Re: Equipment Mod Oddity

From: flynnkd2 <flynnkd_at_...>
Date: Mon, 17 May 2004 23:58:24 -0000

• In HeroQuest-rules_at_yahoogroups.com, "Mike Holmes" <homeydont_at_h...> wrote:
  > >From: Paul Andrew King <paul_at_m...>
  > >
  > Something remarkably simple just occured to me. Probably others
  have seen
  > it, so this may not be much of a revelation. If you have a skill
  like Spear
  > Combat, and try to use it without a spear, you'll be penalized,
  right? I
  > mean, I think that's going to typically be the case. If you use a
  spear,
  > however, you get a bonus for the spear, right?
  >
  > So you never, ever end up using the actual rating, do you? It's
  always
  > either higher or lower, depending on how you're equipped. This
  seems strange
  > to me.
  >
  

What a great epiphany ). I see the light!

All my players are using fine/heavy/masterwork weapons/armour/shields... so if that is the base line then why not ignore it.

Essentially everyone comes with the equipment they need to do their job, a warrior has appropriate equipment by default. So the real difference can easily be replaced by their function and their quality.

A heavily armour spearmen fighting a lightly armed skirmisher... heavy vs light, give him +3.

A rich warrior vs a poor one, give him +3.

This gives an extra use for Wealth as a rating as well. A wealthy person will have the best equipment, so Wealth could be used as an augment, setting a base line of average (17). So Wealth 22 (5 over 17) might give you +1 over an average person in some cases.

Elite unit vs average unit, their equipment will be better, give them +3 on top (note that an elite unit doesnt mean it is better trained, quite often elite units had more money spent on them, got better equipment etc. A veteran unit might easily defeat an elite unit due to skill).

The other advantage of this idea is that magical weapons become more powerful. A Spear of Sharpness might have been +3 (spear) +1 (Fine) +2 (17 magic sharpness) = the magic component was 1/3rd of the power of the spear. By eliminating the base line the spear becomes a +2 spear and much more valuable.

Essentially you replace equipment with a quality rating, based around average. Poor units have poor quality materials (usually) and might be at -2. Good uits have good equipment and might get +2.

The added advantage is that you also remove the starting player having fighting skill 5w and then adding +10 for weapons and armour immediately, pushing your games baseline starting skill into the 10w area before you even begin.

Great idea )).