Tools
Table of contents
Heroes don’t just use weapons, armor, and magic to get things done. Sometimes, a simple nail or a handy cooking pot are all they need. Other times, Heroes need magical tools to do things they otherwise normally couldn’t.
All Tools can be crafted from a specific kind of Material, listed after the Tool’s name in parentheses. Crafting Miscellaneous Tools does not require access to a Forge, but crafting Mundane Tools does.
Tools cover both mundane objects, and magical or highly-technological objects, which can help both Heroes and common folk accomplish their goals.
Miscellaneous Tools
Miscellaneous Tools are typically very small, one-use objects. Miscellaneous Tools can be stacked within a single slot of your Tools pouch’s inventory, meaning you can, for instance, carry a dozen pieces of Flint in a single space.
Miscellaneous Tools have a Market Price of 6 Rupees, sell for 12 from shops, and will be bought from you for 3 Rupees each, per unit. They can also be crafted from Materials. You create the number of one type of Miscellaneous Tool in the chart below, based on the Rank of the Material you used, or (your base Smithing / 2, rounded down), whichever is lower.
| Mat Rank | Tools Made |
| 0 | 1 |
| 1 | 2 |
| 2 | 5 |
| 3 | 12 |
| 4 | 35 |
| 5 | 100 |
Balloon
(Monster Parts)
Balloons can be filled with air, allowing them to float into the sky, or keep things from sinking into the water. A single Balloon is about the size of a Hylian’s head, and can carry 1 pound of weight (about 450 grams). Inflating a Balloon requires you to have your mouth and at least one hand free. Multiple Balloons can be tied to larger objects.
Things lifted by Balloons will rise at a rate of 3 squares/minute through the air, or 6 squares/minute through water. Balloons can be burned, cut, or pierced, popping the Balloon and dropping their cargo. Balloons pop after one hour.
Candle
(Monster Parts)
Candles can be lit to provide a little bit of light. A single candle provides a Burst 1 of Dim Light – enough to see by. It is only bright enough to read at Burst 0, however. A lit candle will burn until the end of your next Short or Extended Rest. A Candle does not provide enough heat to stave off the cold or to cook by, but a lit candle may be used to start a proper fire.
Chalk
(Monster Parts)
Chalk is used to write on rough, hardy surfaces, such as stone, metal, or tree bark. A single piece of Chalk allows a Hero to write a short message, draw a picture, or make a drawing that occupies a single square. Alternatively, a single piece of Chalk can be used to draw a single line or arrow up to 10 squares in length. Chalk inscriptions left on a surface are washed away by rain or any Water-element attack, and Chalk cannot be used on submerged or Soaked surfaces. If you are using the Rebuild the Wild supplement, you may also use Stone to create Chalk.
Flint
(Gems)
Flint can be struck against any hard surface to generate a brief shower of glowing sparks, starting a fire on any flammable object directly beneath the Flint. This destroys the Flint. If you are using the Rebuild the Wild supplement, you may also use Stone to create Flint. Flint does not function in wet or raining conditions.
Firewood
(Wood)
Firewood is typically made of poor-quality wood, or the spare branches from a felled and properly-cut tree. When lit, firewood makes a small campfire that will burn until the end of your next Short or Extended Rest. These small campfires are perfect for resting around, providing warmth, a convenient place to cook, and firelight (Dim Light Burst 8, Fair Light Burst 2).
Firewood, of course, is consumed upon use.
Nail
(Metal)
A nail is a small sliver of metal with a flat head, used to secure things into wood, hardened dirt, or other firm surfaces. Securing a nail into harder objects, like stone or metal, may require an Athletics roll; on a failure, the nail is destroyed without piercing the hard surface. Nails are metallic, and are affected by magnetism and electricity.
Oil
(Monster Parts)
Oil is flammable and slippery. One unit of oil will fill a single square of land or water with Oiled terrain.
It can also be used to lubricate rusted or stuck machinery, fuel combustion-powered devices, remove Rust from a weapon, or to coat a single item until your next Extended Rest, protecting it from Rust for the duration.
Oil can also be thrown at creatures to make them Oil-Soaked. Oil thrown this way has a Weapon Accuracy of 3, and on hit, causes no damage, but does Soak the target in Oil.
Oil can be washed off by using Soap, or by taking an Extended Rest.
Soap
(Critters, Food, or Monster Parts)
Soap is a slippery substance. One unit of soap will fill a single square of land with a Slightly Slippery surface, or a single square of water with Foaming Water. It can also be used to clean or shine up dirty objects.
