- Pronouns
- He/She/They
[X](Helen's Shopping Focus) Items to make the quest for Arnstey Keep easier. Adventuring supply alternatives, basically. Anything from weaponry, to tools, to medkits, to many ideas the QM isn't thinking of.
Succubusekai: The Demoness Just Wanted To Stay With Her Friends! [Original-Ish] [Quest]
- Thread starter NekoIncardine
- Start date
- Original Mature Fantasy
-
- Tags
- original
- Pronouns
- She/Her
[X] (Helen's Shopping Focus) First steps towards bringing technology levels up in the area. Picking a specific technology to focus on is a challenge, and what options can be assisted with magic quite another - if only the submissive floof were a wizard - but starting to improve one area could improve lives greatly, which could put a strong downward pressure on the influence of villainy around these parts.
I'd consider the easiest starting point to be the printing press. Instead of having to convince the peasantry at large to make some sort of massive change, start by making existing knowledge more widespread and accessible. No longer is copying text quickly something that requires magic! Heck, make the basics of magical theory more available so people can more easily start learning spells! Let knowledge-hoarding and secrecy crumble before the power of movable type! You'd just have to locate such an antique press.
I suspect Helen would also be interested in "one of those crude early replicators" (AKA a 3D printer) as something that could be used within the context of the apartment. Might be necessary to use such a thing to make some type of the local alphabet/syllabary/what have you...
I'd consider the easiest starting point to be the printing press. Instead of having to convince the peasantry at large to make some sort of massive change, start by making existing knowledge more widespread and accessible. No longer is copying text quickly something that requires magic! Heck, make the basics of magical theory more available so people can more easily start learning spells! Let knowledge-hoarding and secrecy crumble before the power of movable type! You'd just have to locate such an antique press.
I suspect Helen would also be interested in "one of those crude early replicators" (AKA a 3D printer) as something that could be used within the context of the apartment. Might be necessary to use such a thing to make some type of the local alphabet/syllabary/what have you...
- Location
- Somewhere
Problem with the printing press; You need a lot of paper to make that work, and you'd also need the proper inks to make it. There's not really any easy way to do any uplifts at all, and certainly no quick way of doing so too.
[X](Helen's Shopping Focus) Items to make the quest for Arnstey Keep easier. Adventuring supply alternatives, basically. Anything from weaponry, to tools, to medkits, to many ideas the QM isn't thinking of.
[X](Helen's Shopping Focus) Items to make the quest for Arnstey Keep easier. Adventuring supply alternatives, basically. Anything from weaponry, to tools, to medkits, to many ideas the QM isn't thinking of.
- Pronouns
- They/Them
[X](Helen's Shopping Focus) Items to make the quest for Arnstey Keep easier. Adventuring supply alternatives, basically. Anything from weaponry, to tools, to medkits, to many ideas the QM isn't thinking of.
Not feeling too creative tonight, but I do think that surviving the next few days is probably the most important area of focus at the moment.
Not feeling too creative tonight, but I do think that surviving the next few days is probably the most important area of focus at the moment.
- Location
- Dragyxx
- Pronouns
- He/Him/His
Well then we should probably start thinking of suggestions of stuff you could order online that would be helpful in adventuring.
I mean, there's nice high-quality camping supplies, but in many cases modern gear isn't really built for dungeon-delving, and you can't just order weapons online.
Well, actually you might be able to get a few things like a nice knife or a modern compound-composite bow, but the latter would look a little out of place and you'd still want to use local arrows (modern arrows are built for target shooting or hunting animals, not fighting people or monsters, and may be less effective at the latter than a medieval broadhead.)
I mean, there's nice high-quality camping supplies, but in many cases modern gear isn't really built for dungeon-delving, and you can't just order weapons online.
Well, actually you might be able to get a few things like a nice knife or a modern compound-composite bow, but the latter would look a little out of place and you'd still want to use local arrows (modern arrows are built for target shooting or hunting animals, not fighting people or monsters, and may be less effective at the latter than a medieval broadhead.)
