Here is a new reference sheet for Holmes Ref, an expanded Equipment List:
EQUIPMENT REFERENCE SHEET (single-sheet pdf)
This is something I started working on a while back, put aside, and just came back to last week and finished.
If you are not familiar with Holmes Ref, it's my slowly-accumulating series of reference sheets for Holmes Basic referees. The full set of Holmes Ref sheets & compilations can be found here.
Notes on the Equipment Sheet:
-It's written up like a catalog or menu that adventurers might actually read in game. The equipment is divided up by shop to provide a bit more of a generic town setting if you wish to roleplaying purchasing equipment, either before character creation or later during play.
-Each list is also numbered so it can be used to roll for random items, for instance to generate mundane items found in a dungeon, for example on the corpse of an unlucky adventurer...
-Sources include the Holmes Basic equipment list, the OD&D list (which is the same except for including some larger ships and lacking Tinderbox) and the Keep in the Holmes Basic module B2 The Keep on the Borderlands. The Specialist section of OD&D, Vol 3, provides the names for the Armorer, Smith and Sage and B2 provides the names for the Provisioner, Chapel, and Loan Bank as well as prices for the Inn & Tavern and Loan Bank.
-The weapon shop list preserves the original Chainmail weapon classes in order (1-12), which generally correspond to length.
-The general store list ("The Provisioner") includes an equipment pack ("Basic Explorer Pack") as number #11 that includes each of items #1-10 for 35 GP. For a quick start, just have your character grab this pack plus armor and weapons.
That is very nice. Thank you! :)
ReplyDelete👍👍👍
DeleteAwesome.
ReplyDelete...What? No discount for buying the #11 pack?? ; )
This could just about be a die-drop table, too -- for when you find those "unlucky adventurers"...
I did consider that, but I wasn't sure if would be confusing. Perhaps it is something for players to pick-up on and roleplay for a discount?
DeleteI honestly don't remember the Horse Bow being a thing in OD&D or Holmes, but I do remember them having Crosses instead of the AD&D "Holy Symbols", why the change there? Not criticizing, just curious.
ReplyDeleteThe Missile Fire range table in Holmes has three weapons not found in the Equipment list: Horse Bow, Sling Stone and Javelin, so I added each to the expanded table. The original source for Holmes was the similar table in the Greyhawk Supplement, which also includes the Horse Bow (and Arquebus!), and which itself was taken from Chainmail.
DeleteIt is true that OD&D and Holmes have crosses on the Equipment list, but I decided to genericize them for two reasons based on text elsewhere in Holmes Basic: (1) Clerics are described as worshipping "one or more of the gods" (pg 5) and (2) Vampires withdraw from "a cross (or similar holy symbol)" (entry for Vampire).
DeleteHorse bows are the same thing (in many instances) as Composite bows, which are listed in Men & Magic p14.
DeleteI was also finally able to find the javelin range in the Nixie monster description in Vol II: M&T (60').
Delete@Crawship: That makes sense, because the Holmes table has a parenthetical after the Horse Bow that says "Short Composite Bow". So essentially there is a Short and Long Composite Bow. The composite bows have longer ranges than their respective non-composite versions.
Delete@CountingWizard. Thanks! I had at one point noted that the Holmes entry for Nixie mentions their use of javelins, but it leaves out the range, and I hadn't noticed that it is in original write-up. Swords & Spells has a different range for Javelins (1"/4"/8"), Holmes uses another version in the manuscript (30'/60'/90' = rule of thirds), and then Gary changed it to yet another set of numbers for the published rulebook (20'/40'/80'). Perhaps the ranges Holmes used in the manuscript were based on the listed range in the Nixie entry.
DeleteVery cool. Love equipment lists like this.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Jon! I still remember the empowering feeling of shopping for equipment for my early characters.
DeleteVery nicely done. The randomization numbers and the equipment pack add great utility. As an aside: the medieval seller of paper and book-making supplies would be called The Stationer. As in stationary!
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ReplyDeleteIt is a great idea to group the items! It makes it so much easier to be able to tell the players that the hamlet only has a provisioner and inn and everyone will know exactly what equipment is available. I could then include the option to ask around for other supplies and give any specific item a chance at being available after all. At double price though.
ReplyDelete