Soap can remove Oil from surfaces and people, removing Oil on a one-for-one basis.
Finally, Soap can also be used to groom creatures (including Heroes) and make them more presentable, giving them a +1 bonus to Influence until the end of their next Short or Extended Rest (or they next get dirty or sweaty). Going from Oil-Soaked or otherwise severely dirty, through decently clean, to well-groomed, takes 2 applications of Soap.
Mundane Tools
Mundane tools can often be found for sale by merchants. Even though they don’t have any magical power or legendary origins, they can still be helpful to Heroes out in the wild.
Mundane Tools have a Durability of 1, just like Miscellaneous Tools. However, this comes with a caveat: when they are used for their intended purpose, they do not take Durability damage. This means that (for example) you may use a Bedroll to rest outdoors an infinite number of times. However, using that same Bedroll in an unintended fashion – such as using it as a stretcher, a bridge, a sack, or a net – will consume the Bedroll when that unorthodox usage is concluded. In general, if a proposed use would “void the warranty” or make the salesperson blanch, it will use up the Tool’s Durability.
Tools may be crafted for the cost of five Materials each, just like a Weapon. The Material type used depends upon the tool being created. Mundane Tools have prices equal to a Weapon of their same Rank.
As a reminder: crafting Mundane Tools typically requires the use of a Forge.
When making a Tool, all of the Materials used must be of the required Type; the Tool will be of the Rank of the lowest-Rank unit of Material used in its construction. Much as with making Armor or Weapons, you may only craft a Tool of a Rank equal to (your base Smithing trait / 2, rounded down). Hence, a Hero with Smithing 5 can craft Rank 0, 1, and 2 Tools, but not Rank 3.
A Tool made with Rank 0 Materials can still accomplish its basic function, but will not provide bonuses. The greater a Tool’s Rank, the more effective it is, as listed in the Tool’s description. If a Tool does not have a Rank-based bonus listed (or as a guideline, when the GM invents their own Tools), Tools provide a (Rank / 2) bonus to relevant Trait Checks when performing their intended task.
Some things that might be considered tools, like Shovels and Torches, might also be used as weapons. When used as weapons in this way, they count as Weapons of their same Rank and of an appropriate weapon type, of no particular Crafting Style. As Mundane Tools have a Durability of 1, they immediately break at the end of combat when used as a weapon.
| Tool Rank | Merchant will buy from you for… | Market Value | Will sell to you for… |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank 0 | 25 | 50 | 100 |
| Rank 1 | 50 | 100 | 200 |
| Rank 2 | 100 | 200 | 400 |
| Rank 3 | 200 | 400 | 800 |
| Rank 4 | 500 | 1000 | 2000 |
| Rank 5 | 1000 | 2000 | 4000 |
Bedroll
(Cloth)
When you take an Extended Rest using a Bedroll, you restore more of your Health, Stamina, and Magic (see Rest & Relaxation), and gain Temporary Health equal to (Rank x 2). You must be in a dry location, in an area you can survive without aid or armor.
Book, Blank
(Wood)
A blank book that can be used to record thoughts, make sketches, take notes, or create Written Books.
Book, Written
(Wood)
A book full of information, drawings, or writings. Typically sold at bookstores or found in libraries, with information about a single subject (such as a specific village, dungeon, historical event, or long-lost artefact). When used in conjunction with knowledge checks about the book’s subject, they give the user a (Rank / 2) bonus to the knowledge roll.
Unlike other Tools, Written Books can only be crafted by simply using an Ink and Quill on an Empty Book; further, their Rank is limited both by the Rank of the Ink and Quill and of the Empty Book used to make them, and also by the user’s skill in the appropriate Trait (substituting for the Smithing skill).
Books you write cannot be used to grant yourself a bonus to the skill in question, but can be used by other Heroes.
Bottle
(Gems)
A Bottle can contain a single large serving of a liquid substance (about 1 Liter, or 4 cups’ worth), or a single Ingredient (including Critters and Small Fairies). Bottles come with tight lids.
A Bottle’s contents are kept fresh and uncontaminated for as long as they are secured in the Bottle. (A creature in a Bottle does not need to worry about suffocation.) Contents in a Bottle cannot be smelled or tasted unless the Bottle is uncorked.
Bottles break when thrown, spilling their contents over whatever they hit, for good or ill. Bottles can withstand most attacks from within; however, if a creature is trapped inside a Bottle, they may be able to break through the glass, or cleverly uncork the bottle from the inside.