No, you can't. Or at least, I assume you're right there, I'm not getting an attempt to confirm that in my search history.
But you can order modern armor. I'm not actually sure if the relatively cheap stuff I can find for $600 is better than our racial natural armor or Helen's chainmail, but it is available.
...Also, it may still be possible to improve Helen's armor anyway by combining a modern anti-stab vest with her current chainmail. It gets heavy, but they are meant to be worn alongside other clothes, and it's far more available than any local upgrade methods.
Vote closed
Hm... useful adventuring tools...
-Energy bars
-Electric torches (especially with clip attachment)
-Swiss Army knives
-Compass
-Camping gear (including fire-starting tools)
-Night vision goggles
-Walky-talkies
-Ballistic vests
-Binoculars
-Guns
-Antibiotics (curing disease is higher-level spells than just curing injury)
-Drones
-Energy bars
-Electric torches (especially with clip attachment)
-Swiss Army knives
-Compass
-Camping gear (including fire-starting tools)
-Night vision goggles
-Walky-talkies
-Ballistic vests
-Binoculars
-Guns
-Antibiotics (curing disease is higher-level spells than just curing injury)
-Drones
-Solar-powered battery charger
- Pronouns
- She/Her
On that general topic, solar suitcases come to mind. The ideal thing lightwise would be to have flashlights which, instead of using standard replaceable batteries, are meant to recharge via USB. Plug USB charger into solar suitcase, plug flashlight into USB charger.
As an ex-Mainer, I figured a good place to start digging for modern gear ideas would be L.L. Bean; contrary to what the rest of the US thinks, it's not just some fancy clothing brand, but originally an outdoorsman's store. Thankfully, their website reflects this instead of playing to the widespread stereotype.
(Also, I kind of wish I had a map of the original store in Freeport. It has an interesting layout that would make for a good action-adventure firefight.)
Some items of note when I browse the L.L. Bean site:
Collapsible Wagon
Collapsible Shelf
Collapsible Basket
Extra-Large Rolling Duffle Bag (smaller sizes are different listings)
Weatherproofed Duffle
Camo Duffle
Zip-Top Canvas Tote, various sizes
Cooler Tote Bag
Old-Fashioned School Backpack (from before schools insisted all backpacks be transparent; also comes in fancy)
50-Liter Backpack
Medium-Sized Fanny Pack
Bag-Studded Harness
Rain Cover for Backpacks
Waterproof Blanket
Multi-Mode Flashlight
USB-Rechargeable Headband Light
Medkits, Small Watertight and Large
Binoculars
Ear Protection
Swiss Army Knives; first found, second found, third found
Matryoshka Cooking Supplies
Telescoping Roasting Forks, likely as useful for prodding things from a distance as cooking
Dehydrated Food
Cooking Knife Set with Accessories
"Bean Boots"; Original, Insulated, Extra-Tall, etc.
Hiking Socks
Fishing Vest
Rain Poncho
Insulated Hooded Rain Jacket
Camo Jacket
Insulated Waterproof Gloves
Ski Helmet (basically thinking "lighter armor" here)
grommile
nasty-minded old cynic
- Location
- NERV-Mercia
- Pronouns
- Traditional/Animate
This kind of helmet is not a suitable replacement for mediaeval head armour; helmets manufactured as civilian impact protection PPE are by design often only good for one really hard impact (since the design principle is "it breaks instead of your skull breaking").
- Location
- Dragyxx
- Pronouns
- He/Him/His
Yeah, a lot of modern 'armor' is actually very bad for what we want. If we could get some military surplus helmets those would be good, but even a lot af actual armor these days is hyper specialized and wouldn't actually hold up well to a sword or a monster.
Shark suits are still just chainmail for a reason.
Shark suits are still just chainmail for a reason.
