Equipment (Midnight)
Starting Equipment
Characters in MIDNIGHT use the normal rules for starting equipment, ignoring variables like an item’s worth in the character’s starting region, but use vp instead of gp (see A Barter Economy for clarification on the economy of occupied Erenland). Characters may begin play with weapons, armor, shields, adventuring gear, tools and skill kits, clothing, or anything granted by their racial descriptions. All other items are either too valuable to waste on an adventuring lifestyle, like beasts of burden that could be used for food or to assist in agriculture, illegal to possess, like warhorses or wagons, or simply do not exist in MIDNIGHT, like smokesticks, sunrods, and other special alchemical substances and items. Characters may also spend starting vp (and should) on enough food to feed themselves for one week.
Players are encouraged to spend as much of their starting vp value as possible on this equipment, and any vp not spent on a specific item is lost. While a starting character could use this opportunity to ignore an item’s regional worth by stockpiling valuable or hard-to-find goods, keep in mind that he may not begin the game in a situation to take advantage of that wealth. A beginning character with a wagon-load of goods and no weapons or adventuring equipment is likely to have it taken from him, or have to abandon it, fairly early in his career, leaving him worse off than a “poor” character that began the game with basic weapons, armor, and survival gear.
The source of a character’s starting equipment is up to the player and the DM; it might be a collection of family heirlooms, the contents of a randomly discovered cache, belongings found on a dead traveler, items granted by a resistance organization for services rendered, or some other windfall or situation that the player and DM agree on.
Restricted Items
Some items are so valued by the cultures from which they stem that they are not available under normal circumstances. Characters may not begin play with restricted items unless access to those items is specifically mentioned in their racial descriptions. Additionally, such items should not be purchasable in normal gameplay, but should rather be rewards for courageous and selfless service to the culture with which the restricted item is affiliated or the goals of dangerous quests.
New Weapons
The most common weapon in MIDNIGHT is probably a simple club, and the most underrated weapon is the will of a beleaguered people to survive. However, the various cultures and races have adapted many unique weapons for their purposes, both nefarious and valiant. The list below is just a sample of the varieties that have been invented in the desperation of the war against the Shadow in the North. Most of these weapons originated with a specific race or culture, and they are rarely used by other peoples.
New Weapons | Simple Weapons | Cost | Dmg (S) | Dmg (M) | Crit | Range | Weight | Type |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ranged Weapons | ||||||||
Sling, great |
3 vp |
1d4 |
1d6 |
x2 |
60 ft. |
1 lb. |
Bludgeoning | |
Shard arrows |
12 vp |
1d3 |
1d6 |
16-20/Special |
-- |
1/2 lb. |
Piercing | |
Light Melee Weapons | ||||||||
Farmer's rope |
-- |
1 |
1d2 |
x2 |
-- |
5 lb. |
Bludgeoning | |
Tack whip |
12 vp |
1d3 |
1d4 |
x2 |
-- |
7 lb. |
Slashing | |
Exotic Weapons | Cost | Dmg (S) | Dmg (M) | Crit | Range | Weight | Type | |
Light Melee Weapons | ||||||||
Cedeku |
15 vp |
1d4 |
1d6 |
19-20/x2 |
-- |
3 lb. |
Slashing | |
Fighting knife |
10 vp |
1d4 |
1d6 |
19-20/x3 |
-- |
2 lb. |
Piercing/Slashing | |
Sepi |
8 vp |
1d4 |
1d6 |
18-20/x2 |
-- |
2 lb. |
Slashing | |
One-Handed Melee Weapons | ||||||||
Staghorn |
8 vp |
1d4 |
1d6 |
x2 |
-- |
6 lb. |
Piercing | |
Urutuk hatchet |
30 vp |
1d6 |
1d8 |
x3 |
20 ft. |
4 lb. |
Slashing | |
Vardatch |
6 vp |
1d10 |
1d12 |
x2 |
-- |
12 lb. |
Slashing | |
Vardatch, crafted |
312 vp |
1d8 |
1d10 |
Special |
-- |
10 lb. |
Slashing | |
Two-Handed Melee Weapons | ||||||||
Atharak |
2 vp |
1d4 |
1d6 |
x2 |
-- |
4 lb. |
Bludgeoning | |
Lance, halfling* |
10 vp |
1d8 |
1d6 |
x3 |
-- |
5 lb. |
Piercing | |
Lance, Sarcosan* |
20 vp |
1d6 |
1d8 |
x3 |
20 ft. |
4 lb. |
Piercing | |
Spear, Dornish horse |
