Mano a Mano:Equipment

Equipment Lists

When rules mention an item's modifiers, they refer to the modifiers on the equipment lists.

Blank Equipment List

Item Name CP   Mass   Agi  Reach  Cvr Abs Pwr Shp Tgh Spec.
              lb / kg     ft / cm
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Detailed Single Item Description

Item:________________________
_____ CP (Character Points)
_____ Mas (Mass)  ____ Weight
_____ Agi (Agility)
_____ Rch (Reach) ____ (ft/in)
_____ Cvr (Cover)
_____ Abs (Absorption)
_____ Pwr (Power)
_____ Shp (Sharpness)
_____ Tgh (Toughness)
_____ Spec. (Special modifier)
 Grp (Grapple)   Atk (Attack)
 Con (Conceal)   Par (Parry)
 Pul (Pull: to keep bow drawn)
 Cut (Cutting Resistance)
 Imp (Impaling Resistance)
 Blu (Bludgeoning Resistance)
 Combinations (A/G, C/I, I/B)
Other:______________________
      ______________________
 Damage Type (impaling, etc.)
 Compound Pull? Stays Loaded?
 Procedure for operating guns
 (cocking, reloading, bursts)

• CP (Character Points) is the CP of this item. (See Equipment/Making Equipment.)
• Mas (Mass) is the item's weight in pounds or mass in kg.
• Rch (Reach) is the weapon's reach (hand weapons) or effective range (missile weapons.)
• Agi (Agility) determines how easily a weapon can be aimed.
• Cvr (Cover) determines how likely the item will block an attack.
• Abs (Absorb) determines how much damage is absorbed by this item when it blocks an attack.
• Pwr (Power) is the weapon's damage modifier.
• Shp (Sharpness) determines how many damage points go into stun and lasting pools.
• Tgh (Toughness) determines how difficult the item is to break

Special Modifiers - Some weapons and armor will have modifiers not already listed on the equipment list. Write the modifier here along with the abbreviation for the special modifier:

• Atk (Attack) affects attack rolls.
• Grp (Grapple) affects manipulation rolls.
• A/G (Attack and Grapple) affects attack and manipulation rolls.
• Par (Parry) affects parrying rolls.
• Pul (Pull) is the pull of a bow or crossbow.
• Con (Concealment) is the difficulty of detecting the weapon when not in use.

Character Equipment

When rules mention the character's modifiers with an item, they refer to the modifiers in the equipment section of the character sheet. These are determined by comparing the character's modifiers to the item's modifiers, so they may be different from the values listed on the equipment list for that item. (See Characters/Character Sheet.)

EQUIP.  Qty Mas Agi Cmb Rch Cvr Abs Pwr Shp Tgh Spec.
_______ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ______

• Qty (Quantity) is the number of these items a character has.
• Mas (Mass) is the item's weight in pounds or mass in kg, multiplied by the quantity (Qty).
• Rch (Reach) is character reach + weapon reach (hand weapons) or just weapon reach (missile weapons.)
• Agi (Agility) is the character's agility or the weapon's agility, whichever is lower.
• Cmb (Combat Modifier) in the case of hand to hand weapons is the character's Agility + applicable ability. This is a general modifier to attacking with the weapon (and parrying with a hand weapon.) In the case of a projectile weapon, use only the applicable ability (without the agility bonus.)
• Cvr (Cover) determines how likely the item will block an attack. The chance of an attack targeting the area protected by this item is as important as the amount of that area actually covered.
• Abs (Absorb) determines how much damage is absorbed by this item when it blocks an attack.
• Pwr (Power) is the character's power or the weapon's power, whichever is greater. Heavier weapons are more powerful, so the power of a weapon is usually -2 multiplied by it's Agility modifier or slightly higher if the weapon is well balanced.
• Shp (Sharpness) determines how many damage points go into stun and lasting pools. (See Action Rules/Damage.)
• Tgh (Toughness) determines how difficult the item is to break

Special modifiers - Some weapons and armor will have modifiers not already listed on the character sheet. Write the modifier here along with the abbreviation for the special modifier:

• Atk (Attack) is the character's combat modifier with this weapon plus the weapon's attack modifier. This modifier is used instead of combat modifier when attacking.
• Grp (Grapple) is the character's combat modifier with this weapon plus the weapon's grapple modifier. This modifier is used instead of combat modifier when manipulating.
• A/G (Attack and Grapple) is the character's combat modifier with this weapon plus the weapon's attack and grapple modifier. This modifier is used instead of combat modifier when attacking or manipulating.
• Par (Parry) is the character's combat modifier with this weapon plus the weapon's parry modifier. This modifier is used instead of combat modifier when parrying.
• Pul (Pull) is the weapon's pull.
• Con (Conceal) is the weapon's conceal modifier.

