Consumables

From LegendWiki

Players start each [Quest] length period with three consumables per character under almost all circumstances. Should players be exceptionally poor either in money or sense, they may end up starting with less. This is a fairly significant change, however, so consider it carefully. It can lead to failure becoming a slippery slope, as consumables are designed to take the edge off of that exact same slope.

We offer a large set of items with different durations, and enough of them that a single party is actually making meaningful choices about their loadouts. Notably, consumable items are rarely open to monsters, as it would not make sense for them to have such equipment. We use this to distinguish bosses, recurrent foes, and the like as well!

Finally, consumables offer something really special to players: loot they can use right away which directly affects their short term survival and can be accumulated meaningfully, unlike other magical or mundane items. This means that it is perfectly reasonable for players to find a chest of healing potions, or recover a pair of ancient Ankhs. Players should be able to expect one consumable per character about every 6 encounters, varying based on difficulty and likely not received all at once. On average, a character can expect to use or need a consumable about every three encounters, leading to a gradual but virtually inevitable loss of resources across the arc of the [Quest]. It's up to the GM how much this scarcity receives emphasis.

Consumable Rules Summary

Starting Consumables per Level
Lesser Greater Relic Artifact
Lvl. 1-4 3 0 0 0
Lvl. 5-9 2 1 0 0
Lvl. 10-20 1 1 1 0
  • Consumables normally require a swift action to activate, however exceptions exist.
  • Consumables listed with a skill are considered linked with it. A character that wants to use that consumable must have that skill trained.
  • A good general rule in trading or attempting to acquire Consumables is that a consumable is worth two Consumable items of the next tier down. Artifact Consumables cannot be traded down.
  • The Artifacts are never available for trade, and are generally only found as rewards for perilous quests, or created via a recipe as part of an Artifact level magic item. Some games may find it useful to make the Ankh considerably more available, however.
  • Again, we recommend that each player get 3 consumables per [Quest].
Consumables by skill and item type
Lesser Item Greater Item Relic Artifact
General Healing Potion Formal Favor Rusted Ring Ankh
Gloss Armor Hourglass
Tiny Model
Arcana Hollow Horn Illusionary Terrain
Diplomacy Limited Diplomatic Immunity
Engineering Brush Shield Canned Lightning
Floating Eye Daedalic Wings
Meat Grenade Intricate Headgear
Geography Granite Spike Affable Cube
Shape Earth
History What Someone Else Knew Spirit's Shielding
Larceny Firebrand Friends in Low Places
Nature Instant Tree Strange Acid Flask
Perception Curious Monocle Wolf Totem