head-heavy and requires some strength to wield efficiently.

The tuck is a rare and specialized sword. It is basically a longsword, but the blade is slender and thick, usually hexagonal or diamond shaped, with no edges. In other words, it is a long, rigid steel bar with a point for piercing armor that is usually used with the halfswording technique. The tuck is sometimes called a “rich man’s spear” as it is most often used by men in plate armor, trying to kill other men in plate armor.

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Wolfkin make use of great axes, as do dwarves, orcs and humans, particularly Ailanders. It is often considered a good choice for fighting monsters and beasts, when damage is more important than defensive properties.

MACE

The mace is an ancient and effective weapon, and a natural progression from the simple wooden club. It consists of a 1 1/2-2 feet hardwood handle with a metal head. The head is a hollow cylinder and is simply cross wedged onto the handle. The head is not particularly big, usually between 2-4 inches tall, and normally comes in three general shapes.

POLEAXE

The poleaxe mounts an axe head, a spearpoint and a spiked hammerhead on the end of long wooden shaft, or pole, about 5-6 feet long. It offers the wielder options to engage both armored and unarmored targets. The shaft is reinforced towards the head with metal bands on two or four sides of the shaft (langets) and the bottom end is also capped in metal and may be used for pommeling (queue).

The standard mace head has stubby, pyramidical protrusions, not long enough to pierce armor, but designed to focus the percussive force and gain purchase on the target to transfer the force as effectively as possible. The flanged head has flanges or ribs surrounding the cylinder running in the same direction as the handle. Again, these are not meant for cutting or piercing, but to transfer force to the target. (PH p. 102 “MACE”)

The poleaxe is a sophisticated weapon, often found in the hands of knights or professional warriors and is designed for single combat against armored opponents.

The sculpted head is usually cast to look like a demon, monster or animal head, yet like the two other types is designed to be sufficiently knobby to grip armor and transfer its force to the target. Commonly the heads are made of cast bronze, which is easy to work and relatively cheap. It’s also very easy to fashion and fit a new handle if the weapon is damaged, which makes the mace very popular and inexpensive. Dwarven Maces are made with a hollow-tube, metal handle, instead of a wooden one, and usually with a flanged head, or sculpted head, brazed onto the metal tube. This hasn’t really caught on among other kin, since a wooden handle is easy to replace if damaged even with just basic crafting skills. A metal handle is sturdier, but once it bends or kinks, it is much harder to repair and costlier to replace.

CLUBS

The humble Wooden Club is just a sturdy piece of wood, either a well-turned hardwood truncheon, a peasant’s flail, a roughly formed bludgeon or any type of improvised blunt weapon. Widespread among more primitive kin like Saurians, Whiners and Ogres, but also as a weapon of last resort for peasants and poorer folk, as well as a less-than-lethal option for town guards and slavers.

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WARHAMMER

The warhammer is similar to the mace, in that it is a metal percussive head fitted to a wooden handle. The handle is the same length as that of a mace. Unlike a mace, that has no specific direction to its head, the warhammer has a hammerhead on one side and a spike or beak on the opposite side. The head is fastened with metal bands along two sides of the handle, nailed or rivetted in place (langets). It is also often made of hardened iron or steel, to be able to pierce armor with the beak.

RUST CENSER

Rust brothers also like to wield their ceremonial censers as a weapon in combat. These counts as flails, but if they do damage to their target, they may start BURNING, on a 1 in 6 chance. A burning person takes 1 point of damage at the end of their turn, until they roll a successful MOVE test (slow action) to put the fire out.

As with an axe it is top heavy and not easy to use defensively, although the beak can be used to hook and deflect and opponent’s weapon, it is most often used with a shield. (PH p. 102 “WARHAMMER”) MORNING STAR

DWARVEN WARHAMMER

The morning star is again similar to the mace and warhammer, it has a wooden handle of about 1 1/2-2 feet long, but it has a round and heavy head, set with 4” spikes in all directions. The heavier head makes it almost useless as a defensive weapon, and it is usually paired with a shield, but it is as brutal as it looks and effective against armor. This makes it a favorite among orcs in particular, and brutes in general. (PH p. 102 “MORNINGSTAR”)

What the dwarves call a warhammer differ from the common warhammer. It has a shorter handle, about 1-1 1/2 foot long, made from a hollow iron tube and the head is a single sledge-like stone block. Dwarven stone singers shape and create these heads through their rituals, and they hold great spiritual significance. Larger, two-handed versions are also in use. They are called dwarven mauls. (PH p. 110 “WARHAMMER, HEAVY WARHAMMER”)

FLAIL

The flail is made from a wooden handle, about 2 feet long, with a solid metal head affixed to the handle by a chain slightly shorter than the handle. The head is usually a ball with short studs, similar to those of a mace head, to help transferring force to the target. It is a difficult and tiring weapon to wield, but the momentum the chain adds to the weapon makes it very powerful. The chain also makes it harder to parry and defend against.

STAFF

The simple staff, or quarter staff, is a hardwood staff usually 6-7 feet long, sometimes with metal caps on the ends. Its use is widespread, and it is surprisingly effective, often used for non-lethal combat practice and contests.

The flail is not very widespread in its use but can be found among all kin and cultures. Some Rust Brother fanatics take a liking to the flail. (PH p. 102 “FLAIL”)

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SPEARS

PIKE

Spears are ubiquitous and extremely versatile weapons. They are a simple wooden handle, or shaft, with a spearhead. It is made for thrusting and using its length as an advantage in combat. They are usually divided into two categories, depending on length, but are universally referred to as spears.

The pike is a very long spear, at least 9 feet and up to about 12 feet. It is still pointed with a sharp blade or spike, which usually extends down the shaft with metal bands on either side of the shaft (langets). The length makes it very unwieldy and heavy. It is mostly used in combat by ranked infantry formations, where its length makes it possible for several ranks to attack at the same time.

