Equipment and Gear¶

Purpose¶

Equipment is the primary way a character expresses their role and specialization outside of raw skill values. A character equips items that match their skill profile, choose a loadout that bundles those items into a saved profile, and the server derives their combat snapshot from that combination.

See character-progression-and-roles.md for the overall progression model and ../combat/loadouts-and-safety-rules.md for how gear slots into the expedition setup flow.

Equipment Slots¶

Each character has the following fixed equipment slots:

Slot	Category	Examples
Weapon	Melee or ranged	sword, axe, hammer, polearm, bow, staff, wand, harvest tool
Off-Hand	Shield, focus, quiver, or tool kit	shield, arcane focus, arrow quiver, field kit
Head	Armor or accessory	helm, hood, hat, circlet
Chest	Armor or robe	plate chest, leather vest, travel tunic, robe
Hands	Armor or gloves	gauntlets, gloves, wraps, work gloves
Legs	Armor or leggings	greaves, padded legs, travel trousers
Feet	Armor or boots	sabatons, leather boots, sandals, climbing boots
Back	Cloak or expedition pack	travel cloak, war cloak, expedition pack
Neck	Jewellery	amulet, pendant, medallion, talisman, warding charm
Ring (×2)	Jewellery	two ring slots — plain band, signet ring, gemmed ring, runic band
Utility	Small utility	pouch, vial belt, tool shard, focus shard

The Back slot is the only slot that also affects logistics. A better expedition pack increases carry capacity and supply efficiency during the run.

Item Categories¶

Melee Weapons¶

Require matching Frontline Combat skills. Feed the Offense channel in combat resolution.

Blades: speed, dual-wield potential, duelist uses
Axes and Hammers: raw impact, armor penetration, knockdown
Polearms: reach, wave defense, pursuit control

Ranged Weapons¶

Require Archery or Hunting and Trapping skills. Feed the Offense channel for Ranged and Hunt encounters.

Bows: standard ranged pressure, pursuit openers
Thrown weapons: close-range ranged option, lighter kit

Magical Implements¶

Require Arcane Theory at minimum plus the relevant arcane skill. Feed the Arcane channel.

Staves: high arcane output, slow, two-hand
Wands: faster, weaker output, one-hand (pairs with a focus)
Arcane Focuses: off-hand, amplify wand or staff output

Armor¶

Each armor type aligns to a skill. Using armor above your current skill band reduces its effectiveness.

Heavy Armor (head, chest, hands, legs, feet): plate and mail, high defense, burden cost — uses the Heavy Armor skill
Medium Armor: leather and chain, balanced defense and movement — uses the Light Armor skill; provides intermediate protection at lower burden than plate
Light Armor: padded and woven, low burden, mobility bonus — uses the Light Armor skill
Robes: magical attunement bonus, near-zero physical defense — uses the Light Armor skill at Familiar or above; full arcane attunement requires the relevant arcane skills

Tools and Professional Gear¶

Feed Utility channel and its logistics sub-component. Required for gathering, crafting, repair, and survey work.

Harvest tools: axes, picks, fishing rods, hunting kits
Craft tools: smithing hammers, tinkering kits, alchemy sets
Repair kits: field repair for weapons and armor
Survey tools: markers, scopes, recording instruments

Jewellery (Neck, Ring ×2)¶

Jewellery slots carry focused bonuses rather than broad channel contributions. Each piece provides one to three properties depending on quality tier; it does not have a weapon-like base damage or armor-like base defense value.

Jewellery is divided by material and purpose:

Plain metal jewellery (copper, silver, gold, mithril) - Provides minor stat bonuses and renown or social effects - No skill requirement — any character can use them - Higher precious metal raises the property ceiling

Gemmed jewellery (gems set in metal) - Gem type determines the elemental or skill affinity - Metal tier determines the property count and bonus ceiling - Gem quality (raw, cut, flawless) affects how much the gem's affinity bonus contributes - Cutting skill (Tinkering or Artifice) determines whether a found gem can be set at full quality

Runic jewellery (runic inscriptions on metal) - Inscribed by a character with Scribing or Artifice at Skilled or higher - Provides the strongest targeted bonuses in the game — but only one effect per piece - Require specific material quality (Superior or higher base) plus the relevant inscription skill - Rune fades after a number of expeditions; re-inscription restores it

Warding charms and talismans - Dropped or crafted with Ritualism or Alchemy - Provide status resistance, elemental resistance, or expedition-specific effects - No intrinsic offense or defense channel contribution; they modify the resistance layer of the Defense channel instead

What Jewellery Actually Does¶

Jewellery does not replace weapons or armor. Its role is to:

extend a single skill value by a small fixed bonus (e.g. +1 effective band step toward Skilled in Routefinding)
add a targeted elemental or status resistance (e.g. fire resistance: moderate)
add a narrow expedition modifier (e.g. +survey output quality, +medicine efficiency, +cargo protection)
provide social or renown effects in applicable town or trade contexts (e.g. +local renown display, +negotiation perceived status)

A full set of three jewellery pieces (Neck + Ring ×2) at Masterwork/Exceptional quality and matched to the character's build can shift expedition outcomes meaningfully, but no single piece is game-changing on its own.

Jewellery and Skill Requirements¶

Plain metal jewellery has no skill requirement.

Gemmed and runic jewellery both require Appraisal at a minimum band to read the item's properties correctly before use. Below the minimum: - the item still equips and the base metal bonus still applies - the gem affinity or rune effect does not activate

Jewellery Example	Minimum Band
Plain silver ring	None
Gemmed gold amulet (cut gem)	Familiar in Appraisal
Flawless gemmed ring	Practiced in Appraisal
Runic silver band	Skilled in Appraisal
Runic mithril amulet	Veteran in Appraisal

This means Appraisal is a meaningful skill for any character who wants to use the better jewellery tiers — not just merchants.