Ways to make cheaper inks (seriously, ink is listed in some sources at 1 GP per ounce, always seemed a bit much to me) and cheaper paper would be critical to a successful printing press, but while it may not be a CHEAP start, the right research might produce a method or two.
It is canon that literacy is an assumption in most D&D settings (Barbarian is specifically called out as the exception in 3rd Edition, and even that was dropped in 4th); that said, and I'mma redtext this one, mass production of scrolls in particular isn't a thing on Aridia as yet; introducing efficient rapid printing could be a powerful boon.
I'm not 100% certain I agree with this; plastic armors are made to replace, yes, but modern padding used in place of traditional gambesons could be a major upgrade.
The stack of examples is appreciated and should help greatly with the final post.
***
This exercise has been great to observe and contribute to, and I've got a LOT of reading and thinking to do as Helen comes up with her first order.
For convenience's sake, if ordering from a US major commercial retailer, assume two Earthside days shipping time unless they advertise faster; smaller specialty shops may have a longer turnaround, as would international shipping or shipping massive amounts of stuff. This does mean you can get it faster relative to Aridiaside by closing the door and holing up, but that has its own catches too of course.
I'll be preparing the writing soon, but in the meanwhile strongly encourage everyone to keep proffering ideas... And look ahead to what Senaz or Eira might go for. (Eira might lean practical, or might lean, well, hedonistic. Senaz does not currently know how to access dark web purchasing resources, so she'd need to work with Jack or someone for certain kinds of thing.)
grommile
nasty-minded old cynic
- Location
- NERV-Mercia
- Pronouns
- Traditional/Animate
That ink can reasonably be assumed to be something along the lines of either India ink or iron gall ink, neither of which is a great choice for printing. (oh, and in the 5e PHB it's ten GP/oz, which is starkly insane.)
The European printing revolution was propelled by ink made of highly unsaturated fat (walnut oil was the usual choice OTL) and soot, with turpentine as a solvent.
In D&D 5e, paper is literally twelve* times as expensive as it should be given that fully articulated plate armour is an article of commerce.
* 2sp/sheet, compared to 1sp/sheet for parchment. In late 13th century Italy, paper was one-sixth the price of parchment. Fully articulated plate armour is 15th century technology.
- Location
- Mid-Atlantic
Yeah, this, plus what @grommile said.
I'm pretty sure paper should never, never normally be more expensive than parchment. It ain't natural. Parchment is made out of animal hides; paper is made out of vegetable fiber, typically used and recycled cloth rags or fiber that has few other uses such as tree bark. Parchment competes directly with other goods, particularly leather, for raw materials, because of what you make it from. Paper competes with pretty much nothing else.
Furthermore, parchment tends to be the more durable product, much less susceptible to general wear and tear and usually keeping ink better, as I understand it.
So just from an economic standpoint, if paper's expensive relative to parchment, it's because paper's an obscure foreign import that you have to pay extra for because it's weird, not because parchment's easy to mass produce which it definitely isn't unless you have some kind of magic gadget that prints more pigskin out of thin air or something.
I could be misremembering modern D&D rules, but my impression was that scrolls (expendable one-use spellcasting items) require a deliberate act of magic by their creator- that you can't inscribe a scroll of Fireball unless you yourself can cast the Fireball spell, and quite possibly that you have to expend the energy/spell slot you'd use to cast the spell in order to empower the scroll.
Furthermore, scrolls are reasonably combat portable and are usable within a single combat round for most spells, which puts a pretty sharp limit on how much actual content the scroll can contain even if it's delicate calligraphy or something.
I'm thinking that physically preparing the written content of the scroll itself isn't the bottleneck here.
In this case, if I'm right, I'd suspect that the limiting factor in preparing spell scrolls is caster time, because for fifty years there's a recurring underlying 'problem/anomaly' of it being very hard to motivate NPC casters in D&D to perform even repetitive low-risk services for money at anything but the most exorbitant of prices.
