As a test game for the FATE system I am reexamining my Drow Noir setting.
The setting seems solid-enuogh, however the FATE Core rules can be a little... contradictory on the matter of equipment so I'm going to try the following rules to convert over the magic and mundane items of Drow Noir.
Gear and Stuff
General Gear
As a rule, characters may have whatever unremarkable gear they want, marking it on their sheet. Such gear does not provide any distinguishable plus or minus, and characters are assumed to start with whatever gear is needed for the performance of the skills on their sheet automatically. However such gear can be lost or awarded freely by the GM.
At the GM's discretion, unwieldy items may be invoked against the character, with 1 free invocation per scene.
Weapons
Characters entering a conflict with bigger, or superior, weapons - as determined by GM fiat - will receive the Superior Weaponry scene aspect with one free invocation. They may spend Fate Points to invoke it multiple times.
Otherwise, mundane weaponry is treated as generic gear - with no discernible affect on the rules except to facilitate skill checks.
Heavy Armour
A character may start with
Heavy Armour, such armour provides a 1-shift Armour bonus against physical attacks (reducing any such attack by 1, cancelling it out entirely at shift-0). However like any mundane gear the
Heavy Armour aspect can be invoked against the character for free once per scene.
As Heavy Armour is mundane gear it can be given to a character during character creation at no cost.
Ordinarily, 'light' armour is indistinguishable from no-armour unless it is
Exceptional Armour
Exceptional Weaponry
Characters may have the option to acquire
Exeptional Weapons, which provide a shift-1 bonus on the character's attacks with them.
Exceptional Armour
Characters may have the option to acquire
Exceptional Armour, which provides a 1-shift armour bonus without imposing the
Heavy Armour aspect.
It is also possible to acquire
Exceptional Heavy Armour, which provides a 2-shift armour bonus - making the character extremely tough. Such armour has all the penalties of
Heavy Armour however.
Exceptional Tools
Characters may have the option to acquire
Exceptional Tools, which provide a 1-shift bonus to any one skill when using it. For example
Exceptional Lockpicks would augment a character's Burglary skill.
Magic Arms, Armour and Wonderous Items
If item of Weaponry or Armour is described as magic it will also count as
Exceptional in addition to an Aspect used to describe its enchantment.
Consumable Magic Items
Consumable items are single-use, granting the effects of an aspect (usually with a free invocation) or a stunt for the duration of a scene. These represent the potions, poisons and grenade-like magical gadgets characters can acquire and use.
Acquiring Exceptional and Magic Items
When using the Wealth rules from page 285 characters may begin play with a number of Exceptional or Magic items by pre-filling their Wealth Stress and Consequence boxes. Wealth Stress does not necessarily clear immediately after a combat: in this context the character's investments must have time to produce dividends - typically when a month's time passes.
Consumable Item (2 uses) - 1 shift
Exceptional Item - 1 shift
Lesser Magic Item (one Aspect) - 3 shift
Greater Magic Item (two Aspects) - 4 shift
During play these shift levels can also be used as rules of thumb for the difficulty of acquiring an item.
Example Items
Powered Armour (lesser magical armour - shift 3)
Functions as
Exceptional Heavy Armour (2 shift armour bonus; Heavy Armour aspect) but can be tagged as an aspect to enhance the character's strength.
Cloak of Protection (lesser magical armour - shift 3)
Functions as
Exceptional Armour (1 shift armour bonus) and can be tagged to enhance the character's physical defences.
Ring of the Darkhidden (lesser magic item - shift 3)
Makes the wearer invisible in darkness. Can be tagged to enhance the character's stealth.
Plate Armour (mundane armour - free)
Functions as
Heavy Armour (1 shift armour bonus; Heavy Armour aspect).
Potion of Healing (consumable magic item - shift 1 for two)
Can be drunk to immediately recover 1 box of physical stress.
Potion of Rage (consumable magic item - shift 1 for two)
Can be drunk, awarding the character the
Beserker Strength aspect with 1 free invocation, for the remainder of that scene. The character may spend boxes of physical stress as well as Fate Points to tag this aspect.
Necklace of Fireballs (consumable magic item - shift 1 for two uses)
When used provides the character with the use of a thrown magic weapon (counts as an Exceptional Weapon). The
Fireballs can be tagged, like any other magic weapon and come with 1 free invocation.
Drow Poison (consumable magic item - shift 1 for two doses)
When used to coat a weapon or mundane ammunition it provides, for the remainder of the scene, a stunt that inflicts the
Drowsiness boost on any enemy that takes damage from a physical attack with that weapon.
Bolts of Web (consumable magic item - shift 1 for two quivers)
When used, for the remainder of the scene successful attacks with that weapon automatically inflict the
Entangled boost on any enemy that takes damage from them.
Psi
Some creatures in the underdark are natural psi users. While extremely rare it does happen that a Drow has a natural talent with Psi, although there are no institutions set up to train them in its use.
Permissions: A race aspect for a psychic race, or another aspect representing how they acquired those abilities or some hardship suffered as a consequence.
Costs: Skills (Psi), Stunts for additional abilities.
Attack: The psychic can mentally assault any creature, inflicting mental stress. This can be resisted with Will, Magic or Psi. You may read the mind of any creature Taken Out using this attack.
Defend: Defend against psychic or other supernatural attacks.
Psi Stunts
Telekinesis: Can manipulate objects at a distance using Psi to restrict any of your other skills. Additionally you may make physical attacks with Psi.
Levitation: Can use Psi to levitate yourself into the air, effectively flying.
Empathic: Can use Psi in place of Empathy to read a person's emotional state and defend against Deceive actions.
---
EDIT(29/09/2015@00:12): Changed rules for starting with magic items to use Wealth stress track.
EDIT(29/09/2015@01:27): Removed the ability to change Spells using an arcane library - now can only be done when stunts are normally changed.
EDIT(15/11/2015@15:21): Removed rules for Wizardly Magic.
