[Secret Santicorn!!] Equipment List for Miyazaki-style Science Fantasy Games

It's Secret Santicorn Season again over at the OSR discord server. Vilecultofshapes requested a "basic equipment list for a Miyazaki style science fantasy game"... Great prompt! I love Miyazaki and science fantasy, so I put on the Nausicaä soundtrack and set to work.

Read it here or download as PDF over at my itch.io page!

BASIC AND ADVANCED INDUSTRIES

Basic variants of equipment are produced locally, from all kinds of available resources. Such items are cheaper, more common, easier to maintain and replace.

Advanced variants are either products of skilled craftsmen, or looted from the ruins of former, technologically superior civilizations. They are generally more durable. However, once broken, they are much harder to repair.

The listed trade value is for the basic variant. This value doesn’t fluctuate significantly. Advanced items are worth 5-10 times as much, or even more (make a ruling or roll 1d6+4).

Garments, basic

Basic garments are usually layered and loose, patchwork or handspun, with drab colors. This doesn’t mean that basic garments lack personality. There is usually a detail or item that makes the character recognizable.

Garments, advanced

Advanced outfits are often of synthetic materials, with vibrant or unusual, yet impeccably coordinated colors. Most of them provide additional protection against the elements or even against damage.

	Garments, basic (1d20)	Garments, advanced (1d20)
1	Wide-brimmed hat	Techno-paladin full-plate
2	Tie-dyed poncho	Military uniform with golden braids and epaulettes
3	Utility belt	Slick bodysuit
4	Brightly colored scarf	Moonlit glamour
5	Spiked leather armbands	Exoskeleton with servo-arms
6	Thigh-high boots with spurs	Special agent three-piece suit
7	Oversized bandolier	Mirrorshade visor, body armor
8	Horned headgear	Pulsating tubes and glowing lights
9	Dysfunctional tubes and wires	Decadent courtly dress
10	Pauldrons	Adaptive camouflage
11	Trinkets and beads	Haughty noble
12	Patterned leggings	Returning space explorer
13	Leather aviator cap	Deep-sea diving suit
14	Flowing robes	Segmented chitinous nightmare
15	Fancy belt buckle	Luxurious furs
16	Dangerously dangling scarf	Burnished muscle cuirass and greaves
17	Miner’s helmet	Magnificently starched collar, pristinely ironed outfit
18	Animal mask	Glowing and shimmering aura around naked body
19	Knit winter hat with tassel	Well-tailored suit, heavenly perfume scent
20	Fur-trimmed	Holographic disguise layer

COMMON EQUIPMENT

Item	Value	Basic	Advanced
Bedroll	2	Patchwork blanket or sleeping furs	Insulated sleeping bag
Container, small	0.5	Small woven basket or wooden box, ceramic or glass vials, pouches	Same sizes, but of synthetic materials, with adjustable straps, safety or locking mechanisms, alarms, traps
Container, medium	1	Medium woven basket or wooden box, flasks, bottles, jars, backpacks, medium-sized sacks
Container, large	3	Crates, barrels, large storage vessels
Filter-mask	2	Hand-made from textile, provides protection against smoke and some toxins	Includes microscopic and chemical filtering
Food, 1 day	0.5	Roots, tubers, berries, eggs, bugs, worms, honey, milk, small game (birds, lizards, burrowers) *double value if preserved (dried, salted)	Synthetic foods from the uncanny valley (“chicken”) or completely unlike anything you’ve ever tasted… *double value if preserved (canned, permafrozen…)
Garments	1-3	*see above	*see above
Goggles	3	Murky glass or plastic lenses, low protection against flashes or glare	Protective lenses, possibly with advanced features (nightvision, zoom)
Light source, 1 hour	0.5	Wax or tallow candle, pitch torch, oil lantern, fireflies in a jar	Torch
Medicine	10-50	Herbs, teas, poultices, simple bandaging	Pills, syringes, advanced bandaging materials, anesthetics, antidotes,
Musical instrument	5-10	Flute, horn, whistle, bell, percussion, non-fretted string instruments; made out of wood, bones, animal parts, sometimes bits of metal	Most “advanced musical instruments” are actually tech. devices of unknown purpose that give off nice beeps and boops when handled; but see also thermenvoxes, touchpad-controlled oscillators…
Rope, 100’	1	Natural fibers	Nylon, fleximetal
Tools, agricultural	10-30	Plough, hayfork, hedge cutters	Motorized equipment, but also artificial fertilizers, pesticides
Tools, crafting	20-50	Hammer, chisel, hand drill, etc., also the pottery wheel and the like	Fine cutting and drilling tools, soldering equipment
Tools, mining	30-50	…or digging… shovels, picks, pickaxes…	Tunneling shield, sounding equipment, seismic devices
Tools, surgical	100	Blades, forceps	Nano-blade, medical lasers