- Pronouns
- She/Her
5e's pretty vague about exactly how scrolls are made because it's pretty vague about how any magic item is made. I get the distinct sense that the current devteam doesn't actually want PCs making magic items, and only has a vague ruleset in there at all due to popular demand. (The 5e Artificer suffers due to this, IMO.)
If one goes back to 3.x and TSR editions, though, yeah, that's how it works. That being said, though, I wouldn't think it impossible to make the process more efficient. In my mind, it'd involve creating an enchanted press that could absorb any spell and hold its charge for a day, carving type of the proper sorts of runes and sigils, putting proper permanent enchantments on each such character, having a supply of the right sort of ink for the kind of scroll you wanted to make that day, then casting the spell on the press before you begin stamping. Massive startup investment, but the more it's used the better the return.
Arc 1, Chapter 1.1.16: Shopping Begins
[X] (Helen's Shopping Focus) Items to make the quest for Arnstey Keep easier. Adventuring supply alternatives, basically. Anything from weaponry, to tools, to medkits, to many ideas the QM isn't thinking of.
Helen pauses. "... Of which focusing on stopping the cult seems the highest to me," she says after a few seconds. "If we focus on materials relevant to that…"
"I'm kinda surprised, given the uplift goal, but it does make sense to eye to the short term first."
"Exactly."
And then a voice comes in preemptively. "What'cha dooooing?", comes the voice of the other blonde of the house, as Eira steps into your bedroom… Not completely naked, but in smallclothes.
Helen immediately moves to answer, turning away from the exhibitionist. "Senaz decided it's time to spend some of her earthside money, so we were just beginning to talk possibilities a bit. She wanted to offer you a choice, too, but…"
Eira ponders a bit. "... Just free choice?"
You nod, but add, "Within what I can get my hands on. And afford."
"Well, yeah. But we're talking a world of tech and where to even start?"
"That's part of it, yes. I had a few broad ideas - supplies that help us right now against the cultists, items that let us start performing regional technological uplift in the medium term… Aaaand just going full hedonistic."
Eira's tail is visibly swaying at the last one, but she's clearly trying to actually think about this. "... Sheesh. Big choices. But you gotta have some fun, yea?"
"Maybe. I was thinking if Helen went first with her share, that could give ideas for you then me."
"Helen, you mentioned you're from a few centuries and a couple technological levels beyond Senaz, yeah?"
"Not that it helps much," Helen observes, "given we can only order from Senaz's Earth. And with limits there - no legal way to buy guns."
You pause. "... There miiiiight be a workaround there, but I'm going to say it's a bad idea anyways."
Eira pauses. "'Gun'?"
"Firearms?", you clarify.
"Oh, yeah, no. Too loud."
You nod, as Helen pauses. "Plus other concerns. Now, we don't all need to do the same thing, thankfully. But if we avoid thinking about technological uplift too much, then we're focusing on things that help us with our mission. That's investigating Chaos Mountain and its vicinity, which means fighting but also getting around."
You nod. "Which opens… Um, quite a few categories. Fighting, adventuring supplies…"
Helen nods. "Camp upgrades could be useful, we can't guarantee we keep this door secret if we keep using it for sleep. Besides, the outdoors can be nice sometimes."
You pause, and load up your region's choice outdoor co-op. "Tents that can take like a minute to set up instead of twenty, lighter backpacks, better footwear… Flashlights."
Eira pauses. "Like, portable versions of the house lighting?"
"Yep. Can even be recharged in sunlight, for heightened Solaria compatibility."
Helen chuckles. "I mean, not exactly but. Trail rations, fire-starting… Toolkit could be good."
Eira's pondering. "Remind me to look at what your modern kits look like."
You nod. "Clothing, too. Like, I get to cheat on that, but while local wool and cloth isn't bad, newer materials could be great. More breathy under-layers could be good, especially if we can ever get you full platemail."
