Some simple questions and a fire arms question

#1

Some simple questions that I’m sure I’m just overthinking.

  1. (Page 36) If I spend the 6 points for the backpack which allows my character to carry 2 additional items does the backpack count as one of those 2 items?
  2. (Page 37) If I buy the cloak that adds +3 to stealth do I need to have the skill to get the bonus, and what happens if I already have 10 skills (and stealth isn’t one of them)?
  3. (Page 37) for the Musket reload if I fire on phase 1 and roll a 4 does the reload finish in Phase 4 or phase 5? If it finishes before we are back to phase 1 does that mean I can fire again the next turn? Is reloading a specific action I need to take. In other word if I fire in round 1, phase 1. Do I need to wait till round 2 phase 1 to start reloading? Then when I roll say a 6 to see how many phases to reload when round 3 phase 1 comes around is my reload action still taking place? Could I take another non firing action that round and still finish the reload?
#2

Haven’t had to tackle the 1st or 3rd questions yet.
I did however have a player that wanted a cloak thinking they would get the sneak skill at 3. I made a call that no, having the cloak doesn’t make you know how to be stealthy. You have to know how to hide already, then it makes hiding easier. That was my logic in the matter and how we handled it.

#3

For 1, I read it as additional so the bag takes up 1 as normally but then you get 2 more slots

#4

That’s how I’m thinking about it now as well. Which I also think works well since if the backpack gets destroyed it would no longer be able to hold the two items that were in it but that wouldn’t matter much mechanically since they would still fit into the normal 10 slots the characters have. Then when the backpack is repaired things go back to how they were.

This has also had me wondering about making gear that takes 2 slots as a “flaw” to reduce the cost of the item. Let my players make a giant Cloud Strife sword that can also work as a shield but it takes 2 slots of inventory. Might be a fun to degrade the capabilities of the item based on which slot gets hit with attrition.

#5

I love that degraded idea, a double-bladed sword that turns into a single blade, or a polearm turning into a staff or dagger on a stick