Bottles have a Defense of (Rank x 3) against attacks from inside and out; if an attack against them does not exceed their Defense, then the Bottle is not broken and its contents are not freed. Uncorking a bottle from the inside is a Mechanics or Athletics check against a DC of (Rank x 3).
Caltrops, Bag of
(Metal)
Caltrops are small metallic spikes, intended to trip up pursuers or disable enemy mounts. Using a Bag of Caltrops is a Standard Action. When you use Caltrops, you cover a Cone 3 or Burst 1 with dozens of these tiny, sturdy spikes. Any creature starting their turn in, or entering, a square of caltrops takes damage equal to (1 + (Rank / 2)) damage per square passed through, unmitigated by Defense. Caltrops are Difficult Terrain. A creature passing through a square does not consume the space’s caltrops, leaving them to be stumbled upon by the next combatant. Caltrops can be removed from a single square as a Standard Action, and can be recovered after combat for use again later.
Cooking Vessel, Portable
(Metal)
The Portable Cooking Vessel allows its user to cook full-fledged Food Dishes and Elixirs, containing up to (2+(Rank/2)) ingredients. It still requires both a heat source (such as a fire, lantern, or a fire-enchanted weapon) as well as a dry environment, in order to function properly.
Flint-fire Kit
(Gems)
A Flint-fire kit allows the user to create sparks, which can in turn ignite other objects, such as torches, campfires, lanterns, and bomb or cannon fuses. Flint-fire Kits operate in Rainy weather, up to a Rank of (Rank); however, they do not function underwater.
Grappling Hook
(Metal)
A Grappling Hook can help attach one thing to another securely. When used with a rope, the rope can wrap around and cling to outcroppings on walls. When attached to other objects, it can be used to help secure or carry things that would otherwise be awkward to handle. Grappling Hooks are metallic, subject to magnetic and electrical forces.
Ink and Quill
(Monster Parts)
An Ink and Quill will let you write on paper (but not other surfaces) with clear and legible writing. An Ink & Quill set is required to write in a Book.
Korok Leaf
(Cloth)
This large fan-like leaf can be waved to generate large gusts of wind, and requires two hands to wield. When waved, it casts the Korok Leaf’s Wind spell, substituting Stamina for Magic. You cannot spend Stamina on the spell greater than (Rank x 2).
Lantern
(Metal)
When lit, a Lantern provides light, heat, and a source of fire. Lanterns can stay lit even in wet or rainy conditions (but not when fully submerged underwater). It can either provide Fair Lght in a Burst (2+(Rank/2)), or Bright Light in a Cone (5+Rank). Lanterns are automatically extinguished at the end of any Short or Extended Rest. Lanterns cast their light while placed on the ground, held in the hand, or placed on the hip, but not when stored in the Pack.
Musical Instrument
(Various)
A Musical Instrument allows the user to play music, including Magical Songs that they may know. It can also be used to make noise, entertain, or distract. The type of material needed to make a Musical Instrument depends on what is being made: Drums might require Monster Parts, a Violin might require Wood, or a Saxophone might require Metal.
Net
(Cloth)
Nets cover a 3x3 square, and can be cast as a Blast 3. Nets have a Weapon Accuracy of (2 + (Rank / 2)), but they will automatically capture any targeted creature unless they are Hard to Hit. While under a Net, foes are Halted until they can cut their way free by attacking the Net. Nets will Burn if exposed to fire or extreme heat. Nets have a Health of ((Rank+1) x 6) and a Defense of (Rank); when the Net is destroyed, its contents (if any) are freed.
Rope
(Cloth)
Rope comes in 6-square lengths. When used to climb cliffs and walls, it provides +2 to the Athletics roll to do so. A Rope will be set Burning if exposed to fire or extreme heat. Rope is instantly cut in two by any Piercing or Sharp attack of sufficient strength, and will suffer only (Rank) full rounds of Burning before being consumed utterly. Burning or cutting a rope will consume its Durability. Ropes have a Defense of (Rank x 2) against attacks; if any attack against them does not exceed their Defense, then the Rope is not broken.
Sack
(Cloth)
Sacks are a handy way to carry a lot of loose or unmanageable material. Sacks are not waterproof, and can be cut open by any piercing or sharp attack. Sacks cannot be stored in your Pack while they contain other objects. Sacks will be set Burning if exposed to fire or extreme heat. Sacks have a Health of ((Rank + 1) x 5) and a Defense of (Rank); the Sack is destroyed (and its contents are freed) when the Sack runs out of Health.