Helen pauses. "What does police armor look like in your area?"
You pause. "It's mostly made for bullets and stuff, might not be so hot against what we're dealing with, but…"
She nods. "Right. Kevlar plating and the like. Could get some good padding layers, though."
Eira shrugs. "Think I might be able to get something better than boiled-leather armor?"
"Maybe, but… Hmm."
You consider for a bit, as Helen continues, "Utility tapes could be really good."
"Duct tape's the common one in my time," you say. "Not universal, but rather close."
Helen's pausing. "Can't forget food, either. Potatoes… We're in a good clime for them, actually."
You pause. "... That's."
"I know, I know," the Paladin observes, "too many ideas. Setting that one aside. Plus, given the fact that a lot of a potato can be poisonous if used wrong…"
Helen nods. "So, back to adventuring." She's thinking. "Portable foods could be good, too, as an alternative or supplement to local trail rations. Various light electronics…"
You nod. "Night-vision goggles? Not as important for me with Darkvision, but. Communications, what kinds of electronics could be useful…"
Helen pauses. "... I mean, cameras could be nice."
You pause, and glance at the webcam on your computer.
You hadn't even considered this. "Yeah, true."
"First aid, travel tools…"
Eira raises a hand. "What are travel blankets like in the, uh, future?"
Helen pauses. "Different in a lot of ways, but that could be a good idea."
You ponder. "Okay… So, that's a big, big swathe of ideas. Focusing on for Helen…"
The three of you are now scrolling possibilities, door closed to keep yourselves from burning daylight. You have realized this is going to take a while by now…
Helen pauses. "... Just thought of a couple more things, but first! Knife. Knife-only options tend to be more durable, but multitools are hard to beat in portability."
She goes over options. "... That one's $15 and the one next to it is $270. IT can't be that much better, right???"
You sigh. "Handcrafted work - or work faking it - does tend to cost more. I think that $15 one should work, especially with the serrated blade."
Eira pauses. "LIke, saws? Won't those wear out in like four uses?"
"Better steel," Helen explains. "Even the cheap stuff will hold an edge excellently. I think local whetstones should be plenty to keep the edge, too."
You nod. "W-what she said," noting that she's got $735 to go.
Helen continues, "Pocket multitools… Of course they cost more, but this one… Do you know, does that brand have a good reputation?", she asks you.
"Think so."
"In it goes." $75 tool, so $660 left.
She's moving on - at some point, she took the keyboard and mouse. Welp. "Lighting - headband lamp, red light support, good battery life. Band looks usable." $600 left after that, and Eira's definitely looking Interested. She pauses. "Red light?"
"Doesn't screw with your eyes as much in night conditions," you explain. "Least in theory. It definitely will be harder for others to spot, which is good in our context."
"Huh."
Helen is smiling. "You're getting it. Looking at other electronics… Radios would be a great out-of-context problem for our foes, us able to communicate at extreme distance nigh-silently, but it looks like three of solid range would be… $260." She's pondering, before - "Maybe. First aid, though…"
Before you know it, she's up to $200 - no, $250 - of supplies here. Everything from gauzes to knee supports to CPR breathing guards - even kinesiology tape. "Um," you note, "Doesn't Solaria's blessing-"
"We shouldn't count on it alone. I went through an entire day's supply of what I can handle getting us safe to walk yesterday," Helen explains. Okay, so, she's sticking to that. $350 to go. At least it looks like the bag will make organizing it all easy…
"Signaling whistle." Down to $340. "Emergency blanket - not comfortable, but super-light and easy to pocket." $320 remaining. "Spade with multitool edges." $290. "Small hatchet." $260. She's moving fast now.
"Nice solo tent, at least somewhat mountain-worthy." She's down to $130. "Just big enough for my existing bedroll, so…" She pauses, and ponders a bit.
"Large steel water bottle." $110 to go. "Think it's tough enough to use as a club in a pinch?"
