Equipment Breakage

Blood & Bone is name I'm giving to Dark Sun like campaign I'll be running using old school rules. The burnt world is noted for a lack of metal and scarcity of wood (and other vegetation). Weapons, armor and other equipment is made from bone, chitin, ceramic, stone (flint) obsidian and other "inferior" materials. This leads to one of the key elements. Breaking Weapons and Shattering Armor!

Weapon Breakage

On a natural 1 attack roll, when dealing 8 or more points of damage, and other situations as determined by Referee weapons may break. All missile and thrown weapons automatically break. Others only break after a failed saving throw. Weapons made from inferior materials take a -2 penalty to this check. Metal weapons do not normally break.

Most broken weapons can't be repaired and are worthless. As always use common sense. A snapped bowstring can be replaced. And in desperate times, using the haft of your broken Jawbone Axe as a d4 damage club may be only means of survival.

Piecemeal Armor

Complete matching suits of armor is a impractical luxury on the burnt world. Most denizens strap on whatever they can scrounge. Armor is commonly made from the chitin, shells, and hides of various creatures. Often reinforced with ceramic or bone and embellished with blades and spikes of obsidian or horn.

Metal armor is exceedingly rare and impractical in the heat. When available, small pieces of metal are used to reinforce vulnerable spots providing +1 to overall AC.

The amount of protection armor provides is measured in AC. A character may wear from 0 to +6 AC of armor and carry a shield for another +2 AC. While armor protects it also slows you down. Worn armor's AC Bonus is added to Initiative as a penalty.

Armor AC Bonus    Armor Category
+1 or +2          light
+3 or +4          medium
+5 or +6          heavy

Armor Damage

Survival on Athaz means dealing with equipment that wears out and breaks. This is abstracted with the following rules.

When subject to a critical, when hit for 8 or more points of damage, and other situations as determined by Referee armor is subject to damage. If wielding a shield, it splinters and is destroyed. Otherwise, if a d8 roll is less than or equal to armor's AC bonus, it has been damaged and has its AC bonus reduced by 1. Armor made from inferior materials takes a -2 penalty to this check. Metal armor does not normally suffer damage.

Armor Crafting and Repair 

Working with non-metal armor requires time, materials and a successful use of the Armorsmith skill. If the skill check is successful, increase the armor's AC by 1 (or create new +1 AC armor). Regardless of success any materials used are consumed.

Sources of materials include:
 - scrounged armor (spoils of combat)
 - creatures (chitin, hide, sinew, etc.)
 - foraging (stone, wood, bones, etc.), requires Survival skill check

It takes 10 minutes to scrounge a piece of armor and it will generally provide a bonus to the armorsmith check equal to its AC bonus. Helms must be scrounged (require armorsmith check). Shields may simply be picked up. It takes hours to days to craft armor, helms, or shields from raw materials.

Working with predominantly metal armor such as chainmail or a breastplate requires specialized equipment and skills beyond the capabilities of player characters.



[Notes:
I'm borrowing the d6 skill system from LoTP.
I'm keen to see how these work in actual play. Breakage should be relatively common and a concern (at least until later levels when superior gear is found) but not crippling.]