The short spear is usually about 6-7 feet long. In combat it is primarily used with a shield in ranked infantry formations and gripped in one hand. It is also used as a hunting weapon, particularly among Saurians and Whiners, and it may be thrown up to NEAR distance.

In the Forbidden Lands it is mostly seen used as a counter towards giant or flying monsters charging or swooping down against a defender. It is then normally used as a “use and drop”, before switching to a more sensible weapon. Caravans will often carry several pikes lashed to the sides of their wagons.

Long spears are primarily designed to be used in two hands and usually 7-9 feet long. The added defense that this extended reach provides, makes it suitable to use without a shield. It is a very effective weapon in single combat. Long spears usually have slightly heavier heads than short spears, and sometimes with a cross guard below the head. It is too heavy to throw, but there are long spears that are designed to hunt game, usually boar or bear where they are brought to bear against the charging animal.

BILL

The bill is a polearm traditionally found among peasant militias and used in ranked infantry formations. It is fashioned on the billhook, a broad sicklelike tool used to cut crops or vegetation, mounted on a pole, and with an attached spike at the end. They usually stand 6-9 feet tall, depending on the weight of the head and strength of the user. As with the pike, the bill is a popular option for warriors who are expecting to go up against monsters or mounted opponents, but it is also often seen among village militias and guardsmen.

THROWN SPEARS

The short spear is not balanced for throwing like a javelin, but it can still be used as a fairly effective missile at closer ranges.

There are other polearms that can fall under the same category as the bill, like the glaive, voulge or early forms of halberds, most of which were developed from farming tools. The bill is the most common of these, but all sorts of heads can be found on polearms. These all counts as bills for the purposes of these rules.

When throwing the short spear, it has the stats: MOD: +1 DAM: 1 RANGE: Short It loses its features. The SPEAR FIGHTER talent does not apply to thrown short spears but THROWING ARM does.

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THROWING AXE

RANGED WEAPONS

Throwing axes have sleek, arched axe heads and are designed to be hurled overhand at advancing or charging enemies. This was a tactic often used by Dwarves and Orcs during the Alder wars, but axe throwing has since spread all over the Forbidden Lands, most often as a recreational activity, but also for hunting and combat.

The scarcity of resources in the Forbidden Lands have not impacted the manufacture of ranged weapons in the same way as melee weapons and armor. Throwing weapons can be made quite easily, and only the heaviest crossbows require quality steel for the bow. However, some of the spanning and trigger mechanisms of the crossbow requires a lot of skill to manufacture, and therefore the bow is more widespread than the crossbow.

JAVELIN

Javelins, or throwing spears, have been used for hunting and war since times immemorial, and these spears, specifically designed for throwing, are still in widespread use today. The Saurians are particularly fond of the javelin. Note that you may also throw a short spear, but those use different stats. (Box text p. 9).

It seems like the southern Alderlander regions and the dwarves tend to use crossbows, and the Aslene, Ailenders and other kin prefer to use normal bows, but this is a general trend and not a rule. There seems to have been more skilled crossbow-makers among the Alderlanders and dwarves, but they are found all over the Forbidden Lands.

SLING

Slings are still used for hunting and recreational target practice among most folk, although its lack of efficiency against armor has made it less used on the battlefield. One may still be able to hurt someone with it, and it is still sometimes used by haflings and goblins in combat, or by slavers as a less-than-lethal option against potential merchandise.

Be aware that it is not possible to compare the draw weights of bows and crossbows, as bows are much more effective mechanically, with a much longer power stroke than a crossbow.

ROCK

There are three types of rock; igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic. If you throw any kind of rock of a decent size at someone, you might hurt them.

SHORT BOW

The short bow is the simplest type of bow. It is a self-bow, meaning made from a single wooden bow stave, often a natural laminate taken from where the heartwood meets the sapwood for added strength. The notches for the string are often reinforced by horn. It’s length and strength would depend on the user it was made for, the type of wood used and so forth, but it is usually about 4-5 feet tall. It usually has a draw weight of around 50-60 lbs.

THROWING KNIFE

These are fairly heavy, flat double-edged blades, with a wide, blunt tang to balance it. Throwing knives are mostly used for recreational or entertainment purposes, but in skilled hands they can do some damage to an unarmored opponent.

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LIGHT CROSSBOW

It is not a very powerful bow, but good enough to be used in combat, although it is primarily considered a hunting weapon, especially since it is the quietest of all the bows and crossbows. It is quick and relatively easy to make, and it is found everywhere.

The light crossbow is constructed from a wooden stock and a wooden or composite bow that is lashed to a recess in the front of the stock. It has a simple trigger underneath the stock and a rotating nut that catches the bowstring when the bow is spanned and releases it when the trigger is pressed. A composite bow is made from horn, wood and sinew glued together and covered in waxed, watertight linen fabric. The light crossbow has a stirrup at the front and is spanned by putting your foot in the stirrup and pulling back the string with both hands. The practical limit of the draw weight is around 250-300 lbs. You may use a spanning belt to help span the bow if the draw weight is too heavy for the user.

RECURVE BOW

The recurve bow is a short bow whose tips curl away from the user, giving it additional mechanical force and range. This type of bow originally came to the Ravenland with the Quards but has been adopted by other kin and cultures since then. It is usually made from composite, a laminate of sinew, wood and horn glued together. But the elves have a technique where they make the recurve on a self-bow. Composite material is not very tolerant to humidity, as the glue will degrade in humid environments.

The spanning belt is a broad leather belt that sits tightly at the waist with a short rope or strap with a hook on it. You hook the bowstring, so the crossbow is suspended from the belt, then you put your foot in the stirrup and push down with both hands and your foot as you straighten your back. This way you can use more of your large muscle groups to span it. Or you can sit down to span it for approximately the same effect.

