Equipment

Everyone can start with as many uncrafted weapons as they like. These are not suitable for use with the Prowess skill but still hurt people when you hit them. Likewise, anyone can enter play with armour made of soft leather, fur, or solid synthetic materials that gives +1 Physical Health as long as it covers their torso.

Crafters start with one item already made per skill purchase they made in each type of Craft (five items in the case of drugs). Outdoorsfolk start with one sack of relevant materials per purchase they’ve made.

• One-handed (takes one sack of metal)
• Two-handed (takes a sack of wood and a sack of metal)
• Shield (takes one sack of metal, one sack of wood, or one sack of skins)
• Thrown (five per sack of metal for small coreless ones, or one per sack of wood for javelins)
• Bow/Crossbow (Takes two sacks of wood)

• Heavy leather or fur armour that gives +2 Physical Health (takes one sack of skins)
• Chain/plate/tyre/flak jacket armour that gives +4 Physical Health (takes one sack of metal).

Note that the physreps must cover your torso and at least two limbs (greaves on the legs or bracers are the arms are enough for this) to count. Alternatively, fully covering all your limbs (but having an unarmoured torso) would be fine as well.

Photo by Tom Garnett

Each sack of materials allows the production of five doses, as follows:

• Hazers (made from wood, coloured black) such as Greenweed, Dreamer's Meat and Eva's Blessing are potent hallucinogens that blur the distinction between the reality and the physical. This makes it easier for the Dreamer to reach and manipulate the River, as it helps them to cast off their preconceptions and immerse themselves in the fluid, malleable world of dreams. They last for fifteen minutes, double the effect of any Spiritual Health spent on Synthesis, Rituals or Aspects, but also strongly warp your perception of reality and cost one Physical Health when you take them. If you take enough Hazers to reduce you to zero Physical Health, you may enter the River of Dream for five minutes per dose you took. Your death count from this loss of Physical Health will not start until you return to your body. Please note that using Hazers to enter the River (by any means) does not double the effect of your Spiritual Health spending.
• Healers (made from skins, coloured green) like Willow Bark Tea are herbs that assist with healing, as the name suggests. If someone with the Medicine skill uses a dose of Healers while they’re tending someone’s wounds then that person’s death count is stopped. They still don’t regain any Physical Health but they aren’t about to die.
• Libs (made from wood, coloured yellow) such as alcoholic beverages and Magdalite potions are relaxants that relax a Dreamer’s body and mind, placing her closer to a sleep state and shutting off external distractions. While they do not directly help her use Intuitive Synthesis, they do help her tune out the world around her and focus on Dream. They are a great aid to anyone performing Freeform Synthesis but leave people feeling sluggish and lethargic for fifteen minutes afterwards.
• Ragers (made from skins, coloured red) like Joshua's Blood are herbs that assist warriors. For the next fifteen minutes, the Character is considered to have double their usual Physical Health. However, at the end of this period, you will automatically suffer a Deep Wound, as well as any others you might incur.

Note that taking multiple doses of Hazers at once does not continually increase the effectiveness of your Spiritual Health expenditure; nor does taking multiple doses of Ragers at once increase your Physical Health exponentially.

If you take more doses of Ragers than your normal Physical Health (i.e. excluding armour and bonuses from other sources) in a day (dawn to dusk) or night (dusk to dawn), please tell a Guide. Likewise, if you take more doses of Hazers than your normal Spiritual Health (i.e. excluding bonuses) in a day (dawn to dusk) or night (dusk to dawn), please tell a Guide. Similarly, if you take more doses of Libs (excluding those used for healing) than your normal Spiritual Health (i.e. excluding bonuses) in a day (dawn to dusk) or night (dusk to dawn), please tell a Guide.

Some items are considered Artefacts. There are two types, temporary and Fatimal.

Temporary Artefacts are those created using Synthesis, for example Applying Conviction or Devotion. As well as having whatever effect is caused by the Synthesis power, a temporary Artefact will:

• Travel into the River of Dream with its wielder
• Will maintain its existing status (e.g. as a crafted item if it was one before) while there.
• When the Synthesis effect wears off, a temporary Artefact stops being an Artefact and reverts to whatever sort of item it was before.

Fatimal Artefacts are parts of a Fatima that She has given away. They are identified by a luggage tag. They have a number of effects:

• they are obviously supernatural upon inspection
• they offer bonuses to Freeform Synthesis
• they are always crafted examples of their type
• they always travel with their wielder into the River of Dream and maintain their status as crafted items there
• they are immune to the Shatter call
• they provide their wielder with one of the relevant Eminences of the Fatima whose Artefact it is (stated on the luggage tag)
• they have some sort of connection to the Fatima at all times
• they may have other effects as specified on the luggage tag attached to them
• they do not have a duration attached