8 vp |
1d8 |
1d10 |
x3 |
-- |
12 lb. |
Piercing | |
Vardatch, greater |
10 vp |
2d6 |
2d8 |
x2 |
-- |
16 lb. |
Slashing | |
Ranged Weapons | ||||||||
Inutek |
2 vp |
1d2 |
1d3 |
x2 |
20 ft. |
6 lb. |
Bludgeoning | |
Longbow, icewood |
500 vp |
1d6 |
1d8 |
x3 |
120 ft. |
4 lb. |
Piercing | |
* Reach weapon | ||||||||
- Atharak
- Elflings use their incredible agility to overcome their lack of strength, and this strategy extends to their weapon choices. An atharak is one such weapon; it appears to be nothing more than a length of braided leather and rope with two hollowed out stones tied to the ends, but in the hands of a trained elfling warrior it can become a whirlwind of stinging attacks. The atharak has reach, so you can strike opponents 10 feet away with it. In addition, unlike most other weapons with reach, it can be used against an adjacent foe. Because the atharak can be wrapped around an enemy’s leg or other limb, you can make trip attacks with it. You can use the Weapon Finesse feat to apply your Dexterity modifier instead of your Strength modifier to attack rolls with an atharak sized for you, even though it isn’t a light weapon for you. Finally, an atharak may also be used as a double weapon. You can fight with it as if fighting with two weapons, just as if you were using a onehanded weapon and a light weapon. When the atharak is used this way, it does not have reach. Switching between this method of wielding an atharak and the normal method is the same action as drawing a weapon (which means that it can be done for free by those with the Quick Draw feat). Finally, an atharak is easily disguised as a piece of harness, equipment, or clothing. Search or Spot checks made to notice an atharak or identify it as a weapon among other goods suffer a –4 penalty.
- Cedeku
- This small, hook-bladed sword is commonly used by Sarcosan warriors in their off hands when fighting on foot. Because of the cedeku’s hooked blade, you can make trip attacks with it. Additionally, the cedeku is considered a one-handed weapon for the purposes of opposed disarm rolls, meaning it does not suffer the normal –4 penalty for being a light weapon.
- Farmer’s Ropes
- These long, knotted ropes were originally used by the agrarian halflings of Central Eredane as standardized measuring tools for calculating the size of their fields. Over the years, however, the heavy hemp ropes have been adapted to work as weapons that, while not terribly damaging, do allow relatively unskilled halflings to harass and confuse their foes. Farmer’s ropes give their wielders a +2 circumstance bonus on attack rolls when used to distract an opponent with the aid another combat action. They deal no damage against creatures with armor bonuses of +3 or higher, however, nor can the ropes be used to distract such opponents.
- Fighting Knife, Snow Elf
- These wicked blades drive deeply into opponents’ flesh, doing as much damage on the way out as they did on the way in. The snow elves often wield one in each hand when fighting orcs in the Veradeen.
- Hatchet, Urutuk
- This long-handled axe is balanced for close fighting and throwing. Kurgun dwarves often wield one in each hand. Even though they are one-handed weapons, urutuk hatchets are considered light weapons when determining penalties for fighting with two weapons (but not for the purposes of the Power Attack feat).
- Inutek
- This weapon consists of a rope that is knotted at one end with two other shorter ropes that form a sort of open lasso. Heavy stones, or sometimes metal weights, are tied to the ends of the shorter ropes giving them weight and stability in the air. This weapon was created by the gnome-raised dwarrow of the Eren River Valley. Dwarrow defenders especially love to use these weapons to bring their enemies “down to size.” When an inutek strikes a target, the shorter ropes wrap around him, which has two effects. First, the weights bludgeon the target, dealing damage. Second, the force of the impact and flailing of the ropes knocks the target off balance. The attacker may immediately make a ranged trip attack against the target. You can’t be tripped during your own trip attempt when using an inutek, and the size penalty for being smaller than Medium is reduced by 4.