The recurve bow packs a better punch than the short bow, even though it may actually be shorter, anywhere between 3-5 feet. Its draw weight is usually between 60-80 lbs. This makes it perfect for shooting from horseback, and as a ranged weapon for the shorter kin, and they are very popular among Aslene riders, goblins and elves.

It fires a short bolt, usually with double wood wanes or sometimes with feathers. The bolts can be fitted with a variety of heads for different purposes.

LONGBOW

The Longbow, or War Bow, is a large self-bow, usually made from yew and about 6-7 feet long. It may have a draw weight of between 80-120 lbs. depending on the user, making it effective even against many types of armor. It takes practice and training to be able to draw and loose these weapons effectively, but in able hands they are formidable weapons, particularly because of the higher rate of fire compared to crossbows.

The light crossbow is most often used for hunting, as it does not pack enough punch to penetrate armor in any significant way, but they are still seen in the hands of both militia and bandits, as it is the simplest crossbow to make, maintain and use.

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spanned without significant mechanical aid in the form of a windlass.

CROSSBOW

The standard, or munitions grade, crossbow is larger with a heavier stock and stronger bow, usually made from composite or in some cases steel. The draw weight is usually around 400-500 lbs.

The windlass is a manual winch with cranks on either side of the drum. It has a metal socket that the butt of the stock slots into, attaching it to the weapon when preparing to load. There are two ropes running from the drum to a hook assembly, with two hooks that hook the string on either side of the stock, ensuring an even pull. The ropes run through pulleys on both the winch and hook side, increasing the strength of the action many times. Once the hook assembly is on the string the cranks are turned until the bow is spanned, and the string is securely in the nut. Then the ropes are slacked, the assembly is unhooked from the string and the winch is removed from the stock. This has to be repeated for every shot. Although the windlass is capable of drawing 1500 lbs. or more, the draw weight of the windlass crossbow is usually limited by the confidence of the maker in his steel. If the bow snaps under tension, the customer will either be dead or very badly hurt and angry. Neither is good for business.

You need either a doubler belt or a goat’s foot lever to effectively span the bow, although some particularly strong individuals may feasibly be able to span it manually at the risk of spraining a major muscle or damaging their backs. A doubler belt is similar to the spanning belt but the hooking mechanism has two pulleys on it, and two ropes run through the pulleys and are long enough to attach to a pin on the butt of the stock. The operation is the same as with the spanning belt, but the rope and pulley system increases the strength of the user with more than 50%. A goat’s foot is an articulated lever where one end hooks over the string and the other end braces against two studs on either side of the stock. A handle is pulled back, using mechanical leverage to pull the string back and span the bow. The goat’s foot is more mechanically advanced and is a rarer system than the doubler belt.

Although it is not a practical weapon for engaging at short ranges, adventurers and others often like to have one at hand to deliver a devastating attack at range before melee is engaged, or to protect against flying monsters.

The crossbow is mostly used for combat or military purposes, and has the advantage over the bow that it is easy to effectively train soldiers to use it, it can be loaded and kept ready to fire over long periods of time, and the wooden bolts can be stored indefinitely while feathered arrows degrade. Its main drawback is the lower rate of fire. WINDLASS CROSSBOW

The windlass crossbow is the most powerful personal ranged weapon in existence. It has a heavy stock and a steel bow, attached to the front of the stock with steel brackets instead of rope. The draw weight of the steel bow is up to around 1000 lbs. and it cannot be

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SHIELDS Shields are probably the most inexpensive and effective way to add survivability in battle and are in many ways essential when fighting with weapons like axes, maces, spears or warhammers. The shield and spear, as an example, is one of the most ubiquitous combinations on the battlefield throughout history. And is still very common for guards, militia, raiders and adventurers. Shields come in a variety of forms and sizes, as described below, and they are in many ways a consumable item. They will break or become badly damaged through use, it is their purpose to take a bad beating, and a shield constructed to survive this treatment would be too heavy and cumbersome to use. In some orcish duels, the combatants are allowed to use up to three shields because they are expected to break in these brutal martial contests.

The round shield is probably the most common shield form, effective and simple to make. It is perfectly round as the name implies, with a metal boss in the center, even if the shield is strapped. The simplest round shields are flat, but more elaborate ones are curved horizontally to follow the body of the user. The Aslene shield is similar to a round shield but with a downward facing point. This offers better protection for the legs both on foot and horseback. These are usually curved to follow the body. As the name suggests, they are often used by Aslene riders, but other kin and cultures use them as well.

SMALL SHIELD

Shields comes in different shapes and sizes, adapted to the size and fighting style of the user and the function of the shield. The small shield is a shield for personal defense and are under 24 inches in width or diameter. Small shields are now almost always fastened to the arm by straps, but earlier style shields with a hand grip and metal boss may still be found. Straps are configured differently depending on the type of shield and its use, it’s fairly normal to readjust straps to personal preference. A shield may also be double strapped, meaning it can be carried in two different ways, for example for horseback and on foot.

The leaf shield resembles a leaf or teardrop, and it is sculpted to follow the arm and body. It does not have a boss. This is a traditional elven shield. The dwarven shield is a round shield, but they are convex, and the front is completely skinned in thin metal sheets and embossed with intricate patterns or depictions of historical scenes. The Alder shield is flat-topped with two curving sides meeting at a point at the bottom, like a clothes iron or the point of a sword. It doesn’t have a boss, and the front is usually clad in hide or fabric and painted.

Shields are made from planks of wood, usually covered in fabric or hide, and sometimes edged with a hide or metal rim. They are often painted in geometrical shapes in vibrant colors.

