Equip with a spear

From: Benedict Adamson <badamson_at_...>
Date: Wed, 09 Aug 2000 09:59:54 +0100


At the end of my latest gaming session, when the players were spending their hero points, the Odaylan hero asked whether his character could own a spear, since he had no melee weapons.

The Heortling cultural keyword gives everyone Spear & Shield combat, but no spear & shield as equipment. IIRC, only the Warrior occupation keyword gives you them. If a hero wanted a spear within a gaming session, I suppose they could buy it using the wealth rules, but they would 'lose' the spear in some way at the end of the session unless the player cemented the benefit with a hero point. But if the hero didn't buy it during the session, having the spear is an improvement unrelated to the gaming session and so, by the rules, has a rather hefty double hero point cost. Now, a player could also give the hero a 'Magic Spear' ability for the SAME hero points cost, which would evidently give the hero a spear AND a magical ability.

I thought the rules rather silly at this point, and just let the hero have a spear.

I think I'll rule that having an ability ALWAYS gives the appropriate equipment for that ability. This means I'll add an equipment list for all the cultural keywords, conferring the appropriate equipment for the cultural skills.

BTW, the lack of equipment for the Heortling cultural keyword means that male non-warrior starting heroes do not legally qualify as freemen (carls); in KoS, IIRC, to qualify one must own a spear and shield.

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