Quality Tiers¶

Tier	Source	Effect
Common	found or basic purchase	base stats, no special properties
Crafted	player-made from standard materials	slightly better base stats
Fine	quality craft or reliable find	improved effectiveness, one secondary property
Superior	rare material or skilled craft	strong bonuses, up to two properties
Exceptional	high-skill craft or notable drop	strong bonuses, up to three properties
Masterwork	master-level craft only	near-ceiling stats, unique properties, signature effects

Higher quality tiers can also carry properties such as:

elemental affinity (fire, frost, shock, etc.)
skill bonus to a specific skill
reduced burden
expedition-specific modifiers (e.g. +survey quality, +cargo protection)
resistance to a specific status effect
for jewellery: rune effects, gem affinities, and social or renown modifiers

Skill Requirements¶

Every equipment piece has a minimum proficiency band required to use it at full effectiveness.

Item Example	Minimum Band
Common iron sword	Familiar in Blades
Superior iron sword	Practiced in Blades
Exceptional steel sword	Skilled in Blades
Masterwork rune sword	Veteran in Blades
Common plate armor	Familiar in Heavy Armor
Superior plate armor	Practiced in Heavy Armor
Masterwork plate	Veteran in Heavy Armor
Gemmed gold amulet	Familiar in Appraisal
Runic silver band	Skilled in Appraisal
Runic mithril amulet	Veteran in Appraisal

Below minimum band: equipment bonuses are partially negated; the item still functions but at reduced effectiveness.

At minimum band or above: full stats apply.

Far above minimum band: no extra bonus from the item itself, but the character's skill bonus adds on top. Mastery comes from skill, not from endlessly upgrading the item tier.

This means a Master swordsman with a Superior sword still outperforms an Untrained fighter with a Masterwork sword.

Durability and Repair¶

Each item has a current durability value from 0 to 100.

Degradation¶

Items degrade during expeditions based on encounter count, danger level, and expedition length.
Harder boss fights and extended expeditions degrade gear faster.
Certain enemy types cause accelerated wear (armor-breakers, corrosive attacks, heat zones).
Consumable items such as repair kits used during a run slow degradation in the field.

Degradation Effects¶

Durability	Effect
75–100	Full effectiveness
50–74	Minor penalty to derived stats
25–49	Moderate penalty; repair strongly recommended
1–24	Significant penalty
0	Item broken; slot gives penalty instead of bonus

Repair¶

Repair requires a skill matching the item type:

Metal weapons and armor: Smithing
Leather and cloth armor: Leatherworking or Clothworking
Wooden or composite gear: Carpentry
Tools and devices: Tinkering
Arcane implements: Artifice

Higher skill means better repair efficiency (more durability restored per material used) and less quality loss on repair. Repeated low-skill repairs can reduce an item's effective maximum durability over time.

Equipment and Loadouts¶

A saved loadout profile records:

full gear set (all equipped slots)
role core preset
utility package
safety rule preset

Switching to a saved loadout swaps all gear simultaneously. The server then rebuilds the derived combat snapshot from the new loadout automatically.

Players should be able to save at least three named loadout profiles.

Equipment not in a loadout sits in the character's inventory. Inventory items do not contribute to combat or expedition resolution.

What Equipment Quality Does¶

Quality tiers are not flat power multipliers. Each tier raises the ceiling on what a gear slot can contribute to the character's combat and expedition channels. Skill determines how much of that ceiling is actually used.

Channel Contributions¶

The combat snapshot derives five main channels from equipped gear:

Channel	Purpose	Primary feeding slots
Offense	Damage output, encounter pressure, kill speed	Weapon (melee, ranged)
Defense	Survivability, wound absorption, retreat quality	Armor (Head/Chest/Hands/Legs/Feet), Off-Hand (shield)
Arcane	Magical damage, elemental effects, barrier and ward strength	Weapon (staff/wand), Off-Hand (focus)
Utility	Gathering yield, repair quality, trap effectiveness	Weapon (harvest tool), Utility slot
Expedition	Supply efficiency, carry capacity, terrain and weather handling	Back, Feet, Jewellery (Neck/Ring ×2), Utility

No slot feeds more than two channels. Offense and Defense cannot be simultaneously maximized because maximizing Defense (full plate) adds very high Burden, which slows travel and drains endurance — indirectly weakening Expedition performance on long runs.

The jewellery_bonus_set from the three jewellery slots is a modifier applied on top of the five channels, not a replacement for any of them. Jewellery amplifies an existing build; it cannot compensate for weak weapons or poor armor.

Quality tier → channel contribution ceiling:

Quality Tier	Channel Contribution
Common	Weak
Crafted	Weak–Decent
Fine	Decent–Strong
Superior	Strong
Exceptional	Strong–Elite
Masterwork	Elite

Skill band determines how much of the ceiling is actually used. At the required minimum band, the full ceiling applies. One band below minimum: roughly 60% of ceiling. Two bands below: roughly 30%.

Burden¶

Burden is the cumulative weight of all equipped gear. It affects travel speed, endurance consumption, and retreat effectiveness.

Burden Total	Label	Travel Speed	Endurance Drain	Retreat Quality
0–15	Unencumbered	Full	Minimal	Full egress
16–30	Light Load	Full	Standard	Full egress
31–50	Standard Load	−5%	Standard	Standard
51–70	Heavy Load	−15%	+25%	Reduced
71–90	Overloaded	−30%	+50%	Significantly reduced
91+	Critically Overloaded	−50%	+75%	Near-fail

Skill mitigation: Heavy Armor at Veteran reduces effective burden from all plate and mail pieces by up to 20%. Endurance reduces endurance drain at all burden tiers. These allow a full-plate Vanguard to remain travel-viable without crippling expedition speed.

