House Rule: Armor, Weapon, and Item Changes

UNAVAILABLE EQUIPMENT
Technological advancement in the Dark Thrones setting is a little behind that of the traditional D&D setting. Below are a list of some items that are not available.

Armor: Half-plate, plate, splint
Weapons: Crossbows
Restricted Items: Ball bearings, magnifying glass, sextant, spyglass



NEW EQUIPMENT



Additional shield options are also available. See http://gamersplane.com/forums/thread/6000/.

Bronze Cuirass: The finest armor that is normally available is the bronze cuirass, sometimes called bronze plate armor. It consists of a snug- fitting sculpted bronze breastplate to cover the torso, a leather skirt or kilt with bronze studs, heavy bronze greaves, shoulder pieces, and a bronze helmet (usually openfaced). It is fitted carefully to the wearer and allows excellent mobility, although for best effect it should be used with a large shield. When combined with a large shield, the wearer presents his or her enemies with a wall of bronze from head to toe.

Leather Cuirass: A leather cuirass consists of a molded breastplate of stiff leather, often sculpted with natural-appearing musculature and decorated with gold or silver personal emblems. A short skirt made of weighted straps covers the wearer to the mid-thigh, and a light helmet of boiled leather is included. It protects better than studded leather armor but offers somewhat less mobility.

Mail Cuirass: This is essentially a reinforced chain shirt. The mail is sewn into sturdy leather panels and then shaped carefully to the wearer’s torso, providing a better fit and better mobility than regular chainmail and better protection than a chain shirt. Like the leather cuirass, a mail cuirass usually includes a skirt of weighted leather straps studded with bronze or iron to provide some basic coverage to mid-thigh, as well as a light bronze helm.

Scale Coat: The scale coat is a simple form of scale mail that dispenses with sleeves and leggings, making it relatively simple to manufacture. Heavy scales sewn to a thick coat provide good protection for the torso and the upper legs, while greaves protect the lower legs and shoulder-pieces or vambraces help protect the arms. The scale coat is usually worn with a bronze or iron helmet. It is the heaviest armor commonly available in the Dark Thrones setting, and many city guards or soldiers wear armor of this type.

Primitive Weapons
Tribes in the West Marches region produce unique, but primitive weapons. These weapons may be found while adventuring in the West Marches region.

Primitive: These weapons are very poorly constructed or made of inferior materials and are prone to breakage. When making an attack with a primitive weapon that results in a roll of a natural 1 or natural 20 you may resolve the attack normally and then must roll an additional d20. On a roll of 5 or less the weapon immediately breaks and is destroyed.


Simple Melee Weapons
Stone Club - 1d6 bludgeoning, 5 lb., Heavy, primitive. Constructed of an oblong stone wrapped with strips of rawhide or plant fibre and bound to a short but thick stick.
Long Spear - 1d6 piercing, 3 lb., Thrown (range 20/60), versatile (reach), primitive. When wielding this weapon in two hands, your reach is increased by 5 ft (tho your damage remains unchanged). Simple shaft of wood with a tip whittled sharp and then coated with fire hardened resin to give it strength.
Flint knife - 1d4 piercing, 1 lb., Finesse, light, thrown (range 20/60), primitive. On a successful melee attack with a flint knife, you may take a reaction to twist the knife, breaking it and destroying the weapon, but converting the attack into a critical hit. Expertly knapped flint formed into a 6 inch long blade with and additional tang reinforced with a simple wood stick and wrapped with rawhide.

Simple Ranged Weapons
Small Bow - 1d6 damage, 2 lb., Ammunition (range 30/120), two-handed, light, primitive. When making an attack action, if all attacks are made with a small bow you may spend a bonus action to make an additional attack with the small bow. You don't add your ability modifier to the damage of this bonus attack, unless that modifier is negative. Requires special small bow arrow ammunition. Only about 2 feet in length, these bow are simple constructions of a stiff, but flexible hard wood laminated with horn. Well suited for hunting in the dense forest where one must get close to prey before taking a shot and has limited room to draw back (such as being crouched low). Not a weapon for combat in an open field.
Small bow arrows - These arrows are about two-thirds the length of normal arrows, making them suitable only for use with a small bow.