Gear

This section covers the wide variety of general **Gear** available to adventurers of all sorts. See Wealth for more information on a character's buying power and how to gain greater wealth.

Many of the objects in this section are battery-operated. Any device that uses batteries comes with them. As a general rule, ignore battery life — assume that heroes (and their antagonists) are smart enough to recharge or replace their batteries between adventures, and that the batteries last as long as needed during adventures. If battery life is important in the game, roll 1d20 every time a battery-operated item is used. On a result of 1, the batteries are dead and the object is useless. New batteries have a purchase DC of 2 and can be changed as a move action.

There are 4 ways to get equipment:

1. Take it from others by either looting defeated enemies or by steeling it.
2. Purchase it with a Wealth check either legally or from The Black Market.
3. Finding it laying around using the On-Hand Objects rules.
4. Requisitioning Equipment from an organization or employer.

## Gear Tables

Equipment is described by a number of statistics, as shown on the various gear tables.

Size
The size category of a piece of equipment helps to determine how easy that object is to conceal, and it also indicates whether using the object requires one hand or two. In general, a character needs only one hand to use any object that is of his or her size category or smaller.
Weight
This column gives the item’s weight.
Cost DC
This is the purchase DC for a Wealth check to acquire the item. This number reflects the base price and doesn’t include any modifier for purchasing the item on the black market.
Restriction
The restriction rating for the object, if any, and the appropriate black market purchase DC modifier. Remember to apply this modifier to the purchase DC when making a Wealth check to acquire the item on the black market.
Progress Level
This represents the era in which an item is first available. This is often referred to as just "PL". In general, the 1980's through the 2030's is PL 5. More on this in Progress Levels.
Source
This refers to where the information came from. There are several sources, including D20 Modern Source Book , its expansions, and the Web Enhancements and Errata's.
## Purchasing Gear

Purchasing Gear requires a Wealth Check. Wealth checks are used to determine what characters can afford and what gear they might reasonably have access to. Every character has a Wealth bonus that reflects his or her buying power. Every object and service has a purchase DC. To purchase an object, make a Wealth check against the purchase DC.

### The Wealth Check

A Wealth check is a 1d20 roll plus a character’s current Wealth bonus. The Wealth bonus is fluid. It increases as a character gains Wealth and decreases as the character makes purchases. If the character succeeds on the Wealth check, the character gains the object. If the character fails, he or she can’t afford the object at the time.

If the character’s current Wealth bonus is equal to or greater than the DC, the character automatically succeeds. If the character successfully purchases an object or service with a purchase DC that’s higher than his or her current Wealth bonus, the character’s Wealth bonus decreases.

### Shopping and Time

Buying less common objects generally takes a number of hours equal to the purchase DC of the object or service, reflecting the time needed to locate the wanted materials and close the deal. Getting a license or buying an object with a restriction rating increases the time needed to make purchases.

### Taking 10 and Taking 20

A character can usually take 10  or take 20  when making a Wealth check. Taking 20 requires 20 times as long as normal.

### Try Again?

A character can try again if he or she fails a Wealth check, but not until the character has spent an additional number of hours shopping equal to the purchase DC of the object or service.

### Aid Another

One other character can help another to purchase something by making an aid another attempt to help a character purchase an object or service by making a Wealth check (DC 10). The character can't take 10 or 20 on this check. If the attempt is successful, that character provides the purchaser with a +2 bonus on his or her Wealth check and reduces his or her Wealth bonus by +1. This does not provide the lead character with a higher wealth score for purposes of determining loss to their wealth score, only a bonus to the roll.

### Losing Wealth

Any time a character purchases an object or service with a purchase DC higher than his or her current Wealth bonus, or one with a purchase DC of 15 or higher, the character’s Wealth bonus goes down. How much the Wealth bonus is reduced depends on how expensive the object is.

 16 or more points higher than current | 2d6  points

Along with this loss, any time a character buys an object or service with a purchase DC of 15 or higher, the character reduces his or her current Wealth bonus by an additional 1 point.

A character’s Wealth bonus only goes down if he or she **successfully** buys an object or service. If the character attempts to buy something and the check fails, his or her Wealth bonus is unaffected (but the time is still waisted).

### Wealth Bonus of +0

A character’s Wealth bonus can never decrease to less than +0. If a character’s Wealth bonus is +0, the character doesn’t have the buying power to purchase any object or service that has a purchase DC of 10 or higher, and can’t take 10  or take 20 .

## On-Hand Objects

To account for the mundane and innocuous objects that most people have among their possessions-and not force every character to specifically purchase such objects in order to employ them-use the following rules.

With the GM's permission, a character can make a Wealth check to see if he or she has a mundane object on hand, as long as the object has a purchase DC of 10 or lower. (The GM determines the purchase DC for an object that's not mentioned in this chapter, using similarly priced objects as a guide.) The Wealth check works the same as for buying the object, except that the character takes a -10 penalty on the check, and he or she can't take 10 or take 20. Also, a character can't make a Wealth check to see if he or she has a mundane object on hand during character generation or between adventures-only during play. If the character succeeds, his or her Wealth bonus is unaffected, even if the object's purchase DC is higher than his or her Wealth bonus.

