Weapons & Crafting

A comprehensive system for creating, customizing, and wielding weapons across all technological eras

Material Properties

All materials in System RPG possess four fundamental characteristics that determine their suitability for weapon construction. These properties scale infinitely, allowing for exotic materials that far exceed mundane substances in potency.

Core Material Statistics

Hardness: Measures resistance to deformation, scratching, and edge dulling. Higher hardness materials maintain their shape and cutting edge under stress but may become brittle under extreme impact. Used for durability checks against crushing or impact damage.

Resilience: Represents flexibility and shock absorption capacity. Materials with high resilience bend rather than break, absorbing impacts that would shatter more rigid substances. Used for durability checks against bending, twisting, or repeated stress damage.

Conductivity: Indicates the material's ability to channel various forms of energy, including magical, thermal, and electrical forces. High conductivity materials excel at energy-based enhancements but may be vulnerable to energy attacks. Determines mana capacity when multiplied by Item Level.

Stability: Measures resistance to degradation, corrosion, and structural breakdown over time. Stable materials maintain their properties across centuries, while unstable substances may deteriorate rapidly or unpredictably. Used for durability checks against corrosion, decay, or environmental damage.

Durability Calculation

Material durability forms the foundation of weapon resilience:

Base Durability = (Hardness + Resilience) × Stability

This formula reflects how a material's fundamental toughness (Hardness + Resilience) is amplified by its long-term structural integrity (Stability).

Weapon Creation

Item Statistics

Every crafted weapon possesses three critical characteristics determined during creation:

Item Level: Represents the overall craftsmanship milestone achieved during creation. Higher level items demonstrate superior construction techniques and attention to detail. Determines the weapon's complexity and mana capacity.

Quality: Measures the precision and excellence of workmanship. Quality enhances the weapon's fundamental durability and performance characteristics. Acts as the fifth material statistic for various calculations.

Mana Capacity: The maximum magical energy the weapon can channel before catastrophic overload occurs.

Mana Capacity = Item Level × Conductivity

Exceeding this capacity results in explosive energy release or dangerous wild magic effects.

Final Durability Formula

Final Durability = (Base Durability + Item Level) × Quality

This calculation shows how skilled craftsmanship (Quality) becomes increasingly valuable as the overall item sophistication (Level) increases.

Crafting Resolution

Weapon creation follows a structured process that rewards skilled artificers while allowing for exceptional results under favorable conditions.

Crafter Power Assessment: The crafter's capability is measured as: Crafting Skill + Relevant Stat + Milestone Level

Item Level Determination:

Base Item Level = (Crafting Skill + Relevant Stat) ÷ 2
Each Flux Check Success adds: Crafter's (Stat + Skill) Milestone Level Count
Maximum Achievable Level = Crafter's Skill Level + 1 (exceptional success only)

Quality Assessment:

Base Quality = Crafter's (Stat + Skill) Milestone Level Count
Modified by successes/failures: +1 per additional success, -1 per botch
Neutral Result = Functional but unremarkable quality

Success Allocation: Crafters achieving multiple successes beyond the first may redistribute excess successes to modify the base material statistics on a one-for-one basis, increasing or decreasing Hardness, Resilience, Conductivity, or Stability as desired.

Durability & Damage System

When Durability Checks Occur

Critical Botch (2+ Botches): When attacking with a weapon and rolling a critical botch, the weapon takes damage instead of dealing damage to the target.

Sunder Attempts: When someone specifically targets the weapon to destroy it.

Environmental Damage: Extreme conditions, acid, crushing force, or magical effects targeting the item.

Durability Check Mechanics

When a weapon faces potential damage, make a Flux Check:

Durability Check: Weapon's Relevant Stat + Quality vs. Damage Total

Relevant Stat Selection:

• Hardness: Against crushing, impact, or cutting damage
• Resilience: Against bending, twisting, or repeated stress
• Stability: Against corrosion, decay, or environmental damage
• Quality: Against precision attacks or when no other stat applies

Check Results:

• Success: Weapon takes half damage (rounded down)
• Failure: Weapon takes full damage to its durability
• Critical Success: Weapon takes no damage
• Critical Failure: Weapon takes double damage

Weapon Condition Effects

Full Durability (75-100%): Weapon functions normally with all properties.

Damaged (50-74%): Weapon suffers -1 to attack Flux Checks, one combat property becomes unreliable (50% chance to function).

Badly Damaged (25-49%): Weapon suffers -2 to attack Flux Checks, loses half its combat properties, damage reduced by 1 dice step.

Nearly Broken (1-24%): Weapon suffers -3 to attack Flux Checks, loses all combat properties, damage reduced by 2 dice steps.

Broken (0 Durability): Weapon cannot be used for attacks, functions only as improvised weapon (1d2-1 damage, no properties).