Armor

Any equipment with cover and absorption is armor. Normally, the best absorption of all the armor worn by a character is subtracted from the power of successful attacks against the character. However an attacker can aim any attack to avoid armor, which increases the difficulty of the attack by the cover of the armor avoided. The attack can avoid all or just some of the armor a character is wearing. An attack cannot avoid armor that has complete cover.

Consider for example a character wearing a leather jacket (5 cover, 2 absorption) and a crash helmet (2 cover, 5 absorption). If an opponent attacks the character without specifically avoiding the character's armor, the armor will absorb 5 power from each attack. If an opponent tries to hit the character where the armor provides no protection, the armor will absorb no damage, but the difficulty will be increased by 7 (5 cover from the jacket plus 2 cover from the helmet.) However, the opponent can also try to avoid only the helmet. Then the leather jacket absorbs 2 power from each attack but the difficulty of the attack is only increased by 2 (the helmet's cover.)

Sometimes armor is worn in layers. A brigandine (vest lined with metal plates) is often worn over a gambeson (padded coat) or chainmail. Bulletproof ballistic vests often have optional inserts which offer extra protection to vital areas such as the heart. If one piece of armor is completely overlapped by another, the overlapping area has the cover of the smaller piece of armor and the absorption of both pieces added together. (This is like subtracting the cover of the layer with the least cover from the cover of the layer with the most cover, and adding the absorption of the layer with the most cover to the absorption of the armor with the least cover.)

Hand Weapons - example hand to hand weapon list

Blades           Pwr Hft Mass Cmb Modifiers/Features

knife/gaff/spurs 1-3  3  1 kg     sharp
spiked knuckles  1-3  3  1 kg     sharp
rapier           2-4  4  2 kg +1  sharp
short sword/pick 2-5  4  2 kg     sharp
broadsword       2-5  4  3 kg +1  sharp
longsword        3-6  5  5 kg +1  sharp two-handed
axe              3-6  5  4 kg     sharp

Bludgeons        Pwr Hft Mass Cmb Modifiers/Features

stick/cane/baton 2-5  4  1 kg
staff/pole       2-5  4  2 kg +1  two-handed
wooden sword     3-6  5  1 kg +1  two-handed
club/hammer      3-6  5  2 kg
mace             3-7  5  2 kg
mattock/maul     3-7  6  5 kg -1 
warhammer        4-8  6  3 kg     two-handed
chair            2-4  5  3 kg +1  two-handed

Polearms         Pwr Hft Mass Cmb Modifiers/Features

spear/trident    2-5  4  3 kg +1  sharp two-handed
pike             3-6  5  10kg     sharp two handed 2m range
other polearm    3-6  5  6 kg +1  sharp two-handed

Flexible Weapons Pwr Hft Mass Cmb Modifiers/Features

flail/nunchaku   2-5  4  2 kg
3 section staff  2-5  5  3 kg +1  grapple two-handed
ball and chain   3-6  6  8 kg +1  grapple two-handed
whip/riding crop 2-4  4  1 kg
bullwhip         2-5  5  2 kg +1  grapple 3m range
rope dart        2-4  3  1 kg +1  grapple sharp 3m range
chain whip       2-5  5  2 kg +1  grapple sharp

Missile Weapons - example long range weapon list

THROWN WEAPONS	CP	Mass	Heft	Power	Cvr	Abs	Features
Boomerang		1 kg	3	2 - 4
Grapple		2 kg	6	3 - 6			grapple
Tomahawk/Javelin		1 kg	4	2 - 4			sharp
Harpoon		4 kg	6	3 - 6			sharp
Atlatl Dart		2 kg	4	2 - 4			sharp
Atlatl (Thrower)		1 kg	5	4 - 8			sharp, 30 m range
Stone/Bullet		0.1 kg	4	2 - 4
Sling		1 kg	5	3 - 6			15 m range
Staff Sling		2 kg	6	4 - 8			30 m range
BOWS	CP	Mass	Heft	Power	Cvr	Abs	Features
Light Bow		1 kg	4	2 - 4			150 m range
Composite Bow		1 kg	5	3 - 6			180 m range
Longbow		2 kg	7	4 - 8			240 m range
Compound Bow		1 kg	4	3 - 6			150 m range
Crossbow		3 kg	8	4 - 8			210 m range
GUNS	CP	Mass	Heft	Power	Cvr	Abs	Features
Blowgun		0 kg	3	1 - 2			sharp, 15 m range
Pistol		1 kg	5	2 - 5			sharp, 90 m range
Submachinegun		2 kg	6	2 - 5			sharp, 90 m range
Hunting Rifle		3 kg	7	3 - 6			sharp, 450 m range
Shotgun		3 kg	7	3 - 7			sharp, 45 m range
Assault Rifle		3 kg	7	4 - 8			sharp, 450 m range
Machinegun		15 kg	10	10 - 20			sharp, 600 m range
Grenade Launcher		2 kg	6	5 - 10			sharp, 150 m range
Rocket Launcher		5 kg	8	7 - 15			sharp, 200 m range

