334 Cepheus — Part 5: Equipment & Gear
Currency & Economy
The standard currency is the Imperial Credit (Cr). Prices assume a Tech Level 12 economy. At lower TLs, advanced gear may be unavailable or cost 2×–10×. At higher TLs, basic gear is cheaper but cutting-edge tech carries a premium.
Starting Funds: Most characters begin with Cr 1,000–5,000 in personal gear plus any cash from mustering out. The Referee may adjust for campaign tone.
Weapons
Melee Weapons
| Weapon | Skill | Damage | Cost (Cr) | Mass (kg) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Knife | Melee (Blade) | 2D6 + STR DM | 10 | 0.5 | Concealable. Tool. |
| Dagger | Melee (Blade) | 2D6 + STR DM | 20 | 0.5 | Concealable. +1 DM to hit in grapple. |
| Sword | Melee (Blade) | 3D6 + STR DM | 100 | 1 | — |
| Cutlass | Melee (Blade) | 3D6 + STR DM | 150 | 1 | −1 DM in tight corridors. |
| Club | Melee (Bludgeon) | 2D6 | 5 | 1 | Stun damage option. |
| Stun Baton | Melee (Bludgeon) | 2D6 | 200 | 1 | Stun only. Recharge 50 shots. |
| Spear | Melee (Blade) | 3D6 + STR DM | 20 | 2 | Reach. +1 DM when braced vs. charge. |
| Unarmed | Melee (Unarmed) | 1D6 + STR DM | — | — |
Slug Weapons
| Weapon | Skill | Damage | Range | Cost (Cr) | Mass (kg) | Magazine | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Body Pistol | Gun Combat (Slug) | 2D6 | Close | 300 | 0.5 | 6 | Concealable. −2 DM to detect. |
| Snub Pistol | Gun Combat (Slug) | 2D6 | Close | 150 | 0.5 | 6 | Low recoil. Popular on stations. |
| Revolver | Gun Combat (Slug) | 3D6 | Close | 200 | 0.5 | 6 | Reliable. No jam on natural 2. |
| Auto Pistol | Gun Combat (Slug) | 3D6 | Close | 250 | 0.75 | 15 | Burst capable. |
| Shotgun | Gun Combat (Slug) | 4D6 | Short | 300 | 3 | 8 | −1 DM per range band beyond Short. |
| Auto Rifle | Gun Combat (Slug) | 3D6+3 | Medium | 1,000 | 4 | 30 | Burst capable. |
| Assault Rifle | Gun Combat (Slug) | 3D6+3 | Medium | 800 | 3.5 | 30 | Burst capable. |
| Battle Rifle | Gun Combat (Slug) | 4D6 | Long | 1,200 | 4.5 | 20 | −1 DM at Close range. |
| LMG | Gun Combat (Slug) | 3D6+3 | Long | 2,500 | 8 | 100 | |
| Gauss Rifle | Gun Combat (Slug) | 4D6+4 | Long | 3,000 | 4 | 40 | No recoil. AP 2 (ignores 2 AR). |
Energy Weapons
| Weapon | Skill | Damage | Range | Cost (Cr) | Mass (kg) | Power | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stunner | Gun Combat (Energy) | 3D6 | Close | 400 | 0.5 | 20 | Stun only. Target unconscious at Stamina 0. |
| Laser Pistol | Gun Combat (Energy) | 3D6 | Close | 1,500 | 0.5 | 20 | No recoil. −1 DM in rain/smoke/dust. |
| Laser Carbine | Gun Combat (Energy) | 4D6 | Medium | 3,000 | 2.5 | 30 | No recoil. −1 DM in adverse atmo. |
| Laser Rifle | Gun Combat (Energy) | 5D6 | Long | 5,000 | 4 | 40 | No recoil. −1 DM in adverse atmo. |
| Plasma Pistol | Gun Combat (Energy) | 4D6 | Short | 4,000 | 1.5 | 10 | |
| Plasma Rifle | Gun Combat (Energy) | 6D6 | Medium | 8,000 | 5 | 20 | |
| Fusion Gun | Heavy Weapons | 8D6 | Long | 50,000 | 12 | 5 |
Heavy & Explosive Weapons
| Weapon | Skill | Damage | Range | Cost (Cr) | Mass (kg) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rocket Launcher | Heavy Weapons | 8D6 | Long | 5,000 | 8 | |
| Grenade Launcher | Heavy Weapons | By grenade | Medium | 2,000 | 4 | 6-round drum. |
| Grenade, Frag | Heavy Weapons | 5D6 | Short (thrown) | 50 | 0.5 | |
| Grenade, Smoke | Heavy Weapons | — | Short (thrown) | 30 | 0.5 | Obscures Short band for 1D6 rounds. |
| Grenade, Flash | Heavy Weapons | 2D6 (Stamina only) | Short (thrown) | 40 | 0.5 | Blindness 1 round on failed END 8+. |
| Grenade, Plasma | Heavy Weapons | 8D6 | Short (thrown) | 200 | 0.5 |
Weapon Notes
Concealable: Can be hidden under loose clothing. Detection requires an opposed Insight 8+ or physical search.
