Equipment

Equipment

In many ways, Malifaux exists for the express purpose of trade. The Guild of Mercantilers (typically just known as "the Guild") runs the entire world as an enormous company town, extracting Soulstone and rare metals from the mines, shipping them back to Earth, and keeping as much of the profit as possible. The Guild has positioned itself as the primary source of goods and services for most people in Malifaux, though independent contractors of all stripes exist outside of Guild purview.


Currency

The Guild prefers to pay in "scrip," a type of currency only valid at Guild-owned businesses and whose value can fluctuate wildly from week to week. The Guild can be induced to pay in gold coin, silver notes, Soulstone dust, or other more stable commodities, but it prefers not to do so whenever possible. Coin denominations include the penny ($0.01; plural is "pence"), the deiner ($0.10), and the quarter-scrip ($0.25). All coinage sports the ram's head symbol of the Guild.

$1 of Guild scrip in 1907, when adjusted for inflation, would be roughly $31 USD today. All costs in this thread are listed in scrip dollars ($), and those prices can jump or drop as much as 50% from the listed value.


Cheap Gear

Almost any gear (not services) can be bought on the cheap if the buyer is willing to take lower quality. Common items like clothes are ratty and torn, hats are crumpled, and boots have a tendency to admit water. Cheap guns can be bought too — but they tend to backfire when used too often.

Buying a cheap piece of gear cuts the cost by 50%. Any piece of gear that would be used as part of a Trait test (such as an attack roll) can malfunction when the player rolls a 1 on the Trait die. A cheap sword can chip or break, a cheap gun can jam, and cheap armor can rip and just fall right off your body. A character who also has the All Thumbs Hindrance suffers double the penalty (he takes a malfunction on a roll of 1 on either the Trait die or Wild Die).

Items without a Trait test attached can still affect others’ perception of the character. Openly wearing cheap clothing or goods may inflict a –1 penalty to the wearer’s Persuasion rolls.


Armor

The days of plate and chain are long gone on Earth. The advent of firearms has made most armor effectively worthless, though some engineers continue to build and improve armor specifically meant to stand against gunfire. Many street toughs wear leather jackets or chain-lined vests to keep knives out of their ribs, but wearing full armor openly in public is beyond gauche in most people’s eyes.

Unless armor possesses the Subtle quality, it cannot be hidden by normal clothing. Wearing obvious armor is off-putting for most people as well. At the GM’s discretion, wearing obvious armor can inflict a –1 penalty to Persuasion when dealing with people of quality. For lower-class folk, it’s just a sensible precaution. Guild guardsmen also tend to take note of people walking around in full body armor, and earning the Guild's attention is rarely a good thing.

Worn Armor stacks with natural Armor (such as scaly skin) at its full value. Worn Armor also stacks with one other layer of Worn Armor. The lesser armor adds half its value (rounded down) to the total and increases the heavier armor’s Minimum Strength penalty by a die type. Wearing a chain mail shirt (+3) beneath breastplate (+4), adds +1 to the wearer’s armor value, for a total of +5, and increases the Minimum Strength requirement to d10.




Blades




Chain & Blunt Weapons




Axes & Polearms




Archery & Thrown Weapons




Handguns

The vast majority of modern handguns are revolvers. Revolvers can be single-action (in which the hammer must be cocked prior to firing) or double-action (in which pulling the trigger also cocks the hammer).

Semi-automatic firearms with self-loading actions (meaning the gun, when fired, automatically loads the next round into the chamber) have existed for well over a decade but have not yet become very prevalent on Malifaux. This is primarily because their complex loading mechanisms make them more expensive than revolvers.

A Note on Single-Action Revolvers: Characters armed with a single-action revolver can only use the Rapid Fire Edge by "fanning the hammer." This involves the shooter keeping the trigger pressed while his other hand rapidly slaps down the hammer. A single-action revolver cannot be used for the Double Tap Edge.




Longarms




Shotguns

Shotguns can be chambered to fire a spread of metal balls (called "shot") or cartridges with a single heavy bullet in them (called a "slug"). Shot can do more damage at close range, where the spread is smaller and more of the pellets hit the target. Slugs tend to do more consistent, powerful damage in a narrower field.