- Lance, Halfling
- While the halflings have learned to use their steeds’ momentum to make more damaging attacks, their favored weapons are not the gaudy lances of medieval lore. Rather, halfling wogren riders have adapted their culture’s preference for the spear and created a light lance that is simpler but just as effective. Halfling lances are often bound with rawhide and a complex web sheath to the wogren saddle, such that the rider need only pivot the lance upward with one hand to use it effectively. When attached in this manner, the halfling may use the lance one-handed and may either apply his own Strength modifier or one-half of his wogren mount’s Strength modifier to the attack and damage roll. Attaching and detaching the spear from the webbing is a full-round action that may provoke attacks of opportunity. Halfling lances that are attached deal double damage when used from the back of a charging wogren, or triple damage if the wielder has the Spirited Change feat. Halfling lances must be used as two-handed weapons if not attached to the saddle, and may be used on foot as spears (they deal double damage when set to receive a charge).
- Lance, Sarcosan
- The Sarcosan lance deals double damage when used from the back of a charging mount, or triple damage if the wielder has the Spirited Charge feat. It has reach, so you can strike opponents 10 feet away with it, but you can’t use it against adjacent foes. While mounted, you can wield a Sarcosan lance with one hand. Sarcosan lances may be thrown as part of a special charge attack that culminates in a ranged attack with the lance, in which case the normal rules for extra damage when charging with a lance still apply.
- Longbow, Icewood (restricted)
- These powerful weapons are granted to those Erunsil who have proven themselves in battle. They have +2 hardness and +10 hit points, and are considered masterwork for the purpose of crafting times, though the creator must spend twice the normal time if he wishes to grant the normal +1 enhancement bonus to attack rolls as well. All icewood bows are composite longbows, though their strength ratings are variable. This variable strength rating is one of the icewood bow’s exceptional properties. It adapts itself to the Strength of any proficient wielder, gaining a Strength rating equal to the wielder’s Strength modifier. However, thanks to a combination of the bow’s resilience, flexibility, and powerful pull, the bow’s arrows do damage as if the wielder’s Strength modifier was doubled, up to a maximum of a +6 Strength bonus to damage. On the other hand, if attempted to be drawn by anyone with a 16 Strength or greater who is not proficient in the bow’s use, it shatters. This has allowed the weaker snow elves to match their orcish opponents’ strength in combat while preventing their foes from gaining much benefit from, or indeed learning how to use, the weapons. Finally, the mystical properties of the icewood from which the bow is crafted means that it is easily enchanted; doing so costs only one-half of the standard resources of time and XP.
- Sepi
- Jungle elves typically wield one of these wide, curved blades in each hand.
- Shard Arrows
- Crafted from slivers of bone, jagged metal, and obsidian, shard arrows are favorite wildlander weapons. They are essential in slowing pursuing opponents as well as in inhibiting the wildlanders’ biggest fear: spellcasting legates. Shard arrows do only half damage on a successful hit. When a shard arrow scores a critical hit, it deals no additional damage. However, the arrowhead shatters in the wound on a critical hit, as long as the opponent has an armor bonus of +4 or less. This sends the metal shards ripping through the flesh of the target. Though this causes no additional damage, the excruciating pain of having these tiny hooks of metal embedded in muscle tissue can make sudden movements impossible. First, the target must make a Fortitude save (DC 10 + 1 for every shard arrow embedded in his flesh) or suffer a cumulative 5 ft. penalty to its movement rate and suffer 2 cumulative points of temporary Dexterity damage. Second, the target must make a Concentration check when casting spells or using spell-like abilities just as if it were taking continuous damage from the arrow (DC 10 + spell level + 1 for every shard arrow embedded in his flesh), or the spell fails. Finally, if the target is reduced to 0 Dexterity by multiple arrows, it is paralyzed by pain. These effects persist until a successful Heal check (DC 20) is made, one per shard arrow critical hit, or until all damage by each arrow is magically healed. Shard arrows deal no damage and have no special effect on critical hits against opponents with an armor bonus of +5 or higher. The price and weight listed for shard arrows are for an individual arrow; they are both heavier and more difficult to make than normal arrows.
- Sling, Great
- This sling consists of a long leather strap with a large pouch in the middle for seating stones and bullets. The weapon is designed to be swung with two hands, and it delivers its ammunition with significantly more power than a normal sling. It uses standard sling bullets or stones.
