Item Wear and Tear

[howandwhy99]

Item wear is pretty easy in my experience. The challenge is in making it all meaningful, but also keeping it simple.

One way is to track HPs per item, these are only randomly rolled when necessary. For example, someone inspects the item or it takes HP damage. Since few people attempt to attack (or sunder) items, it's only a note here and there taken rarely. Deterioration from wear comes down to the substance. Cloth is one of the few that really needs to be accounted for after a couple of years of constant use, other materials typically deteriorate more slowly.

In terms of tear as you say, weapons, armor, and shields, not to mention fortifications really take the brunt. Tracking a HP totals for these as a ref is more common.

Different options could work depending on how much detail you want. You could track attacks that miss due to armor bonus to AC. You could track number of combat rounds the armor was worn in. Or simply go by number of combats altogether. Ditto for weapon attacks that hit.

Personally I'd try and account for all these variables, but then simplify for as easy tracking as possible. Almost every kind of item can be repaired and costs of repair could probably be covered ratio of destruction. It's a simple upkeep cost taken by players when they deem they desire it. But it also keeps wear and tear important to the game.

 

[Neonchameleon]

Thanks to broghammerj, Vascant, Janx, and LostSoul for giving me enough background info, ideas, situations, and meta decisions to construct the following...

Figuring that "Item Wear and Tear" will be added to the random encounter table for their daily travels, if this comes up then each player has a 50% chance that one of their items will become worn. The GM will roll on the player's character sheet to determine which item will become worn down.

Ack! Wear and tear is something that randomly happens and there's nothing anyone can do to prevent it? It doesn't matter how much maintainance you do to your equipment - it's got exactly the same chance of being weakened as that slob over there's?

Replace the 50% check with a skill roll against survival or relevant craft and this objection vanishes.

 

[Living Legend]

I like this kind of idea for a low magic campaign where your character isn't constantly risking his life just to save money to buy a bigger magic sword so he can kill bigger monsters. A system like this provides a reason for them to keep working, since the upkeep on their gear will cost them. This means that PC's will be more like real people: constantly needing money for cool new gear but usually ending up spending it on fixing what they already have.

 

[Janx]

I use a highly abstracted system of "wear points".

1 wear point means an item is cosmetically damaged- perhaps your boots are visibly worn

2 wear points means that the item's function is damaged; your boots are not comfortable. Where appropriate (mostly armor and weapons), this means that the item suffers a -1.

3 wear points means the item is destroyed.

Magic items can handle an extra wear point per plus (or per tier, in 4e) before being damaged.

Might want to differentiate between destroyed and unusable/broken. The sole can come off your boot. it is unusable. But it can be repaired.

Vs. You boot was eaten by acid, you have managed to rescue half a shoe-lace and the heel. You can repair it by buying a new boot, chopping off the heel, glueing the old heel on, and tying the bit of lace onto the end of the new shoelace.

Someone with the right skill may be able to repair it (or take it to a shop and repair for 1/4 to 1/2 the cost).

 

[was]

I'd recommend that you think about this a second time before you implement it. It will involve a considerable amount of effort in tracking something that will most likely annoy your players. IME, screwing with the pcs' gear is not something they react well to. If you need to track something, water, rations and ammo are usually a better option but that's just my opinion.

 

[Janx]

I'd recommend that you think about this a second time before you implement it. It will involve a considerable amount of effort in tracking something that will most likely annoy your players. IME, screwing with the pcs' gear is not something they react well to. If you need to track something, water, rations and ammo are usually a better option but that's just my opinion.

thats an excellent point. I don't think anybody in this thread has strongly supported equipment fatigue rules.

If your goal is to challenge the PCs while out in the woods, tracking consumables will probably do the trick, and technically is within the immediate rules domain.

Additionally, consumables require upkeep that can't be glossed over by the convenience of stopping off for supplies regularly.

Basically, before the PCs head off into the woods, you ask them, what supplies do they have. They freak out and stock up. Then they go out in the woods and you count down their supplies. They run low, they get worried, fun ensues.

All without taking away a precious item from a PC or tracking damage points.