Burden values by item type:

Item Type	Burden
Plate/mail chest	16–20
Plate/mail head or legs	10–14
Plate/mail hands or feet	6–8
Chain/medium chest	8–12
Chain/medium head or legs	5–8
Leather chest	3–5
Leather head or legs	2–4
Padded or woven piece (any)	1–2
Robes (any piece)	0–1
Two-handed melee weapon	6–8
One-handed melee weapon	3–5
Bow	3–4
Staff	3–4
Wand	1–2
Tower Shield	8–10
Kite Shield	5–7
Round Shield or Buckler	2–4
Large Expedition Pack	8
Standard Expedition Pack	5
Small Expedition Pack	3
War Cloak	2
Travel Cloak	1
Jewellery (all pieces)	0
Utility items	0–1

Slot-by-Slot Reference¶

Weapon Slot¶

Feeds: Offense channel (melee and ranged weapons) or Arcane channel (staves and wands). Harvest tools feed Utility only and penalize the Offense channel if the character enters a combat encounter while equipped with one.

Melee weapons:

Item	Tier	Burden	Offense	Tags / Notes
Iron Short Sword	Common	3	Weak	No secondary properties.
Iron Hand Axe	Common	4	Weak	Armor Penetration tag — minor benefit vs. armored targets.
Iron War Hammer	Common	5	Weak	Knockdown tag — minor bonus vs. armored targets.
Ash Spear	Common	5	Weak	Reach tag — bonus vs. wave and swarm encounters.
Steel Longsword	Fine	4	Decent–Strong	One property (Speed or Penetration).
Steel Waraxe	Fine	5	Decent–Strong	Armor Penetration (moderate). One property.
Steel War Hammer	Fine	5	Decent–Strong	Knockdown (moderate). One property.
Steel Pike	Fine	6	Decent	Reach + Wave Defense tags. One property.
Superior Steel Longsword	Superior	4	Strong	Two properties.
Masterwork Longsword	Masterwork	4	Elite	Two properties + signature effect.

Ranged weapons:

Item	Tier	Burden	Offense	Tags / Notes
Hunting Bow	Common	3	Weak	Approach Advantage tag — reduces ambush damage taken.
Recurve Bow	Crafted	3	Weak–Decent	Approach Advantage.
Longbow	Fine	4	Decent–Strong	Approach Advantage + Range Extension. One property.
Superior Longbow	Superior	4	Strong	Two properties.
Masterwork Longbow	Masterwork	4	Elite	Two properties + signature.

Arcane weapons:

Item	Tier	Burden	Arcane	Notes
Oak Staff	Common	3	Weak	Two-handed — Off-Hand slot is unavailable.
Inscribed Ash Staff	Fine	3	Decent–Strong	Element affinity or output boost. One property.
Superior Carved Staff	Superior	3	Strong	Two properties.
Masterwork Inscribed Staff	Masterwork	3	Elite	Two properties + signature.
Carved Wand	Common	1	Weak (lower ceiling than staff)	One-handed — Off-Hand slot free for arcane focus.
Resonant Wand	Fine	1	Decent	One property. Pairs with focus for full output.

Harvest tools (Weapon slot — non-combat use):

Item	Utility Feed	Combat Penalty
Woodcutter's Axe	Logging	Offense −1 effective band in encounters
Miner's Pick	Mining	Offense −1 effective band in encounters
Herbalist's Knife	Herbalism	Offense −0.5 band (also functions as a light blade)
Fishing Rod	Fishing	Cannot be used in combat encounters
Hunter's Trap Kit	Hunting and Trapping	Passive trap utility only; no direct combat use

A character on a gather expedition should equip their harvest tool as primary and keep a combat weapon in a saved alternate loadout. The resolver uses whichever loadout was locked at expedition start.

Off-Hand Slot¶

Feeds: Defense channel (shields). Arcane channel (focus). Expedition tags (quiver, field kit).

Shields:

Item	Tier	Burden	Defense	Notes
Wooden Round Shield	Common	3	Low	Starter option. Higher durability loss under pressure.
Iron Round Shield	Common	4	Low–Moderate	Reliable entry shield.
Iron Buckler	Common	2	Low + Evasion tag	Pairs with light armor and Evasion skill builds.
Steel Kite Shield	Fine	6	Moderate–High	Standard Vanguard shield. One property.
Steel Tower Shield	Superior	9	High + Total Cover tag	Total Cover: party members during escort/retreat protected. Very high burden.
Masterwork Kite Shield	Masterwork	6	Elite	Two properties + signature.

Arcane focuses (Off-Hand with wand):

Item	Tier	Burden	Arcane Boost	Notes
Polished Stone Orb	Common	1	+10% to wand Arcane output	Requires Arcane Theory Familiar.
Crystal Focus	Fine	1	+20% to wand + one elemental affinity
Resonant Crystal Orb	Superior	1	+30% + two properties
Masterwork Focus	Masterwork	1	+40% + two properties + signature

Quivers (ranged builds):

Item	Tier	Burden	Effect
Standard Quiver	Common	1	30 shots; no bonus.
Quality Quiver	Fine	1	40 shots; +5% ranged Offense. One property.
Specialist Quiver	Superior	1	50 shots; holds two arrow types; swap bonus between types.

Arrow types stored in a quiver include: standard iron-tip, broadhead (hunt encounter bonus), blunt (stun application), fire-treated (Alchemy-crafted, elemental effect).

Field kits (support builds):

Item	Tier	Burden	Effect
Basic Field Kit	Common	1	+minor Field Medicine efficiency.
Warden's Field Kit	Fine	1	+Field Medicine efficiency + minor Restoration assist reach.
Master Medic's Kit	Masterwork	1	Field Medicine contribution raised to Strong; medicine supply cost per use reduced.

Head Slot¶

Feeds: Defense channel. Some specialist headgear adds Expedition tags.