13 ARMS & ARMOR COMPENDIUM

The rust shield is made to look like an outline of the symbol of the god Rust. The wood is left bare and untreated to honor Rust’s wife Heme, and the symbol of Rust is formed by rusted nails hammered into the wood. Rusty chains or pieces of mail may also adorn the shield as homage to the god. These shields are often worn by Rust Brothers and The Iron Guard.

armor, but it never saw widespread use before the Blood Mist descended on Ravenland. Mail still remain in use during and after the Blood Mist since it is easier to produce than plate armor. The coat of plates has also developed into brigandine armor, with smaller, overlapping plates, giving better flexibility and coverage of the torso.

LARGE SHIELD

Large shields come in basically all the forms mentioned above, only larger and often sturdier. The main point of a large shield is that in ranked combat, the shields of a rank will overlap forming a shield wall, and to offer better protection against missiles. It is somewhat cumbersome to transport and use in single combat, with many adventurers preferring to use a small shield or buckler out of convenience, even though the large shield offers better protection.

LEATHER ARMOR

This is a supple leather armor, or jack, that covers the torso, upper arms and thighs of the wearer. It has several layers of leather over critical areas, and it has padding stitched to the inside. It is also supplemented with boiled leather bracers and greaves (shin-guards), or other details covering critical areas.

ARMOR & HELMETS

If well maintained, it offers flexibility, low noise and water-resistance, making it a favorite among outdoorsmen. The leather jack is more prevalent in hunting communities or communities that has a surplus of leather from livestock.

As with weapons, the availability and development of armor has been impacted by the presence of the Blood Mist. For many communities, iron or steel has been scarce so the reasonably effective alternative of padded or leather armor are more common than mail, plate or brigandine.

REINFORCED LEATHER ARMOR

This leather armor has been reinforced, most often with mail pieces sown to the leather (voiders) but metal plates and splints and boiled leather is also used as reinforcement. It is often combined with metal guards for the lower arm (vambraces), and greaves.

Mail armor was a common armor for knights and elite soldiers from the first Alder wars and through to the third Alder war, when the arrival of more penetrating weapons led to the development of armor plates. The earliest form of plate armor was the coat of plates, made from overlapping metal plates, riveted to the inside of a vest of supple leather or heavy fabric, covering the breast and abdomen, the lower back and sides and upper shoulder. This was worn over a full suit of mail armor.

The leather armor is usually found on soldiers in communities where both wool, plant fiber and metal are hard to find, but leather is more abundant.

By the end of the fourth Alder war, the mail armor and coat of plates had developed further into plate

14 ARMS & ARMOR COMPENDIUM

The hauberk is heavy yet offers a great deal of flexibility and mobility. It is very protective, particularly because it covers the body and limbs well with no gaps between armor parts.

GAMBESON

Gambeson is a padded armor made from several layers of thick fabric and heavy padding, fitted tightly to the body. It covers the torso, arms and thighs. It is often beige in color but can be dyed or bleached as desired and can also be embroidered. It is deceivingly effective in combat, against most forms of damage.

Its manufacture is straightforward, but it is labor and material intensive. Although it is a bit expensive, it is available to those who can afford it.

It is fairly flexible, comfortable and doesn’t make much noise. The outer layer is usually made of wool where available to give it some water resistance, but it will get heavy if water is allowed to soak through the armor. It is also very hot, which can be an advantage in colder climates and seasons but may become uncomfortable in heat. It is a common soldier’s armor where plant fibers or wool is readily available.

HEAVY BRIGANDINE

Heavy brigandine has an arming doublet with full chain sleeves and skirt and is reinforced with plate vambraces, spaulders, greaves, poleyn and sometimes gauntlets (hands) and sabatons (feet). Its weight is comparable to mail, but it gives better protection. Although it is still less effective than a proper plate armor, the smaller plates are easier to manufacture, and it is therefore more widespread than plate.

BRIGANDINE

Brigandine consists of small plates riveted to the inside of a vest of supple leather or heavy fabric, worn over a padded arming doublet which reaches down to the upper thigh. Brigandine armor commonly includes spaulders (shoulders) and vambraces made in the same way, and sometimes plate greaves.

PLATE ARMOR

Plate armor consists of larger plates of overlapping steel, worn over a padded arming doublet with mail voiders covering the areas where the plates overlap. The torso is protected by a breast plate of steel, usually made three overlapping front sections (cuirass, plackart and faulds), and a back plate. The plate armor also includes gauntlets, vambraces, rerebracers (upper arm), couters (elbow guards), greaves, poleyn, cuisses (thighs), sabatons, and spaulders.

The brigandine offers good protection to parts of the body, while sacrificing just a little mobility and stealth. It takes a few minutes to get in and out of with training, and because it is laced in the front it is easy to do this on your own. It is considered a modern soldier’s armor and is very popular for those that can afford it.

The manufacture of light weight hardened steel plates of uniform strength is something few armorers master. Unlike mail or the smaller brigandine plates, these are not easy to mass produce. Plate armor is usually only available in larger towns with specialized smithies and access to good quality steel.

MAIL ARMOR

Mail consists of a sleeved hauberk (long shirt) of mail, reaching to the mid-thigh. The lower legs are protected by mail chausses. The chausses are hoses that reach up high enough to allow the hauberk to overlap. It is often reinforced with plate vambraces, spaulders, greaves and poleyn (knee guards). It is worn with a padded arming doublet underneath, and with a tabard or surcoat over it.

The armor is heavy, and even though that weight is well distributed on the body, it is fatiguing to wear over long periods of time, particularly when hiking or riding long distances. The wearer also requires assistance and quite some time to suit up. It is not a very practical armor for adventuring.

15 ARMS & ARMOR COMPENDIUM

The low availability and high price of plate means that it is mostly worn by military commanders and other leaders, as well as some adventurers of considerable wealth.

of a dome-shape rather than a cone, and they do not cover as much as a bascinet. It is often made from two halves of metal riveted together with a central metal strip running front to back. Kettle hats are open helmets, but with a flared brim encircling the head, riveted to the brim. This allows the wearer to protect against strikes to the neck and the sides by tilting the head in the direction of the incoming blow and offers protection from missiles launched from castle walls, or blows made from horse back. The kettle hat is particularly liked by Alderlander soldiers.

