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A Simple Resource Management System - without commentary

A simple resource management system for Into the Odd

Inventory

  • Each character has 8 slots to carry items.
  • All items are either normal or Bulky (per Electric Bastionland).
  • Normal items take 1 slot.
  • Bulky items take 2 slots.
Note, there is no "X quantity of this item fits in 1 slot". e.g. If you have 4 vials of poison, it takes 4 slots to carry them.

Encumbrance

Per my magic rules, carrying 1 or more Bulky items makes spell casting risky.

Per Electric Bastionland, carrying 2 or more Bulky items puts you at risk of becoming Deprived from fatigue. (In EB, Deprived means you can no longer regain HP during Short Rests.)

Treasure

  • A single treasure is treated as a single, indivisible item.
  • Most treasures are Bulky.
  • Some treasures are Unwieldy -- they cannot be carried in your inventory. You must come up with a plan, equipment, personnel, etc. to transport them.

Wealth

Aside from treasures, all other monies -- small amount of coins you loot from bodies, value of treasures after they've been sold off, value of equipment you've sold, rewards, etc. -- are simply part of your total wealth. Your wealth takes no space in your inventory and can be directly spent from in most situations.

Ammo

Don't track generic ammo for bows, guns, etc. Doesn't take up inventory space. Doesn't need to be purchased. Don't really care.

Expedition resources

Certain items are considered Expedition Resources. They have the following qualities:
  • If even one character in the group is carrying a single quantity of the resource, there is a sufficient amount for the entire group to use.
  • They have an expected use that does not ordinarily deplete the resource.
  • Creative uses of the resource trigger a Luck Roll that may deplete the resource.
  • If nobody in the group has the resource, the party suffers some negative effect.
The meaning of "group" obviously changes if characters get split up.

The following are considered Expedition Resources:

Food

  • Expected use: Eating dinner
  • Example creative uses: Dropping food to distract monsters
  • Penalty when lacking: Group is Deprived if they fail to eat their required daily meal. Remain Deprived until they eat food again.

Water

  • Expected use: Drinking water during Short Rests to recover HP.
  • Example creative uses: Dousing a fire, mixing a potion from herbs.
  • Penalty when lacking: Group is immediately Deprived. Remain so until they drink water again.

Lanterns & fuel

  • Expected use: Lighting the darkness.
  • Example creative uses: Pouring lantern oil to start a blaze.
  • Penalty when lacking: Stumbling blindly in the darkness. (Veins of the Earth has great rules for handling this.)

Basic camping equipment

  • Expected use: Sleeping comfortably outdoors.
  • Example creative uses: Catching a leopard in a sleeping bag and throwing it into the river.
  • Penalty when lacking: Group is Deprived if they try to sleep in the rough. Remain so until sleeping overnight somewhere comfortable.

Basic climbing equipment

  • Expected use: Assist with basic, vertical climbs.
  • Example creative uses: Tying something up with the included rope. Using included pitons to spike a door. 
  • Penalty when lacking: Basic, vertical climbs become risky, require a DEX save.

Luck roll for resources

Creative uses of an Expedition Resource, occurrences that would put a resource at risk (e.g. falling into a putrid pit, dropping a lantern into the water, body engulfed in flames), and other situations that raise the question "Has this resource been used up?" should result in a d6 Luck Roll:

d6Result
1The resource is depleted
2-3The Expedition Resource has 1 use (expected or creative) remaining
4-6No change


Note

Reposting this without commentary. The actual rules were previously buried under a lot of words, making it difficult to reference. Click here if you'd like to read the original post with my analysis.

Comments

  1. This really is one of the best rule appendices ever written in my opinion. I've been coming back to it and pondering it ever since you first posted it.

    ReplyDelete

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