Item	Type	Tier	Burden	Defense	Secondary
Iron Helm	Heavy	Common	8	Moderate	—
Steel Plate Helm	Heavy	Fine	10	High	One property.
Visored Great Helm	Heavy	Superior	12	Very High	Intimidation tag — morale effect on certain enemy types.
Chain Coif	Medium	Crafted	6	Low–Moderate	—
Studded Leather Cap	Medium	Fine	3	Low	One property.
Padded Hood	Light	Common	1	Minimal	—
Scout's Hood	Light	Fine	1	Minimal	+1 effective Tracking band.
Traveler's Hat	Light	Common	1	Minimal	Minor Weather Resist.
Apprentice's Cowl	Robes	Common	0	None	Minor Arcane attunement.
Scholar's Hood	Robes	Fine	0	None	Arcane attunement. One property.

Chest Slot¶

Feeds: Defense channel — this is the single largest slot contributor to Defense.

Item	Type	Tier	Burden	Defense	Secondary
Iron Plate Chest	Heavy	Common	16	Moderate–High	—
Steel Plate Chest	Heavy	Fine	17	High	One property.
Superior Plate Chest	Heavy	Superior	18	Very High	Two properties.
Masterwork Plate Chest	Heavy	Masterwork	18	Elite	Two properties + signature.
Chainmail Hauberk	Medium	Crafted	10	Moderate	—
Studded Leather Coat	Medium	Fine	5	Moderate	One property.
Padded Tunic	Light	Common	1	Low	—
Traveler's Coat	Light	Common	2	Low	Minor Weather Resist.
Reinforced Traveler's Coat	Light	Fine	2	Low	Weather Resist + one property.
Apprentice's Robe	Robes	Common	0	None	Minor Arcane output.
Scholar's Robe	Robes	Fine	0	None	Arcane output + one property.
Inscribed Robe	Robes	Superior	0	None	High Arcane output + two properties.

Hands Slot¶

Feeds: Defense channel (secondary contributor). Some gloves add Utility tags for craft and gather work.

Item	Type	Tier	Burden	Defense	Secondary
Iron Gauntlets	Heavy	Common	6	Moderate	—
Steel Gauntlets	Heavy	Fine	7	High	One property.
Chain Gauntlets	Medium	Crafted	4	Low–Moderate	—
Leather Gloves	Medium	Common	2	Low	—
Treated Leather Gloves	Medium	Fine	2	Low	One property (typically Grip or craft bonus).
Wrapped Hands	Light	Common	1	Minimal	—
Work Gloves	Light	Common	1	Minimal	+minor Utility tag for tool-based work.
Arcanist's Wraps	Robes	Fine	0	None	Arcane attunement + one property.

Legs Slot¶

Feeds: Defense channel.

Item	Type	Tier	Burden	Defense	Secondary
Iron Greaves	Heavy	Common	10	Moderate	—
Steel Greaves	Heavy	Fine	12	High	One property.
Chain Chausses	Medium	Crafted	6	Low–Moderate	—
Leather Leggings	Medium	Common	3	Low	—
Studded Leather Leggings	Medium	Fine	3	Low–Moderate	One property.
Padded Breeches	Light	Common	1	Minimal	—
Traveler's Trousers	Light	Common	1	Minimal	Minor route comfort — reduces fatigue contribution on long marches.
Robe Skirt	Robes	Common	0	None	Minor Arcane attunement.

Feet Slot¶

Feeds: Defense channel (minor) + Expedition tags. This is the most terrain-sensitive slot. Specialized boots matter more than raw defense for characters working specific biomes regularly.

Item	Type	Tier	Burden	Defense	Expedition Effect
Iron Sabatons	Heavy	Common	6	Moderate	—
Steel Sabatons	Heavy	Fine	8	High	One property.
Chain Boots	Medium	Crafted	4	Low–Moderate	—
Leather Boots	Medium	Common	3	Low	—
Riding Boots	Medium	Fine	3	Low	Mount does not tire as fast; Mount Riding comfort bonus.
Soft Boots	Light	Common	1	Minimal	—
Trail Boots	Light	Common	1	Minimal	Minor rough-terrain movement penalty reduction.
Climbing Boots	Light	Fine	2	Minimal	Hill and mountain terrain penalty reduced.
Snowshoes	Light	Crafted	2	Minimal	Removes winter snow movement penalty entirely.
Arcanist's Shoes	Robes	Common	0	None	Minor Arcane attunement.

Back Slot¶

Feeds: Carry capacity and Expedition tags. Does not feed Offense or Defense channels. Cloaks and packs are mutually exclusive — only one item occupies the Back slot.

Item	Tier	Burden	Carry Slots	Expedition Effect
Travel Cloak	Common	1	0	Minor Weather Resist; social appearance in town.
War Cloak	Common	2	0	Minor Defense bonus when cargo is not the priority.
Small Expedition Pack	Common	3	15	Basic carry.
Standard Expedition Pack	Crafted	5	25	Standard carry.
Large Expedition Pack	Fine	8	35	Full carry. One property (typically Supply Efficiency +10%).
Trapper's Pack	Fine	5	20	+1 effective Hunting and Trapping band for field processing; dedicated trap hooks.
Herbalist's Pack	Fine	5	20	+1 effective Herbalism band; prevents herb quality degradation in transit.
Miner's Pack	Fine	5	20	+1 effective Mining band; reinforced ore and stone carry.
Scholar's Satchel	Fine	3	10	+Survey quality preservation; maps and codex items carried safely; no bulk carry.
Masterwork Field Pack	Masterwork	7	35	Two properties + signature (e.g. supplies consumed 15% slower; ore or stone weight reduced by 30%).

Neck Slot (Jewellery)¶

Feeds: jewellery_bonus_set — extends and fine-tunes existing channel scores. Does not replace any channel.