Burst Fire: Expend 3 rounds/3 power. +1 DM to hit. +1D6 damage.
Autofire: Expend 10 rounds/10 power. Suppressive fire (see Part 4). Cannot aim.
Armor Piercing (AP): Ignores the listed amount of Armor Rating.
Stun: Damage applies only to Stamina. At Stamina 0, target is unconscious. No Lifeblood damage.
Reloading: Most weapons reload as a Minor Action. Heavy weapons and drums require a Significant Action.
Armor
Armor uses Armor Rating (AR) as damage reduction and Soak as the bruise threshold. See Part 4 for the four-step damage procedure.
| Armor | AR | Soak | Cost (Cr) | Mass (kg) | TL | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cloth | 3 | 1 | 200 | 2 | 8 | Concealable under clothing. |
| Mesh | 5 | 2 | 500 | 2 | 9 | Flexible. Common for spacers. |
| Ballistic Weave | 6 | 2 | 800 | 3 | 10 | +1 DM to resist knockdown. |
| Combat Armor | 10 | 4 | 10,000 | 8 | 10 | Sealed vs. vacuum/toxins 1 hour. |
| Combat Armor, Heavy | 14 | 5 | 20,000 | 12 | 12 | Sealed 6 hours. −1 DEX DM. |
| Battle Dress | 15 | 6 | 150,000 | 20 | 13 | Powered. Sealed 24 hours. +2 STR DM (carrying/lifting only). Built-in comms. |
| Ablat | 8 | 2 | 300 | 1 | 10 | Laser damage halved. Degrades 1 AR per laser hit. |
| Reflec | 12 | 4 | 1,000 | 1 | 10 | Lasers only (Soak 4). Soak 0 vs. slug or plasma. |
Sealed Suits: Combat Armor and Battle Dress include 1–24 hours of life support. Without power or refills, the seal fails.
Dexterity Penalty: Heavy Combat Armor and Battle Dress may impose −1 DEX DM on delicate tasks (picking locks, fine repair) at Referee discretion.
Vacuum Exposure: Without sealed armor or a Vacc Suit, a character in vacuum takes 1D6 Stamina damage per round and 1D6 Lifeblood per minute.
General Equipment
Communications
| Item | Cost (Cr) | Mass (kg) | TL | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hand Radio | 50 | 0.5 | 5 | |
| Comm Unit | 200 | 0.5 | 8 | |
| Neural Comm | 2,000 | — | 12 | |
| Laser Comm | 500 | 1 | 10 |
Computers & Electronics
| Item | Cost (Cr) | Mass (kg) | TL | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hand Computer | 100 | 0.1 | 8 | Basic data, maps, comms. |
| Portable Computer | 1,000 | 1 | 10 | +1 DM to Computer checks. |
| Computer Terminal | 5,000 | 10 | 10 | Fixed station. +2 DM to Computer checks. |
| Electronic Toolkit | 1,000 | 8 | 8 | Required for Electronics repair. |
| Sensor Pack | 2,000 | 2 | 10 | +1 DM to Recon and Sensors. |
| Lockpick Set | 100 | 0.5 | 5 | Required for mechanical lock bypass. |
| Electronic Lockpick | 1,500 | 0.5 | 10 | +1 DM vs. electronic locks. |
Medical
| Item | Cost (Cr) | Mass (kg) | TL | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Medkit | 100 | 1 | 8 | 5 uses. +1 DM to First Aid. |
| Advanced Medkit | 500 | 2 | 10 | 10 uses. +2 DM to First Aid. Auto-injectors. |
| Surgical Kit | 1,000 | 4 | 10 | Required for Surgery. |
| Auto-Doc | 50,000 | 50 | 12 | Automated surgery. Medicine checks at Boon. |
| Fast Drug (dose) | 500 | — | 14 | Heals at 60× rate for 24 hours. Unconscious. |
| Slow Drug (dose) | 1,000 | — | 15 | 1 minute = 1 hour subjective. 1 use. |
| Anagathics (month) | 10,000 | — | 15 | Halts aging. Addictive. Illegal in many jurisdictions. |
| Combat Drug (dose) | 500 | — | 10 |
Survival & Field
| Item | Cost (Cr) | Mass (kg) | TL | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vacc Suit | 2,000 | 4 | 8 | 4 hours life support. AR 2, Soak 1. |
| Vacc Suit, Advanced | 5,000 | 3 | 10 | 12 hours. AR 3, Soak 1. +1 DM to movement. |
| Survival Kit | 200 | 4 | 8 | Tent, filter, rations (1 week), firestarter. |
| Cold Weather Gear | 150 | 3 | 5 | Survive to −40°C. |
| Filter Mask | 50 | 0.5 | 6 | Filters toxins. Not sealed. |
| Respirator | 200 | 1 | 8 | 4 hours canned air. |
| Rope (20m) | 20 | 2 | 0 | Climbing, binding. |
| Climbing Gear | 100 | 3 | 5 | +1 DM to Athletics (climbing). |
| Light Source | 10 | 0.2 | 5 | 10 hours. |
| IR Goggles | 500 | 0.5 | 9 | See in darkness. Flash blinds for 1 round. |
| Motion Sensor | 1,000 | 1 | 10 | Detects movement in Medium range. |
| Binoculars | 100 | 0.5 | 5 | ×10 magnification. |
| Neural Scrambler | 5,000 | 0.5 | 13 | Blocks neural comms in Short range. Illegal. |
Tools & Trade
| Item | Cost (Cr) | Mass (kg) | TL | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engineering Toolkit | 2,000 | 12 | 8 | Required for Engineering repairs. |
| Mechanical Toolkit | 1,000 | 8 | 6 | Required for Mechanic repairs. |
| Scientific Equipment | 5,000 | 20 | 10 | Required for Science checks above Level 2. |