A shotgun firing shot adds +2 to the user’s Shooting roll. Such a weapon deals 1d6 damage at Long range, 2d6 damage at Medium range, and 3d6 damage at Short range. A shotgun chambered for slugs offers no bonus on the Shooting roll, but the damage is 2d10 regardless of the range increment.

Some shotguns have two attached barrels. So-called "double barrel" shotguns often have a mechanism where both barrels can be fired simultaneously or can be triggered separately. For double-barrel blasts, the attacker only rolls damage once but adds +4.




Pneumatic Weapons

Thanks to the steam-based techno-magical engineering of Malifaux, handheld weapons technology has improved significantly. Pneumatic devices use Soulstone dust to generate the heat and steam needed to function. Chainsaws, rotary blades, jackhammers and other industrial-grade contraptions have been introduced into the realm of personal weapons, and they've become very popular among certain kinds of people. Pneumatic weapons are very lethal but also very expensive compared to other types of weaponry. They are heavier, bulkier, louder, and more noticeable than their non-steam counterparts. Pneumatic items inevitably roar, hiss, and buzz while in operation, so subtlety is never an option when using one. It takes an action to activate a pneumatic weapon from a cold start. Until it reaches full power, it’s little better than an improvised bludgeon.

Pneumatic weapons need regular infusions of Soulstone dust for fuel. A wielder can assume that $10 (1 ounce) of Soulstone dust keeps a steam weapon running in good order for a whole month.




Galvanic Weapons

Galvanic devices make direct use of electricity as a weapon. They are similar to pneumatic devices in that they draw their power from Soulstone, but rather than relying on steam pressure, they use electricity generated by tesla coils and dynamos. Once activated and powered up, a galvanic weapon unleashes its energy by contact or at range.

When activated from a cold start, a galvanic weapon requires one round to charge up before it can be used. During this time, the device crackles to life, and onlookers might see bluish light or small arcs of electricity emanating from the item. Galvanic weapons are bright, loud, and nearly impossible to employ in a subtle way. Some devices may require additional charging periods after a certain number of blasts or uses.

While fearsome and impressive to look upon, galvanic weapons can sometimes prove unpredictable and dangerous to those wielding them. A damage-induced malfunction, or contact with a conductive material at the wrong time, could result in the wielder electrocuting himself. More than one galvanic enthusiast has met a shocking end when his lightning gun accidentally got wet and short-circuited in spectacular fashion.

Galvanic weapons have been made illegal by the Guild, though galvanic technology for other uses is still widely permitted. Only authorized Guild members are allowed to own and use galvanic weaponry. That said, these devices are popular within some circles, and the Union does a brisk trade in black market galvanism. The Arcanists' many tinkerers and steamfitters are particularly adept at building these contraptions.

Special Rules: All galvanic weapons ignore metal (or mostly metal) armor; they completely bypass the associated Armor value. Furthermore, a galvanic device does one extra die of damage if the target is in contact with water, carrying more than ten pounds of metal, or otherwise touching some sort of conductor.

If the wielder rolls a Critical Failure when using the device or is subject to dangerous conductivity (standing in water or touching metal), he suffers full damage from his own weapon. It goes without saying that trying to use a galvanic weapon in the rain is suicidal.

Galvanic weapons need $15 (1.5 ounces) worth of Soulstone dust per month to remain operational.




Miscellaneous




Ammunition

Soulstones

Almost the entire reason for Malifaux’s colonization, Soulstone is one of the most coveted and valuable substances in the two worlds. This greenish mineral looks like milky glass when mined from the ground, and it can be cut and polished to increase its luster and refinement. Soulstone begins to glow when in the presence of a dying human being, as the last dregs of the person’s life force are drawn into the stone. The Guild keeps vast hospitals of the sick and wounded as potential power sources for Soulstone, and dark rumors suggest that they even "help along" those who take too long to die.