Item	Type	Tier	Possible Properties
Copper Pendant	Plain metal	Common	Minor social display only.
Silver Medallion	Plain metal	Crafted	One of: minor skill efficiency, supply tracking, or social bonus.
Gold Amulet	Plain metal	Fine	One or two of: skill efficiency, expedition bonus, or social effect.
Iron Talisman	Warding charm	Common	Status resistance — one type: poison, fear, cold, or fatigue.
Treated Bone Talisman	Warding charm	Crafted	Status resistance (one type) + minor endurance recovery.
Fire Gem Amulet	Gemmed gold	Fine	Fire resistance: moderate; +minor Elementalism affinity.
Frost Gem Pendant	Gemmed silver	Fine	Frost resistance: moderate; +cold expedition terrain handling.
Shock Gem Amulet	Gemmed gold	Superior	Shock resistance: strong; +Arcane output in electrical-affinity encounters.
Runic Silver Amulet	Runic	Superior	Strongest targeted bonus — one effect only (e.g. +Field Medicine by 1 effective band). Fades after ~15 expeditions; re-inscription restores it.
Runic Gold Amulet	Runic	Exceptional	One powerful targeted effect. Fades after ~20 expeditions.

Ring Slots (×2)¶

Feeds: jewellery_bonus_set — same role as Neck, narrower individual effect. Two rings can be different types.

Item	Type	Tier	Possible Properties
Plain Copper Band	Plain metal	Common	Social display only.
Silver Ring	Plain metal	Crafted	One minor property.
Gold Signet Ring	Plain metal	Fine	One or two minor properties; signet carries guild or social recognition effect.
Trade Ring	Plain gold	Fine	+minor Negotiation efficiency — slight NPC service price reduction.
Fire Gem Ring	Gemmed gold	Fine	Fire resistance: moderate; +Elementalism affinity.
Runic Iron Band	Runic iron	Superior	One targeted effect (lower ceiling than gold runic). Fades after ~10 expeditions.
Runic Silver Ring	Runic silver	Superior	One targeted effect. Fades after ~15 expeditions.
Runic Gold Ring	Runic gold	Exceptional	One powerful targeted effect. Fades after ~20 expeditions.

A character with all three jewellery slots at Superior or Exceptional tier and matched to their role can push a near-ceiling Strong performance into Elite — but only if their primary gear and skill bands are already at the required level.

Utility Slot¶

Feeds: Utility channel (minor) and specific narrow Expedition tags.

Item	Tier	Effect
Coin Pouch	Common	Enables coin transactions mid-expedition without inventory rummage.
Vial Belt	Common	+2 quick-access consumable slots — no rummage delay when using a potion or salve during an encounter.
Tool Shard (Smithing)	Common	+minor Smithing Utility channel contribution.
Tool Shard (Tinkering)	Common	+minor Tinkering Utility channel contribution.
Herbalist's Pouch	Common	Herb carry without quality degradation in transit; +minor Herbalism.
Map Case	Common	Survey data preserved at full quality; maps survive harsher expedition conditions.
Field Torch	Common	Removes dark-zone encounter penalty in underground expedition content.
Oil Lantern	Crafted	Removes dark-zone penalty + extends light to party; requires oil refill between expeditions.
Arcane Focus Shard	Common	+minor Arcane channel boost.
Warding Bone	Crafted	+status resistance (one type); stacks with Neck talisman for double resistance coverage.

The Utility slot has the narrowest combat impact of any slot but is the decisive slot for expedition specialists: a Warden always brings a Vial Belt; an underground expedition character always brings a Lantern; a surveyor always carries a Map Case.

How the Slots Combine Into the Resolver¶

When an expedition launches, the server builds the character's combat snapshot from the active loadout in this order:

Offense channel — Weapon tier + primary offensive skill bands (Blades / Archery / Elementalism)
Defense channel — All five armor slot tiers combined + Off-Hand shield tier + defensive skill bands (Heavy Armor / Shielding / Evasion / Light Armor)
Arcane channel — Weapon (staff/wand) tier + Off-Hand focus tier + arcane skill bands (Arcane Theory / Elementalism / Warding)
Utility channel — Weapon (harvest tool) + Utility slot + professional skill bands (Smithing / Tinkering / Herbalism, etc.)
Burden modifier — Sum of all item burden values; applies travel speed and endurance penalties at Heavy Load and above; reduced by Heavy Armor and Endurance skills
Expedition tags — Collected from Feet, Back, Neck, Ring ×2, Utility; applied as flat modifiers to non-combat expedition phases (terrain handling, supply efficiency, skill bonuses, resistances)
jewellery_bonus_set — Three jewellery pieces' combined effect applied on top of the channel scores

The resolver then outputs a single role quality band (Weak / Decent / Strong / Elite) for the role the character is playing in that expedition. This feeds directly into the encounter success probability tables in ../combat/combat-resolution-and-party-logic.md.

Example — Vanguard loadout at mid-progression: - Steel Plate Chest (Fine) + Steel Greaves (Fine) + Iron Gauntlets (Common) + Iron Sabatons (Common) + Steel Plate Helm (Fine) - Steel Kite Shield (Fine) off-hand - Steel Longsword (Fine) weapon - Shielding: Skilled / Heavy Armor: Practiced / Endurance: Familiar - Total burden: ~55 → Heavy Load (−15% travel, +25% endurance drain) - Role quality band: Strong

To reach Elite, this character would need to push either gear to Superior/Masterwork across multiple slots, or advance Shielding and Heavy Armor to Veteran — ideally both.

character-progression-and-roles.md — overall snapshot model and derived channel overview
../combat/loadouts-and-safety-rules.md — loadout profiles and safety rules
../combat/combat-and-skills-integration.md — how gear quality feeds the role quality band
../combat/combat-resolution-and-party-logic.md — how quality band feeds encounter success probability
../economy/economy-crafting-and-survival.md — crafting inputs that determine item quality tier

Offense Channel — determines how much pressure the character applies in the Clash phase. - Sources: Weapon slot, Off-Hand (if attack-oriented), relevant Neck/Ring properties - Higher quality raises the raw offense ceiling - Controls: Clash outcome margin, elite and boss encounter damage window, weak-point opportunity frequency