You shake your head. "Nah, they prioritize lightness."
"Drat. Okay... Long underwear, briefs… Why the hell do bras cost so much?"
You sigh. "Wish I could tell you."
"Mmm. Okay, I'll keep with what I've got there for now. But, rest going to other underwear should be great for endurance. Think that all sounds good?
You look over her finalized shopping list…
[ ] (Helen's Shopping Plan) You think it sounds great.
[ ] (Helen's Shopping Plan) Write-In - you'd like to suggest switching this out for that. (Give the GM ideas, I may declare a price arbitrarily to keep things moving.)
All the while, Eira's been thinking, nodding along like she understands more than she likely actually does. Then… "I think I'm gonna go with…"
[ ] (Eira's Base Shopping Idea) "Some of these camp and adventuring items sound great! What are lockpicks like in your time?"
[ ] (Eira's Base Shopping Idea) "What's manufacturing do to clothes? Going heavy there could gimme some good upgrades for my purposes."
[ ] (Eira's Base Shopping Idea) "You've got all this exciting funsies tech, start hooking a girl up, mmm?"
[ ] (Eira's Base Shopping Idea) "Things to put me in next time you put me under your spell~" (Oh she's gotta be saying it like that to needle Helen… Also this one's got High Odds of a spoilercut scene.)
***
For the record, I reviewed prices at a few different sites, looking at decent-quality-seeming items, and then rounded to keep track. The values are ultimately arbitrary, and I'm willing to hear arguments; however, this is the kind of thing where I have to cut off at some point for sanity's sake!
If I am convinced to change any prices on something, it'll be handled IC'ly in the next post alongside Eira's choices.
Helen pauses. "... Of which focusing on stopping the cult seems the highest to me," she says after a few seconds. "If we focus on materials relevant to that…"
"I'm kinda surprised, given the uplift goal, but it does make sense to eye to the short term first."
"Exactly."
And then a voice comes in preemptively. "What'cha dooooing?", comes the voice of the other blonde of the house, as Eira steps into your bedroom… Not completely naked, but in smallclothes.
Helen immediately moves to answer, turning away from the exhibitionist. "Senaz decided it's time to spend some of her earthside money, so we were just beginning to talk possibilities a bit. She wanted to offer you a choice, too, but…"
Eira ponders a bit. "... Just free choice?"
You nod, but add, "Within what I can get my hands on. And afford."
"Well, yeah. But we're talking a world of tech and where to even start?"
"That's part of it, yes. I had a few broad ideas - supplies that help us right now against the cultists, items that let us start performing regional technological uplift in the medium term… Aaaand just going full hedonistic."
Eira's tail is visibly swaying at the last one, but she's clearly trying to actually think about this. "... Sheesh. Big choices. But you gotta have some fun, yea?"
"Maybe. I was thinking if Helen went first with her share, that could give ideas for you then me."
"Helen, you mentioned you're from a few centuries and a couple technological levels beyond Senaz, yeah?"
"Not that it helps much," Helen observes, "given we can only order from Senaz's Earth. And with limits there - no legal way to buy guns."
You pause. "... There miiiiight be a workaround there, but I'm going to say it's a bad idea anyways."
Eira pauses. "'Gun'?"
"Firearms?", you clarify.
"Oh, yeah, no. Too loud."
You nod, as Helen pauses. "Plus other concerns. Now, we don't all need to do the same thing, thankfully. But if we avoid thinking about technological uplift too much, then we're focusing on things that help us with our mission. That's investigating Chaos Mountain and its vicinity, which means fighting but also getting around."
You nod. "Which opens… Um, quite a few categories. Fighting, adventuring supplies…"
Helen nods. "Camp upgrades could be useful, we can't guarantee we keep this door secret if we keep using it for sleep. Besides, the outdoors can be nice sometimes."
You pause, and load up your region's choice outdoor co-op. "Tents that can take like a minute to set up instead of twenty, lighter backpacks, better footwear… Flashlights."