Manufacturing and Modification

Some abilities can be used to create or modify items or even other characters. Characters created by other characters are called artificial characters. Examples from popular fiction include the monster created by Dr. Frankenstein, and Robby the Robot created by Dr. Morbius. Craftsmanship ability can be used to create armor and weapons from an equipment list, to modify armor and weapons, or to create new items designed by a player or GM. (See Game Design/Abilities/Craftsmanship.) A game might also have more high tech or fantastic abilities, like a "robotics" ability that allows you to build a lunar rover robot, or modify such a robot by mounting a gun to it.

Maximum CP

To find the maximum CP of the item or character being modified, first add the ability used to a modifier based on the amount of time spent working on it:

modifier	time
-4	an hour
-3	a few hours
-2	a day
-1	a few days
0	a week
+1	a couple of weeks
+2	a month
+3	a few months
+4	a year

Then add a circumstance modifier:

modifier	examples
-4	poor quality tools and a culture which has taboos against making this item
-2	poor quality tools or a culture which has taboos against making this item
0	circumstances do not significantly help or hinder the work
+2	state of the art tools or a culture which has specialized in making this item
+4	state of the art tools and a culture which has specialized in making this item

Finally, multiply the result by a technology CP rating. Many games only need a single technology CP value, but technology CP can vary between cultures and even between different kinds of technology.

technology CP	example
10	stone age
20	ancient
50	industrial
100	modern
200	futuristic

The result is the maximum total CP which a newly created weapon or character can have. It is also the maximum total CP which a character or weapon can have after modification.

Surgery

Modifying organic characters requires surgery.

When a character performs surgery, a success roll is required. The surgeon's medicine ability is used for the success roll. Superficial operations like cutting hair or sharpening claws, which only affect non-living tissue, do not require a roll. Surgery which does not directly affect vital organs has a difficulty between 0 and 10. Surgery which affects vital organs or involves other major changes has a difficulty between 11 and 20.

If the roll succeeds, healing from the surgery only affect the character's performance for a few days. If the roll fails, the surgeon must make a second roll, identical to the first. If the surgeon succeeds on his second roll, the character must spend an extra month healing. If the second roll fails, the character dies.

Difficulty		Type of Modification
0		no living tissue affected (sharpening claws)
4		no significant effect on organs, muscles or bones (implanting an explosive device.)
8		modifications to non-vital organs (removing an appendix)
12		significant muscle or skeleton modification (amputation, limb lengthening)
16		modification to vital organs or peripheral nervous system (heart transplant, new limbs)
20		major modifications involving central nervous system (add a new head and spinal column)

Make an Item - Equipment Generation Example

We will use our Steven character from the character creation example to make a new weapon. (See Character Creation/Make a Character.) Steven has craftsmanship ability with a modifier of 2.

1. Design the weapon

We decide Steven is making a "machete". The mass of the machete is 0.5 kilograms, worth 1 CP. The machete's 5 power is worth 50 CP. The machete's 3 heft is worth -30 CP. The total CP is 21 so far. (-30 + 60 + 1 = 31.) Having no shots feature (not requiring ammunition or reloading) is worth 20 CP. We add 20 CP for the sharp feature for a final total of 61 CP. In other words, Steven wants to make this machete:

machete (81 CP, 0.5 kg, 3 heft, 5 power, sharp)

2. Find the Maximum CP We start with Steven's craftsmanship modifier (2). We subtract 1 from this because Steven is only taking a few days make the machete. We add a circumstance modifier of 1 because his culture specializes in making machetes. We multiply the result by 50 CP because Steven is in a culture that has "ancient" technology. The maximum CP is 100 CP: (2 craftsmanship ability - 1 time modifier + 1 circumstance modifier) × 50 technology CP.