Defense Channel — determines injury resistance and survival pressure across all phases. - Sources: Chest, Legs, Head, Hands, Feet armor slots, Off-Hand shield - Higher quality raises the raw defense ceiling - Controls: injury severity from Clash and Recovery phases, status effect resistance (bleed, poison, fear, stun)

Arcane Channel — determines magical offense and magical defense. - Sources: Weapon (if magical implement), Off-Hand focus, Neck/Ring with arcane properties, Robe chest - Controls: elemental burst effectiveness, ward strength, ritual quality in applicable encounters

Utility Channel — determines non-combat expedition capability. - Sources: Utility slot, Back slot pack, harvest or craft tools in Weapon slot - Controls: survey quality output, gather yield, repair efficiency, supply stretch, map output grade

Burden Modifier — a penalty applied to the Defense, Utility, and expedition logistics channels when the character carries more weight than their Endurance and armor skill can handle. Heavy plate on an Untrained wearer creates a large burden penalty. A Veteran in the same plate has no penalty and may gain a bonus. Burden also penalizes march stability and retreat quality, not only combat defense.

Quality Tier Values¶

Each quality tier sets a base value multiplier for its channel. These are relative to a Common item baseline of 1.0:

Quality Tier	Base Channel Multiplier
Common	1.0
Crafted	1.15
Fine	1.35
Superior	1.60
Exceptional	1.85
Masterwork	2.10

A Masterwork weapon therefore offers roughly double the offense ceiling of a Common weapon of the same type.

However, the multiplier only applies to the portion the character's skill can actually use.

Skill and Equipment Interaction¶

The core rule is:

Equipment sets the ceiling. Skill determines how much of that ceiling is reached.

Efficiency Formula¶

effective_contribution = equipment_base × skill_efficiency

Where skill_efficiency maps proficiency bands to a fraction of the equipment's ceiling:

Proficiency Band	Skill Efficiency
Untrained	0.30
Familiar	0.55
Practiced	0.70
Skilled	0.82
Veteran	0.92
Expert	0.97
Master	1.00

What This Means in Practice¶

A Master swordsman with a Common sword: 1.0 × 1.00 = 1.00 effective offense

An Untrained fighter with a Masterwork sword: 2.10 × 0.30 = 0.63 effective offense

A Skilled fighter with a Superior sword: 1.60 × 0.82 = 1.31 effective offense

A Veteran fighter with a Masterwork sword: 2.10 × 0.92 = 1.93 effective offense

The design intent is clear: a highly skilled character with decent gear outperforms a low-skill character with premium gear. The biggest gains come from pushing both skill and quality upward together. Neither dimension alone reaches the ceiling.

Where Gear Matters Most¶

Power (Offense): Weapon quality is the largest single lever. A Masterwork weapon on a Veteran swordsman is the most offense-efficient combination before reaching Master tier. The last push from Veteran to Master is smaller than the jump from Skilled to Veteran.

Survival (Defense): Defense is spread across five armor slots, so total investment matters more than any single piece. A full Superior armor set outperforms a single Masterwork piece with common armor in the remaining slots. Skill efficiency applies independently per slot, then the Defense channel sums all contributions.

Attrition Resistance: The Back slot (expedition pack) and Utility slot directly affect how long the character stays effective during long expeditions. A Superior pack on a character with strong Pack Handling keeps supplies lasting longer and reduces resource waste during Recovery phases.

Jewellery (Neck, Ring ×2): Jewellery does not have a channel base value in the same sense as weapons or armor. Instead each piece injects a bounded property bonus directly into the snapshot — a skill step bonus, a resistance, or an expedition modifier. Three matching pieces that complement the character's role can provide a combined effect comparable to upgrading one armor slot by one quality tier. The best use of jewellery is targeted: plug a weakness (e.g. add fire resistance before a volcanic expedition), sharpen a strength (e.g. add survey quality on a Scout build), or add a social modifier for town-focused play.

Status Resistance: Higher quality armor carries resistance properties more often. A Masterwork plate chest might carry bleed resistance and fear immunity. But those properties only fully apply when the character meets the armor skill minimum. A character without Heavy Armor proficiency at Practiced level does not gain the bleed resistance property on a Superior plate chest even if they can wear it at reduced effectiveness.

Diminishing Returns Design¶

To prevent pure gear-grinding from dominating:

Each quality tier step adds less raw channel value than the previous step
Skill efficiency above Veteran gains very little additional multiplier (0.92 → 0.97 → 1.00)
Accessories and property bonuses follow the same skill-gated rules

The largest character power gains should come from the Practiced → Skilled → Veteran band transitions, paired with Crafted → Fine → Superior gear. The Expert and Master tiers and Exceptional/Masterwork gear are meaningful but not required to participate in most content.

Gear Without Matching Skill (Undergearing and Overgearing)¶

Undergearing (skill higher than gear quality): The character performs well but leaves ceiling room on the table. A Master swordsman with a Common sword plays at effective offense 1.00. Replacing the weapon with Fine gear jumps them to 1.35. This is the main reason a skilled character should care about gear improvement.

Overgearing (gear quality higher than skill): The character wastes most of the quality tier. A Familiar-band fighter in Masterwork plate gets only 2.10 × 0.55 = 1.16 effective defense from that chest — less than a Skilled fighter in Fine armor (1.35 × 0.82 = 1.11, roughly comparable, and the Skilled fighter is not paying the high craft cost or maintenance cost). Overgearing is not harmful but it is wasteful and is not how you get best value from premium materials.