Material Catalog

Primitive Organic Materials

Wood (Common)

• Hardness: 2, Resilience: 5, Conductivity: 1, Stability: 3, Base Durability: 21
• Properties: Abundant, easily worked, burns readily
• Cost Modifier: 0.1x

Hardwood

• Hardness: 3, Resilience: 6, Conductivity: 1, Stability: 5, Base Durability: 45
• Properties: Dense grain, takes fine finish, weather-resistant
• Cost Modifier: 0.3x

Bone

• Hardness: 4, Resilience: 6, Conductivity: 2, Stability: 4, Base Durability: 40
• Properties: Lightweight, naturally curved, traditional significance
• Cost Modifier: 0.4x

Antler

• Hardness: 5, Resilience: 7, Conductivity: 2, Stability: 6, Base Durability: 72
• Properties: Seasonal availability, branching structure, regrows annually
• Cost Modifier: 0.6x

Horn

• Hardness: 5, Resilience: 6, Conductivity: 3, Stability: 7, Base Durability: 77
• Properties: Hollow construction, natural curves, waterproof
• Cost Modifier: 0.7x

Leather

• Hardness: 1, Resilience: 8, Conductivity: 1, Stability: 4, Base Durability: 36
• Properties: Extremely flexible, comfortable, weather-dependent
• Cost Modifier: 0.5x

Sinew

• Hardness: 1, Resilience: 9, Conductivity: 2, Stability: 2, Base Durability: 20
• Properties: Maximum flexibility, ideal for bindings, organic decay
• Cost Modifier: 0.3x

Stone & Mineral Materials

Stone (Common)

• Hardness: 6, Resilience: 2, Conductivity: 1, Stability: 8, Base Durability: 64
• Properties: Heavy, crude working, extremely stable
• Cost Modifier: 0.05x

Flint

• Hardness: 8, Resilience: 1, Conductivity: 1, Stability: 6, Base Durability: 54
• Properties: Extremely sharp when knapped, brittle under stress
• Cost Modifier: 0.2x

Obsidian

• Hardness: 9, Resilience: 1, Conductivity: 2, Stability: 3, Base Durability: 30
• Properties: Surgically sharp, volcanic glass, fractures catastrophically
• Cost Modifier: 0.8x

Quartz

• Hardness: 7, Resilience: 2, Conductivity: 4, Stability: 9, Base Durability: 81
• Properties: Natural crystal structure, conducts energy well, very stable
• Cost Modifier: 1.0x

Traditional Metals

Copper

• Hardness: 3, Resilience: 5, Conductivity: 8, Stability: 4, Base Durability: 32
• Properties: Soft metal, excellent conductor, tarnishes over time
• Cost Modifier: 2x

Bronze

• Hardness: 5, Resilience: 4, Conductivity: 7, Stability: 7, Base Durability: 63
• Properties: First practical alloy, historical significance, corrosion-resistant
• Cost Modifier: 4x

Iron

• Hardness: 5, Resilience: 4, Conductivity: 6, Stability: 6, Base Durability: 54
• Properties: Reliable performance, widely available, magnetic
• Cost Modifier: 1x

Steel

• Hardness: 7, Resilience: 4, Conductivity: 6, Stability: 8, Base Durability: 88
• Properties: Refined iron, excellent hardness-resilience balance
• Cost Modifier: 3x

Silver

• Hardness: 3, Resilience: 4, Conductivity: 9, Stability: 8, Base Durability: 56
• Properties: Soft precious metal, supreme conductor, traditional protections
• Cost Modifier: 8x

Gold

• Hardness: 2, Resilience: 6, Conductivity: 8, Stability: 10, Base Durability: 80
• Properties: Extremely soft, never tarnishes, ultimate stability
• Cost Modifier: 25x

Advanced Alloys

Carbon Steel

• Hardness: 9, Resilience: 5, Conductivity: 5, Stability: 9, Base Durability: 126
• Properties: Superior hardness, takes exceptional edge, industrial precision
• Cost Modifier: 6x

Stainless Steel

• Hardness: 8, Resilience: 5, Conductivity: 4, Stability: 12, Base Durability: 156
• Properties: Corrosion-immune, consistent performance, modern metallurgy
• Cost Modifier: 8x

System-Era Materials

Mithril

• Hardness: 6, Resilience: 8, Conductivity: 12, Stability: 10, Base Durability: 140
• Properties: Supernatural lightness, mana-conductive, never tarnishes
• Cost Modifier: 15x

Adamantine

• Hardness: 15, Resilience: 5, Conductivity: 3, Stability: 20, Base Durability: 400
• Properties: Legendary hardness, magic-resistant, virtually indestructible
• Cost Modifier: 25x

Darksteel

• Hardness: 8, Resilience: 6, Conductivity: 2, Stability: 15, Base Durability: 210
• Properties: Absorbs light, phases through defenses, shadow affinity
• Cost Modifier: 20x