| Survey Equipment | 10,000 | 50 | 10 | Planetary surveying. Vehicle-mounted. |
Encumbrance
334 Cepheus uses a slot-based encumbrance system rather than precise kilogram tracking.
Carrying Capacity = STR + END
| Load | Effect |
|---|---|
| Light (≤ Capacity) | No penalty. Normal movement. |
| Medium (Capacity +1 to +50%) | −1 DM to DEX-based tasks. Move one band less per round. |
| Heavy (> 150% Capacity) | −2 DM to all physical tasks. Move halved. Cannot sprint. Endurance checks every hour or lose 1D6 Stamina. |
Slot Values:
- Tiny items (knife, comm, medkit): 0 slots (carry freely up to 10)
- Small items (pistol, tablet, filter mask): 1 slot
- Medium items (rifle, toolkit, Vacc Suit): 2 slots
- Large items (LMG, heavy toolkit, Auto-Doc): 4 slots
- Huge items (rocket launcher, survey gear): 8 slots
Example: A character with STR 9 and END 8 has Capacity 17. They could carry:
- Vacc Suit (2) + Auto Rifle (2) + Advanced Medkit (2) + Comm Unit (1) + Engineering Toolkit (4) + 3 grenades (3×0) = 11 slots (Light load)
Tech Levels (TL)
Technology availability shapes what gear characters can acquire, repair, or even comprehend.
| TL | Era | Typical Capabilities |
|---|---|---|
| 0–3 | Primitive | Slug pistols, melee, cloth armor, animal transport. |
| 4–5 | Industrial | Early firearms, radio, basic medicine, combustion engines. |
| 6–7 | Atomic | Fission power, early spaceflight, ballistic armor, antibiotics. |
| 8–9 | Spaceflight | Jump-1, Vacc Suits, laser weapons, mesh armor, hand computers. |
| 10–11 | Interstellar | Jump-2, combat armor, neural comms, advanced medicine. |
| 12–13 | Advanced | Jump-3, battle dress, plasma weapons, anagathics, AI assistance. |
| 14–15 | High | Jump-4, fusion weapons, molecular manufacturing, near-immortality. |
Repair & Maintenance: You can maintain and repair gear up to your Education TL (based on homeworld/career). To repair higher-TL gear, you need the appropriate skill and a workshop of matching TL.
Example Loadouts
The Spacer (Light, Mobile)
- Mesh Armor (AR 5, 2 slots)
- Laser Pistol (1 slot)
- Comm Unit (1 slot)
- Advanced Medkit (2 slots)
- Vacc Suit, Advanced (3 slots)
- Total: 8 slots | Cost: ~Cr 9,700
The Mercenary (Combat-Ready)
- Combat Armor (AR 10, 8 slots)
- Assault Rifle (2 slots)
- 3 Frag Grenades (0 slots)
- Comm Unit (1 slot)
- Medkit (1 slot)
- Total: 12 slots | Cost: ~Cr 11,350
The Explorer (Self-Sufficient)
- Cloth Armor (3, 2 slots)
- Auto Rifle (2 slots)
- Survival Kit (2 slots)
- Sensor Pack (2 slots)
- Advanced Medkit (2 slots)
- Climbing Gear (2 slots)
- Comm Unit (1 slot)
- Total: 11 slots | Cost: ~Cr 3,050
Maintenance & Upkeep
Monthly Living Expenses:
| Standard | Cost (Cr) | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Destitute | 0 | −2 DM to all SOC checks. Malnutrition risk. |
| Poor | 200 | −1 DM to SOC checks. |
| Average | 500 | No effect. |
| Good | 1,000 | +1 DM to SOC checks in appropriate contexts. |
| High | 5,000 | +2 DM. Expected for nobles and executives. |
| Luxury | 20,000+ | +3 DM. Status symbol. |
Weapon & Armor Maintenance: Cr 10 per weapon, Cr 50 per armor, per month of active use. Without maintenance, weapons jam on natural 2–3; armor AR degrades by 1.
Ship Maintenance: See Part 7: Starships.