I doubt the creators ever had a coherent system for calculating the costs. But there are some relationships between the costs of different items. I have tried to extrapolate them into a full system. It doesn’t fit all the items in the rules, but it gets close. Any thoughts on what I have here? Does it make sense? Any balance problems or math errors?
Here is what I have so far. To build a new weapon or armor, first decide how many attack or defense dice it allows, and find the cost on the Weapon/Armor Cost Table, below. Then modify the cost for any Special Traits the item has. Round the final cost up to the nearest gold coin.
After a bit of fiddling, I decided I like a progression where the cost for a weapon that gives x attack dice is equal to 1.82 times the cost of a weapon that gives x-1 dice. The progression stops at 4 dice; after that, each die is worth a flat 400gc. This gives a progression similar to the rules, but more even. I fudged the numbers slightly to make them easier to work with.
I am only familiar with the North American core set. I have made no effort to synch these rules with any other set. These rules have not been playtested yet, either. My gaming group meets irregularly and we have other games we like to play. So there is no telling how long it will take to get around to using this stuff.
Weapon/Armor Cost Table
Dice: Cost
1 die: 85gc
2 dice: 150gc
3 dice: 275gc
4 dice: 500gc
5 dice: 900gc
6 dice: 1300gc
7 dice: 1700gc
8 dice: 2100gc
Special Traits:
Alternate use: This is a special case of two-handed use. This weapon can be used with either one or two hands. Build the weapon as it would function when used with both hands, but do not apply the two-handed cost reduction. Make a note of the weapon’s stats when used one-handed.
Defensive: Adds 1 defense die against melee attacks only. Multiply cost by 1.55, or add 267gc if the weapon allows 4 or more attack dice.
This and the ‘offensive’ trait are my biggest departures from the rules as written. I added them to allow weapons to be distinguished from each other by how well they parry. I notice there is something similar to the defensive trait in Pheonix’s stats for the two-handed sword, though.
Diagonal: Allows attacks into all 8 of the squares surrounding the one you are in Multiply cost by 1.41, or add 200gc if the weapon allows 4 or more attack dice.
Exceptional: This is a catch-all trait for rare items with unusual features that may be appealing to some. These cost considerably more than ordinary gear with the same stats, but the exact modifier will vary. Multiply cost by anywhere from 1.5 to 3, in most cases.
Offensive: After attacking with this weapon, you roll one less defense die against melee attacks until your next turn. This cannot reduce your defense dice below 1. You can negate this penalty by taking a one die penalty on your attack. Multiply cost by 0.85, or subtract 133gc if the weapon allows 5 or more attack dice.
Ranged: This weapon can attack an enemy in any square other than the 8 squares that surround the square you are in. Note that this is a departure from the rules, which allow attacks into any non-adjacent square! Multiply cost by 1.41, or add 200gc if the weapon allows 4 or more attack dice.
Reduced move: This trait is for unusually heavy and restrictive armor; movement is capped at 9 squares, and you successfully jump a pit only on a white shield. In the case of a long pit, you must roll a black shield on one die, then roll again and score a white or black shield. Note that this is a departure from the official rules! I prefer not to reduce move as sharply as in the rules. Capping movement at 9 squares reduces mobility by a quarter, on average; that seems serious enough to me. Multiply cost by 0.85, or subtract 133gc if the armor allows 5 or more defense dice.
Requires 1 hand: Armor only. This item prevents you from using two-handed weapons. Multiply cost by 0.85, or subtract 133gc if the armor allows 5 or more defense dice.
Single attack: This weapon can only be used once in a given fight. Realistically, any crossbow that allows 3 attack dice should have this trait. (If for some reason you want to play out the reloading action, it will take 8 full combat rounds with a windlass, or 4 for a hero with a high Body and a goat’s foot. For a weak character, it might not be possible to cock a 3-dice crossbow with a goat’s foot. Reloading an arquebus would take 16 rounds.) Divide cost by 3.
Slow attack: The wielder must spend an attack phase readying this weapon after each attack, or it cannot be fired again. Realistically, any crossbow that allows 2 attack dice should have this trait. (And if you care for this level of detail, a high Body score might be required to cock a 2 dice crossbow this quickly.) Multiply cost by 2/3.
Throwable: This weapon can be used in melee, or it can be thrown for a single ranged attack per combat. Roll a combat die to recover it after the fight; on a black shield, it is lost or broken. Note that this is a departure from the standard rules! First, determine the weapon’s cost as a melee weapon. Then calculate what it would cost as a ranged weapon, and divide that value by 15. Finally, add the two values together. This is the cost of the weapon.
