This is the newest installment of Hundred Dungeons, a free dungeon RPG I’m developing through this blog. Hundred Dungeons is a 5E hack that tries to bring in elements from story games and the OSR, with a goal of balancing the pillars and putting focus on the story at hand instead of the character sheet. If you’ve missed the previous posts, check out the list below:
The Wild (wilderness exploration)
The Dark (dungeon exploration)
Recuperation (resting and downtime)
ITEMS AND EQUIPMENT
Characters rely on gear to stay supplied, navigate dangerous environments, and engage with hostile forces. Items mundane and magical abound, and can be discovered, collected, equipped, and expended as part of activities that further the characters’ goals.
COINS AND TREASURE
Wealth in Hundred Dungeons takes the following forms:
Treasure: Gems, art objects, and coins that figure prominently among both treasure hoards and dealings between rich polities and factions. Their value is measured in gold (sometimes abbreviated as “g”).
Trade Goods: The most common form of payment and wages (includes bags of salt, iron bars, livestock, and more). Their value is measured in silver (sometimes abbreviated as “s”).
Gear: Equipment, weapons, and armor that are used in expeditions and ventures. They can be converted to trade goods outside of adventure.
During Recuperation, treasure is either stored or invested in causes for XP. Gear is equipped, stored, or converted to trade goods at half its market value.
Although an actual exchange of coins for items is rare, the value of trade goods and treasure is always measured in silver coins for ease. In writing, Trade Goods (40 s) would mean 40 silver coins’ worth of trade goods.
To common folk, a silver coin is three days’ wages for unskilled work. What does it buy? Not much — two dozen eggs. A couple beers.
Folk who are better off keep gold coins (worth 100 silver) for large exchanges and monetary dealings between polities, but that sort of transaction is rare between individuals. One gold would pay a knight’s wages for two days, or a month’s rent for a comfortable house.
When should coins matter? When you have to carry them out of a hostile environment, of course. Otherwise, they’re just another type of treasure. Common folk are paid in and subsist on trade goods, not gold.
With all this in mind, be prepared to use silver and gold as a representation of buying power more than a literal sack of coins being dispersed among local businesses.
One hundred coins, gold or silver, take up 1 load slot. Moving large amounts of them is cumbersome.
LOAD
All items have a number of load slots they fill. Record each item and its load on separate lines of your character sheet, with the exception of trifles (see below).
Trifles are very small items that you can pack in groups, such as coins, gems, ammunition, or rings. Anything that can be held in the palm of the hand is a trifle. Up to 100 identical trifles can fill a single load slot, but different items like arrows and coins must be carried in separate slots, no matter how many you have.
Generally, an item’s load is a number from 1 to 4. A good rule of thumb is that load roughly corresponds to how many hands an item takes to easily lift.
ARMOR
Like weapons, armor is divided into simple, martial, and heavy categories with a separate skill that covers each. You can wear any armor, but only gain its benefits to your defense if you’re skilled in that type.
Each armor listed has a defense bonus, which you add to your base defense of 10. Some of these bonuses include your Dexterity score, representing how easy the armor is to move in. While wearing no armor, your defense is 10 + your Dexterity score. While wearing armor you’re not skilled with, your defense is simply 10.
Simple armor is easily doffed or donned in 1 minute, making it flexible outside of serious combat. While wearing it, your defense becomes the total of the listed base number and your Dexterity score.
Martial armor is cumbersome, taking 4 minutes to doff or don. It raises your defense, but only adds a maximum of 2 from your Dexterity score.
Heavy armor is the most protective, but can be difficult to perform many tasks in. It takes 10 minutes to doff or don heavy armor. While wearing it, your Dexterity is weak, and you don’t add it to your defense.
Shields aren’t armor, but improve defense as listed on the table below. Donning or doffing a shield is an action.
You can find tables for each armor category (simple, martial, and heavy) listed at the end of this page.
Gambeson: A coat of padding dense enough to absorb many blows.
Hide: A rough covering made from pelts and animal hides.
Leather cuirass: Boiled leather fashioned into a hard breastplate.
Studded leather: A tough leather jerkin and greaves reinforced with metal rivets or spikes.
Leather plate: A suit made from leather boiled in oil and formed into protective plates over the vital areas.
Chain shirt: A drape of interlocking metal rings covering the upper body.
Scale mail: A suit of leather covered in overlapping metal scales.
