Building Items

A new item is typically going to be within a few levels of the PCs. If it's too low, it might not be interesting, and if it's too high, it might be too powerful or too lucrative to sell.

First, look at similar items. For example, if you want a permanent item that lets someone fly, look at jump jets, which only boosts a character into the air for 1 action and thus can't be used to gain a huge advantage in combat, and jetpacks, which can. This will give you an idea of the right level range and the specifics and limitations of existing items. You might be able to just adjust one of those to get what you want.

When deciding what special abilities are appropriate for what level, it's best to look for similar spells to gauge the effect. For most consumables, the effect should be less powerful than the highest rank spell a spellcaster of the item's level could cast. Spell gems are about the most efficient you can get—they're the same level the spellcaster would be—but they require a spellcaster that has the spell on their list, and take the same actions as casting the spell normally.

The most straightforward choice is a once-per-day ability. For this, the item's level should be at least 2 levels higher than the minimum level a spellcaster could first cast that spell. For example, if your ability is about as powerful as a 3rd-rank spell cast once per day (perhaps haste), then it should be at least a 7th-level item. A basic spell chip is a good example. However, a spell chip is flexible and can contain the most effective possible choice for its spell rank (such as long-lasting spells where once a day is effectively permanent), so a specific item that doesn't grant such a spell could have additional powers or bonuses at the same price as a spell chip.

If the item can be activated multiple times per day, it should be at least 4 levels higher instead—9th level in our example. Frequency could range from twice per day to once per hour and anything in between. Choose whatever makes sense to allow the characters to use the item more frequently without being effectively constant or unlimited. The appropriate frequency, or whether it's ever okay to have unlimited activations, varies wildly based on the spell. Unlimited castings of a cantrip is fine, but an effect akin to a non-cantrip spell is rarely a good idea. Only attempt to build such an item when you're certain of the consequences.

Items that can be activated less often than once per day don't appear too often, and they usually fit best with abilities that make sense outside of encounters. It's still best to stick to the guidelines for once-per-day abilities, but these items tend to have more properties—and often strange ones.

If your item includes item bonuses, check the table below for the minimum item levels the game's math expects permanent bonuses to be applied to. A lower-level item might give such a bonus temporarily, but keep track to make sure the item isn't effectively permanent. If a character typically Hacks three or fewer computers a day, there's no difference between a +2 item bonus to Hack a computer and an activation that gives a +2 item bonus to Hack three times per day.

For attack bonuses, AC, and saves, the minimums match tactical- and higher-grade weapons and armor. Skill bonuses come on a wider range of items. Some are more broadly useful, so an Athletics item might be more expensive than an equivalent Piloting item. Gaining a bonus to Perception is especially valuable compared to gaining a bonus to a skill. Just because an item is the minimum level for its bonus doesn't mean the bonus should be the item's only power. The item can and should have an additional interesting power beyond the bonus. Likewise, an item can come at a higher level than the minimum, but if it's much higher, its abilities start to compete with the next bonus.

Ammunition is consumable; launching it destroys it. Pay attention to whether you give the ammunition an activation: any big flashy effect for its level should almost always have one since otherwise the effect is essentially a free action on top of a Strike. This is particularly important for extremely lowlevel ammunition since a highlevel character could use that ammunition for every Strike without noticing the credit cost. Remember that activated ammunition doesn't function with Area or Automatic weapons. If the ammunition doesn't deal normal Strike damage on a hit, remember to say that! Dealing damage is the default.

Specific armor and weapons have a minimum grade and varying number of upgrade slots, so you have a lot of space to design. Choose abilities that feel attached to the fact that they're weapons or armor; for instance, a painglaive with extra-long teeth that you point at an enemy to launch bits of steel is more on theme than one that casts wall of steel in an unconnected way.

The specific item should cost more than the base grade armor or weapon would with just basic weapon and armor upgrades, but you can often discount the cost of the additional components significantly as part of the specific item's special niche. Be careful about specific armor or weapons that include weapon upgrades in addition to unique specific abilities. If you discount the item, you might end up with an item significantly superior to one built using the normal weapon upgrades system. That's not always bad since it's still giving up customization for power, and this can be appropriate if the item has an important place in your story. Just make sure the difference isn't too drastic. If you just want to create armor or a weapon with upgrades and no extra special abilities, you can do so. The Price of such an item is the sum of all the upgrades' Prices, and its level is that of the highest-level weapon upgrade on the item (if higher than the grade of the weapon).