Eira pauses. "Like, portable versions of the house lighting?"
"Yep. Can even be recharged in sunlight, for heightened Solaria compatibility."
Helen chuckles. "I mean, not exactly but. Trail rations, fire-starting… Toolkit could be good."
Eira's pondering. "Remind me to look at what your modern kits look like."
You nod. "Clothing, too. Like, I get to cheat on that, but while local wool and cloth isn't bad, newer materials could be great. More breathy under-layers could be good, especially if we can ever get you full platemail."
Helen pauses. "What does police armor look like in your area?"
You pause. "It's mostly made for bullets and stuff, might not be so hot against what we're dealing with, but…"
She nods. "Right. Kevlar plating and the like. Could get some good padding layers, though."
Eira shrugs. "Think I might be able to get something better than boiled-leather armor?"
"Maybe, but… Hmm."
You consider for a bit, as Helen continues, "Utility tapes could be really good."
"Duct tape's the common one in my time," you say. "Not universal, but rather close."
Helen's pausing. "Can't forget food, either. Potatoes… We're in a good clime for them, actually."
You pause. "... That's."
"I know, I know," the Paladin observes, "too many ideas. Setting that one aside. Plus, given the fact that a lot of a potato can be poisonous if used wrong…"
Helen nods. "So, back to adventuring." She's thinking. "Portable foods could be good, too, as an alternative or supplement to local trail rations. Various light electronics…"
You nod. "Night-vision goggles? Not as important for me with Darkvision, but. Communications, what kinds of electronics could be useful…"
Helen pauses. "... I mean, cameras could be nice."
You pause, and glance at the webcam on your computer.
You hadn't even considered this. "Yeah, true."
"First aid, travel tools…"
Eira raises a hand. "What are travel blankets like in the, uh, future?"
Helen pauses. "Different in a lot of ways, but that could be a good idea."
You ponder. "Okay… So, that's a big, big swathe of ideas. Focusing on for Helen…"
The three of you are now scrolling possibilities, door closed to keep yourselves from burning daylight. You have realized this is going to take a while by now…
Helen pauses. "... Just thought of a couple more things, but first! Knife. Knife-only options tend to be more durable, but multitools are hard to beat in portability."
She goes over options. "... That one's $15 and the one next to it is $270. IT can't be that much better, right???"
You sigh. "Handcrafted work - or work faking it - does tend to cost more. I think that $15 one should work, especially with the serrated blade."
Eira pauses. "LIke, saws? Won't those wear out in like four uses?"
"Better steel," Helen explains. "Even the cheap stuff will hold an edge excellently. I think local whetstones should be plenty to keep the edge, too."
You nod. "W-what she said," noting that she's got $735 to go.
Helen continues, "Pocket multitools… Of course they cost more, but this one… Do you know, does that brand have a good reputation?", she asks you.
"Think so."
"In it goes." $75 tool, so $660 left.
She's moving on - at some point, she took the keyboard and mouse. Welp. "Lighting - headband lamp, red light support, good battery life. Band looks usable." $600 left after that, and Eira's definitely looking Interested. She pauses. "Red light?"
"Doesn't screw with your eyes as much in night conditions," you explain. "Least in theory. It definitely will be harder for others to spot, which is good in our context."
"Huh."
Helen is smiling. "You're getting it. Looking at other electronics… Radios would be a great out-of-context problem for our foes, us able to communicate at extreme distance nigh-silently, but it looks like three of solid range would be… $260." She's pondering, before - "Maybe. First aid, though…"
Before you know it, she's up to $200 - no, $250 - of supplies here. Everything from gauzes to knee supports to CPR breathing guards - even kinesiology tape. "Um," you note, "Doesn't Solaria's blessing-"
"We shouldn't count on it alone. I went through an entire day's supply of what I can handle getting us safe to walk yesterday," Helen explains. Okay, so, she's sticking to that. $350 to go. At least it looks like the bag will make organizing it all easy…
"Signaling whistle." Down to $340. "Emergency blanket - not comfortable, but super-light and easy to pocket." $320 remaining. "Spade with multitool edges." $290. "Small hatchet." $260. She's moving fast now.