Regardless of any horror the average person might feel about Soulstone, it is utterly necessary to modern civilization. Soulstones power vehicles and constructs that aid in transport and building. Soulstone shavings are used to produce medicines and drugs that extend life and heal sickness. The mages of the Guild utilize Soulstone extensively to augment their magical powers and build permanent wonders that draw from the Soulstone’s power to fuel themselves. Tiny Soulstones are ground into powder for use in various concoctions, but larger gems can gradually restore their own energies.

Soulstones have two characteristics that determine their power: Size and Quality. A larger gem can hold more magical energy, while a gem with a better cut can regenerate its own energy more quickly. Soulstones are generally rated from 0 to 5 in both Size and Quality. In game terms, the Soulstone’s Size determines the maximum number of Power Points it can hold (called the Charge), and the Quality determines how quickly those Power Points recover (called the Seep). Together, these two characteristics are referred to as the Soulstone's Lade.




A sorcerer who touches a Soulstone with his bare skin can use the Soulstone’s Power Points as though they were his own. A Soulstone that has used all of its charge up stops glowing and becomes duller-looking.

The most sinister use of Soulstone is to capture the life force of dying people, regaining their power far more quickly. If a human being dies close to the Soulstone (within a range of yards equal to the Size plus Quality), the Soulstone recovers Power Points equal to a roll of the dead person’s Spirit die. This roll cannot Ace, and it cannot increase the Soulstone’s charge above its maximum value. If multiple Soulstones are nearby when someone passes away, the stone with the higher Quality gets the energy. Naturally, heroic sorcerers would never consider murdering people just for power. Many villains consider it a useful habit, unfortunately.

Soulstones are illegal to own except for registered members of the Guild, whose use of Soulstone is carefully regulated. Trade in black market Soulstones is common in Malifaux, however. Finding a Soulstone dealer requires a Networking check (using Persuasion or Intimidation) with a penalty equal to the higher of the stone’s Size or Quality. A failed roll means that no stones of the desired type are available this week; rolling a 1 on the skill die usually means drawing the attention of a Guild investigator or auditor, while a result of snake eyes might mean gaining the personal notice of a Witch Hunter.

When a Soulstone can be found for purchase at all, its purchase price is typically the Size multiplied by the Quality plus 1, then multiplied by $100. Soulstones might also be rewards in adventures, either by defeating their current owner or finding them in a cache of goods or treasure. An enemy sorcerer with a Soulstone can be a formidable opponent, since he can augment his natural powers with stolen life force.

Soulstone dust has no charge or seep, and it is always Quality 0. However, it can be used as a component in casting to offset a tiny portion of the cost of a spell. Soulstone dust can be found for sale from almost any black marketeer for $10 per pouch (an ounce or so of dust). A pouch of soulstone dust can be used in place of 1 PP in the casting of a spell, which expends the dust entirely. Registered members of the Guild can buy Soulstone dust legally for only $2 an ounce, though large purchases of dust might still draw the attention of an auditor.



Food & Drink




Clothing




Gun Accessories




Instruments




Tobacco & Other Drugs




Camping & Travel Gear




Tools




Demolitions Gear




General Goods




Livestock




Services




Transportation

Pneumatic Implants

Sorcery and steam have combined in Malifaux to allow the replacement of human body parts with constructs of metal and Soulstone. While these implants lack most feeling, they are far stronger and more durable than mere meat and bone. For many people, pneumatics represent a chance to live whole once more after losing a limb to the merciless engines of progress. For others, they offer a path to power — so long as one is unafraid of losing one’s humanity.

Implants list a given cost in scrip dollars, which includes the price of surgery and installation. This is the cost if the implant is properly licensed and regulated. Obviously, certain implants cannot be had through a legitimate surgeon (including most implanted weapons), so double or triple the cost when going through the black market.

Pneumatics are somewhat larger and bulkier than the parts they replace. Being made of bare metal and occasionally hissing with steam or the moan of Soulstone only makes them more obvious. Subtler implants are possible, though they cost between 50% and 200% more, depending on the implant in question.

Pneumatic implants place a terrible burden on the human body. While most of their energy comes from a tiny sliver of Soulstone implanted in the device, they also draw on their bearer’s life force to replenish that Soulstone. Carrying around a metal arm or leg is more tiring than a lighter natural one. These factors together are called Strain.