Shovel
(Metal)
Shovels (and other digging tools) are useful for digging through snow, dirt, or even solid rock. When using a shovel, a Hero can dig through loose sand or snow at a rate of (Rank + 1) squares per hour, dirt and soil at a rate of ((Rank + 1) / 2) squares per hour, or through stone at a rate of ((Rank + 1) / 4) squares per hour.
Telescope
(Gems)
Telescopes allow you to see details from far away, but narrow your field of view significantly. When using a Telescope, you may see objects up to ((Rank+1) x 2) miles away, if you have clear line of sight on them. However, you cannot see anything that is not directly before you.
Telescopes are sensitive to extreme light – staring at a Bright Light source may cause the user Light-element damage and/or Blind them for a time. Focusing light to cause heat, or to alter a beam of light, will consume the Telescope’s Durability.
Tent
(Cloth)
Tents provide shelter from the elements. While in a tent, you are shielded from rain and wind. When properly set up, Tents provide (Rank) resistance from all weather to all creatures within. A Tent has enough room for four heroes to rest comfortably (if cozily).
Toolkit (Profession)
(Varies)
Every Toolkit is keyed to a particular profession or skill, such as “lock-picking”, “climbing”, “forging documents”, or the like. Some tasks in a profession may require a Toolkit to even be attempted at all. When used for their chosen profession or task, Toolkits provide a bonus of (Rank / 2) to that roll for one hero. A Toolkit’s profession is decided when it is created, and is permanent.
Torch
(Wood)
When lit, Torches provide a source of light, heat, and fire. Torches need an external source of fire or sparks to be lit, and will not stay lit in rainy or wet conditions. They cast Fair Light in a Burst (4+(Rank/2)).
Torches, despite being wooden, will never take Durability damage from Burning, and will thus never be consumed by fire; they still take Durability damage when striking foes or otherwise used as a weapon.
Torches are automatically extinguished at the end of any Short or Extended Rest, when entering wet or rainy conditions, or when placed on the hip or in one’s pack.
Towel/Blanket
(Cloth)
Towels are large pieces of thick, absorbent cloth, useful for managing moisture. A Towel can be used on a creature or object to remove the Soaked status effect from it, as a Standard Action.
A Towel can absorb a significant amount of liquid (enough to fill a Bottle), and can be used to transfer or carry liquids for a short period of time. A Towel can also be wrapped around an object to prevent it from getting wet while passing through rain or a river, if only temporarily. Towels can be used in these ways (Rank + 1) times, before needing an Extended Rest to dry.
In addition, Towels can also be used as blankets, keeping a Hero warm in the cold. While used as a blanket, the Hero is Slowed and Cursed, but resists Coldsnap conditions by (Rank) steps. A Towel can only keep one Hero warm at a time.
Harvesting Tools
Harvesting Tools are a subcategory of Mundane Tools. Each Harvesting Tool is made with a particular type of Material, listed after its description, just like other Mundane Tools.
Harvesting Tools are keyed to a particular kind of material: Ancient, Critters, Food, Gem, Metal, or Wood. A Harvesting Tool allows the wielder to harvest its designated kind of Material without consuming the Durability of a weapon (or of the Tool itself).
Harvesting Tools provide a bonus to the harvesting rolls for their particular kind of Material equal to their Rank. They do not provide a bonus to finding the Material in question (that would require a Profession Toolkit).
Ancient, Cloth, Gems, Metal, and Wood materials require the use of either a Tool or a Weapon to harvest. Critters, Food Ingredients, and Monster Parts can be plucked with your bare hands - though using the Tools below will give you higher yields.
Ancientool
(Ancient)
An Ancientool is a multi-purpose diagnostic and disassembly device, featuring multiple wrenches and screwdrivers of varying sizes, as well as devices like voltmeters, desolderers, and core-testers. Aids in harvesting Ancient materials.
Butterfly Net
(Cloth)
Butterfly Nets allow you to catch small, quick creatures, either on the ground or in the air. Their netting is light and fragile, but more than sufficient to trap insects, lizards, or spiders. Aids in harvesting Critters.
Mallet & Chisel
(Wood)
Using a Mallet & Chisel, you can easily separate gemstones from the rock that holds them. Aids in harvesting Gemstones.
Pickaxe
(Wood)
Pickaxes allow you to quickly separate metal from rock, making it much easier to pry iron, steel, and rarer metals from the clutches of the earth. Aids in harvesting Metals.
