Page 137 - World of Darkness

the task performed. Dexterity applies for delicate clock- Improvised Weapons
work. Intelligence is applicable for innovation or design
changes. Bonus dice may be gained depending on the qual- Combatants invariably grab whatever items come to
ity of any tools or the workshop used for the project. Re- hand to use as weapons against each other, especially when
pair is usually an extended action. Each success gained on they come to a fight unarmed and opponents proved to
a roll repairs one Structure point. Once sufficient Struc- be well armed. Improvised weapons (bottles, chairs,
ture points are repaired, the object is back in working con- candlesticks) are helpful, but generally less accurate and
dition. The Storyteller declares the amount of time that dangerous than items designed to be weapons (knives,
passes per roll, based on the complexity of the task. Fix- swords, axes). Impromptu weapons tend to be unwieldy
ing a gun might involve rolls made every half-hour, while or awkward. The Damage rating of an improvised weapon
repairing an engine could call for rolls made every hour or (see the “Sample Objects” chart) is usually the lower of
even day. At the Storyteller’s discretion, some broken its Durability or Size. This rating is added to attack rolls
objects may be declared irreparable. in bonus dice to inflict harm (see the Combat Chapter).
Because improvised weapons are so awkward, however,
they generally suffer a -1 penalty on attack rolls.
The result in the case of relatively weak and small
Sample Objects items is that their bonuses are offset by their inherent flaws
Baseball Bat: Durability 1 (reinforced to (low Damage bonuses are reduced or eliminated by the
2), Size 2, Structure 4, Damage 2 automatic -1 penalty). Say, as in the case of a bottle rated
Board, 2”x4”: Durability 1, Size 3, Struc- Damage 1. The -1 penalty for an improvised weapon elimi-
ture 4, Damage 1 nates any bonuses for swinging the weapon. And yet, if
Cabinet, Wooden: Durability 1, Size 4, the bottle is broken any damage inflicted changes from
Structure 5, Damage 1 bashing to lethal, so the weapon still proves effective.
Chair, Wooden: Durability 1, Size 4, Struc- Items designed as weapons are made to inflict harm
ture 5, Damage 1 and suffer punishment. They incur no inherent penalties
Coffin: Durability 1, Size 6, Structure 7, when used in combat, and may have Damage ratings un-
Damage 1 related to their Durability or Size traits. The Damage rat-
Crate, Wooden: Durability 1, Size 4, ings of weapons are listed on the Weapons Chart (see
Structure 5, Damage 1 p. 170).
Door, Bank Vault: Durability 3 (reinforced Note that any item used as a weapon has a Strength
to 10), Size 8, Structure 18, Damage 8 requirement for it to be wielded effectively. For weapons
Door, Wooden (Exterior): Durability 2, used in close combat, the Strength requirement usually
Size 5, Structure 7, Damage 2 equals the item’s Size. Having insufficient Strength im-
Door, Wooden (Interior): Durability 1, poses a -1 penalty on attacks made with that item. This
Size 5, Structure 6, Damage 1 rule applies to improvised weapons, too. So, if an impro-
Door, Metal (Security): Durability 3, Size vised weapon has a Size and therefore Strength require-
5, Structure 8, Damage 3 ment of 3, and a wielder has 2 Strength, his attack pools
Fence, Chain-link: Durability 2, Size 4, are reduced by one for not meeting the Strength require-
Structure 6, Damage 2 ment, and by another one for resorting to an improvised
Fence, Steel: Durability 3, Size 6, Struc- weapon.
ture 9, Damage 3
Lamppost, Steel: Durability 3, Size 8, Breaking Objects
Structure 11, Damage 3 It’s easier to destroy than to create, and your charac-
Manhole Cover: Durability 3, Size 3, Struc- ter will probably want to destroy things relatively often if
ture 6, Damage 3 he ever gets into scrapes, or if he confronts things that
Steel Bars: Durability 3, Size 2, Structure humanity was never meant to face. The following are some
5, Damage 2 examples of breaking items.
Tempered Steel: Durability 3, Size 2 (vari- If an attack is staged on an object, successes achieved
able), Structure 5, Damage 2 on the attack roll must exceed the Durability rating of
Window: Durability 1, Size 3 (on average), the item to cause any Structure damage. So, if a wall has 1
Structure 4, Damage 1 Durability, any successes achieved in excess of one remove
Damage: Indicates how dangerous the item is Structure points from the target.
when used as a weapon or to do harm. Damage Note that damaging and destroying an object isn’t
is the lower of the item’s Durability or Size. This necessarily an all-or-nothing endeavor. Attacks on an item
rating is added to attack rolls in bonus dice to aren’t always a matter of instant actions alone. Damage
inflict harm. If the weapon is improvised, it suf- can be inflicted to a target over time through an extended
fers a -1 penalty. action, if one can scratch the surface at all. Doing so as-
sumes the attacker has the time to beat, batter or abuse

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Chapter 6- DRAMATIC SYSTEMS