Every pneumatic implant has a listed Strain rating. The amount of total Strain a character can place in his body is equal to his Vigor or Spirit die type, whichever is lower. This number is the character’s Maximum Strain. Once a character reaches his Maximum Strain, his body and soul simply cannot handle any more stress.

If additional Strain is incurred for some reason, the user suffers a level of permanent Fatigue for each point he goes over his Maximum Strain. Going over his Maximum Strain by more than two points would result in Incapacitation — and, if the implant isn’t removed quickly enough, death.


Alchemical Implant: These internal chemical factories stimulate the character’s glands, forcing him to produce more adrenaline and allowing him to recover from shock more quickly. This implant grants the character the Combat Reflexes Edge. Strain: 2. Cost: $250.

Armor: Plates of metal and ceramic placed under the character’s skin grant him +2 Armor to all body locations. This stacks with worn armor. This implant can be taken no more than three times. Strain: 1. Cost: $150.

Copper Nerves: Many of the character’s nerve endings are replaced with more efficient copper wiring, making him significantly quicker. Increase the character’s Agility by a die step. Each step after d12 adds +1. This implant may be taken any number of times. Strain: 2. Cost: $300.

Crystal Eyes: An eye made of polished crystal and Soulstone can grant several benefits. When this implant is taken, choose one of the following: magnification, low-light vision, or thermal vision.

• Magnification allows the character to ignore 1 point of range penalties in combat.
• Low-light vision allows a character to ignore penalties for Dim and Dark lighting.
• Thermal vision allows the character to halve lighting penalties when making an attack against a living foe.

Regardless of which implant is taken, the character also gains +2 to sight-based Notice rolls. This implant may be taken up to three times, once for each benefit. Only one benefit applies at a time, and changing between them is a free action. Strain: 1. Cost: $500.

Filters: Filters implanted in the ears, nose, throat, and lungs scrub most airborne toxins. The character adds +4 to rolls made to resist the effects of airborne toxins or diseases. Strain: 1. Cost: $250.

Pneumatic Arm: The character’s arms are partially or completely replaced by metal ones, and metal bracing is installed throughout his body. Increase the character’s Strength by a die step. Each step after d12 adds +1. This implant may be taken any number of times. Taking this implant at least once grants the character a natural weapon that deals Str+d4 damage but does not count as being armed. Taking it at least twice means that the character is never considered unarmed. (For improved damage, see the Weapon Implant entry.) Strain: 2. Cost: $150.

Pneumatic Legs: The character’s legs are replaced by sturdier, faster limbs. The character gains +2 Pace and increases his running die by one step, as well as increasing his jumping distance by 1". Each time this implant is taken after the first, it increases Pace by +2. This implant may be taken any number of times. Strain: 2. Cost: $250.

Vitriol Implant: Lacing the character’s bones with metal, replacing some of his tissue with rubberized filler, and using chemical vats to enhance his organs makes him far tougher than normal. Increase the character’s Vigor by a die step. Each step after d12 adds +1. This implant may be taken any number of times. Strain: 2. Cost: $300.

Weapon Implant (Melee): The character has retractable claws or blades built into one of his pneumatic arms. The blades may be extended or withdrawn as a free action and inflict Str+d6 damage. A character must have the pneumatic arm implant to take this implant. This implant may be taken up to twice — once for each arm. Strain: 1. Cost: $250.

Weapon Implant (Ranged): A small, concealed firearm has been installed in the character’s forearm. Reloading is done by rolling out a revolver cylinder or inserting shells into a breech as normal. Only pistols can be so implanted (including the sawed-off shotgun), and the character must have the pneumatic arm implant to take this implant. This implant may be taken up to twice—once for each arm. Strain: 1. Cost: $250 plus the weapon’s cost.

Weapon Implant (Steam): A large, non-concealable steam-based weapon has been grafted onto the character’s arm. This massive device can be activated as a free action rather than a normal action and no longer needs additional Soulstone to continue functioning. A one-handed or two-handed weapon can be implanted; a two-handed weapon implant is wielded "one-handed" but the character loses all other use of that arm. This implant may be taken up to twice — once for each arm. Strain: 2. Cost: $500 plus the weapon’s cost.