Monsters and Equipment
Table of contents
All Monsters start with one piece of gear, of their Rank – usually a weapon. You can grant them additional weapons or tools as you like, of a Rank up to (but not above) their own.
When a monster is defeated, they drop their equipment, in addition to whatever Materials they would normally drop. However, the GM may deign to “pre-deconstruct” any or all of a monster’s dropped equipment, to simplify the process of granting loot to heroes.
Natural Equipment
Monsters may have Natural Equipment – be they Weapons, Tools, or other Items. This allows you to take one item the Monster owns and work it into its anatomy.
Natural Items retain their own individual Rank, and are unaffected by the Rank of the Monster they are attached to – a Rank 3 Monster could have a weak Rank 1 Lantern built into its biology, for instance, enabling it to cast a light as it sees fit.
A Monster with a Natural Item will either drop that Natural Item on its death, as if it was a typical piece of equipment or loot; or, the monster will grant one additional Material when defeated. The Material in question may either be a Monster Part, or some other type of Material, depending on the nature of the Natural Item and the creature’s biology. The GM determines whether the item or its replacement material drops, and may base this decision on the monster’s biology, or the way the battle was fought.
Natural Weapons
Natural Weapons cover naturally razor-sharp claws, a mace-like tail, or eyes that shoot lasers. Natural Weapons typically do not rust, catch fire, or attract lightning. Monsters cannot be disarmed of Natural Weapons, unless a Weak Point or Passive allows it.
Natural Weapons regain 2 Durability from an Extended Rest, while they are still attached to the living monster.
(This typically only matters for Companions; most foes will not last long enough for this to be an issue.)
When designing a monster with a Natural Weapon, the GM may choose to treat it like the ‘Armed’ Talking Animal Racial Bonus. Calculate the weapon’s Attack, Durability, Accuracy, and rate of Durability restoration under those rules.