PADDED CAP

The padded cap or coif is made from several layers of fabric and padding, and sometimes with an exterior layer of leather. It can be worn under normal hoods or headwear like bonnets. OPEN HELMET

This is your basic open helmet and it comes in a variety of different cultural styles. Helmets are usually slightly cone shaped and sits on the upper part of the skull above the ears. They do not normally offer a lot of protection of the neck and sides of the head. Open helmets do not impede breathing, vision or hearing in any significant way. They are padded or lined with leather on the inside.

MAIL COIF

The mail coif is a hood of mail. It fits snuggly over the skull and covers the chin leaving only an opening for the mouth, nose and eyes. It also covers the neck, parts of the shoulder and upper part of the chest. There is often lacing in the back and under the chin and that tightens the fit of the coif, that can be released for comfort while eating etc.

They are usually constructed of two or four separate pieces of metal that are riveted together with a cross or band, running over the helmet, and a circlet around the brim. Variants of the open helmet include:

It is always worn over padding and a small steel skull cap between the padding and the coif. Wolfkin wanting good protection often use coifs since it is easier to adapt the coif and skull cap to their flat skull shape, snout and ears.

Nasal helmets, that includes a rigid nose protection extending down from the brow. This is an older style of helmet often found on the undead, but it’s relative ease of construction means that it is widespread in communities without a specialist armorer.

CLOSED HELMET

Closed helmets cover more of the head, and usually parts of the face and neck, in comparison to open helmets. Different cultures and kin often have their different takes and flavors of closed helmets.

Eye-ring helmets that have two loops coming down from the brow protecting the eyes and nose. These are usually found among dwarves and orcs. The dwarves consider it an older fashion of helmet but are still using them for tradition’s sake.

Bascinets are formed from a single steel plate, which takes considerable skill on the part of the armorer. The top of the helmet is conical to deflect blows better, and the helmet sits low over the brow, covers the temple, upper jaw and ears and the neck.

Turtle shell helmets are often referred to as a poor man’s bascinet. They extend lower over the ears and neck than a normal open helmet but are usually more

16 ARMS & ARMOR COMPENDIUM

The bascinet is fitted with an aventail, a padded mail piece that attaches to the helmet and covers the chin, neck and shoulders. Bascinets are particularly popular among human kin.

The bucket helm is an all encasing helmet made from several riveted metal plates, with a bucket-like shape. The top is domed or slightly conical to deflect blows, and it has reinforced vision slits and punched holes to facilitate breathing and looking down. It has an adjustable suspended lining and is usually fitted with an aventail or worn with a mail collar, to protect the gap between the torso and helm.

The Bergand helmet is an older style of closed helmet, with its design dating from the earlier Alder wars, but still see some use today among different kin, and it is often found in gravemounds and tombs. It is in its design an open helmet, with a reinforced brow, and a jointed cheek guard on either side of the face that can be laced together under the chin.

The orcish great helm is merely a standard orcish helmet worn with a bevor* to protect the chin and throat. The bevor is fastened with a strap around the neck, and rests on the upper part of the chest. It comes up to above the mouth, so that the helmet and bevor overlap when worn together.

Orcish helmets are domed shaped and comes all the way down to the mouth in the front and sweeps back to a wedge-shaped extension that covers the nape of the neck. They are formed by two halves riveted together with a metal band running from the front to the back. They are crudely padded and usually secured with a chinstrap, as they are often heavy and poorly fitted. They only have two slits for the eyes, and no protection of the chin.

The Iron Guard helmet is a development of the Bergand helmet which adds a full facemask and replaces the back brim with a heavy aventail of mail. The facemask* is a separate piece of armor that is strapped on before putting on the helm and fastening the cheek guards. It is used by the Iron Guard and some more prominent Rust Brothers. (RP p. 186 “IRON GUARD”).

Elven helmets have a guard that covers the left side of the face down to the jawline, leaving the right side of the face open to able to draw a bowstring unhindered. It has a leather or cloth flap that covers the righthand side of the face. Elven helmets are fairly rare and seldom seen on other than elves and elvenspring.

The dwarven war helm is a domed helmet that resembles a bascinet and is equipped with a hinged halfvisor. This visor is usually shaped and embossed to resemble the stylized face of an ancestor or dwarven hero. An aventail of mail also covers the throat and neck. It has integrated padding, and the visor may be removed by pulling fastening pins on the hinges*.

GREAT HELMS

Great helms are enclosing helmets that offer the maximum head protection to the wearer. As with open and closed helmets they come in a few different fashions.

*If the visor, facemask or bevor is missing, the helmet may still be used with an armor rating of 2.

17 ARMS & ARMOR COMPENDIUM

MELEE WEAPONS TABLE

Unarmed Buckler Knife Dagger Short sword Arming Sword Longsword Greatsword Falchion Scimitar Tuck Hand Axe Battle Axe Great Axe Poleaxe Wooden Club Large Wooden Club Mace Warhammer Morning Star Flail Dwarven Warhammer

Maul Dwarven Maul Staff Short Spear Long Spear Pike Bill

GRIP

BONUS

DAM

RANGE

COST

FEATURES

1H 1H 1H 1H 1H 2H 2H 1H 1H 2H 1H 1H 2H 2H 1H 2H 1H 1H 1H 1H 1H 2H 2H 2H 1H 2H 2H 2H

+1 +1 +1 +2 +2 +2 +2 +2 +1 +2 +1 +2 +2 +2 +1 +1 +2 +2 +2 +1 +2 +1 +2 +1 +1 +2 +2 +2