Thrown only: See throwable, above, but this weapon cannot be used in melee. Determine cost as normal for a ranged weapon, then divide by 15. (Note: realistically, a 'thrown-only' weapon could be used as a melee weapon. And, for that matter, a standard melee weapon could be thrown. Such weapons just aren't as effective. If it ever comes up, let a weapon used "the wrong way" have half the usual attack dice, rounded down. If this would result in less than one die with a ranged attack, roll one die, but inflict damage on a white shield instead of a skull. For a thrown melee weapon, roll to recover after the fight like a 'throwable' weapon. If a 'thrown only' weapon is used in melee, it always gives at least 1 attack die, and it still deals damage on a skull. But if you roll a black shield when attacking, it is broken. )
The reason thrown weapons are so cheap is because 1) you only get 5 uses on average, and 2) you can only use them once each combat.
Two-handed: You cannot use a shield with this weapon. Multiply cost by 0.85, or subtract 133gc if the weapon allows 5 or more attack dice. Exception: if the weapon can also be used with one hand, do not apply the two-handed trait. Use ‘alternate use’ instead.
Armor:
If we stick with the rules, then we have some complications to deal with in pricing armor. This is because the Cost Table uses a sliding scale per die, while the game lets characters buy armor components individually, and then “stack” them.
First, I use a variant rule: heroes only get 1 defense die when they are unarmored. The reason they start with 2 dice is because they are wearing light armor.
I will maintain the armor components breakdown from the rules. Since characters start play in light armor, this is priced normally by the table. But Characters will typically upgrade with a helmet before getting heavier armor. So for helmets, I take the price of 3-dice armor, and subtract the price of 2-dice armor.
I assume a hero will buy a shield next. So for shields, I take the cost of 4-dice armor, modify it for using a hand, and subtract the price of 3-dice armor.
For medium and heavy armor, I assume they will be worn with a helmet and shield. So I subtract the cost of 3-dice armor from them. It works out pretty close to the rules. The cost for a helmet, shield, or “plate mail” is the same. The cost of “chain mail” goes up 100gc, though.
Light Armor (2 dice): 150gc.
Helmet (+1 die): 125gc
Shield (+1 die, requires 1 hand): 150gc
Medium armor (3 dice): 600gc.
Heavy Armor (4 dice): 1000gc.
Sample Armors:
This is my attempt to adapt a range of historical armors to HeroQuest. The prices are not remotely realistic, of course. Trying to introduce economic realism to HQ is folly.
Straw mat or wood: 2 dice, reduced move, 170gc.
Padded & reinforced cloth, light layered leather, thick hides, hardened leather, cane, or light quilted cloth: 2 dice, 200gc.
Heavy layered leather, reinforced hardened leather, heavy quilted cloth, or horn: 3 dice, Reduced move, 510gc.
Mail, scale, jack of plates, or lamellar: 3 dice, 600gc.
Layered mail, segmented plate, or plate worn over mail: 4 dice, reduced move, 850gc.
Plate harness, brigandine, or mail-and-plates: 4 dice, 1,000gc.
Example of exceptional armor:
Jazerant: this is fine mail disguised as clothing. It protects like mail (3 dice), but can be worn by wizards. 825gc.
Sample Weapons:
This is my attempt to adapt a range of historical weapons to HeroQuest. The prices are not realistic, of course. Any attempt at economic realism would require us to throw out the game’s pricing scheme entirely.
Some weapons have ‘cheap’ or ‘masterwork’ forms. These are for people who don’t want weapons with the defensive or offensive traits. They could be used as the standard forms of the weapons, for a group that doesn’t want the added complexity of modified defense rolls. Alternately, the different forms could all be available in the same campaign. In this case, these weapons are more poorly or masterfully balanced, giving them different handling properties than standard weapons of their type.
Most other weapons will have identical stats to one of these examples. Generally, any polearm should have the same stats as a halberd, two-handed spear, or warhammer.
If using this list, I think wizards should be limited to weapons that give 2 attack dice. Otherwise, they will no longer be able to use staves. This will make them more powerful than before, but still considerably weaker than the other heroes.
Here is the system behind my damage values for melee weapons:
If we assume that the most lethal hand weapons get 4 attack dice, these rules allow a fairly plausible range:
If a weapon can both stab and slash, and is too light to have the ‘offensive’ trait, it gets 3 dice.
