We're continuing a look the sorts of gear that characters will be able to get in Segira, an upcoming roleplaying game from Loreshaper Games.

In the Hammercalled system, which powers Segira, characters can have four types of gear: Weapons and Armor, which are self-explanatory, Tools, which allow characters to do special things and gain a bonus at them, and Augmentations, which provide "slow-burn" passive boosts.

Since Segira doesn't have an equivalent to Augmentations, we're down to the last part of the Gear list. Technically Night-Vision Goggles function like an Augmentation, but with very few examples we just omitted the extra type and decided to go for bespoke rules.

As an added side-note, I really appreciate the fact that I'm dealing with primarily real-world elements in Segira. There's no need to communicate some things because most people have a general understanding of many of the concepts within the game. Only enough rules to prevent disputes are needed.

Tools in Segira are pretty simple, so I'll just put the whole Tools section up here (I may add a couple more tools between now and the end, but take it with a grain of salt).

Tools

Tools allow characters to get better at a variety of actions. Often, this will be a non-combat function, but many tools can also be critical to warfighters.

Tools don't have an associated price because they come in grades. A Grade 1 tool costs 1 point, and provides a +10 bonus to associated actions. A Grade 2 tool costs 2 points, and provides a +15 bonus, and a Grade 3 tool costs 3 points, is Experimental, and provides a +20 bonus.

Some tools are always experimental, and examples below cover both commonly used tools with special rules (note that some of these have Supply cost modifiers).

If a character doesn't have a tool, they can generally attempt an action; they are assumed to have improvised or low-quality tools for anything they're trained to do on hand. However, the GM may decide that there are exceptions to this rule.

Tool Examples

Climbing Kit

Consisting of a long length of rope, pitons, a harness, a hand-axe or similar tool, and assorted miscellaneous objects, the climbing kit allows a user to more safely scale obstacles.

Electronic Warfare Kit

This kit, generally consisting of a backpack-sized set of tools, allows the user to broadcast radio signals over a large distance, but can also provide interference or interception capabilities for enemy signals.

Engineer's Kit

Intended for combat engineers, this includes all the entrenching, mine-laying and defusal, and demolition tools needed by combat engineers.

Forgery Kit

The savior of many spies, a forgery kit allows the creation of realistic looking fake documents, which can provide a major advantage in espionage. High-quality fake documents can also be used as a powerful bargaining chip.

Lockpicks

Often combined with other locksmith's tools and wirecutters, these lockpicks are used to silently bypass locks and other security devices.

Medical Kit

In addition to its ordinary benefits to healing wounds, a Medical Kit allows the user to make a roll to heal a target. The Margin of the resulting Intellect+Specialization roll (applying the kit's bonus) is the amount of Wounds that gets restored to the character.

Night-Vision Goggles (+1 for non-NATO; Experimental)

Night-vision equipment is rare, but also very powerful. When in use, it does not provide a bonus, but rather negates an equivalent penalty from darkness as if it were functioning as a tool. Unlike other tools, NVGs are "always on", and don't have to be "used" but any roll while they are active that would exceed their Wear Threshold causes them to suffer a point of Wear, reflected by battery drain.

Repair Kit (+1)

When a character attempts to repair gear or vehicles, using a repair kit provides a bonus equal to that provided by its grade to successfully complete the operation. In addition, no Supply is lost on a failed attempt.

Survival Kit

A survival kit includes a compass, maps, a portable stove, and other tools to help a character navigate and survive in the wilderness of Segira. Grade 3 survival kits are not Experimental.

Making Your Own Tools

The examples above are only a small sampling of potential tools that characters might use. Players and GMs can collaborate to make tools using three-Grade system as a baseline.

Generally, tools are special-purpose, and their use will be self-explanatory. For more complex tools, the Hammercalled Rules Reference is a resource that can help provide additional assets, though some of the functions of these tools have been shifted to other mechanics in Segira (e.g. backgrounds).

Remember that Segira: 1985 takes place in 1985; some things are just not available. If it is important or particularly desirable to have something for the sake of the plot, players and GMs may decide to ease this restriction. Such tools may be Experimental.