1 1 1 1 1 2 2 3 2 2 1 2 2 3 2 1 2 1 2 2 2 2 3 3 1 1 1 2 2

Arm Arm Arm Arm Arm Arm Arm Arm Arm Arm Arm Arm Arm Arm Near Arm Arm Arm Arm Arm Arm Arm Arm Arm Near Near Near Near Near

4 1 2 6 10 18 40 6 8 18 2 6 18 30 1 2 4 7 9 6 10 16 20 1 3 5 10 24

Blunt

18 ARMS & ARMOR COMPENDIUM

Light, Blunt, Parrying Light, Pointed Light, Edged, Pointed Edged, Pointed, Parrying Edged, Pointed, Parrying Heavy, Edged, Pointed, Parrying Heavy, Edged, Pointed, Parrying Edged, Pointed Edged, Pointed, Parrying Pointed, Piercing, Parrying Edged Heavy, Edged, Shield-breaker Heavy, Edged, Shield-breaker, Impact Heavy, Edged, Pointed, Hook, Piercing Blunt Heavy, Blunt, Impact Blunt Blunt, Piercing Heavy, Blunt, Piercing Blunt, Chained Heavy, Blunt Heavy, Blunt, Impact Heavy, Blunt, Impact Blunt, Parrying Pointed, Piercing, Polearm Pointed, Piercing, Polearm Heavy, Pointed, Piercing, Polearm, Long Heavy, Pointed, Edged, Hook, Polearm

RANGED WEAPONS TABLE

Rock Throwing Knife Throwing Axe Javelin Sling Short Bow Recurve bow Longbow Light Crossbow Crossbow Windlass Crossbow

GRIP

BONUS

DAM

RANGE

COST

FEATURES

1H 1H 1H 1H 1H 2H 2H 2H 2H 2H 2H

+1 +1 +2 +1 +2 +2 +2 +1 +1 +1

1 1 2 1 1 1 1 2 2 2 3

Near Near Near Short Short Short Long Long Short Long Long

1 2 2 1 6 12 16 12 24 40

Light Light

GRIP

BONUS

DAM

RANGE

COST

FEATURES

1H 1H

+2 +2

-

-

6 15

Shove Large, Shove

Light Light Light Load Load, Piercing, Lever Heavy, Load, Piercing, Windlass

SHIELDS TABLE

Small Shield Large Shield

ARMOR AND HELMETS TABLE

Leather Armor Reinforced Leather Armor Gambeson Brigandine Armor Mail Armor Heavy Brigandine Armor Plate Armor Padded Cap Open Helmet Mail Coif Closed Helmet Great Helm

ARMOR RATING

COST

BODY PART

FEATURES

SUPPLY

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 1 2 2 3 4

3 5 8 20 24 40 80 3 8 8 18 30

Body Body Body Body Body Body Body Head Head Head Head Head

Light

Common Uncommon Uncommon Uncommon Uncommon Uncommon Rare Uncommon Uncommon Uncommon Uncommon Rare

19 ARMS & ARMOR COMPENDIUM

Heavy Heavy Heavy, Move -2 Light Light Light Scout -2

FEATURES: ✥ ✥ ✥ ✥ ✥ ✥

✥ ✥

✥ ✥ ✥ ✥ ✥ ✥ ✥ ✥ ✥

✥

Light: This item counts as LIGHT. Heavy: This item counts as HEAVY. If it is a weapon that can SLASH, it can use the action SWING WEAPON. Pointed: The weapon can be used to STAB. Edged: The weapon can be used to SLASH. Blunt: The weapon can be used to SLASH. Piercing: The weapon is particularly effective at defeating armor. The defender reduces their ARMOR VALUE by the WEAPON BONUS of the weapon for their ARMOR ROLL, down to a minimum of one die. Note this is not a permanent loss of ARMOR VALUE, it applies only an ARMOR ROLL made against a weapon with the PIERCING feature. Parrying: The weapon does not get a -2 negative modifier when parrying (PH p. 92) Shield-breaker: If your opponent parries you with a shield or buckler; you may choose to deal damage to the shield instead of your opponent. The roll, and the PARRY, is resolved as normal, any damage done is done to the shield or buckler. If the BONUS of the shield or buckler is reduced to zero, it is broken as normal. Impact: If you make a SLASH attack after a SWING WEAPON action with this weapon, the opponent has -2 to PARRY Hook: If you are not holding a shield, you may use the WEAPON BONUS of a weapon with HOOK when using the action SHOVE. Shove: You may use a shield to SHOVE an opponent using the EQUIPMENT BONUS of the shield. Chained: Opponents attempting to PARRY a CHAINED weapon has a -1 modifier on his roll. Polearm: You ignore the -1 modifier to attacking a mounted opponent. You may use the weapon modifier when attempting to SHOVE a mounted opponent. Long: This weapon cannot be used at ARM’S LENGTH. Load: The weapon cannot be READIED, instead it must be LOADED as a SLOW ACTION. It may be carried loaded indefinitely. Lever: The draw weight on this weapon means that you need a goat’s foot lever or a pulley belt to LOAD it effectively. If you try to LOAD it without mechanical assistance you need to make a MIGHT roll and achieve 3 X. Windlass: The draw weight on this bow means that it is basically impossible to LOAD without using a windlass (a manual winch). The windlass must be removed and reset between each shot. SETTING the windlass is a FAST ACTION. After SETTING the windlass, you may load it as usual with a LOAD action or leave it on to be loaded later. Large: This shield offers an additional +1 modifier when PARRYING ranged attacks.

To be frank, these new features would probably need a lot more playtesting before being balanced, especially in terms of balancing the weapons against all the talents in the Player’s Handbook. These features may open some combinations with talents that would be over-powered or render others obsolete. It might be that some of them should be conditional on the talents of the wielder, or expenditure of WILLPOWER, as an example. I will test this in my own campaigns and possibly update this document after evaluation, but for now I will leave it to you to balance this as necessary for your own campaigns. Make sure to be upfront with your players that features may be house-ruled and rebalanced during the campaign.