- Spear, Dornish Horse
- This heavy lance was a favorite of the Dornish cavalry, who learned to ride and fight from horseback after the Sarcosan invasion during the Second Age. Eschewing the long, lighter lances of the Sarcosans, the Dorns favored a heavy lance that took advantage of their natural size and strength. On foot, the Dornish horse spear is in most respects like a longspear. It has reach, and it deals double damage when set to receive a charge. It is more awkward than normal lances when mounted, however, requiring the wielder to choke up on the haft in order to bring it to bear. As such, while the wielder is mounted, it offers neither reach nor the ability to use it with one hand. Most Dorns prefer their weapons two-handed and up-close-and-personal, however, so this is not usually seen as a big drawback. Like a standard lance, the Dornish horse spear deals double damage when used from the back of a charging mount, or triple damage if the wielder has the Spirited Charge feat.
- Staghorn
- This exotic weapon consists of a set of overlapping stag horns mounted to a leather backing that is bound to the forearm, with the horns jutting outward over the hand. The horns are often coated with steel to make their tips sharper and the rest of the horns more durable in battle. The snow elves use these weapons for both offense and defense; the staghorn has the same shield bonus, armor check penalty, and arcane spell failure chance as a heavy shield, but may also be used as a light weapon. Snow elf warriors commonly wield them as off-hand weapons when they believe they will be unable to make good use of their bows. Because of the staghorn’s shape, you can use it to make trip attacks. You also get a +2 bonus on opposed attack rolls during disarm attempts.
- Vardatch
- This crude, brutal weapon, which translates to “cleaver” in the orcish tongue, is a heavy, broad-bladed sword with a blunt edge and a serrated edge. The vardatch is considered a slashing weapon, though it does not so much slash as tear. They are sturdy, heavy, and cheap to produce. A vardatch is too large to use in one hand without special training; thus it is an exotic weapon. Wielding a vardatch with one hand, even with the appropriate Exotic Weapon Proficiency, requires a Strength of at least 13. A Medium character can use a vardatch two-handed as a martial weapon, and a Large creature can use it one-handed in the same way.
- Vardatch, Crafted
- While vardatches are easy to manufacture for rank and file orcs, and supremely effective in their use, there are those among the orcish ranks who rise to positions of command or who hone their fighting skills beyond mere hacking and cleaving. These orcs or oruks may be commissioned with crafted vardatches. A crafted vardatch is too large to use in one hand without special training; thus it is an exotic weapon. Wielding a crafted vardatch with one hand, even with the appropriate Exotic Weapon Proficiency, requires a Strength of at least 13. A Medium character can use a crafted vardatch two-handed as a martial weapon, and a Large creature can use it one-handed in the same way. Orcs in command positions may use crafted vardatches as if they were martial weapons. Crafted vardatches are better balanced than normal vardatches, and may be used to inflict two different kinds of wounds at the wielder’s whim: a sweeping attack that has a threat range of 19–20/x2, or a heavy attack that has a threat range of 20/x3. All crafted vardatches are masterwork weapons.
- Vardatch, Greater
- Built on the same principle as the vardatch, but even larger, the greater vardatch is favored by oruk battleragers and by those orcs who disdain shields in favor of killing power. It is too large to wield in two hands without special training; thus it is an exotic weapon. Wielding a greater vardatch, even with the appropriate Exotic Weapon Proficiency, requires a Strength of at least 16. A Large creature can use a greater vardatch two-handed as a martial weapon.
Special Items
Weapons and magic are not the only items that can be used against the Shadow. The following items are all considered contraband for the purposes of determining their regional worth.