Breastplate: A fitted metal chestpiece covering the vital organs.
Half plate: Combining chain, leather, and a few plates of metal, half plate is highly protective while maintaining some mobility.
Ring mail: An inexpensive suit of armor made from leather stitched with metal rings.
Chain mail: A full suit of interlocking chain covering the head and limbs, reinforced with metal gauntlets.
Splint: Narrow vertical strips of metal riveted to a leather backing and reinforced with chain mail.
Plate: A full suit of interlocking metal plates, a visored helmet, metal boots, and padding to cushion the wearer.
Buckler: This small shield straps to the arm, leaving the hand free.
Shield: Typically a finely painted board fitted with a grip and boss.
Tower Shield: A large shield that extends from the ankle to the eye for maximum protection.
WEAPONS
Each weapon has associated load, cost, damage, and traits. You can find tables for each weapon category (simple, martial, and heavy) listed at the end of this page.
WEAPON TRAITS
Each weapon on the tables above has traits that influence how it’s used. In addition to the below descriptions, these traits function like other traits in the game, and can be invoked when you turn over your inspiration.
Ammunition: This weapon requires ammunition to shoot.
Finesse: You can use Dexterity instead of Strength when attacking with this weapon.
Flimsy: When you roll a 1 on an attack or damage roll using this weapon, it breaks and is no longer usable.
Light: These weapons can be dual wielded.
Loading: After attacking with this weapon, you must reload, and can’t attack with it again until the start of your next turn.
Momentum: When an enemy provokes an attack by leaving your reach while you wield this weapon, you can move into the space they left before making the attack.
Mounted: This weapon can only be used while mounted.
Reach: While wielding this weapon, add 5 feet to your reach when you attack, as well as when determining your reach for provoked attacks.
Staggering: When you inflict damage to a Medium or smaller target with this weapon, it must use Strength at 10 + double your renown or be pushed 5 feet away from you.
Two-Handed: This weapon can only be used with two hands.
Versatile: You can use this weapon in one hand, or wield it with two hands to increase the damage die to the size listed in parentheses.
GEAR
Adventuring is risky work. Quality gear can make the difference between life and death. The below items are common among those braving the Wild and the Dark.
Each item is listed alongside its load (how many load slots it occupies) and its cost (in silver). ‘T’ indicates a trifle: an item that can fit in the palm of the hand. Up to 100 identical trifles occupy a single load slot.
Note: This assortment of items has been adapted from the fifth edition adventuring gear list, with the goal keeping the list relevant to the action of the game, including notes on common uses and any special rules.
GEAR
Ammunition (quiver or bag of 50)
Load: 1 Cost: 1 s
Ammunition includes arrows, bolts, needles, stones, or any other form of shot that works with Ammunition weapons. Each type of ammunition is tracked separately.
Acid (vial)
Load: 1 Cost: 20 s
A corrosive substance, useful in removing organic material. It dissolves through wood, fabric, leather, bone, and other such materials in a small area over the course of 10 minutes. It corrodes through metal in 8 hours. If you use the vial as an improvised weapon, it inflicts an additional 2d6 acid damage and is destroyed.
Alchemist’s fire (tube)
Load: 1 Cost: 40 s
A chemical mixture that can be projected from its tube, igniting it and flammable objects it touches. As an action, you can spray the substance in a 15-foot line 5 feet wide. The substance rests on surfaces and continues to burn over 10 minutes. Creatures and objects in the area take 1d4 fire damage at the start of each turn (or the start of the round in the case of objects). The alchemist’s fire is destroyed after use.
Antitoxin (vial)
Load: 1 Cost: 50 s
As an action, you can administer this substance to yourself or a creature to remove the poisoned condition, expending the antitoxin.
Ball bearings (bag of 100)
Load: 1 Cost: 10 s
You can use these 2-inch-diameter iron balls to move heavy objects placed on top of them. As an action, you can also fill a level 10-foot square area. Creatures are slowed moving through the area and must roll Dexterity at 10, falling prone on a failure.
Bedroll
Load: 2 Cost: 2 s
This mat and blanket allow you to gain the benefit of a long rest on rough or uncomfortable surfaces. It doesn’t bypass circumstances where ability roll failures negate the benefits of rest (such as in the Wild).
Bell
Load: 1 Cost: 1 s
You can tie this small bell to doors, string, or other moveable objects as a simple form of alarm or trap.