Voidmetal

• Hardness: 10, Resilience: 3, Conductivity: 1, Stability: 18, Base Durability: 234
• Properties: Nullifies magic in proximity, extremely rare, otherworldly
• Cost Modifier: 30x

Living Steel

• Hardness: 8, Resilience: 7, Conductivity: 8, Stability: 12, Base Durability: 180
• Properties: Self-repairing, adapts to wielder, grows stronger over time
• Cost Modifier: 18x

Exotic Creature Materials

Dragon Scale

• Hardness: 12, Resilience: 8, Conductivity: 10, Stability: 15, Base Durability: 300
• Properties: Elemental immunity (varies by dragon), Charged
• Cost Modifier: 12x

Phoenix Down

• Hardness: 2, Resilience: 12, Conductivity: 15, Stability: 8, Base Durability: 112
• Properties: Resurrection properties, fire immunity, regenerative
• Cost Modifier: 20x

Kraken Chitin

• Hardness: 10, Resilience: 9, Conductivity: 6, Stability: 12, Base Durability: 228
• Properties: Pressure-resistant, aquatic adaptation, tentacle flexibility
• Cost Modifier: 14x

Treant Heartwood

• Hardness: 6, Resilience: 10, Conductivity: 8, Stability: 16, Base Durability: 256
• Properties: Nature magic affinity, seasonal power fluctuations, centuries-old
• Cost Modifier: 16x

Weapon Combat Properties

Combat properties represent how different weapon designs naturally perform in skilled hands, providing tactical variety through mechanical advantages that reflect the weapon's physical characteristics and optimal usage techniques. These properties are determined by weapon shape and design, not by the materials used in construction.

Primary Combat Properties

Rend: Upon reducing a target to 0 durability/HP, your weapon's momentum carries through to strike an adjacent enemy within reach for damage equal to your attack stat modifier (Milestone Level Step). Granted by: Heavy chopping weapons with weight-forward balance.

Glance: When your attack contest fails by 2 or fewer successes, your weapon still finds its mark for damage equal to your attack stat modifier. Granted by: Curved blades that redirect force along their edge.

Flurry: When wielding paired Light weapons, successful hits allow an immediate follow-up strike with the off-hand weapon as part of the same action. Granted by: Small, quickly-wielded weapons designed for rapid strikes.

Drive: Heavy weapons can force struck targets back up to 2 meters, potentially into hazards or away from allies. Granted by: Weapons with significant mass focused behind the striking surface.

Exhaust: Precise strikes target nerve clusters and joints, imposing -1 to the target's next attack as they recover from the disorienting blow. Granted by: Weapons designed for precise, targeted strikes.

Hamper: Attacks that connect reduce the target's movement by 3 meters on their next turn as they compensate for the injury. Granted by: Weapons that create entangling or leg-targeting strikes.

Fell: When achieving exceptional success (critical hit or winning by 3+ successes), the weapon's weight and leverage can knock targets prone. Granted by: Top-heavy weapons with significant striking momentum.

Mark: Successfully striking a target reveals tactical openings, granting advantage on your next attack against the same opponent. Granted by: Balanced weapons that maintain control after striking.

Advanced Combat Properties

Available through superior design, masterwork crafting, or unique weapon configurations

Bind: Net-style weapons and flexible materials can entangle targets, requiring them to save or become grappled. Granted by: Flexible, wrapping weapon designs.

Guard: Balanced weapons provide +1 to defensive actions when actively wielded due to superior defensive positioning. Granted by: Weapons with prominent cross-guards or defensive features.

Extend: Weapons designed with additional length can engage enemies up to 3 meters away. Granted by: Polearms and weapons with extended reach.

Balance: Properly weighted weapons can be thrown effectively using normal attack bonuses. Granted by: Weapons with optimal weight distribution for flight.

Adapt: Versatile weapons that can be wielded one-handed or two-handed for different tactical advantages. Granted by: Weapons designed with multiple grip options.

Material-Granted Properties

Unique properties arising from specific material characteristics

Conduct: Mana-conductive materials allow spellcasting through the weapon with reduced costs. Materials with Conductivity 8+.

Amp: Mana-reactive materials can amplify spell output, increasing Damage Dice Scale, range, area of effect, duration, or other variables; specific material and spell interaction variable. Materials with Conductivity 12+.

Affinity: Specific Element Affinity attuned materials grant a bonus to the spellcaster's Affinity for the specific element while wielding the affinity material item. Varies by material origin.

Phase: Void-touched materials can partially bypass physical defenses. Voidmetal and similar otherworldly substances.

Charged: Certain enchanted materials add elemental damage to strikes. Dragon Scale and other elemental creature materials.

Regenerate: Living materials slowly repair themselves under proper conditions. Living Steel, Treant Heartwood, Phoenix Down.

