Hey y’all! I wanted a little bit more juice from the starting gear choices for Alfheim in ME, so I made up some variant sword rules, made how many hand weapons used a little more explicit, and just fleshed out the choices a bit. Please let me know if you think I missed something that should be there, or if you want to tell me how wrong I am for messing with perfection, you can do that, too!
Long blade - +1 DEF
Stout Blade - damage explodes
sharp blade - on minimum damage, enemy bleeds 1 hp for TIMER rounds
heavy blade - for one attack per location, make attack EASY
Dagger - ULTIMATE if grappling
bar mace - hit HARD to sunder opponent’s weapon
star or flanged mace - hit HARD to make next attack on opponent EASY.
club - hits doing 8+ damage also stun enemy for 1 round
Warhammer - hits doing 5+ damage make opponent EASY to hit on next attack
Battle Axe - one attack per location, do X2 WEAPON
flail - on minimum damage, roll and add another WEAPON die; ignore and reroll MAX damage
Spear - throw NEAR; closing enemies suffer an attack
Quarterstaff - trip bipedal opponents on a HARD hit.
Maul - 2 handed; hits doing 5+ make opponent EASY to hit for encounter; 10+ stuns for 1 round
Great Axe - 2 handed; once per location, do X2 WEAPON; damage timbers or structures.
Great Sword - 2 handed; 3 inventory, ULTIMATE damage
Heavy Flail - 2 handed; attack around corners and over barriers
Pike - 2 handed; closing enemies suffer attacks at ULTIMATE; attack NEAR; cannot attack CLOSE
Pole Arm - 2 handed; attack NEAR; trip bipedal enemies on HARD
Sling - if outside, attack over barriers on HARD; no inventory
javelin - after a hit, enemy is EASY to hit until they pull out the javelin, causing BASIC damage.
Belt of Throwing Knives - 8 little blades, one sheath primed for poison.
Throwing Axe - hit for 8+ damage to immobilize the target for 1 round.
bow and quiver - 2 handed; spend a round aiming for MAX damage.
Crossbow - Crits on 19-20; FAR attacks always HARD
Pistol - Initiative is EASY. Roll against opponent, if won, do ULTIMATE; hit FAR on NAT 20.
Arquebus - FAR range, double GUN damage. Attacks always HARD; damage explodes
Blunderbuss - always hits CLOSE. At NEAR, provokes DEX save to avoid hit in cone; can’t shoot far
Exotic Weaponry - Not all the bases are covered here. Work with your GM for something specific.
Helm - sacrifice to ignore one critical hit
Great Helm - +1 DEF; WIS rolls to hear or see become HARD.
traveler’s garb - +1 Def, 2 bonus inventory
finery - fancy clothes and jewelry for fancy occasions. CHA rolls for nobles and the rich are EASY; attracts robbers
Motley Garb - stand out in a crowd; being seen is always EASY
Glamoured Cloak - +1 DEF, subtle magics obscures the wearer’s identity until revealed.
Light Armor - +2 DEF; chain shirt, gambeson jack
medium armor - +3 DEF; brigandine, scale, lamellar; climbing without a ladder is HARD; sink in water
heavy armor - +4 DEF; plate with mail for the gaps; all DEX rolls are HARD
Warrior’s shield - wooden round shield. +2 DEF; sacrifice to ignore damage of one attack
Soldier’s Shield - a heavy pavise or scutum; +3 DEF, takes 2 inventory
Adventurer’s pack - once per session activate for a small useful item which will work once, or persist for the rest of the session before being broken or lost.
Feed Bag - ya won’t starve, as long as you have your feed bag.
Map Case - Roll INT to check for a useful map once per location.
Prospector’s Pack - pans, waterproof boots, compass, sacks, sifter, rock hammer, scale.
Miner’s Pack - pick hammer, lantern, tinderbox, flint and steel, compass, breather mask, rope, heavy-duty canvass bag
Polar Pack - fur lined pack built into a seal skin cloak. Fire pot, fur mittens, snow-blind goggles, ski poles, snowshoes, boots, rope
Desert Pack - water skin, loose linen clothes, camel riding crop, aloe balm, compass
Jungle pack - sandals, machete, whistle, canteen, bug repellant, tent, mosquito net, raised bedding
Make-Up Kit - Make one performance or disguise check EASY per session.
Fisherman’s Satchel - mesh creel, 2 fishing poles, filet knife, basket snare, swim fins, clumsy diver’s mask
tinker’s toolbox - make temp repairs to metal items
Smith’s Toolbox - with access to a forge, make items of metal
Carpenter’s Toolbox - build and repair items and structures of wood
Healer’s Case - Heal 1 HP, or remove one negative effect of poison with INT or WIS check.
Climber’s Gear - grapple hooks, long high-quality rope, steel belt clips, 2 pair crampons, pitons, and hammer.
Scrivener’s Kit - parchment, ink stone, ink wells, brushes, quills, wax, and seal. Good for contracts, letters, spells, and forgeries.
Spell Item - a single spell in the form of a scroll, wand, icon, gem, or bauble
Spell Focus - a crystal, rod, staff, or holy symbol; adds +2 to MAGIC effort
Alchemist’s Pouch - make to make 1 vial of acid, 1 fire bomb, or convert 1 spell into a potion
Wonderous Codex - With an INT roll, discern a key fact, or a weakness in any opponent or group you encounter.