Block and tackle
Load: 2 Cost: 5 s
You can use this set of pulleys with a hooked cable threaded through them to hoist up to four times the weight you can normally lift.
Caltrops (bag of 20)
Load: 1 Cost: 1 s
As an action, you can spread these metal spikes over a 5-foot square area. Creatures are slowed moving through the area and must roll Dexterity at 15, suffering 1d4 piercing damage.
Candles (bundle of 8)
Load: 1 Cost: 1 s
For 1 hour, a candle sheds bright light in a 5-foot radius and dim light for an additional 5 feet. It’s then expended.
Chain (10 feet)
Load: 1 Cost: 10 s
An iron chain has 10 hit points and 18 defense.
Chalk (10 sticks)
Load: T Cost: 1 s
A set of chalk can mark most hard surfaces. Ten sticks last for years of adventure.
Climber’s kit
Load: 2 Cost: 25 s
The hammer, clamps, boot tips, gloves, and harness in this kit grant advantage on ability checks to climb, and can be used with pitons to anchor the wearer into wood or stone. They can support up to 400 pounds, preventing the user from falling. You must remove the anchor to climb more than 20 feet from it.
Cooking kit
Load: 1 Cost: 10 s
This small pot, pan, spatula, and spoon can be used to cook a simple meal on the trail.
Crowbar
Load: 1 Cost: 2 s
Using a crowbar makes your Strength mighty when lifting or prying objects.
Fishing tackle
Load: 2 Cost: 5 s
This kit includes a wooden rod, line, bobbers, hooks, sinkers, lures, and netting.
Flint and steel
Load: T Cost: 1 s
You can use an action with flint and steel to ignite a candle, torch, campfire, or other object meant for bearing flame.
Grappling hook
Load: 1 Cost: 3 s
When secured to the end of a rope, a grappling hook can catch the edge of a wall, tree limb, or other protrusion.
Hammer
Load: 1 Cost: 8 s
Hammers can pound objects like pitons to wedge them in place, or break up brittle materials. It’s interchangeable with the light hammer weapon.
Healer’s kit
Load: 1 Cost: 10 s
As an action, you can roll Intelligence at 15 to use this set of bandages, needles, thread, and splints to stabilize a dying creature. You can instead spend 10 minutes to restore 1 hit point to the creature. After being used, the kit is expended.
Holy water (flask)
Load: 1 Cost: 20 s
If you use the holy water as an improvised weapon, it inflicts an additional 2d6 radiant damage on a fiend or undead and is destroyed.
Ink and pen
Load: T Cost: 20 s
This small bottle can be used to ink surfaces, or write on parchment with use of its accompanying pen.
Lantern
Load: 1 Cost: 15 s
A lantern sheds 30 feet of bright light and 30 feet of dim light. It burns for 6 hours, requiring a flask (1 pint) of oil.
Lockpick
Load: T Cost: 5 s
Lockpicks are simple tools used to open straightforward locks with a Dexterity roll. Complex locks require a thief’s kit.
Manacles
Load: 1 Cost: 5 s
These iron shackles lock around the wrists of a medium creature, restraining them. They have 15 hit points and 18 defense.
Parchment, sheet
Load: T Cost: 1 s
This thin material made from animal skin is ideal for scribes and maps.
Parchment, scroll
Load: 1 Cost: 5 s
This roll of animal skin can be inked, and accommodates the equivalent of 30 parchment sheets.
Piton (bag of 10)
Load: 1 Cost: 10 s
You can use these steel spikes to wedge doors, disable traps, or create handholds.
Rations (10 days)
Load: 1 Cost: 10 s
Each use of this simple trail food sustains a Medium creature for one day of hard travel.
Rope (50 feet)
Load: 1 Cost: 1 s
Rope has 2 hit points and 15 defense.
Tent, two-person
Load: 2 Cost: 5 s
This tent protects up to two Medium creatures from the elements.
Tent, eight-person)
Load: 4 Cost: 20 s
This tent protects up to eight Medium creatures from the elements.
Thief’s Kit
Load: 1 Cost: 25 s
A thief’s kit includes clever tools for picking complex locks, uncovering clues, as well as disabling and rigging traps. Staples of the thief’s kit include wire, fine-point drills, spring-loaded needles, hand saws, tension tools, and extractors.