The practical advice for players: - Match gear tier to your current skill band - Upgrade gear as your skill band climbs - Masterwork gear is the target for characters in the Veteran–Master range, not for new characters

Equipment and the Combat Snapshot¶

On each loadout commit, the server derives the full channel set:

offense_channel: weapon type, quality tier, relevant skill efficiency, applied properties
defense_channel: armor type per slot, quality tier per slot, shield presence, relevant skill efficiency per slot, summed; jewellery resistance properties injected here
arcane_channel: implement type, quality tier, arcane skill efficiency, focus amplification
utility_channel: tools, back-slot pack, utility slot, relevant skill efficiency
jewellery_bonus_set: ordered list of property injections from all three jewellery slots — skill step bonuses, elemental/status resistances, expedition modifiers, and social modifiers
role_tags: inferred from weapon category, armor weight class, and dominant skill clusters
burden_modifier: total encumbrance versus Endurance and armor skill efficiency
expedition_tags: modifiers from back-slot pack, accessory properties, and jewellery expedition modifiers

Profession Equipment Sets¶

A profession set is a group of items designed to work together for a specific non-combat activity. Sets are defined by their item tags. Wearing more pieces from the same set activates set bonuses that would not appear on any single piece in isolation.

How Set Bonuses Work¶

Set bonus thresholds are 2 pieces, 4 pieces, and 6 pieces. Each threshold stacks — a 6-piece wearer gains all three bonuses simultaneously.

Pieces can be any quality tier. The set bonus fires as long as the item is equipped and the slot contributes normally (not broken, not voided by skill mismatch, not overridden by a conflicting set).

You cannot combine bonuses from two different profession sets in the same slot. If a character wears three Foraging pieces and three Smithing pieces, both 2-piece bonuses activate. The 4-piece bonus of neither set activates because neither reaches four pieces.

Combat-role loadout presets and profession sets are separate. The same gear slots are used for both, so a dedicated profession run usually means committing to a full non-combat loadout and relying on the group for combat coverage if the expedition requires it.

Gathering Sets¶

These sets are tuned for raw material extraction. The Weapon slot takes a matching harvest tool. The Utility slot takes a matching gathering pouch or container kit. Armor is usually Medium or Light to keep burden low.

Mining and Stonecraft Set¶

Slot composition: Harvest pick (Weapon), Ore satchel (Utility), Sturdy work helm (Head), Reinforced work vest (Chest), Miner's gloves (Hands), Knee-braced work legs (Legs), Iron-toed boots (Feet), Heavy haul pack (Back), Vein-seeker ring (Ring), Assay pendant (Neck)

Pieces Worn	Bonus
2	Ore and stone extraction timer −10%
4	Each extraction has a 12% chance to yield a secondary material from the node (gemstone shard, flux stone, mineral salt)
6	Flat 6% chance per extraction to upgrade one ore unit to the next quality band (e.g. Common → Fine, Fine → Superior)

The 6-piece quality upgrade applies before the extracted stack is logged. It does not trigger again on already-upgraded units in the same pull.

Forest and Logging Set¶

Slot composition: Felling axe or broad hatchet (Weapon), Log tally kit (Utility), Bark-hardened hood (Head), Foresters's vest (Chest), Work wraps (Hands), Trail trousers (Legs), Bark-grip boots (Feet), Timber hauler pack (Back), Sap ring (Ring), Woodcutter's pendant (Neck)

Pieces Worn	Bonus
2	Timber and wood yield per node +15%
4	10% chance per extraction to find a secondary material alongside timber (resin, alchemical bark, dye bark, hardwood knot)
6	Specialty and hardwood logs have a 7% chance to yield Heartwood — a rare structural material used in master-tier weapons, furniture, and town projects

Foraging and Herbalism Set¶

Slot composition: Foraging staff or belt knife (Weapon), Herb press and satchel (Utility), Woven circlet (Head), Travel tunic (Chest), Thin work gloves (Hands), Padded field trousers (Legs), Soft-sole boots (Feet), Deep forager's pack (Back), Root-sense ring (Ring), Sprig pendant (Neck)

Pieces Worn	Bonus
2	Herb and plant node visibility range +1 tile in map review; extraction timer −8%
4	15% chance to extract a potency-upgraded variant of any herb (potency-grade herbs are used in advanced alchemical and medicine recipes)
6	Seasonal nodes remain partially visible and extractable one week outside their peak season window

Hunting and Trapping Set¶

Slot composition: Hunting bow or trapper's blade (Weapon), Trap and snare kit (Utility), Camouflage hood (Head), Soft leather vest (Chest), Hunter's gloves (Hands), Quiet-step leggings (Legs), Stalker boots (Feet), Field dressing pack (Back), Predator's ring (Ring), Hunter's token (Neck)

Pieces Worn	Bonus
2	Approach stealth: wildlife encounters have 15% reduced alert range; ambush success rate +10%
4	Hide, pelt, and bone quality upgrades by one grade when field-dressing kills
6	8% chance per kill of wildlife or beast to yield a rare part roll (rare gland, pristine trophy, elder-grade bone)

Fishing Set¶

Slot composition: Fishing rod (Weapon), Net and bait kit (Utility), Wide-brim sun hat (Head), Waxed canvas coat (Chest), Angler's gloves (Hands), Waterproof trousers (Legs), Wading boots (Feet), Fish carrier pack (Back), Tidal ring (Ring), Angler's charm (Neck)

Pieces Worn	Bonus
2	Fishing extraction timer −12%; minimum yield floor raised by 1 unit
4	14% chance per extraction to catch a higher-grade fish or aquatic material (e.g. Common catch → Fine grade, or inclusion of a rare aquatic ingredient)
6	10% chance during any water-adjacent expedition to discover a hidden shoal or submerged resource node not on the current map

Farming and Agriculture Set¶

Slot composition: Tilling tool or harvest sickle (Weapon), Seed and measure kit (Utility), Straw hat (Head), Field coat (Chest), Padded work gloves (Hands), Patched working trousers (Legs), Work boots (Feet), Harvest carry pack (Back), Cultivator's ring (Ring), Grain pendant (Neck)

Pieces Worn	Bonus
2	Crop harvest yield +12%; tending and planting timer −8%
4	Field condition degrades 20% slower between tending cycles — reduces total input cost to maintain a field in good condition
6	8% chance per harvest batch for a quality-upgraded yield (e.g. regular grain → Fine grain, common herbs → potency-grade herbs)

The 6-piece quality upgrade on crops follows the same rule as mining: it resolves once per batch before output is logged.