"Nice solo tent, at least somewhat mountain-worthy." She's down to $130. "Just big enough for my existing bedroll, so…" She pauses, and ponders a bit.
"Large steel water bottle." $110 to go. "Think it's tough enough to use as a club in a pinch?"
You shake your head. "Nah, they prioritize lightness."
"Drat. Okay... Long underwear, briefs… Why the hell do bras cost so much?"
You sigh. "Wish I could tell you."
"Mmm. Okay, I'll keep with what I've got there for now. But, rest going to other underwear should be great for endurance. Think that all sounds good?
You look over her finalized shopping list…
[ ] (Helen's Shopping Plan) You think it sounds great.
[ ] (Helen's Shopping Plan) Write-In - you'd like to suggest switching this out for that. (Give the GM ideas, I may declare a price arbitrarily to keep things moving.)
All the while, Eira's been thinking, nodding along like she understands more than she likely actually does. Then… "I think I'm gonna go with…"
[ ] (Eira's Base Shopping Idea) "Some of these camp and adventuring items sound great! What are lockpicks like in your time?"
[ ] (Eira's Base Shopping Idea) "What's manufacturing do to clothes? Going heavy there could gimme some good upgrades for my purposes."
[ ] (Eira's Base Shopping Idea) "You've got all this exciting funsies tech, start hooking a girl up, mmm?"
[ ] (Eira's Base Shopping Idea) "Things to put me in next time you put me under your spell~" (Oh she's gotta be saying it like that to needle Helen… Also this one's got High Odds of a spoilercut scene.)
***
For the record, I reviewed prices at a few different sites, looking at decent-quality-seeming items, and then rounded to keep track. The values are ultimately arbitrary, and I'm willing to hear arguments; however, this is the kind of thing where I have to cut off at some point for sanity's sake!
If I am convinced to change any prices on something, it'll be handled IC'ly in the next post alongside Eira's choices.
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grommile
nasty-minded old cynic
- Location
- NERV-Mercia
- Pronouns
- Traditional/Animate
Mostly inapplicable to mediaeval locks.
- Location
- Dragyxx
- Pronouns
- He/Him/His
Or, well, depending on what you refer to as lockpicks, there are probably some modern tools that would just... literally cut through the medieval locks. But a modern locksmith kit, while not fully applicable, would probably... actually eat most medieval-era locks for breakfast. Mostly because said medieval-era locks would be vastly simpler than what it was built for.
Magical locks would be a no-go though. Earth tools would do zero good for anything Arcane Locked.
Magical locks would be a no-go though. Earth tools would do zero good for anything Arcane Locked.
Qoheleth
Archivist
- Pronouns
- Any
The main reason I think modern picks might be inapplicable to Aridia's (likely) renaissance-era "warded" locks is because those keys can be huuuge compared to the warded picks that you can buy online these days - you could open a chest but maybe not a door. I suspect you'd get better mileage out of bypass tools: under-door hooks, thumb-turn flippers, latch-slippers, padlock shims...
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- Location
- Attached to a wall
- Pronouns
- She/Her
[X] (Helen's Shopping Plan) Write-In - Recommend her to buy one or more books, specifically about ecology if she's planning to introduce things like potatoes.
A society on the terraforming level of tech might have forgotten this, but things can go horribly out of control very quickly.
A society on the terraforming level of tech might have forgotten this, but things can go horribly out of control very quickly.
In past editions, Rogues could use Disable Device even on Magic checks - in 5e, it appears to have been shuffled to Arcana instead. I'd rule that modern lockpicking equipment would do about as well as historic on this part - that is, it can be used, but skill with magic is still important.