Throughout your adventure, you will encounter various enemies. To face them, you will have access to a wide range of weapons and equipment.
- Weapons will help you effectively defeat your opponents.
- Equipment, on the other hand, will offer you various advantages, such as enhanced defense, improved accuracy in combat, or the ability to recover Magic Points (MP).
Your starting weapon and equipment are determined by the Outfit you choose.
Usage Constraints
Weapons and equipment are subject to specific usage constraints:
- Main Hand: The weapon or equipment must be held in the character's main hand. This type of constraint is typical for swords or other weapons or equipment that require precise control and are used as primary tools in combat.
- Off Hand: The weapon or equipment is intended to be used in the non-dominant hand. These items may include shields, daggers, or accessories that provide support or additional defense but are not the primary offensive tools.
- Mixed: The weapon or equipment can be used interchangeably in the main or off hand. This category offers flexibility for equipment that can be used by any hand, such as some light swords or magical objects.
- Two Hands: The weapon or equipment requires the use of both hands to be effectively handled. This often includes items like bows, halberds, or some long swords that require two-handed manipulation for optimal use.
For example, a Short Sword must be held in the Main Hand and a Shield in the Off Hand.
Exceptionally, for simplicity, some two-handed weapons can sometimes be associated with an off-hand equipment.
Although technically not held in hand, a quiver is classified as off-hand equipment when used with a bow.
Weapon Types and Test Characteristics
Weapons are divided into 3 categories, each associated with a specific type of attack:
- Melee: Melee weapons are designed for close combat. They include swords, axes, hammers, etc.
- Ranged: Ranged weapons are used to attack targets at a distance. They include bows, crossbows, rifles, etc.
- Magic: Magical weapons allow users to perform magical attacks. They include magical staves, scepters, wands, etc.
When your character attempts an attack, whether it is melee, ranged, or magical, an attack test is necessary to determine if the attack hits the target. Each weapon uses a specific characteristic for this test, which defines the bonus to be added to the attack.
Short Sword STR+1 DM 1d6+1
Here, STR+1 indicates that when attacking with this weapon, you roll a 20-sided die (D20) and add your character's Strength (STR) bonus plus an additional +1.
Remember to also include your level in the calculation of the total attack score: STR+1 + Level.
The type of the weapon also determines the type of attack during the attack test, which then helps define the type of defense to compare the result of the test against.
Melee or Ranged Weapon:
Using this type of weapon, you perform a Physical Attack (Atk PHY). You must succeed in a physical attack test then compare it to the Physical Defense (Def PHY) of the opponent.Atk PHY Test => Compare to Def PHY
Magic Weapon:
Using this type of weapon, you perform a Magical Attack (Atq MAG). A magical attack test is required which you then compare to the magical defense (Def MAG) of the opponent.Atk MAG Test => Compare to Def MAG
Test Bonus, Damage Calculation, and Special Effects
As we have seen, each weapon benefits from a specific attack test bonus associated with a Test Characteristic, reflecting the quality and precision of the weapon you are using.
Short Sword STR+1 DM 1d6+1
When your attack test succeeds, the damage inflicted by your weapon is determined by a specific damage roll associated with the weapon, indicated by the abbreviation DM (for "Damage" in English).
Short Sword STR+1 DM 1d6+1
Here 1d6+1 means you roll one six-sided die (1d6) and add +1 to the result to calculate the total damage.
In addition to attack test bonuses and damage calculations, some weapons and equipment have Special Effects. These effects may include:
Elemental Damage (Fire, Ice, etc.) additional;
Flaming Sword STR+1 DM 1d6+1 (+1d4 Fire)
Bonuses for tests in certain situations (Ranged/Melee or Magical);
Quiver +1 Ranged Attack
Bonuses for defenses (Def PHY or Def MAG);
Shield +1 Def PHY
Regeneration of MP against an free action (F).
Holy Censer (F) +1 MP Regeneration
The mechanisms for improving the test bonus, damage, or impact of special effects of weapons and equipment are detailed in the Game Master's Guide.
Weapon Sets
You have the ability to equip and master 2 distinct sets of weapons. Each weapon set can be configured in one of the following ways:
- Hybrid Equipment: A set can consist of a one-handed weapon in the main hand (sword, dagger, axe, etc.) accompanied by either a second one-handed weapon or defensive equipment (such as a shield or a grimoire) in the off hand.
- Two-Handed Weapon: The other option allows equipping a large weapon requiring both hands for its handling (such as a great sword, or a halberd).
In the heat of battle, characters have the option to switch weapon sets consuming a movement action (M). We will return to the different types of action in a forthcoming section dedicated to Combat.