  

WEAPONRY

Item	Value	Basic	Advanced
Bargaining and diplomacy	N/A	Gift offerings, looking for common ground, asking questions, listening
Deescalating the conflict	N/A	Calm voice, true innocence, sincerity *see also Bargaining and diplomacy
Running away	N/A	Good timing, fleetness of foot, instinct of self-preservation
Weapon, stun	3-10	Blackjack, club, holding traps, poison needles, stunning arrows	Shock batons, nerve toxins, sleeping gas, sonic wave
Weapon, lethal	5-50	Pointy sticks, blades, bullets, fire	High-precision rifles, lasers, explosives
Weapon, mass destruction	1000-10000	Conscription, mercenaries, siege engines	Nuclear warheads, chemical weapons, war machines

 

MOUNTS & GROUND VEHICLES

Item	Value	Basic	Advanced
Beast, riding	100	Flightless bird, bipedal lizard, giant cockroach or stag beetle *double value if combat-trained	N/A, or possibly a genetically engineered or robotic equivalent
Beast, of burden	50	Large lizard, woolly beast-thing with two or more pairs of legs, giant centipede
Beast, flying	500	Flying lizard, giant dragonfly
Cart	75-200	Two- or four-wheeler, dune buggy, covered wagon; animal-drawn	Broken-down advanced vehicles are often repurposed as animal-drawn carts
Ground vehicle, small	1000	N/A	On wheels, tracks, antigrav pads… Fits up to 4 people.
Ground vehicle, medium	3000	N/A	Fits up to 10 people.
Ground vehicle, large	5000	N/A	Fits up to 30 people.

 

WATERBOURNE VEHICLES

Item	Value	Basic	Advanced
Boat	300	Wooden rowing or sailing boat, fits 4-12 people	Engine-propelled, with a metal or metalloplastic shell
Raft	50	Something simple, carries 4-8 people	N/A
Ship, small	1500	Wooden rowing or sailing ship, fits up to 20 people	Engine-propelled, with a metal or metalloplastic shell. Might include submersibles or hovercrafts. Capacity same as the Basic variants
Ship, medium	4000	Fits up to 50 people
Ship, large	8500	Fits up to 100 people

FLIERS

Item	Value	Basic	Advanced
Flier, one-person	1000	Only if created by a mad inventor, possibly hand-driven or drawn by flying beasts…	Motorized glider, antigrav skiff
Glider	150	Tarp or skin suspended on a light frame. Used by one person, maximum two	Same, but of advanced & durable materials
Hot air balloon	750	Woven basket suspended under a textile balloon, roping and nets everywhere, dangerous open fire to heat the air, ballast to control ascent…	Same, but of advanced & durable materials; with finer control of flight direction, ascent and descent
Aircraft, small	5000	N/A	Engine- or jet-propelled small aircraft (scouts, hunters) or blimps. Fits up to 6 people
Aircraft, medium	10000	N/A	Same, fits up to 20 people.
Aircraft, large	20000	N/A	Giants in the air… Zeppelins and “The Flying Fortress”… Fit up to 100 people.