Torch (bundle of 5)
Load: 1 Cost: 1 s
A torch burns for 1 hour, shedding bright light in a 20-foot radius and dim light for an additional 20 feet. If you use it as an improvised weapon, it inflicts an additional 1d6 fire damage.
Waterskin
Load: 1 (if full) Cost: 2 s
This waterproof pouch with a stopper can hold 4 pints of liquid, or enough water for 8 hours of adventure or travel.
TOOLS
Tools are used for crafting, practicing a profession, or other activities generally handled outside of adventuring. Anyone with access to a tool and necessary materials can use it, though normally their success is determined by an ability roll.
Tools are categorized as simple and complex.
SIMPLE TOOLS
Load: 1 Cost: 15 s
These tools can be easily carried and are made of inexpensive materials. They include calligrapher’s supplies, cartographer’s tools, cobbler’s tools, leatherworker’s tools, mason’s tools, painter’s supplies, potter’s tools, weaver’s tools, woodcarver’s tools, and handheld musical instruments.
COMPLEX TOOLS
Load: 2 Cost: 50 s
A set of complex tools might fill a workbench or even an entire workshop. They allow for much more rigorous feats of crafting, and include alchemist’s supplies, brewer’s supplies, glassblower’s tools, herbalism kits, jeweler’s tools, smith’s tools, tinker’s tools, disguise kits, forgery kits, navigator’s tools, and poisoner’s kits.
CONTAINERS
A container holds other items. Most aren’t useful while adventuring in the Wild or the Dark, but the items on the list below can be purchased to create additional load slots on top of those granted by your Strength score. For ease, they don’t occupy load slots themselves. It’s assumed that an adventurer’s load is held in a sack or other bare-bones method. You can carry only one of each container type, except pouches (of which you can have up to 5). Specify which items are in which container (they must fit in the container’s added slots).
| Item | Added Slots | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Backpack | 5 | 10 s |
| Baldric | 3 | 8 s |
| Pouch | 1 | 2 s |
| Sack | 2 | 3 s |
| Saddlebag (on mount) | 6 | 20 s |
NEXT TIME
We’re ready to start exploring the character classes and their exploits! Stay tuned for the Acrobat next.
This work includes material taken from the System Reference Document 5.1 (“SRD 5.1”) by Wizards of the Coast LLC and available at https://dnd.wizards.com/resources/systems-reference-document. The SRD 5.1 is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License available at https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode.
Hundred Dungeons is created and written by Graham Ward © 2023
Permission granted to copy for personal use only.
| Simple Armor | Load | Cost | Defense Bonus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hide | 2 | 10 s | Dexterity +1 |
| Gambeson | 1 | 15 s | Dexterity +1 |
| Leather cuirass | 1 | 20 s | Dexterity +2 |
| Studded leather | 1 | 40 s | Dexterity +3 |
| Martial Armor | Load | Cost | Defense Bonus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leather plate | 2 | 10 s | Dex (max 2) +2 |
| Scale male | 2 | 18 s | Dex (max 2) +3 |
| Chain shirt | 1 | 35 s | Dex (max 2) +3 |
| Breastplate | 2 | 60 s | Dex (max 2) +4 |
| Half plate | 3 | 120 s | Dex (max 2) +5 |
| Heavy Armor | Load | Cost | Defense Bonus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ring mail | 3 | 60 s | +4 |
| Chain mail | 3 | 70 s | +6 |
| Splint | 3 | 120 s | +7 |
| Plate | 3 | 300 s | +8 |
| Shields | Load | Cost | Defense |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buckler | 1 | 12 s | +1 |
| Shield | 2 | 25 s | +2 |