Special Equipment | Item | Cost | Weight |
---|---|---|---|
Mundane | |||
Charm buckle |
50 vp |
1/4 lb. | |
Drop sheath |
20 vp |
2 lb. | |
Foldable weapon |
As masterwork vp |
1.5x normal | |
Havesting tools |
50 vp |
5 lb. | |
Hollowed equipment |
3x normal |
Varies | |
Poison stone |
100 vp |
1 lb. | |
Refugee leathers |
+200 vp |
Varies | |
Magical | |||
Charm (minor) |
5 vp |
-- | |
Charm (lesser) |
25 vp |
-- | |
Charm (greater) |
100 vp |
-- | |
Charm (true) |
2,500 vp |
-- | |
Elven traveling clothes |
250 vp |
1/2 normal | |
Erethor tea |
80 vp |
1 lb. | |
Hearthstone |
75 vp |
2 lb. | |
Alchemical | |||
Corpse acid |
40 vp/dose |
1 lb. | |
Essence of silver |
50 vp/dose |
1 lb. | |
Gnaw roots |
50 vp/+1 bonus/daily dose |
1/4 lb. | |
Infused oils |
25 vp/+1 bonus/daily dose |
1/4 lb. | |
Salves |
100 vp/spell level |
1/4 lb. | |
Orcbane |
50 vp/dose |
1 lb. | |
Orcish plagueskull |
50 vp |
2 lb. | |
Animals | |||
Wogren |
800 vp |
-- | |
Sarcosan riding horse |
300 vp |
-- | |
Sarcosan warhorse |
600 vp |
-- | |
Mundane Equipment
- Charm Buckles
- These intricately crafted items were originally produced by the dwarves of the Kaladruns, but have since become the domain of the gnome traders plying Eredane’s rivers. Watertight and designed to look like simple belt buckles or cloak clasps, these devices can hold up to four charms at a time. To release the charms, the wearer simply twists the face of the buckle slightly, which releases the charm through a small channel and into his hand. Rapid twists can bypass some charms to release others, allowing the wearer to gain access to any of the charms it contains as a move action. The buckles are very well designed and extremely difficult to detect. To discover that these are anything out of the ordinary requires a successful DC 25 Search check.
- Drop Sheath
- These items were originally constructed by canny Sarcosan courtiers to house blades for self-defense, but the drop sheath has since expanded into wide use by travelers and adventurers of all types and natures. The sheath is worn on the inside of the forearm and can only house light weapons weighing one pound or less (daggers, darts, etc.). By angling the arm down and twisting the wrist, the wearer can release the weapon into her hand as a free action. Drop sheaths are difficult to notice, requiring a DC 30 Spot check or a DC 20 Search check.
- Foldable Weapons
- This special modification allows weapons to be easily taken apart so they can be hidden from the eyes of guards and others in service to the Night Kings. Such weapons are very expensive to make and require expert craftsmanship that is hard to find in Eredane in the Last Age. All such weapons are considered masterwork weapons for purposes of time required to craft, but they do not grant the usual enhancement bonus to attack rolls unless the craftsman spends twice the normal time for crafting the weapon. Nearly any melee weapon within reason can be created as a foldable weapon, though the utility of this engineering decreases for weapons that are already small and easily concealed. The most expertly disguised foldable weapons appear to be other things when taken apart, such as a foldable hammer whose head appears to be nothing more than a large whetstone or statuette when not attached to its handle. Foldable weapons are not nearly as durable as their normal counterparts, suffering a –2 penalty to all saving throws and having only 75% of the normal hit points and hardness for their type. They must also be repaired occasionally (about once per month under normal use), which requires a DC 10 Craft (weaponsmithing) check to perform. If a weapon is not repaired once per month, it has a cumulative 25% chance of breaking each week of normal use. Assembling or disassembling a foldable weapon takes a full round for light weapons, 5 rounds for one-handed weapons, and 1 minute for two-handed weapons. Being caught with a foldable weapon is a much more serious offense than having a normal weapon on one’s person. Any character caught with such an item will be tortured until he either dies or divulges the source of his weapon.
- Harvesting Tools
- These matched sets are crafted by the Danisil and offered for trade from time to time, though only to those herbalists the jungle elves trust. Made from silver-edged steel and finely carved teak, these tools provide a +2 circumstance bonus to any Survival skill checks made to harvest herbalism ingredients. These tools are not magical in any way; they are simply perfectly crafted for their purpose.
- Hollowed Equipment
- Hollowed items are in great demand throughout Eredane for their usefulness in hiding contraband from the prying eyes of Izrador’s servants. All manner of things can be hollowed out to allow for hidden items and substances, and creating a hollowed item requires 150% of the time and effort as creating a normal version. In general, it requires a DC 15 Search check to detect a hollowed section in an item. If the item is of masterwork quality, the DC increases by 5. Casual observation cannot detect a hollow or false bottom unless the item is somehow faulty or poorly crafted. Some possible hollowed items and suggestions on what they might hold are as follows.
- Hollow Anvil
- A master craftsman might create a hollowed anvil to hide masterwork components or recent creations that the local authorities might take a dim view of. Usually this involves creating a new chamber underneath an existing anvil, as hollowing out the anvil itself might render it unusable for the smith.
