Scoundrel Equipment
CHAPTER 5
body. Activating a hidden blade requires a move action. Hidden blades can be made masterwork or magic just as normal weapons can be. Attacking with a hidden blade imposes a –2 penalty on the attack roll. Discovering a hidden blade before it has been activated requires a DC 15 Search check. Boot Blade: The most common hidden blade, a boot blade is concealed in the sole of a boot, usually under the toes. The wearer activates the blade by striking a certain part of the boot (usually the toe) against the ground, which flips the weapon it into position. Treat a boot blade as a dagger. Elbow Blade: Hidden within bracers or the forearm piece of a suit of armor, elbow blades jut out backward and lie flat against the back of the bearer’s upper arm. Activating an elbow blade usually requires a flick or twist of the wrist. Treat an elbow blade as a punching dagger. Knee Blade: Held within the greaves of a suit of armor, a knee blade extends with a quick upward thrust of the knee. The flat of the blade rests against the bearer’s thigh, allowing for full range of movement. Treat a knee blade as a short sword. Sleeve Blade: Strapped to the forearm of its wearer, a sleeve blade lies hidden under a long-sleeved shirt or dress. Making a quick downward flick with the wrist triggers the mechanism, extending the blade beyond the top of the wearer’s hand. Treat a sleeve blade as a dagger. Instrument Blade: Most stringed or wind instruments have a long, narrow section that can conceal a thin blade. Releasing a hidden catch allows the blade to spring forth. Such a blade functions as a dagger. Any stringed instrument whose neck is designed to hide a blade includes reinforcing metal bars for added support.
Alchemical Items
110
Researchers continually conduct experiments in the field of alchemy, ranging from wildly inventive gnome thinktanks to individual wizards locked away in their towers. This constant work occasionally produces items useful to adventurers and scoundrels alike. Costs and Craft (alchemy) check DCs for creating these items appear in Table 5–3. All of these items have a negligible weight. Clearwater Tablets: These small black pellets smell strongly of tar. Dropping a clearwater tablet into a gallon of water cleans the water of disease, poison, and other befouling toxins. Water so treated has a vaguely tarry smell and leaves a slimy black deposit on a surface it touches but is safe to drink. Magic liquids (such as potions, oils, and magic poisons) are immune to the effect of clearwater tablets. Liquids based on oil or alcohol are also not affected. Daystrider Capsule: This bright blue gelatinous ovoid, when swallowed, allows a humanoid creature to
walk for 10 hours in a day (instead of the normal 8 hours) before making a Constitution check to resist damage and fatigue. Walking longer than that entails making a forced march as normal (PH 164). Consuming a second daystrider capsule before 24 hours have passed has no further effect. Ferrous Aqua: A pellet of ferrous aqua is a halfinch-diameter sphere of glass containing a rusty red liquid with small black flakes floating in suspension. A ferrous aqua pellet can be thrown as a ranged touch attack with a range increment of 5 feet. Alternatively, it can be loaded into a sling and used as a sling bullet. When it strikes a firm surface, the pellet bursts and sprays out the suspension within. Any creature with damage reduction that is overcome by cold iron takes 1d6 points of damage and is sickened for 1 round if struck by a ferrous aqua pellet (a successful DC 12 Fortitude save negates the sickened condition, but not the damage). Other creatures take no damage from a ferrous aqua pellet. Forger’s Paper: This normal-looking sheet of paper is infused with an alchemical substance that makes the sheet nearly transparent for 1 hour when exposed to heat. The now-clear sheet can be overlaid on a document to be copied, granting a +2 alchemical bonus on Forgery checks made while using it. Once the alchemical substance within it loses potency, the page becomes indistinguishable from a normal piece of paper (and can’t be activated again by any means). Endurance Elixir: Imbibing this chalky-tasting green liquid instantly acclimates a creature to its surroundings. For the next 12 hours, the drinker gains a +4 alchemical bonus on all ability checks, skill checks, and saving throws made to resist natural environmental extremes, such as hot or cold weather (DMG 302). Liquid Sunlight: Shining with the light of a torch, a pellet of liquid sunlight is a half-inch-diameter sphere of glass that contains a gold-colored liquid. The pellet can be thrown as a ranged attack with a range increment of 5 feet. Alternatively, it can be loaded into a sling and used as a sling bullet. When it strikes a firm surface, it bursts and sprays out the liquid within. The liquid continues to glow with the light of a torch for 1 round after exposure to the air. Creatures with light sensitivity are dazzled for 1 round if struck by a liquid sunlight pellet. The pellet deals 1d6 points of damage to a vampire, vampire spawn, or any other creature similarly harmed by daylight. Nerv: This is the street name for a substance also known as liquid courage, a gold-colored syrup in a clear glass bottle painted with interweaving blue and red swirls. Drinking a dose of nerv grants the drinker a +2 alchemical bonus on saves against fear effects for 1 hour. Powdered Silver: This fine silvery dust sparkles when held in the light and is contained in a half-inch-diameter glass sphere. A powdered silver pellet can be thrown as
