5e doesn't have great support for substandard equipment, nor for gear that is not ruggedized for the Adventuring Lifestyle.
Let's fix that as unobtrusively as possible
We'll hook into the rules on "breaking an item" from the DMG and on the rules about "PC lifestyle" from the PHB.
Every item is classified as either durable or fragile. Durable items can still be broken in the field of course, but it takes real effort: someone has to try to cut a rope or sunder a sword; most wood, metal or cloth items are durable.. Fragile items are either designed to break (oil flasks...), frangible by nature (predominantly glass or paper in construction, delicately wired, an unprotected layer cake), or a durable item in disrepair (frayed rope, splinter-hafted axe, bag more patch than skin).
Maintenance and Degradation
The PHB claims that one of the purposes of Lifestyle Expenses is to "cover the cost of maintaining your equipment so you can be ready when adventure next calls."
Well! The DM can approximate what level of maintenance is appropriate.
As a rough guide,
By default, a character's panoply costs 1 downtime day per week being maintained, at a cost subsumed in the cost of living above.
If their items include substandard materials (weapons of bone or stone instead of steel, for instance), adjust this time upwards by 1/8 of a day per item, rounding up.
If either the time or the money is lacking, the item risks degradation.
Degradation
Once a season, the DM may roll an attack, per player, against the table of object ACs in the DMG.
The bonus on this attack is the number of maintenance periods missed by the character.
Each material owned by that character which has an AC less than or equal to the total roll is degraded, thus fragile. If desired, this can be rolled per item, but this isn't recommended (too much work).
Readied versus Safe
Items which a character can fetch freely are readied, and exposed to danger.
Items which are not exposed to danger are securely stowed, and must be retrieved as an action.
Items on a character's body or in their hands are also considered readied.
Fragility in the Field
Whenever a character is exposed to one of the lines below, their listed readied fragile items are at rusk. Roll a d6 per item; any which roll a 1 are destroyed.
Here are some common triggers:
Taking falling damage of dice equal to level: glass.
Walking through water without taking precautions: rope, cloth, leather.
Taking fire damage equal to 1/2 your hit points in a single blow: rope, cloth, leather, paper, gold, silver, wood.
Taking damage from environmental exposure: allfragile containers containing liquid.
Taking weapon damage equal to 1/2 your hit points in a single blow, or falling unconscious from standing: all readied fragile objects.
Electrical damage: metal.
Completing a long rest: one readied fragile item of the DMs choice.
Critically failing a save: as damage effects above.
Being critically hit: as damage effects above.
None of this is meant to deny an attempt to sunder. If a durable item is sundered below the fragile hit points for a similar item, it becomes fragile.
Destroyed items must be repurchased, degraded items may be repaired at half the item cost.
Let's fix that as unobtrusively as possible
We'll hook into the rules on "breaking an item" from the DMG and on the rules about "PC lifestyle" from the PHB.
Every item is classified as either durable or fragile. Durable items can still be broken in the field of course, but it takes real effort: someone has to try to cut a rope or sunder a sword; most wood, metal or cloth items are durable.. Fragile items are either designed to break (oil flasks...), frangible by nature (predominantly glass or paper in construction, delicately wired, an unprotected layer cake), or a durable item in disrepair (frayed rope, splinter-hafted axe, bag more patch than skin).
Maintenance and Degradation
The PHB claims that one of the purposes of Lifestyle Expenses is to "cover the cost of maintaining your equipment so you can be ready when adventure next calls."
Well! The DM can approximate what level of maintenance is appropriate.
As a rough guide,
- Wretched can maintain up to 10gp of gear, no magic items
- Squalid can maintain up to 100gp of gear, no magic items
- Poor can maintain up to 200gp of gear, only common magic items
- Modest can maintain up to 1000gp of gear, up to uncommon items
- Comfortable can maintain up to 2000gp of gear, up to rare items
- Wealthy can maintain up to 4000gp of gear, up to very rare items
- Aristocratic can maintain 10,000gp per 10gp spent; very rare items
By default, a character's panoply costs 1 downtime day per week being maintained, at a cost subsumed in the cost of living above.
If their items include substandard materials (weapons of bone or stone instead of steel, for instance), adjust this time upwards by 1/8 of a day per item, rounding up.
If either the time or the money is lacking, the item risks degradation.
Degradation
Once a season, the DM may roll an attack, per player, against the table of object ACs in the DMG.
The bonus on this attack is the number of maintenance periods missed by the character.
Each material owned by that character which has an AC less than or equal to the total roll is degraded, thus fragile. If desired, this can be rolled per item, but this isn't recommended (too much work).
Readied versus Safe
Items which a character can fetch freely are readied, and exposed to danger.
Items which are not exposed to danger are securely stowed, and must be retrieved as an action.
Items on a character's body or in their hands are also considered readied.
Fragility in the Field
Whenever a character is exposed to one of the lines below, their listed readied fragile items are at rusk. Roll a d6 per item; any which roll a 1 are destroyed.
Here are some common triggers:
Taking falling damage of dice equal to level: glass.
Walking through water without taking precautions: rope, cloth, leather.
Taking fire damage equal to 1/2 your hit points in a single blow: rope, cloth, leather, paper, gold, silver, wood.
Taking damage from environmental exposure: allfragile containers containing liquid.
Taking weapon damage equal to 1/2 your hit points in a single blow, or falling unconscious from standing: all readied fragile objects.
Electrical damage: metal.
Completing a long rest: one readied fragile item of the DMs choice.
Critically failing a save: as damage effects above.
Being critically hit: as damage effects above.
None of this is meant to deny an attempt to sunder. If a durable item is sundered below the fragile hit points for a similar item, it becomes fragile.
Destroyed items must be repurchased, degraded items may be repaired at half the item cost.
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