- Hollow Hilt/Handle
- Hollow hilts are very popular with scouts, messengers, and others who often find themselves carrying important messages behind enemy lines. Hilts are generally not large enough to hold much volume and so are used for small items such as parchment, vials of alchemical items, charms, and herbal concoctions. Spices and other small trade goods can also be kept inside a hollow hilt. In addition to weapon hilts, the handles of tools and other innocuous implements can be hollowed for similar purposes.
- Hollow Jewelry
- Rings, brooches, and other hollow jewelry are sometimes used to transport contraband. Even less can be stored in a piece of hollowed jewelry than in a weapon hilt or tool handle.
- Hollow Clothing
- Boot heels, belt buckles, and even the lining of a tunic or pair of breeches can all be used to effectively hide things from view. Boot heels and belt buckles offer much the same type of space as hollow jewelry and hilts. A special pouch can be made to hide small weapons inside the leggings of tall boots, and the inner linings of pants and shirts may be sewn and reinforced to create pouches and pockets that cannot be seen upon casual inspection. While these may not hold heavy items, they are perfect for large but light items like sheafs of parchment, thieves’ tools, or even emergency rations.
- False Bottoms
- Boxes, coffers, and chests may all be created with false bottoms. This creates a cavity between the bottom of the chest and the floor that may be used to hide illegal or particularly valuable items. The false bottom is even hidden from the outside through the use of clever visual tricks and craftsmanship. Clever users of such items often place less important but still valuable items in the chest to distract would-be thieves, in the hopes that the culprit will make off with the lesser treasure without looking further.
- Poison Stone
- Resistance fighters who use poison, especially the Danisil, need a quick and safe way to poison their arrows or blades. The poison stone works quite well for this purpose, but remains rare due to the difficulty of finding the proper stones to craft the item. Created from porous, volcanic rocks found in the Arunath Mountains, the poison stone must be wrapped in a rag soaked in poison for six hours per dose of poison (up to 10 doses) it is meant to contain. The stones are then wrapped in a special leather sheath that holds them tightly together. Whereas the stones are safe and easy to use on the battlefield, those creating them run the normal risks of accidentally poisoning themselves. The stones may retain their poisons’ freshness for up to three days before needing to be soaked again. They only release the poison when force and friction are applied; for instance, by sliding a blade or arrowhead between them while they are wrapped tightly in their sheath. When applied in this manner, the user has no chance of poisoning himself and may apply poison to a single blade or arrowhead as a standard action that provokes attacks of opportunity.
- Refugee Leathers (restricted)
- Crafted through a combination of halfling know-how and elven resources, refugee leathers are particularly sturdy but still lightweight suits of leather armor. In addition to being masterwork, they provide an additional +1 to AC.
Magical Equipment
- Charms
- See Charm (Midnight).
- Elven Traveling Clothes (restricted)
- The halfling weavers may be masters of mundane cloth, but it is the elvenkind that have mastered the art of enchanting clothes to fend off the elements and hide the wearer from enemy sight. The elves learned long ago that hiding from the eyes of orcs was useless if their garb acted as beacons for the dark gods’ astiraxes, however. Therefore, the elves learned to imbue their woven cloth with innate rather than channeled magic, so that their warriors could evade both mundane and mystical senses. Elven traveling clothes come in as many shapes and forms as other garb. The most common are cloaks that act as cloaks of elvenkind, boots that act like boots of elvenkind, and tunics that grant their wearers the benefits of endure elements spells while they are worn. Other types of elven clothing may exist, each type granting up to a +5 competence bonus to a single specific skill check. All elven traveling clothes have the same value and are created solely through innate magic, so they cannot be detected by astiraxes. Elven traveling clothes may be crafted as if they were greater charms.
- Erethor Tea (restricted)
- Fael, or Erethor tea as it known among the Northmen, is a valuable elixir used by the elves in place of bulky and heavy trail rations. The tea is created magically from various herbs and roots native to Erethor. The tea consists of dark flaky grounds that when mixed with water provides sustenance equivalent to actual rations. The resulting broth is thick and slightly sweet. Two small cups per day serve to keep the drinker energized and healthy. The tea can be used as a sole source of nourishment for up to an arc at a time. After that its efficacy quickly fades and the drinker must spend at least half an arc eating actual food before resuming use of the tea. The tea takes getting used to, and the first few days drinkers suffer mild hunger pains and occasional stomach cramps. Heating the tea and drinking it warm helps ease this discomfort, but consuming any food while on the tea restarts the period of adjustment. One in 10 of all non-elves are violently allergic to the drink (DC 15 Fortitude save or be sickened for four hours after consuming it); such creatures gain no nourishment from consuming Erethor tea. One pound of Erethor tea powder is enough to make fifty servings. The tea is uncommon in these dark times even in Erethor itself, and so is therefore rather valuable.