3. Compare Maximum CP to the CP of the Designed Weapon

Since the maximum CP (100) is equal to or greater than the Machete's CP (61), Steven is able to make it.

Modify Weapon Example

1. Design the Modified Weapon

Steven decides to alter the shape of his machete to give it more power. Adding 2 power to the machete would add 20 to the weapon's CP value:

Item Name	CP	Mass	Heft	Power	Features
machete (before)	61	0.5 kg	3	5	sharp
machete (after)	81	0.5 kg	3	7	sharp

2. Find the Maximum CP

We start with Steven's +2 Craftsmanship modifier. We subtract to this because Steven is taking a dayto modify the machete, so that his maximum CP is now 1. We add 1 because his culture specializes in making machetes, so that his maximum CP is now 2. We multiply his maximum CP by 50 because Steven is in a culture that has "ancient" technology, so that the maximum CP is 100.

3. Compare Maximum CP to the CP of the Designed Weapon

Since the maximum CP (100) is equal to or greater than the modified machete's CP (91), Steven is able to modify the machete.

Artificial Character Example

1. Design the Character

An evil alien decides to make a synthetic clone of Steven. No new template is needed because the clone uses Modre's Human template. The clone also has the same build and abilities as Modre, so it also has the same character points: 151 CP.

2. Find Maximum CP

We start with the evil alien's +2 biotech ability modifier, so that his maximum CP so far is 2. He is only taking one day to make the clone, so we subtract one from his maximum CP leaving 1. He has no special circumstances, so we add 0 to his maximum CP. The evil alien is using futuristic technology, so we multiply his maximum CP by 500, for a total maximum CP of 500.

3. Compare Maximum CP to the CP of the Designed Character

Since the maximum CP (500) is equal to or greater than the Clone's CP (151), the evil alien is able to make the clone.

Modify Character Example

1. Design the Character

After the Clone's defeat at the hands of Modre, the evil alien decides to upgrade the clone with 729 CP worth of enhancements, so that the enhanced clone's CP value is 830.

2. Find Maximum CP

We start with the evil alien's +3 surgery ability modifier, so that his maximum CP so far is 2. He is only taking a a day to modify the clone, so we subtract 1 from his maximum CP leaving 2. He has no special circumstances, so we add 0 to his maximum CP. The evil alien is using futuristic technology, so we multiply his maximum CP by 500, for a total maximum CP of 1000.

3. Compare Maximum CP to the CP of the Designed Character

Since the maximum CP (1000) is equal to or greater than the Modified Clone's CP (830), the evil alien is able to modify the clone.

4. For non-mechanical characters, perform the surgery roll

Since the Clone is a creature of flesh and blood rather than a mechanical or robotic one, a surgery roll must be made to ensure his survival. Because the evil alien is significantly modifying the clone's physiology the difficulty of this surgery is 20. On his first roll the clone rolls a 5, for a total of 8, which is not higher than 20.

Having failed his first roll, the evil alien has to do another roll to see if the clone will even survive the modification. The clone rolls a 18, for a total of 21, barely over the 20 difficulty level. The now-enhanced clone barely survives the modification and recovers in about a month from this surgery.

Make an Item - Equipment Generation Example

We will use our Steven character from the character creation example to make a new weapon. (See Character Creation/Make a Character.) Steven has craftsmanship ability with a modifier of 2.

1. Design the weapon

We decide Steven is making a "machete". The mass of the machete is 0.5 kilograms, worth 1 CP. The machete's 5 power is worth 50 CP. The machete's 3 heft is worth -30 CP. The total CP is 21 so far. (-30 + 60 + 1 = 31.) Having no shots feature (not requiring ammunition or reloading) is worth 20 CP. We add 20 CP for the sharp feature for a final total of 61 CP. In other words, Steven wants to make this machete:

machete (81 CP, 0.5 kg, 3 heft, 5 power, sharp)

2. Find the Maximum CP We start with Steven's craftsmanship modifier (2). We subtract 1 from this because Steven is only taking a few days make the machete. We add a circumstance modifier of 1 because his culture specializes in making machetes. We multiply the result by 50 CP because Steven is in a culture that has "ancient" technology. The maximum CP is 100 CP: (2 craftsmanship ability - 1 time modifier + 1 circumstance modifier) × 50 technology CP.

3. Compare Maximum CP to the CP of the Designed Weapon

Since the maximum CP (100) is equal to or greater than the Machete's CP (61), Steven is able to make it.