Depending on the situation, the GM can rule that a certain mundane object is not available; for an object to be obtainable, the character must be in a place where the object logically would be.

## Restricted Objects

Some objects require licenses to own or operate, or are restricted in use to qualifying organizations or individuals. In such cases, a character must purchase a license or pay a fee to legally own the object. The GM may decide that the restriction of an item is greater or lesser for a given region or era.

A license or fee is a separate item, purchased in addition to (and usually before) the object to which it applies. The four levels of restriction are as follows.

Licensed (+1)
The owner must obtain a license to own or operate the object legally. Generally, the license is not expensive, and obtaining it has few if any additional legal requirements.
Restricted (+2)
Only specially qualified individuals or organizations are technically allowed to own the object. However, the real obstacles to ownership are time and money; anyone with sufficient patience and cash can eventually acquire the necessary license.
Military (+3)
The object is sold primarily to legitimate police and military organizations. A military rating is essentially the same as restricted (see above), except that manufacturers and dealers are generally under tight government scrutiny and are therefore especially wary of selling to private individuals.
Illegal (+4)
The object is illegal in all but specific, highly regulated circumstances.

### Purchasing a License

To purchase a license or pay necessary fees, make a Wealth check against the purchase DC given in Table: Restricted Objects. With a success, the license is issued to the character after the number of days indicated. To speed the process, the hero can make a Knowledge (business) check against a DC equal to the license purchase DC. Success results in the license being issued in 1d6  hours. (During the process of character creation, a character just needs to purchase the license or pay the fee; the time required takes place before game play begins.)

As a general rule, a character must obtain the appropriate license before buying a restricted object. Legitimate dealers will not sell restricted objects to a character who does not have the necessary license. However, a character may be able to turn to the black market (see below) to obtain restricted objects without a license.

### The Black Market

Sometimes a character wants to obtain an object without going through the hassle of getting a license first. Almost anything is available on the black market. Knowledge (streetwise) checks can be used to locate a black market merchant. The DC is based on the location in question: 15 to find a black market merchant in a big city, or 20, 25, or higher in small towns and rural areas. Objects purchased on the black market are more expensive than those purchased legally. Add the black market purchase DC modifier from Table: Restricted Objects to the object’s purchase DC.

Obtaining an object on the black market takes a number of days according to the Time Required column on Table: Restricted Objects. The process can be hurried, but each day cut out of the process (to a minimum of one day) increases the purchase DC by an additional +1.

## Requisitioning Equipment

When a hero working for an agency needs more equipment than he or she has on hand, the hero may try to requisition it. The agency evaluates whether the character really needs the object, how soon the agency can supply it, and whether the agency can reasonably expect to get it back when the hero is done with it.

The result is determined by a level check (1d20 + character level) against a DC equal to the equipment's purchase DC. Add the character's Charisma bonus to the check and any relevant modifiers from Table: Requisition Modifiers that may affect the check.

The result of the check determines whether and how quickly the agency can provide the hero with the requested equipment. With a success, the object is issued to the hero. Generally, it takes 24 hours to obtain an object through requisition, but if the object is especially common, or if the hero beats the check DC by 5 or more, it is available in 1d4  hours.

Requisitioned objects are loaned, not given, to the hero. Obviously, expendable objects like ammunition don't have to be returned if used.

For example, a player wants to requisition an M-60 machine gun (Purchase DC 21). Their 5th-level hero receives a mission in which combat is a near certainty, and she turned in all her requisitioned gear undamaged at the end of her last assignment. She has a Charisma bonus of +1. She gains a +10 bonus on the check:

* +5 for being 5th-level,
* +6 for a necessary object,
* -6 for the military restriction,
* +2 for proficient in the use of the object,
* +2 for turning in previous gear,
* and +1 for Charisma.

The player rolls a =12. The result is 22, which beats the M-60 machine gun's purchase DC. The machine gun is issued to the character the next day.

## Mastercraft Objects

**Table: Mastercraft Modifiers**
 +3 | +9

Weapons, armor, and some other types of equipment can be constructed as mastercraft objects. The exceptional quality of these objects provides the user a bonus on attack rolls, damage, Defense, or some other characteristic that improves when the object is used.

A mastercraft object that provides a +1 bonus can usually be purchased on the open market as a custom version of a common object. The increased cost of such an object adds +3 to the purchase DC. A rare few objects are of mastercraft quality even without customization. The off-the-shelf version of the object is of such high quality that it is always provides a bonus of +1. In these cases, the purchase DC is not increased (such objects are already priced higher than similar objects of lower quality). Mastercraft objects with a bonus of +2 or +3 are not common and are generally not for sale. If a mastercraft +2 object could be found for purchase, its cost would add +6 to the normal purchase DC. The cost of a mastercraft +3 object would add +9 to the normal purchase DC.

