Equipment

This campaign is set in the ancient past, roughly 3,000-5000 years ago. This roughly corresponds to the Bronze Age.

However, there are only a handful of corresponding changes to armor, weapons & equipment. This is done intentionally, the purpose is to have a fun campaign, not get bogged down in minutiae concerning which weapons or armor are "authentic Bronze Age". This should let players use the regular Player's Handbook stats instead of learning all new ones.

There are a still a few changes to equipment.

Starting Equipment
PCs use the same rules for starting equipment as per page 143 of the Player's Handbook. Players should check this section of the wiki to make sure they don't buy prohibited items.

Wealth
The standard coins & exchange rates are used in this campaign. This may not be consistent with a true Bronze Age campaign, this is just to keep the campaign simple.

Armor
These armor types have not been invented yet and cannot be purchased by players. Also, chain mail is pretty rare. It has only just been invented and is very costly & difficult to make. It costs 400 gp if the players can find it. It is definitely not available as starter equipment.
 * breastplate
 * half plate
 * splint
 * plate

Otherwise, armor stats are the same as in the rulebook.

Weapons
Crossbows do not exist in this campaign. They have a mechanical component that simply has not been invented yet.

All other weapons in the Player's Handbook exist in this campaign, even if such a weapon didn't technically exist in the Bronze Age. This is to keep the campaign from bogging down unnecessarily.

Adventuring Gear
The following "big rules" apply to adventuring gear:
 * Glassmaking hasn't come into being yet. This means bullseye lanterns, spyglasses, glassblower's tools, etc. do not exist and are not available.
 * PCs can still buy bottles, they are really made of clay or ceramic instead of glass. This means you can't see through them to discern their contents.
 * Alchemist's fire cannot be bought in a store.
 * Stringed instruments are not very common. See "Bards" for more information on musical instruments.
 * Other items on the Player's Handbook "adventuring gear" list are OK.

Special Equipment
Here are some special, non-magical items specifically made for this campaign.

Smoke Bombs
Grey ceramic balls roughly 4" in diameter. Throwing them against a hard object causes smoke cloud 10' in diameter. Those in cloud must make CN check or roll at disadvantage on all checks and combat rolls due to coughing, watery eyes, etc., until they move out of area of effect or the cloud settles (3 rounds) plus 1 round recovery time. Range = 20'/60'.

Sleep Bombs
Purple ceramic balls roughly 4" in diameter. Throwing them against a hard object causes purplish smoke cloud 10' in diameter. Those in cloud must make CN check vs DC 12 or fall asleep like the sleep spell, except during the first two rounds the victim CANNOT be woken by shaking, stabbing, etc. The sleep gas dissipates at the end of the round, only those in or crossing through the area of effect in that round are susceptible to the sleep, otherwise there is no effect. This is a poison, not a spell, so poison immunities apply, but not spell or sleep immunities. Range = 20'/60'.

Blindness Bombs
Yellow ceramic balls roughly 4" in diameter. Throwing them against a hard object causes a cloud of dust, 10' in diameter. Those in cloud must make CN check vs DC 12 or be blinded for 4 rounds. The dust settles at the end of the second round, only those in or crossing through the area of effect in the first two rounds are susceptible to the blindness, otherwise there is no effect. This is an enchanted dust, those with spell immunities are unaffected. Range = 20'/60'.

Poultices
[Note: poultices are "home-rules", the DM reserves the right to change them for the sake of gameplay, balance, usefulness, etc.]

Poultices are small bundles of herbs, spices, or other special ingredients; wrapped in leaves, cloth, or paper/papyrus; tied with string or vines, and perhaps soaked in special solutions. They can have the properties of potions (such as ''poultice of cure wounds). ''Poultices are categorized into one of four types: Common, Uncommon, Rare, and Very Rare. Poultices are harder to use than potions and therefore might not be appropriate for combat: Poultices can be purchased in well-equipped shops or from alchemists. Exact price depends on availability (as determined by the DM) and friendliness of the shopkeeper. They typically fall into this range. Poultices can be made by anyone who takes proficiency in Alchemist Kits. Creating a poultice is a three-step process. First, the person must know the recipe. Second, the ingredients must be found. Third, the poultice must be crafted.
 * it takes two standard actions to prepare and tie the poultice to the recipient.
 * It then takes one round for the effects of the poultice to leech through the skin.
 * On the fourth round, the effect take place.
 * If no string is available, someone must hold the poultice to the skin for that third round. It can be the recipient or (in the case of an unconscious victim) another person.
 * Note: taking apart a poultice causes it to lose its potency.
 * Common poultices: 15-25 gp
 * Uncommon: 50-250 gp
 * Rare: 250-2,500 gp
 * Very Rare: 1,250-12,500 gp

Recipes can be taught by elders, purchased from other alchemists, found as treasure, or outright stolen. There are no set rules on how to acquire recipes, each situation is unique. Players interested in acquiring poultice recipes should inform the DM.

Ingredients can be foraged or purchased in shops. Foraging takes four hours, at the end of the four hours roll d%. The chances of finding ingredients for the appropriate poultice are: In some cases (DM's discretion) a poultice component can only be obtained from a creature. This is more common as the poultice ingredients become rarer. Hunting may be a quicker way to find a particular component than foraging.
 * Common: 65% (enough for 2d4 poultices found)
 * Uncommon: 20% (enough for 1d6 poultices found)
 * Rare: 11% (enough for 1d4 poultices found)
 * Very Rare: 4% (enough for 1 poultice found)

Ingredients can be purchased at alchemist's shops, apothecaries, or well-stocked adventurer shops. Ingredients cost 1/2 the price of the outright purchase of the poultice as given above. The chance of a particular supplier having poultice components is the same as finding them through foraging. The black market will have a better chance (basically improving each component type by one step on the table), however they will always cost the maximum price, and black markets are known to be dangerous places.

Alchemists suffer an "unfamiliarity" penalty when traveling outside their homeland. Ingredients may simply not grow in the new country, or the locals may call them by different names (making shopping different). An alchemist foraging or purchasing components suffers a penalty of one step (a Common component becoming as difficult to find as an Uncommon component, etc.). An alchemist must learn the recipe in the local land in order to remove this penalty (the alchemist can purchase a local recipe or ask a local how to find the right ingredients).

Once the ingredients are found or purchased, a poultice can be crafted. Up to eight poultices can be made in one sitting, the player must declare how many they are trying to make before continuing. Obviously the player must have enough ingredients to as many potions as they are declaring. A common poultice takes four hours, an uncommon poultice takes 8 hours, a rare poultice takes 24 hours, and a very rare potion takes 48 hours. The player must only work on the potion during that time. Breaks are allowed for meals and sleep. At the end of this time, the alchemist makes an Intelligence check, adding the Alchemist's Kit proficiency bonus. If they are made in the wild (campfire or dank dungeon), the roll is at disadvantage. If they are made in a formal lab, the roll is at advantage. If that check is successful, the player rolls 2d4, adding their Alchemist Kit proficiency, to see how many poultices are made. A maximum of eight can be made in one sitting, regardless of the roll. If the player declared a higher number than is actually rolled, the remaining components are considered ruined and cannot be used for another attempt.

The DM will control what poultice recipes are available, communicating to the players when a new one is discovered.