20 ARMS & ARMOR COMPENDIUM

CRAFTING TABLES

TALENT

TOOLS

TIME

MATS

SUPPLY

Smith Smith Smith Smith Smith Smith Smith Smith Smith Smith Smith Smith Smith Smith Smith Smith Smith Smith Smith* Smith Smith* Smith Smith Smith Smith

Forge Forge Forge Forge Forge Forge Forge Forge Forge Forge Forge Forge Forge Forge Woodworking Woodworking Forge Forge Forge Forge Forge Forge Forge Woodworking Forge Forge Forge Forge

1 Day ¼ Day 1 Day 2 Days 1 Week 1 Week 2 Weeks 1 Week 1 Week 1 Week ¼ Day 2 Days 1 Week 1 Week ¼ Day ¼ Day 1 Day 2 Days 2 Days 4 Days 2 Days 4 Days 1 Week ¼ Day ¼ Day 1 Day 2 Days 4 Days

2I ½I, ½W ½I, ½L 1I, ½L 2I, ½L 3I, ½L 4I, 1L 1½I, ½L 1½I, ½L 2I, ½L ½I, 1W 1I, 1W 2I, 2W 1½I, 2W 1W 2W 1I, 1W 1I, 1W 1I, 1W 2I, 1W 1W* ½I, 3W 2W* 2W ½I, 1W ½I, 2W ½I, 3W 1I, 2W

Uncommon Common Common Common Uncommon Uncommon Rare Uncommon Uncommon Rare Common Uncommon Uncommon Rare Common Common Common Uncommon Uncommon Uncommon Rare Uncommon Rare Common Common Common Uncommon Uncommon

Smith Smith Smith Bowyer Bowyer Bowyer

Forge Forge Forge Woodworking Forge Woodworking Forge Forge Forge

¼ Day ¼ Day ¼ Day ¼ Day 1 Day 1 Week 2 Days 1 Week 1 Week 2 Weeks

½I ½I, ½W ½I, 1W ½L 1W 1W, ½L 2W

Common Common Common Common Common Uncommon Uncommon Uncommon Uncommon Rare

MELEE WEAPONS

Buckler Knife Dagger Short sword Arming Sword Longsword Greatsword Falchion Scimitar Tuck Hand Axe Battle Axe Great Axe Poleaxe Wooden Club Large Wooden Club Mace Warhammer Morning Star Flail Dwarven Warhammer Maul Dwarven Maul Staff Short Spear Long Spear Pike Bill RANGED WEAPONS

Throwing Knife Throwing Axe Javelin Sling Short Bow Recurve bow Longbow Light Crossbow Crossbow Windlass Crossbow

Bow/Smith Bow/Smith Bow/Smith

21 ARMS & ARMOR COMPENDIUM

½I, 1W, ½L 1I, 1W, ½L 1I, 2W, 1L

SHIELDS

Small Shield Large Shield Tower Shield

TALENT

TOOLS

TIME

MATS

SUPPLY

Tann/Smith

1 Day 2 Days 1 Day

1/2I, 1W, 1L

-

Forge Forge Forge

4W

Common Uncommon Uncommon

Tanner Tanner Tailor Smith Smith Smith Smith Tailor Smith Smith Smith Smith

Tailoring Tailoring Tailoring Forge Forge Forge Forge Tailoring Forge Forge Forge Forge

2 day 4 days 3 days 1 week 2 weeks 3 weeks 4 weeks 1 day 2 days 4 days 3 days 3 days

2L 2L, ½ I 3C 2I, 1C 3I, 1 C 4I, 1C 5I, 1C 1C 1I, ½C 1I, ½C 2I, ½C 3I, ½C

Common Uncommon Uncommon Uncommon Uncommon Uncommon Rare Uncommon Uncommon Uncommon Uncommon Rare

Tann/Smith

1/2I, 2W, 1L

ARMOR

Leather Armor Reinforced Leather Armor Gambeson Brigandine Armor Mail Armor Heavy Brigandine Armor Plate Armor Padded Cap Open Helmet Mail Coif Closed Helmet Great Helm

TALENTS: Some items do not have an indicated talent, meaning that anyone with the crafting skill can make them, but they cannot be made with better stats. Some items can be created using one of two different talents, you need one or the other, not both. TOOLS: A forge has both basic tailoring and woodworking supplies, in addition to blacksmithing supplies available, and all items can be crafted at a forge. Those items that list tailoring or woodworking as tools may be crafted without a forge, given that you have some basic tools available (knife and saw for woodworking, knife, needle and thread for tailoring for example). The GM decides if you have sufficient tools available for the job. MATERIALS: I= units of Iron, C= units of cloth, L= units of leather, W= units of wood. * Dwarven hammerheads are created using the ritual STONESMITH. This is necessary to make a stone head that is solid and light enough to work on a weapon. A successful STONESMITH ritual with power level 1 is required to shape the hammerhead. The quarter day required for the ritual is not included in the crafting time.

22 ARMS & ARMOR COMPENDIUM

APPENDIX

TALENTS

ARMING DOUBLETS

This section clarifies some of the talents in the Player’s Handbook p. 62-82, in how they relate to the new and altered weapons and features in this compendium.

Brigandine, mail, heavy brigandine and plate armor are all described in this compendium as being used with an arming doublet. The arming doublet, or padded jack, is a light form of padded armor or gambeson, that is worn underneath heavier armor, both for comfort and added protection particularly against blunt force.

AXE FIGHTER works with hand axe, battle axe, great axe and poleaxe. HAMMER FIGHTER works with buckler, as well as the other blunt weapons.

Sometimes the arming doublet is also used to anchor or attach other armor pieces to it, and in the case of heavy brigandine and plate armor it has mail voiders sown to it in critical areas. This reduces the weight compared to wearing a full mail armor underneath the brigandine or plate yet covers all the weaknesses with mail.

