Character Creation
Equipment

You have a character, you have chosen a career. You now need to equip yourself for your life as an adventurer. You'll need skills, but here I'll deal with the more material assets that you'll require.

Money

In Keese, as in every town in every world, money is what it's all about. You adventure to earn money, you use money to buy equipment, with which you adventure and thus earn more money for more equipment.

The currency used in Keese, indeed in the whole Dukedom, is as follows:

• Gromits : 1 gromit will buy you the week's issue of the Keese News.
• Banes : The main unit of currency, there are 10 Gromits to the Bane. 1 bane will buy a pint of ale, an easy adventure will earn you around 10 banes.
• Marks : There are 10 Banes to the Mark.

You start with 100 Banes.

Now it's just a question of you shopping around and buying the stuff you want or need.

There is no restriction on what you can buy (provided you can afford it) but some things require a specific skill to use (particularly weapons and armour). Anything dodgy is probably available on the black market, but you'll have to try and sweet-talk a senior ref into letting you buy it.

Quality Ratings

All things can be bought, but there is always a price. In addition, you get what you pay for. You can pick up a piece of sharpened tin and call it a sword, or you can shell out the extra cash and by a piece of genuine craftsmanship. You will notice the difference.

All items that can be built or bought come with a numbered quality rating, from 1 to 5.

1. Crap.
2. Adequate.
3. Semi-decent.
4. The good stuff.
5. The best around.

The price lists assume a quality of 3 (with the exception of armour, see below). Quality 2 is half the price, quality 1 is a quarter. Similarly, quality 4 is twice the price, and quality 5 is four times the list price.

Sometimes, it makes bugger all difference if you get the cheap stuff, sometimes it will make the difference between life and death. Here are some of the more important examples.

Weaponry

1. A crap weapon can be hacked up by anyone with Metalwork, but they are only ever used in anger by goblins. A crap weapon will never do more than a single no matter who is wielding it.
2. An adequate weapon can be forged by anyone with Forge Metal, but it won't be up to even the minimum standard for an adventurer. Orcs and bandits will tend to use this sort of weapon, as they can be easily stolen off peasants and farmers who also use them. An adequate weapon will do doubles, but will probably break if subjected to anything more.
3. A semi-decent weapon can only be made by a skilled Weaponsmith. It will happily do triples, and can handle the odd quad or critical strike, and thus is the minimum realistic requirement for adventuring. This is the cheapest quality weapon anyone will sell in Keese.
4. A good weapon can only be made by a Specialised Weaponsmith. It will do quads, and quints if you don't abuse them, as well as any critical strike you can throw. This is the sort of weapon a discerning adventurer will wield.
5. A top of the range weapon will deal whatever damage you are capable of dishing out. In addition, this is the minimum quality before you can add permanent enchantments of any kind. To make this kind of weapon requires a specialist weaponsmith and master forgeman, and is never made of anything as ordinary as steel.

Armour

1. Crap armour will be cloth or patchwork leather. Anyone with Needlework can whip up this sort of monstrosity, but no-one in their right mind would put much faith in it. It will protect from singles, but will be bulky and restrictive, and will need constant attention to stop it falling apart.
2. Adequate armour will still be restricive, but if made of something more than cloth or fur, will protect from doubles. It can be made by someone with (for example) Leatherwork, but it will need regular servicing to keep it effective.
3. Semi-decent armour is only restrictive because it is heavy. If you are used to it (i.e. you have the minimum wear armour skill) you will not be encumbered. It will protect from triples if made from strong enough stuff by someone with Fashion Armour.
4. Good armour usually means chain mail (which requires Forge Metal to make) although certain exotic leathers do exist. Again, it won't restrict you if you have the relevant wear armour skill, and will protect from up to quads. You cannot buy chain mail of less than quality 4.
5. Top of the range armour means plate mail, and thus requires Forge Plate to make and Wear Plate to walk around in. It is fiendishly expensive (and cannot be bought at a lower quality), but will protect from quints.

Cloth, fur, and leather armour is priced at quality 3, and can be bought more at lower quality for less money (or at higher quality, but you will gain nothing). Chain mail and plate mail are priced at quality 4 and 5 respectively, but cannot be bought more cheaply.

Price Lists

Remember, as a starting character you have 100 banes to spend, but you do not have to spend it all.

Weaponry

• Dagger - 10 banes
• Club - 10 banes
• Mace - 15 banes
• Axe - 15 banes
• Short Sword - 15 banes
• Long Sword - 20 banes
• Bastard (1 1/2 hand) sword - 25 banes
• Two hand sword - 30 banes
• Polearm - 40 banes
• Quarterstaff - 10 banes
• Throwing Knife - 10 banes
• Throwing star - 10 banes
• Short Bow - 15 banes
• Long Bow - 20 banes
• Cross bow - 25 banes
• Shield - 15 banes

Armour

• Cloth - 20 banes
• Fur - 25 banes
• Leather - 30 banes
• Padded Leather - 40 banes
• Studded Leather - 45 banes
• Scale Mail - 50 banes
• Chain Mail - 60 banes
• Plate Mail - 100 banes

Medical Supplies

• Bandages - 3 banes
• Salves & Poultices - 10 banes
• First Aid Bag - 10 banes
• Medical kit bag - 20 banes
• Physician's kit bag - 40 banes
• Surgeon's kit bag - 80 banes

Alchemical Products

• Sneezing Powder - 10 banes
• Itching Powder - 10 banes
• Blinding Powder - 15 banes
• Hallucinogen - 20 banes
• Anaesthetic - 20 banes
• Potion of Healing - 30 banes
• Potion of Sight - 20 banes
• Potion of Strength - 25 banes
• Sleeping Potion - 25 banes
• Incendiary bomb - 35 banes
• Flash bomb - 30 banes
• Sonic bomb - 30 banes
• Stun bomb - 30 banes
• Concussion bomb - 30 banes

Other miscellany

• Talisman - 25 banes

When you have all you want (or all you can afford), and you have learnt all the skills you need, you are ready to begin your life of adventure. The Adventurers' Guild will take care of your finances, acting as a sort of bank, and dealing with all the money you earn working for them. As you earn, you can save up your cash to buy bigger and better things for embarking on bigger and more exciting adventures.

That's progress. That's the subject of the next, and final part of Character Creation.