- Hearthstone (restricted)
- Hearthstones are a common elven magic that is so old their origin is long forgotten. Hearthstones are vital to the elven way of life, as they allow elfkin to heat their dwellings and cook their food without the need for firewood and with less risk of burning down their wooden homes. Hearthstones are flat, palm-size blocks of obsidian dug from the southern Highhorns and enchanted to release the elemental “heat of the earth” trapped within. They are lit and extinguished with the words eailin and eailone, respectively, and they shed heat with no flame. Most stones of any quality will last for several days of continual use and contact with hearthstones will ignite dry wood and other flammable materials. Most elven scouts carry arrows tipped with small hearthstone heads with which they can set fire to orc battleworks and other flammable structures.
Poisons and Acids
The Danisil and their halfling allies make extensive use of poison, especially those most useful against the orcs and other minions of Izrador. Though the jungle elves may gift their allies and friends with a vial or two of these poisons, only a few Danisil know how to make the poisons and they will never reveal the secrets of their creation to others. After seeing herbalism spread through the world and into the hands of the orcs, the elves have become increasingly stingy with their knowledge.
Creating a single dose of any of the following poisons or acids requires 4 ranks in Craft (alchemy), 3 hours of work, and a DC 20 Craft (alchemy) check.
- Corpse acid (restricted)
- While the undead are normally completely immune to poisons, the Danisil have long been familiar with a number of naturally occurring toxins that effectively dissolve flesh. Experimentation on the tissues of the Fell revealed a type of contact poison that proved fairly harmless to living tissue but incredibly destructive to the desiccated and decaying bodies of the undead. This substance requires difficult-to-obtain and expensive ingredients, as well as a great deal of skill, to manufacture (+2 additional ranks in Craft alchemy and +3 to the Craft DC). You can throw corpse acid as a splash weapon. Treat this attack as a ranged touch attack. It deals damage to corporeal undead as if it were alchemist’s fire, doing 1d6 points of acid damage on the first round and 1d6 additional points of acid damage the following round. Additionally, living creatures hit by the splash damage or accidentally exposed to the substance take no damage from it.
- Essence of silver (restricted)
- By dissolving silver in weak acids, the elves learned they could create a fine black powder that contains the very essence of the metal. Mixing this black powder with the right herbs and a bit of blood creates a glittering black paste that is surprisingly effective against any creatures with a vulnerability to silver. Unfortunately, the essence is quite difficult to make and takes a great deal of silver to create, making it extremely rare (+4 additional ranks in Craft alchemy and +6 to the Craft DC). As a special side effect, any weapon treated with essence of silver is considered a silver weapon for the purposes of overcoming damage reduction or otherwise affecting creatures with a vulnerability to silver.
Essence of Silver: Injury, DC 15; Initial Damage 1d3 Con, Secondary Damage 1d6 Con.
- Orcsbane (restricted)
- Perfected by the Danisil, this venomous concoction is only somewhat toxic to most who come into contact with it. Orcs, however, cannot abide the substance, which causes horrible degeneration of their connective tissues and can lead to death from hemorrhage in a relatively short period of time. This weapon, when combined with the accuracy and ferocity of elven ambushes, has made even small groups of elves a fearsome foe to Izrador’s forces.
Orcsbane: Injury, DC 18; against orcs: initial damage 1d4 Str, secondary damage 1d6 Con; against non-orcs: Initial damage 1 Str, secondary damage 1 Con.
- Orcish plagueskull (restricted)
- Crafted by the sinister herbalists of the orcs, these skulls are packed with disease-riddled tissues preserved through the use of various blood garden herbs and roots. When the skulls shatter, they explode into a shower of infectious rotting material. You can throw an orcish plagueskull as a splash weapon. Treat this attack as a ranged touch attack. Creatures hit directly by the plagueskull must make a saving throw against a randomly determined non-magical disease as described in the core rules (all of them are considered to have the contact method of delivery for this purpose) or contract the disease. Those who suffer splash damage must also make saving throws, albeit with a +5 bonus to their saving throws.
Animals
All animals are restricted items.