Exploration and Cartography Set¶

Slot composition: Survey tool or scout's blade (Weapon), Compass and field journal (Utility), Scout's hood or wide-brim hat (Head), Travel cloak or light dusted coat (Chest), Map-writer's gloves (Hands), Trail trousers (Legs), Long-stride boots (Feet), Cartographer's pack (Back), Routefinder's ring (Ring), Waystone amulet (Neck)

Pieces Worn	Bonus
2	Fog-of-war reveal radius +1 tile per step; survey output quality +1 grade
4	18% chance per map tile traversed to passively discover a surveyed site or hidden node without spending a dedicated survey action
6	Tiles marked during any expedition where this set is active have a 12% chance to be automatically upgraded from basic mapping to full surveyed status

Crafting Sets¶

Crafting sets are tuned for workshop activity. They occupy the same slots as expedition gear but activate their bonuses inside workshop jobs, not during expedition encounters. A character can save a crafting loadout and switch to it before starting a workshop batch.

Smithing Set¶

Slot composition: Smithing hammer (Weapon), Bellows kit or flux pouch (Utility), Forge helm or eye guard (Head), Leather apron (Chest), Forge gloves (Hands), Reinforced work trousers (Legs), Toed iron boots (Feet), Tool roll pack (Back), Metalworker's ring (Ring), Forgemaster's pendant (Neck)

Pieces Worn	Bonus
2	Material waste per batch −10% (more ingots and components from the same raw input)
4	Quality ceiling for assembled items raised by one tier: crafts that would peak at Crafted quality can now reach Fine; Fine can reach Superior
6	8% chance on any Superior or higher completed item to trigger a Masterwork attempt — the item is re-evaluated against the crafter's Smithing band; if the check passes, the item becomes Masterwork

The 6-piece Masterwork attempt does not consume extra materials. It is a quality upgrade to the already-completed item.

Leatherworking and Clothworking Set¶

Slot composition: Tanner's knife or cloth shears (Weapon), Awl and thread kit (Utility), Work cap (Head), Tanner's apron (Chest), Fine-stitch gloves (Hands), Padded work trousers (Legs), Workshop boots (Feet), Pattern roll pack (Back), Stitcher's ring (Ring), Clothworker's pendant (Neck)

Pieces Worn	Bonus
2	Raw hide and fiber yield +15% when processing into usable leather and cloth
4	Finished leather and cloth armor items have reduced burden contribution (−8% to burden modifier) when the wearer also has matching armor skill at Practiced or above
6	9% chance on any Superior leather or cloth armor completion to produce an Exceptional result from the same materials

Alchemy and Medicine Set¶

Slot composition: Mortar pestle or alchemist's blade (Weapon), Reagent vial belt (Utility), Filtered hood or safety cap (Head), Treated work coat (Chest), Reagent gloves (Hands), Covered work trousers (Legs), Chemical-resist boots (Feet), Reagent satchel pack (Back), Catalyst ring (Ring), Distillation amulet (Neck)

Pieces Worn	Bonus
2	Failed batch rate −12% (batches that would produce zero output instead produce at minimum 1 unit)
4	Consumable output count ×1.15 per batch (rounded down, minimum +1 unit per batch of 6 or more)
6	10% chance per batch of any potion or salve to produce one potency-upgraded unit alongside the standard output

Trade and Logistics Set¶

Slot composition: Any tool or trade instrument (Weapon), Trade ledger or weight kit (Utility), Merchant's hat (Head), Merchant's coat (Chest), Negotiator's gloves (Hands), Travel trousers (Legs), Long-road boots (Feet), Expedition merchant pack (Back), Trade ring (Ring), Commerce amulet (Neck)

Pieces Worn	Bonus
2	Carry weight budget +10%; cargo item slots +2 in the active expedition inventory
4	Cargo loss on expedition failure reduced by 20%; spoilage rate on perishables during travel −15%
6	Market tax rate −5% at any region where the character has at least Familiar local renown; negotiation offer range widens by ±8% when initiating player-to-player trade or contract submissions

Set Design Constraints¶

Set bonuses apply to expedition and workshop resolution only. They do not boost combat channels. A character wearing a full Foraging set in a combat encounter gets no gathering bonus mid-fight.
Items are designed to fill the same slots used by combat gear. Every profession set uses the full 11 slots so there is no dead weight.
No set obsoletes skill. All extraction bonuses are additive modifiers on top of skill efficiency. A Master-tier gatherer in a Common gathering set outgathers a Familiar-tier gatherer in a Masterwork gathering set. Skill is always the primary axis.
Quality tiers still matter. A Masterwork harvest pick combined with the full Mining set and Veteran Mining skill achieves the highest extractable quality ceiling. A Common pick with the same set and the same skill is meaningfully weaker in quality ceiling but still benefits from the set speed and secondary-drop bonuses.
Sets can be partially assembled. Players in early progression who only own two or three pieces of a set still gain the 2-piece bonus. There is no all-or-nothing gate.

These derived values feed the combat resolver directly. The resolver does not re-read raw item stats during the expedition.

Technical Records¶

Store:

item_template: base definition — type, category, slot, base stats, quality tier, skill requirements, possible properties
item: individual instance — template ref, current durability, quality tier, applied properties, gem_ref if gemmed, rune_ref if runic, crafter id if player-made
character_equipment: current equipped items per slot — character id, slot name, item id
character_inventory: unequipped items — character id, item id, stack count where applicable

character progression and roles
loadouts and safety rules
combat and skills integration
gathering and resource ecology
crafting and itemization
material relevance and recipe structure