## Concealed Weapons and Objects

It's assumed that, when attempting to conceal a weapon or other object, a character is wearing appropriate clothing.

Drawing a concealed weapon is more difficult than drawing a regularly holstered weapon, and normally requires an attack action. Keeping the weapon in an easier-to-draw position makes concealing it more difficult.

### Sleight of Hand Checks

To conceal a weapon or other object, make a Sleight of Hand check. A character concealing an object before he or she heads out into public can usually take 10 unless he or she is rushed, trying to conceal it when others might see, or under other unusual constraints. Sleight of Hand can be used untrained in this instance, but the character must take 10.

### Size and Concealment

The object's size affects the check result, as shown on Table: Concealing Weapons and Objects. The type of holster used or clothing worn, and any attempt to make a weapon easier to draw, can also affect the check.

### Spotting Concealed Objects

Noticing a concealed weapon or other object requires a Spot check. The DC varies: If the target made a roll when concealing an object, the DC of the Spot check to notice the object is the same as the target's check result (an opposed check, in other words). If the target took 10 on his or her Sleight of Hand check, use this formula:

An observer attempting to spot a concealed object receives a -1 penalty for every 10 feet between him or herself and the target, and a -5 penalty if distracted.

Patting someone down for a hidden weapon requires a similar check. However, the skill employed in Search, and the searcher gets a +4 circumstance bonus for the hands-on act of frisking the target. Some devices may also offer bonuses under certain circumstances (a metal detector offers a bonus to Search checks to find metal objects, for example).

### Spotting Concealable Armor

Concealable armor can be worn under clothing if the wearer wants it to go unnoticed. Don't use the modifiers from Table: Concealing Weapons and Objects when wearing concealable armor. Instead, anyone attempting to notice the armor must make a Spot check (DC 30).

## Living in Luxury

The purchase DCs given are for average-quality items. It's possible to purchase similar items with luxury features, generally by increasing the purchase DC by 1. Although such items are more expensive, they offer no additional features or game benefits.

## Carrying Capacity

A character's carrying capacity depends directly on the character's Strength score, as shown on Table: Carrying Capacity.

### Medium Load

If the weight of the character's gear falls in his or her medium load range, the character is considered encumbered. An encumbered character's speed is reduced to the value given on Table: Encumbrance Speed Modifiers, if the character is not already slowed to that speed for some other reason.

An encumbered character performs as if his or her Dexterity modifier were no higher than +3. In addition, the character takes a -3 encumbrance penalty on attack rolls and checks involving the following skills: Balance, Climb, Escape Artist, Hide, Jump, Move Silently, and Tumble. This encumbrance penalty stacks with any armor penalty that may also apply.

### Heavy Load

If the weight of a character's gear falls in his or her heavy load range, the character is considered heavily encumbered. A heavily encumbered character's speed is reduced to the value given below, if the character is not already slowed to that speed for some other reason.

A heavily encumbered character performs as if his or her Dexterity modifier were no higher than +1. In addition, the character takes a -6 encumbrance penalty on attack rolls and checks involving the following skills: Balance, Climb, Escape Artist, Hide, Jump, Move Silently, and Tumble. This encumbrance penalty stacks with any armor penalty that may also apply. Finally, a heavily encumbered character's maximum running speed multiplier is reduced by one (generally: his or her speed x3 instead of speed x4).

The figure at the upper end of a character's heavy load range is his or her maximum load. No character can move or perform any other actions while carrying more than his or her maximum load.

If the weight of everything a character is wearing or carrying amounts to no more than his or her light load figure, the character can move and perform any actions normally (though the character's speed might already be slowed by the armor he or she is wearing).

**Table: Encumbrance Speed Modifiers**
 60 ft. | 50 ft. | 30 ft.

### Lifting and Dragging

A character can lift up to his or her maximum load over his or her head.

A character can lift up to double his or her maximum load off the ground, but he or she can only stagger around with it. While overloaded in this way, the character loses any Dexterity bonus to Defense and can only move 5 feet per round as a full-round action.

A character can generally push or drag along the ground up to five times his or her maximum load. Favorable conditions (smooth ground, dragging a slick object) can double these numbers, and bad circumstances (broken ground, pushing an object that snags) can reduce them to one-half or less.

### Bigger and Smaller Creatures

The figures on Table: Carrying Capacity are for Medium-size bipedal creatures. Larger bipedal creatures can carry more weight depending on size category and smaller creatures can carry less weight. Quadrupeds, such as horses, can carry heavier loads than bipedal creatures can. Use the multipliers on "Table: Bigger and Smaller Creatures Carry Capacity" to adjust for the new carry capacity.

### Tremendous Strength

For Strength scores not listed, find the Strength score between 20 and 29 that has the same ones digit as the creature's Strength score. Multiply the figures

* x4 if the creature's Strength is in the 30s,
* x16 if the creature's Strength is in the 40s,
* x64 if the creature's Strength is in the 50s,
* x256 (64x4) if the creature's Strength is in the 60s,

and so on.