Resist: Some materials provide inherent protection against specific damage types. Varies by material; Adamantine resists magic, Dragon Scale resists elements.

Weapon Arsenal

Natural Weapons

Handheld Combat Weapons

Primitive Weapons

Primitive Weapons

Bronze Age Weapons

Iron Age Weapons

Steel Age Weapons

Advanced Alloy Weapons

System-Era Masterworks

Exotic Creature Weapons

*Mana Capacity assumes Item Level 1 for comparison purposes.

Ranged Weapons

Primitive Ranged Weapons

Traditional Bows

Crossbows

Advanced Ranged Weapons

Thrown Weapons

*Mana Capacity assumes Item Level 1 for comparison purposes.

Ammunition

Standard Projectiles

Specialized Ammunition

Environmental Effects

Climate Impact on Durability

Different environmental conditions affect weapon materials in predictable ways, requiring proper maintenance and storage to preserve equipment.

Beneficial Conditions

Weapon Enhancement

Enchantment Compatibility

Different materials possess varying affinities for magical enhancement, affecting the mana costs and effectiveness of applied enchantments.

Enhanced Conductivity Materials (Reduced mana costs):

• Silver: -20% mana for protective enchantments
• Mithril: -25% mana for all enchantments
• Living Steel: -15% mana, enchantments grow stronger over time

Standard Materials (Normal mana costs):

• Steel, Bronze, Iron, most organic materials

Enchantment-Resistant Materials (Increased costs):

• Adamantine: +100% mana cost, resists magical alteration
• Voidmetal: Cannot be enchanted through normal means

Modification Techniques

Reinforcement: Adding structural support to existing weapons

• Metal bands on organic weapons: +20% base durability
• Composite wrapping: +10% durability, improved grip
• Core strengthening: +1 to Stability rating

Reshaping: Altering weapon geometry for different properties

• Adding curves: Grants Glance property
• Extending reach: Adds Extend property if structurally sound
• Balance adjustment: Grants Adapt property

Material Integration: Combining different substances

• Silver inlay: +1 damage vs supernatural creatures
• Decorative elements: +2 to social interactions in appropriate cultures
• Weighted components: Modify weapon properties (Drive, Fell)

Repair & Maintenance

Standard Repair

Restoring weapon durability requires appropriate skills and materials:

Repair Requirements:

• Power Level: Crafting Skill + Relevant Stat + Milestone Level
• Materials: Raw materials worth 10% of original weapon cost per durability point
• Time: 1 hour per durability point restored
• Without Proper Skill: Use only stat modifier, -2 penalty to Flux Check

Field Repair

Emergency maintenance for critical situations:

Field Repair Limitations:

• Power Level: Survival or Crafting + Relevant Stat + Milestone Level
• Materials: Improvised components, scavenged parts
• Maximum Restoration: 50% of weapon's maximum durability
• Time: 10 minutes per durability point
• Quality: Temporary repairs, -1 to weapon statistics until proper maintenance

Catastrophic Failure

When weapons reach 0 durability, they suffer critical structural failure:

Broken Weapon Effects:

• Damage reduced by 2 dice steps
• Properties cease to function
• Further use risks complete destruction
• Repair requires master craftsman (Skill Level 50+)

Destroyed Weapons:

• Cannot be repaired through normal means
• May be salvaged for raw materials (25% of original material value)
• Legendary weapons may require quest-level restoration efforts

Quick Start Guide

Creating Your First Weapon

1. Choose Material: Select appropriate material for setting and character level
2. Determine Base Stats: Record Hardness, Resilience, Conductivity, Stability
3. Calculate Base Durability: (Hardness + Resilience) × Stability
4. Select Weapon Type: Choose shape/size for desired damage and properties
5. Make Crafting Check: Use Flux Check System with appropriate skill
6. Determine Final Stats: Apply Quality and Item Level modifiers
7. Calculate Mana Capacity: Item Level × Conductivity
8. Record Final Weapon: Note all stats, properties, and special abilities

Example Weapon Creation

Creating a Steel Longsword:

• Material: Steel (Hard 7, Res 4, Cond 6, Stab 8)
• Base Durability: (7+4) × 8 = 88
• Weapon Type: Longsword (1d8 damage, Mark + Adapt properties)
• Crafting: Assume competent smith creates Quality 3, Level 2 weapon
• Final Durability: (88 + 2) × 3) = 270
• Mana Capacity: 2 × 6 = 12
• Final Weapon: Steel Longsword, 1d8 damage, 270 durability, 12 mana capacity, Mark + Adapt properties

This comprehensive weapon system provides infinite scalability while maintaining tactical depth and meaningful choice. From the humblest stone knife to legendary artifacts forged from the bones of ancient dragons, every weapon tells a story of the hands that shaped it and the battles that tested its mettle.