HORSEBACK FIGHTER rank 1 also works with recurve bows. KNIFE FIGHTER works on knives and daggers. Note that it does not work with a Belifar dagger, or any other short sword. They all count as swords.

There would be many occasions when an armor wearer would remove the overlaying armor and just wear the doublet, like in camp, while travelling, onboard boats or for crossing rivers. It is the GM’s call to penalize players for wearing full armor in situations like this, but at the GM’s discretion, players may be allowed to remove their main armor but still count the arming doublet as having ARMOR VALUE 2 and losing their HEAVY or MOVE – 2 penalties.

SHIELD FIGHTER applies to small shield and large shield, not buckler or tower shield. SPEAR FIGHTER applies to all weapons with the POLEARM feature. SWORD FIGHTER applies to the falchion, scimitar, as well as short sword, arming sword, longsword and greatsword. The tuck is also covered by sword fighter but Rank 2 of the talent does not work with the tuck, as it does not have an edge or a slash attack.

MAINTENANCE

Routine maintenance of both weapons and armor are important to keep them honed, oiled, rust free and effective. One could easily decide that this kind busy work, is done at the same time as making camp or resting, as an example.

THROWING ARM also applies to thrown short spears, as well as all thrown weapons and the sling, in the ranged weapon table.

But if you would like to give this activity a bit more realism, I would suggest adding a new quarter day activity “Maintenance”, that every player character must perform once per week, or they take one point of equipment damage as decided by the GM.

23 ARMS & ARMOR COMPENDIUM

If the player character is wearing plate armor, or other maintenance heavy gear (windlass), this activity must be performed twice a week.

This “shield” counts as COVER with ARMOR RATING 6 for the person carrying it, from enemy missiles coming from its front. It takes a FAST action to set the shield on the ground, after which one person may continue to use it as cover, and a FAST action to pick it up and keep moving again. It may not be used for parrying or attacking.

For player characters that have no armor and very simple weapons and equipment (clothes and a staff or club) the GM could decide that this activity needs only be performed every two weeks. These are suggestions to add a simple maintenance system, that is simple to bookkeep, at least if you are using a calendar to track the campaign, but you are of course free to ignore this or make up your own rules.

It is a HEAVY item and need both hands to carry. It costs 3 silver. It is included in the Crafting Tables under Shields for crafting information and supply.

TOOLS AS WEAPONS

THE UNDEAD

Knives and hand axes are tools that may be used as weapons, but I have not included rules for any other tools used in combat in this compendium.

One of fantasy’s greatest mysteries is the surprising efficiency of armor and weapons wielded by undead warriors supposedly long dead and decomposed into skeletons. Maybe the same sorcerous forces that animate the living dead are also preserving their equipment, or maybe even the undead wax, oil and hone their weapons?

Pickaxes, sledgehammers, tree-felling axes, hayforks, peasant’s flails, and more, may feasibly be used in a pinch, but consider that they are poor weapons. They are usually heavy and not balanced for fighting, and usually made from poorer quality scrap iron and other metals.

In reality most armor would be completely useless, mail would be rusted solid, and any leather or cloth would be rotted and brittle. A plate armor would fall apart due to all the straps collapsing. Axes and swords without edges are pretty much just maces, and wooden handles would be rotted to the point that they snap with any significant impact. This would depend on the age of the encountered undead of course.

Using the rules for wooden club or large wooden club would probably be ok to represent most types of tools, maybe short spear or staff as well. I leave it to you as the GM to decide the rules if tools are used as improvised weapons. TOWER SHIELD

It is up to each GM to choose to suspend disbelief and include sharp weapons and functioning armor in the inventory of skeletal opponents, or to reduce the efficiency of 300-year old armor and weapons to some extent.

The tower shield is not really a shield, but a useful and widespread item particularly during attacks on defensive positions. This is a 6-foot-tall and 3-foot-wide rectangular piece of wood, with a grip for carrying, a viewport and legs so it remains standing when put down. Often used to march archers and crossbowmen towards enemy defensive positions. It’s not a usual tool for adventurers and the like.

24 ARMS & ARMOR COMPENDIUM

Afterword: This document started out as an attempt to touch up some of the weapons and armor in the Forbidden Lands to remove some of the common fantasy tropes and misunderstandings about medieval weaponry. I’ve personally always felt that good fantasy is rooted in reality, to allow it to be relatable and immersive. To me worlds come alive when maps and geography, political borders, cultures and technology feel believable. Along the way I started accepting that some fantastical things are more appropriate to a fantasy setting than historical accuracy, so this is not an historically correct list. I’ve tried to keep the weapons and armor close to the technological scope of the 14th – 15th centuries in medieval Europe, but as they could have manifested themselves in the Forbidden Lands. The greatest changes are made with the weapons, with a rebalancing towards historical accuracy, and the introduction of new features I hope will give more interesting decisions to make for the player. One of the difficulties in this lies in the narrow scope of stats available in the Forbidden Lands rules. +1 or +2 modifier, and 1-3 damage allows for limited variability, but I hope I’ve managed to make the weapons feel a little bit different from one another. I do not claim to be speaking with much authority either in relation to the mechanics of the Year Zero system or with regards to historical medieval Europe. So please take everything in this document with a grain of salt. Use it, change it and make it your own, as I probably will with mounting experience with the system. Thanks to the users of r/ForbiddenLands for their advice and feedback.

This product was created under license. Forbidden Lands and its logo, are trademarks of Fria Ligan AB. This work contains material that is copyright Fria Ligan AB and/or other authors. Such material is used with permission under the Community Content Agreement for Free League Workshop. All other original material in this work is copyright 2020 by GEIR OVE THORSVEEN and published under the Community Content Agreement for Free League Workshop

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