FOREWORD hat follows is a quick overview ofthis small ‘supplement’s content. As you will read, there are no magic items as this supplement was ‘conceived to enhance the selection of base items, weapons and rules that cover aspects of, ‘medieval life that were not portrayed by the Player's Hand Book though being very Aiffased for the major part of the Middle Ages. ‘Mind you, this is no attempt to bring historical renactement into D&D, as my knowledge in that field is far from perfect, but I think that even in a high fantasy setting there is a bare ‘minimum to respect. hope you will enjay it and find it useful! Unuill next time, ave atque vale! Federico Gavioli TABLE OF CONTENTS Part 1: THE ARMORY ‘The armory itself, containing non magie gear and utility adventure items. Page 2: Armors and Shields Page and Adventure Gear Shield Bash, Weapor Part 2: THE ToME oF TACTICS ‘A smal collection of generic feats and some special rules for average non magical combat. Page 4: Feats, Hafted Special Rule and Shield Wall rules Page 5: Parting WordsTHE ARMORY ince the armors and weapons presented in the Core Rulebook made very litle sense to me plausbility-wise, all the more painfal by the fact GAIN) that Thave some medieval renactment } experience, Icame up with a slightly more A ealistic armor system and some weapons that I jund were missing in the Player's Hand Book but where widely used in Medieval and Late Medieval times. Anmors & SHIELDS Instead of adding to the character's AC, [turned back to the pre-Se system of a 10 base AC plus Dexterity modifier, a8 armor allows not to dodge an attack, but to absorb or deflect itonce landed. Similarities, however, end here, as armors now reduce incoming physical damage instead of increasing Armor Chass, ifn armor piece is enchanted to reduces damage from sources other than bludgeoning, piercing and slashing, itis up to the GM to judge by how much. is also completely revertible as you only need to take the damage reduction bonus plus 10 to return to the normal SE AC system [also added a small system that allows modular armor building, as warriors could afford some armor components but others. AAs you will notice, some of the pieces apply their damage reduction bonus only when the character is hit in melee, as they are small enough not toe a likely target for a ranged attacks, but play a key role ina melee, where joints and limbs are usually the most appealing points to strike. ‘Asa side note, these various item! weight values is still a work in progress as I'm trying to keep it as accurate as possible, but gathering information is not as easy as one ‘would think, especially about topies that fall under the “experimental archeology” category Arming Doublet: +2 damage reduction to a Gambeson. 25 Ibs. ‘Accloth and thin mail vestment usually worn directly underneath fall plate armors. Brigandine: +4 damage reduction to a Gambeson. 35 Ibs. A piece of body armor made up of small metal plates and bands riveted in the inside of a leather carrier to protect the wearer from slashing and piercing weapons. Byrnie: +3 damage reduction. 45 Ibs ‘Along and heavy coat of ste! interlocking rings covering the torso and the upper legs. Although itis considerably heavier than other armors, iis also way easier to maintain and cheaper to acquire. Closed Helmet: +2 damage reduction to a Gambeson. 10 Ibs. The wearer, however, suffers disadvantage on Perception checks. series of heavy helmets that are made ofa bascinet and a visor to protect the wearer from almost everything non ‘magical although atthe cost of poor vision and quick internal overheating PART |The Armory Coat of Plates: +6 damage reduction to a Gambeson. 40 Ibs. ‘When wearing a Coat of Plates, a character cannot wear anything else than gauntlets and a helmet as itis a rather bulky piece of armor. The natural evolution of byrnies, a coat of plates is a ong coatlike carrier that has various metal plates riveted to it, usually covering the torso and the upper legs. Although lighter and more flexible than full suits of plates, its also less versatile as it allows a lesser grade of personalization to the wearer's need Gambeson: +1 damage reduction; its base form allows pieces of armor to be attached to it A heavily padded jacket that is the most basic form of personal protection, worn by every single combatant ever in a battlefield as it is both versatile and inexpensive to fabricate. For those who can afford the expense, itis the anchor forall the pieces of armor Gauntleta: +1 damage reduction to a gambeson, bonus applied only in melee only in melee. 5 Ibs. Hard gloves made of steel interlocking plates that protect the wearer's hands from the perils of fencing while allowing them to strike harded in unarmed combat. Gorget: +1 damage reduction to a Gambeson, bonus applied only in melee. A steel piece of armor to protect the neck of in cases such asa sallet helmet, the neck and jaw. Legguards: +2 damage reduction, A series of plates protecting the thigh section, where very important arteries and muscular bundles crucial to movement pass. Open Helmet: +1 damage reduction to a Gambeson. 