Augmentations are very similar to worn magic items, except you have far fewer slots and they're much more challenging to swap out. They often confer benefits like ancestry and heritage features, such as new movement speeds and senses. Be aware that 1st-level augmentations can be selected at character creation using options such as the Cyberborn background. The only augmentations that don't use slots should be apex items and augmentations such as moodskin that confer little to no mechanical benefit and are usually level 0.

Usually, held items should require manipulation to use, with Interact activations. They're most often tools, implements, items that can be thrown, and the like. Imagine a PC physically using the item and what that looks like.

Remember that held items are more challenging for martial characters to use, compared to spellcasters or hands-free characters that specialize in unarmed attacks. A soldier might have to give up a two-handed weapon to use a held item, and so is less likely to use one. This means you might want to design held items specifically for non-martial characters, or have them be items a martial character uses outside of combat.

Medical items are consumables such as hypopens, medpatches and serums. These can be crafted using Serum Crafting, so these items tend to be on the weaker end for their level, with lower prices. These items are capable of fantastical things but should remain distinct from the effects of magic items, like spell ampoules that duplicate spells. Avoid medical effects that feel too much like magic. Medpatches and sprayflesh provide sources of reliable healing without magic. Hypopens help remove a few common conditions ranging from sickened to drained and require counteract checks when removing afflictions. Serums can provide a varied number of effects, including temporary item bonuses to skills.

Spell ampoules, also known as spell amps, allow you to literally inject yourself with magic. Since the action of injecting yourself isn't easy to split up, they take only a single action to activate. This advantage makes spell ampoules that replicate spell effects incredibly powerful, and it's the reason spell ampoules are nearly always higher level than spell gems with similar effects.

You won't need to design basic spell chips, but you might want a special spell chip. When designing a new special spell chip, your spell chip's level will usually be 1 to 2 levels higher than the basic spell chip, depending on the magnitude of the special effect. You can always design a new tech or hybrid item with a spell chip permanently installed, but make sure it uses a spell thematically appropriate with the base item. Remember that if you make the spell chip 2 levels higher, it's now competing with spell chips of a spell a whole level higher, so the special effect should be worth that cost!

You'll never need to design a new spell gem, but use them as a comparison when designing other types of consumables. If you're designing a consumable that seems like it's much better than a spell gem of its level—or faster to activate—you should probably raise the item's level or adjust the effect.

Use existing shields as benchmarks to determine a shield's Hardness, HP, and BT for a shield of that grade using the same traits. New shields shouldn't exceed the hardness and HP values of those in Player Core without significant drawbacks, and you can use the magnitude of the reduction to build room for creative defensive abilities.

Many items can be improved by installing upgrades into an item's unused upgrade slot. Upgrades are a fun and versatile way to customize weapons and armor without throwing away the previous items. Each should be fairly simple, especially at lower levels, because combining upgrades can make things overcomplicated. Compare to other properties to determine the right level.

While the upgrades in Player Core are exclusively for armor and weapons, you can design bespoke upgrades that apply to other items when necessary. Upgrades that go on items other than weapons and armor should define that the item can only use one upgrade, as only armor and weapons can get additional upgrade slots. In most cases, you're better off designing a higher grade for the item or designing a bespoke item that functions alongside other specific equipment, such as the reusable grenade shell.

Worn items vary wildly in their effects, but all magic and hybrid items with the invested trait take up one of a character's 10 invested items. Remember to include the item's worn entry, if applicable (or “—” if you could imagine someone wearing 10 or more with no difficulty). Where the item is worn should usually match its effects or bonuses: shoes help you move, eyepieces affect your vision, and so on. As with held items, imagine a character wearing the item to picture how they use its magic.

Apex items are always at least level 17 and should have unique abilities on top of their bonus, just like other items.

Choose any DCs for the item's abilities, typically using the typical DCs in the table below. An item with a narrow function might have a DC up to 2 higher, and one that forces a save (such as with an aura) is typically 2 lower. The lower the DC, the quicker the item becomes obsolete.

Each item level has a price range. Based on the item's role and abilities, decide where in that range to place it. There's plenty of variation, and you primarily need to worry about Price only if you expect the PCs will be able to sell it.

Primary items cost near the highest value for their level. They have a big impact on combat or player ability. This includes weapons, armor, and Perception items. The highest price is for items like tactical weapons and apex items. So an advanced weapon is 1,000 credits at 4th level.

Secondary items, with middle values, give significant secondary benefits or enhance highly consequential noncombat or support skills like Medicine or Crafting.

Tertiary items, with low value, are weird or very specific items, ones not usually core to a character's build. Especially strange ones might fall into the gap between two levels.