| Tower Shield | 3 | 50 s | +3 |
| Simple Weapon (Melee) | Load | Cost | Damage | Traits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Club | 1 | 3 s | 1d6 bludgeoning | Light |
| Dagger | 1 | 8 s | 1d6 piercing | Finesse, Light, Thrown (20 ft.) |
| Handaxe | 1 | 10 s | 1d6 slashing | Light, Thrown (30 ft.) |
| Light hammer | 1 | 8 s | 1d6 bludgeoning | Light, Momentum, Thrown (20 ft.) |
| Mace | 1 | 10 s | 1d6 bludgeoning | Staggering |
| Quarterstaff | 1 | 5 s | 1d6 bludgeoning | Versatile (1d8) |
| Sickle | 1 | 5 s | 1d6 slashing | Light |
| Spear | 1 | 8 s | 1d6 piercing | Thrown (30 ft.), Versatile (1d8) |
| Simple Weapon (Ranged) | Load | Cost | Damage | Traits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blowgun | 1 | 5 s | 1d6 poison | Ammunition (30 ft.), Two-Handed |
| Javelin | 1 | 5 s | 1d6 piercing | Flimsy, Thrown (60 ft.) |
| Sling | 1 | 5 s | 1d6 bludgeoning | Ammunition (60 ft.) |
| Martial Weapon (Melee) | Load | Cost | Damage | Traits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Battleaxe | 1 | 25 s | 1d8 slashing | Versatile (1d10) |
| Flail | 1 | 28 s | 1d8 bludgeoning | Momentum |
| Longsword | 1 | 32 s | 1d8 slashing | Versatile (1d10) |
| Morningstar | 1 | 28 s | 1d8 piercing | Staggering |
| Rapier | 1 | 36 s | 1d8 piercing | Finesse |
| Scimitar | 1 | 30 s | 1d8 slashing | Light |
| Shortsword | 1 | 28 s | 1d8 piercing | Finesse, Light |
| Warhammer | 1 | 25 s | 1d8 bludgeoning | Staggering |
| Martial Weapon (Ranged) | Load | Cost | Damage | Traits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crossbow, light | 1 | 20 s | 1d8 piercing | Ammunition (90 ft.), Loading, Two-handed |
| Shortbow | 1 | 25 s | 1d8 piercing | Ammunition (90 ft.), Two-Handed |
| Heavy Weapon (Melee) | Load | Cost | Damage | Traits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Greataxe | 1 | 42 s | 1d10 slashing | Staggering, Two-Handed |
| Greatsword | 1 | 50 s | 1d10 slashing | Momentum, Two-Handed |
| Halberd | 1 | 48 s | 1d10 slashing | Reach (10 ft.), Two-Handed |
| Lance | 1 | 30 s | 1d10 piercing | Flimsy, Momentum, Mounted |
| Maul | 1 | 35 s | 1d10 bludgeoning | Staggering, Two-Handed |
| Pike | 1 | 32 s | 1d10 piercing | Reach (10 ft.), Two-Handed |
| Heavy Weapon (Ranged) | Load | Cost | Damage | Traits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crossbow, heavy | 1 | 40 s | 1d10 piercing | Ammunition (120 ft.), Loading, Staggering, Two-handed |
| Longbow | 1 | 35 s | 1d10 piercing | Ammunition (300 ft.), Two-Handed |
| Gear | Load | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Ammunition (quiver of 50) | 1 | 1 s |
| Acid (vial) | 1 | 20 s |
| Alchemist's fire (tube) | 1 | 40 s |
| Antitoxin (vial) | 1 | 50 s |
| Ball bearings (bag of 100) | 1 | 10 s |
| Bedroll | 2 | 2 s |
| Bell | 1 | 1 s |
| Block and tackle | 2 | 5 s |
| Caltrops (bag of 20) | 1 | 1 s |
| Candles (bundle of 8) | 1 | 1 s |
| Chain (10 feet) | 1 | 10 s |
| Chalk (10 sticks) | T | 1 s |
| Climber’s kit | 2 | 25 s |
| Cooking kit | 1 | 10 s |
| Crowbar | 1 | 2 s |
| Fishing tackle | 2 | 5 s |
| Flint and steel | T | 1 s |
| Grappling hook | 1 | 3 s |
| Hammer | 1 | 8 s |
| Healer’s kit | 1 | 10 s |
| Holy water (flask) | 1 | 20 s |
| Ink and pen | T | 20 s |
| Lantern | 1 | 15 s |
| Lockpick | T | 5 s |
| Manacles | 1 | 5 s |
| Parchment, sheet | T | 1 s |
| Parchment, scroll | 1 | 5 s |
| Piton (bag of 10) | 1 | 5 s |
| Rations (10 days) | 1 | 10 s |
| Rope (50 feet) | 1 | 1 s |
| Tent, two-person | 2 | 5 s |
| Tent, eight-person) | 4 | 20 s |
| Thief's kit | 1 | 25 s |
| Torch (bundle of 5) | 1 | 1 s |
| Waterskin | 1 (if full) | 2 s |