3 Ibs A series of helmets shaped to protect the skull and part of the visage; whilst not thick enough to have a visor and offering lesser coverage than their closed counterparts, they allow better sight as the eves do not have a narrow slit to see through and way easier breathing. ‘Sabatons: +1 damage reduction, bonus applied only in melee, ‘Steelreinforced boots that can be crucial ina very tight -melee, as usually fighters tend to aim to the limbs and joints. ‘A must have forall close-range combatants ‘Teardrop Shield: 4 damage reduction, A high teardrop-shaped shield that completely protects a warriors flank whilst still alowing a decent vision cone. It was particularly used by heavy cavalry troops, although shieldvalls too could benefit from this kind of shield. ‘Tower Shield: 5 damage reduction. When the user tries to shove a cresture of equal or smaller size, the Strenghth check gains advantage. A sshield as tall 2s the watrior's shoulders and as wide as he is, extremely effective ina shield wall as itcan be used to block roads and corridors acting as a mobile bulwark. Thanks to its considerable bulk, also, itcan be quite effective to bullrush smaller or equabsized enemies, aihough its size does not help sight and controlSurep BasH normal melee attack dealing d4 points of bludgeoning damage plus the shicld's damage reduction bonus and the ‘wearer's Strength bonus. ‘The target creature must then pass a Constitution saving Throw against the attacker's Strength score or be stunned for the following round. ‘WEAPONS ‘They work exactly the same way they do in the rest of the “normal” game, with only some minor tweaks to already existing items. Battleaxe: 1d8 slashing damage, Hafted, Versatile (1410). This is a modification of the standard Player's Hand Book battleaxe. Billhook:1410 slashing damage, Reach, Two-Handed On a ‘Strength check opposed by a Dexterity saving throw from the target, the user can hook a mounted enemy and hat them off their mount or knock them prone ifthey are already on foot A spearong haft witha bladed head that curves into 2 ‘hook usually with a spike on the other side probably derived from a farming implement. Tis especially useful in formation fighting or to combat ‘mounted opponents. Boar Arrow: Inficts bleeding on failed DC 13 Constitution saving throw. A thick arrow with a broad winged tip to embed itself in the prey’s flesh and then be extremely difficult to remove without causing heavy collateral bleeding and internal damage. Bodkin Arrow: ignores 2 points of damage reduction, ‘An arrow with a narrow and thick, dagger like tip to pierce Falchion: dé damage, Versatile (48) The player chooses ‘whether the weapon deals bludgeoning or piercing damage at each Attack action taken, ‘A surprisingly thin blade, designed to cut through clothes, padding and flesh as itis most predominantly used and procured in urban environments where armor is not worn often. Handaxe: 146 slashing damage, Hafted Light, Thrown (20/60) This is a modification ofthe standard Player's Hand Book handaxe, Longbow: instead of adding Dexterity modifier to the bit and damage rolls, it adds the Strength one. This is a ‘modification to the standard, Player's Hand Book longbow. Longsword: 148 damage, versatile (10) Finesse. The player chooses whether the weapon deals piercing or slashing damage at each Attack action taken. This isa ‘modification to the standard, Player's Hand Book longsword Poleaxe: 1410 damage, Hafted, Two-Handed. The player chooses whether the weapon deals piercing or bludgeoning damage at each Attack action taken, Ahafted polearm usually shoulder high with a spiked hammerhead ideal to be used in close range personal combat both against armored and unarmored opponents. In the times of olden, it was employed by feuding knights in their duels of honour War Pick: 148 piercing damage. Hafted This is a ‘modification ofthe standard Player's Hand Book war pick. Warhammer: 1d8 bludgeoning damage. Hafted, Versatile (110) This is a modification of the standard Player's Hand Book warhammer, ADVENTURE GEAR ‘Along with weapons and armor, I found that the current selection of adventuring gear presented in the Player's Hand Book still lacked some things or others were not as complete and plausible as I would have liked them to be. ‘As such, [came up with the following suggestions. Belt Pouches: small leather pouches that can carry up to 100 coins of whatever material and value. Money weighs! ‘And, more importantly, a great amount of small metal bits dangling in liberty are not helpful when sneaking Portable Bookcase: « set of leather belts or a hard wooden case that allow a book not to aceupy carrying space in the character's backpack. A character ean use a number of Portable Bookcases equal their Strength modifier. Potions Bandolier: belt with straps or a small wooden tube to carry up to 6 potions that can be used as. free action, A character can wear up to two Bandoliers, ‘Scrolls Bandolier: a belt with straps to carry 3 scrolls that ‘can be used as a free action. A character can wear up to two Bandoliers, PART |The ArmocyTHE TOME OF TACTICS 4 sated before, my small medieval renactment experience showed me that things that athe time were either extremely important or very frequent such a fighting using the shield ss an scual weapon o forming a shield wall were Pissing in he Payer Hand Book Not aj problem with many layer i that hey are less ikely to attempt something that has no writen rles about, perhaps because they fee that whats not expresscly alle i implicitly forbidden, so what follows ie my attempt at tackling a few ofthese "mising” or not enough fleshed out aspects HarrTep: ‘Weapons with this special rule, as hammers, axes and poleaxes, are mounted on a wooden shaft with a head of| ‘varying shapes that grant them the ability to hook enemy ‘weapons and shiclds to yank them off their user's grasp. However, too long hafts, such as those of spears, pikes and halberd, are too long and therefore too heavy to allow enough control for such a precise operation as they tend