 

SAMPLE SPECIAL ITEMS

Cleanwater Lichen

Beat-up tin box, once colorfully painted, now only the rigging of a sailing ship visible. Inside, there are six small balls of dry lichen. This special lichen absorbs all toxins and appeases miniscule water spirits. Each ball can purify a gallon of water.

Memory Disk

Palm-sized stone disk with labyrinthine engravings. Can eternally store and holographically project any kind of message, up to a minute in length.

Multiprism

A pristinely cut rock crystal prism, capable of transforming light rays in many ways: breaking down monochromatic light into its spectral colors, or changing the color of a ray into a different one. Useful when interacting with arcane technology.

True Compass

The thin, trembling needle always points towards the owner’s home.

Universal Translator

This silver helmet taps into the wearer’s brainwaves and translates all languages to pure thought. It is rumored that more advanced versions can help understand animals, plants, and even stones.

Miscast table: Energy, force, and nature

More miscast tables! This time for all spells concerning the manipulation of natural forces and energies. I will probably try to finish two for tomorrow, or maybe all that's left, and compile them into a pdf!

Elemental-, energy- and nature-based spells

1. The mundane version of the invoked element becomes hostile towards the caster for 1d6 days. Campfire burns them, water flees form their mouth, light blinds, winds crash their ship and branches tear their clothes, etc. The severity of these assaults is up to the Referee (and probably also depends on the power level of the intended spell).
2. All metallic objects in a [caster level times 10’] radius become electrified and discharge with a painful electric shock. Everybody touching, wearing, holding such an item must save against Devices for each such item, or take 1 (for jewelry), 1d3 (for metal weapon), 1d6 (for chain armor), 1d12 (for plate armor) damage.
3. Natural order is disturbed in a [caster level times two miles] radius area around the caster. Natural order is restored in [caster level times 1d6] hours, but consequences remain. Roll 1d4:
   1 the air becomes thinner, oxygen saturation drops. Everybody gains 2 points of Encumbrance while in the area of effect. Characters with a negative Constitution modifier must save against Paralyze at the end of every hour or fall unconscious,
   2 the freezing breath of the White Worm or perhaps Ithaqua sweeps through the area; temperature of air drops significantly (e.g. from summer warmth to winter cold, from winter cold to Arctic),
   3 the sun becomes a red monster that devours men, seeking them out with heat rays; both indoors and outdoors temperature of air raises significantly (e.g. from mild spring to unbearable summer, from unbearable summer to apocalyptic heatwave),
   4 magnetic disturbance: all metallic objects (including weapons, armor...) drop to the ground, can be only lifted and carried or worn as five times their usual Encumbrance value; keep in mind, this means even metallic parts of non-metallic objects – like nails keeping a boat or wooden construction together.
4. [Caster level times three] Magic Missiles rain from the sky or appear out of thin air. Everybody in a 60’ radius must save against Breath. Distribute the missiles between the caster and those who failed their save. The caster doesn’t get to save, they are hit anyway, but maybe their comrades or enemies take some of the damage…
5. Phlogiston saturation increases significantly in a [caster level times 30’] area. All open fires explode violently, and everybody holding or standing near such a source takes 1d4 damage. On a damage roll of 3 or 4, they also must save against Breath or catch fire. Burning creatures take another 1d4 damage on the next round, and if that is a 3 or 4 too, they are engulfed in flames and begin taking 1d8 damage until put out. Putting out flames in the phlogiston-saturated environment takes twice as much effort.
6. Space swallows itself and a black hole opens in a maximum of [1d6 x 10’] from the caster, in a random direction (roll 1d6, 1 below, 2 through 5 is north-west-south-east, 6 above), but in the same general area. The hole remains open and active for 1d6 rounds. All loose objects and creatures in the vicinity are sucked into it at a speed of 20’ per round. A save against Paralyze can be made to grab onto something. If the initial position of a creature relative to the black hole cannot be determined, they are [2d6 x 10’] apart.