Saw
(Metal)
Saws enable you to make clean, straight cuts through large chunks of wood. With a saw, you can accurately fell trees, cut branches from the main trunk, and create planed planks of wood. Aids in harvesting Wood.
Sickle
(Metal)
Sickles are used in cutting, threshing, and paring edible plants and fruits. Aids in harvesting Food Ingredients.
Skein-Winder
(Wood)
A Skein-Winder is a wooden contraption used to keep strands untangled as you pull them, winding them into a skein (a loose bundle) of thread. Aids in harvesting Cloth.
Magical Tools
Magical Tools are any object that can cast a spell on the behalf of their user, have a strange and wondrous effect, or are magically-enchanted versions of Mundane Tools. To use a Magical Tool, you must have it equipped in at least one hand. (Some Magical Tools may require two hands.) In most cases, using a Magical Tool is a Standard Action.
Some Magical Tools allow you to use Spells or Techniques that you otherwise haven’t learned. In these cases, when the Magical Tool is designed, select whether it uses Magic or Stamina. This does not need to match the action’s original resource.
Magical Tools may have additional rules, requirements, costs, and mechanics. More than anything else, Magical Tools are intended to be special, unique, and utterly unlike anything else in Hyrule.
Much like Mundane Tools, Magical Tools have only a single unit of Durability, but do not expend that Durability when used for their intended purpose (i.e., “casting the spell in question”). If used in ways that would obviously damage the item, this will consume the item’s sole point of Durability, temporarily breaking them.
Similar to Weapons with Spirits in them, Magical Tools will regenerate their Durability over an Extended Rest.
Magical Tools are typically not for sale. If they are, it’s from a single person, and either for a significant price, or in exchange for a favor. More often, Magical Tools are found in dungeons, hidden away in the secret places of the world, in the armories of kings, or in the hands of other adventurers or Heroes.
Below are some examples of Magical Tools. Of course, GMs should feel free to invent their own! You can also visit the website to find more additions, like Magical Tools, new Rules, and even the Master Sword!
Hookshot
One-Handed
Description: This mechanical cylinder has a grip on one end, and a grappling hook on the other. Curled inside its metal casing is a long metal chain. When the trigger is pulled, the hook fires straight ahead, grabbing onto whatever it hits, and attempts to retract.
Effect: Casts the Ravio’s Hookshot Spell, using Stamina instead of Magic.
Kingly Paraglider
Two-Handed
Description: A large, lightweight wooden frame with a sturdy cloth stretched over it. The embroidered fabric catches the air with ease, but it’s difficult to hold on to it forever.
Effect: Makes the user a Natural Glider. While paragliding, you Spend 2 Stamina at the beginning of each of your turns. If you cannot Spend this Stamina, you let go of the Paraglider and begin falling.
Mask of the Healed Soul
One-Handed (Special)
Description: This mask, looking like an average member of some Hyrulean race, came from a departed member of that clan whose soul has been healed of all mortal worries - leaving behind its physical shell, in the form of a mask.
Effect: This mask can be put on, or removed, as a Standard Action. Once put on, it does not occupy any equipment slot. While worn, your body changes to that of the person the mask is based on. You lose access to all of your Racial bonuses, Vulnerabilities, Feats, Spells, or Techniques.
In their place, you gain access to all Racial effects of the mask’s Race. If this includes Feats, Spells, or Techniques, those are chosen when the mask is first created.
Master Cycle Key
One-Handed
Description: An ancient magical key which summons a mechanical, wheeled mount. Despite its artificial nature, this mount requires food, just like any other. Effect: When used, the Key summons a Master Cycle – an Ancient motorcycle originally developed for the one true Hero. Using the Key again dispels the Master Cycle. The Master Cycle has 10 Movement, is a Natural Walker, and is unaffected by Slick Terrain. You may mount the Master Cycle as part of the summoning action.
The Master Cycle has 20 Durability, and consumes 1 Durability per combat or hour of use. If damaged in combat, the Master Cycle loses 1 Durability. The Master Cycle’s Durability can be restored by feeding it any kind of Material, restoring (Rank + 1) Durability. The exception is Ancient materials, which restore ((Rank +1) x 4) Durability. You may only feed the Master Cycle a single item per Short or Extended Rest.
The Master Cycle does not have a mind of its own, and cannot act without a rider. It cannot be deconstructed. If the Master Cycle is destroyed, its Durability is set to 0. If the Master Cycle’s Durability is at 0, it cannot be ridden, but may be summoned (to be fed).