to bend due to their head's mass. Hooking an enemy weapon or shield to have the wielder rop itis an opposed Strength check, Ifit ends with a te, both contendents count as grappled. Weapons with the Versatile special rule slong with the Hafted one gain advantage to their Strength check when booking enemy weapons and shields, SHrzLp WALL Shields, especially large or tall ones, can be an extremely potent force when locked together to form a wall and then used with insightful coordination, ftwo creatures stand shoulder to shoulder and lock shields together, whoever stands inthe 5 feet behind them gets the benefits of three quarters cover, Ifa third character joins the wall the cover is full and all attacks relying on line of sight targeting the characters behind the wall suffer disadvantage, When a ereature behind a shield wall is successfully hit by fan attack coming from beyond the wall one of the characters holding it can try to suffer it themselves by rolling a Dexterity saving throw with a DC equal the result of the attack roll Critical hite, however, are too masterful or lucky attacks to be redirected [Asa shicldwall is something quite frightening to behold, a solid barrier of variously coloured wooden slabs that threaten to crumble whoever is on their path, shorter weapons trying, toattack those standing behind it suffer disadvantage, while those with the Hafted special rule allow other weapons to attack normally if used to hook a shield down, ‘Those with the Reach special rule sill have disadvantage attacking those who hold it, but instead count thei Reach distance beyond those holding the shield wall as they are long enough to be thrust aver the wall itself. PART2 |The Tome of Thetes Holding or tying to push through a shieldwall is an ‘opposed Strength check with a +] bonus for each creature forming it with a maximum of '3 However, coordinating the movements of a shieldwall is 2 much more complex matter as it needs many people to make intricate maneuvers in an extremely stressful situation, Moving a shieldwall takes an action and a successful Insight check with a DC equal to the number of people forming it times five Feats ‘The feats presented here can be accessed by all classes as long as they meet the requisites, although Fighters and Paladins can make the most out of them, In particular, Frontine talents give the most out of them if ‘the group has at least three sword-and-board oriented, characters although it works with two too, A one-man shield wall however, is a thing many an enemy ‘would laugh at Brewmaster: Proficiency in Nature Skill Intellect score of 14 Brewed poisons and potions add an additional d6 (o their effect. Frontline Fighter: Proficiency with shields, Strength score of at least 14 ‘Asa bonus action, the character can attempt to distract an ‘enemy within 5 feet and give a 1d6 bonus weapon damage to their allies attacking it for the next round. Frontline Tactician: Proficiency with Insight, Intellect score atleast of 14 The shieldwail’s speed is not halved anymore and the Insight check to move it gain advantage. Giants slayer: Proficiency with martial weapons ‘Weapons with the Hafted and Reach special rules gain ‘advantage on to hit rolls against Large or bigger enemies. ‘Titan Warrior: Strength score of 20 ‘The character can now wield 2-handed weapons with only ‘one hand, although to hit ros suffer disadvantage. Dual ‘wielding rules still apply as usual Honor Duelist: Proficiency with martial weapons Ifthe character directs all of his attacks to the same target while wielding a weapon with the Hafted special rule, he can forego one of them to attempt a hooking maneuvre with advantage. Veteran Brewer: Brewmaster feat Checks for brewing potions and poisons have advantage and require half the ingredients. Itworks best with Herbalism: Defined, Refined and Usable by Chris Conte, which is an awesome tool that I suggest to give atleast @ check atPARTING WORDS of this would ave looked lke rotten goblin poop, a simple Libreotice file brimming with talerbbled notes and horrendous a> sarkings, had I not stumbled upon the fantacy looking (dd T mention flippin trea?) format made a the Homebrewery thal re he selfeame format the hallowed Player Hand Book uses! T have heard he even has a patreon to keep up the good stuf 80 g0 give him a look and a tip for beer and coffee! ‘Also, special thanks to Voice Actor, GM and overall awesome person Matthew Mercer, GM for the Critical Role show on Geek and Sundry, as I got watching him and the show the spur to finally put on a decent format what was 2 series of half discarded notes in some dusty capy book of Lecat STUFF DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, D&D, Wizards of the Coast, Forgotten Realms, the dragon ampersand, Player's Handbook, Monster Manual, Dungeon Master's Guide, D&D Adventurers League, all other Wizards of the Coast product names, and their respective logos are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast in the USA and other countries. All characters and their distinctive likenesses are property of Wizards of the Coast. This material is protected under the copyright laws of the United States of America. Any reproduction or ‘unauthorized use of the material or artwork contained herein is prohibited without the express written permission of Wizards of the Coast, 622016 Wizards of the Coast LLC, PO Box 707, Renton, WA 98087-0707, USA. Manufactured by Hasbro SA, Rue Emile-Boéchat 31, 2800 Delémont, CH, Represented by Hasbro Europe, 4 The Square, Stockley Park, Uxbridge, Middlesex, UBIL 1ET, UK. PARTS [PARTING WORDS