If a weapon can only stab or slash (e.g., rapier, hand axe), and is too light to have the ‘offensive’ trait, it gets 2 dice.
If a weapon can only stab or slash, but is heavy enough to have the ‘offensive’ trait, it does 3 dice.
If a weapon only does crushing damage, but is heavy enough to have the ‘offensive’ trait, it does 2 dice.
If a weapon only does crushing damage, and is too light to have the ‘offensive’ trait, it does 1 die.
Two-handed weapons get a +1 bonus.
Special cases: shortswords get 2 dice. Daggers and smallswords get 1 die. Falchions of sword length or greater get the ‘offensive’ trait, but do the same damage as a sword.
For ranged weapons:
Basically, I assigned damage values to ranged weapons based on my (limited) understanding of how they compare to melee weapons in regard to armor penetration and stopping power. What follows is a summary of my understanding of the subject:
In real life, even the heaviest bows and crossbows could not penetrate mail or plate reliably. So longbows and steel military crossbows should be about as good as arming swords, at best (3 dice). Shortbows and crossbows weak enough to be cocked with the aid of stirrup and belt hook were considerably less effective, and don’t deserve more than 2 dice. Lighter weapons – slings, chu ko nus, and crossbows weak enough to be cocked with the strength of the arms alone – were so weak that it was uncommon for them to see battlefield use at all. So I gave them 1 die. (Perhaps a little too low, but it distinguishes them from shortbows.)
Early firearms had significantly better armor penetration than heavy crossbows, and probably warrant 4 dice. But, contrary to popular belief, they did not make plate armor or longbows obsolete. The best plate armor stopped bullets reasonably well, and the superior range and rate of fire of longbows meant longbowmen were superior to gunmen overall.
Guns were used for the same reason as crossbows: because they required very little training. It was cheaper to draft peasants and give them guns or crossbows than to pay for the extensive training longbowmen and knights required. So longbows and plate armor were abandoned for economic reasons, not because guns made them obsolete.
Ranged weapons and shields:
There have been discussions on the forums about the use of shields with crossbows. While a pavise can be used, this is just a mobile barrier, not what a gamer would call a shield. A pavise is useless against melee attacks, so I didn’t bother to stat it. An interesting fact, though: some pavises had spikes on them, and soldiers would lay them down on the ground, spikes up, when they had to retreat. The abandoned pavises functioned like caltrops to slow down pursuers. Perhaps such an item might be of interest in a HQ game, but I’ll leave the rules up to whoever else wants to fiddle with it.
Persian archers used small shields strapped to the forearm, which left the hand free to hold a bow. Mycenaean spearmen used unusual shields which were controlled by means of a guige around the neck, allowing them to hold their spears with both hands. Perhaps archers could use something similar. However, shields like these require considerable skill to wield effectively, which is why their use was so rare. I would say that if such unorthodox defenses are allowed at all, they should be handled with special abilities. An ordinary character shouldn’t be able to buy one of these and get the same benefits as a regular shield. Alternately, you could charge more for them, and say the extra gc go to the special training needed to wield them. Perhaps I'll come back to that sometime.
Flails and Maces:
I gave some thought to special traits that would distinguish maces and flails. Unfortunately, all I can think of is that flails would negate the defensive trait of an opponent’s weapon, and possibly shield as well. Maces would reduce the defense dice of medium and heavy armor. Neither sounds very relevant in a HeroQuest game, though. I suppose you could declare that these weapons get +1 die against chaos warriors and a few other monsters, and give them a price increase for balance. But then you will be paying for a trait that will be utterly useless in a lot of the quests. The thought doesn't appeal to me, but perhaps I'll come back to it one day. If you should try it out in your games, I'd be interested in hearing about it.
Shortsword: 2 dice. 150gc
Falchion, sword-length: 3 dice, offensive. 234gc
Sword, arming: 3 dice. 275gc
Longsword, cheap: 3 dice, diagonal. 388gc.
Longsword: 3 dice, alternate use, diagonal, defensive: 602gc. A longsword is typically used with both hands, but is light enough to use one-handed. If used with one hand, it loses the defensive trait.
Greatsword: 4 dice, two hands, diagonal attack. 600gc
Sword, two-handed, cheap: 4 dice, two hands, diagonal attack. 600gc
Sword, two-handed: 4 dice, two hands, diagonal attack, defensive. 929gc
Dagger: 1 die, throwable: 91gc
Throwing knife: 1 die, thrown only. 6gc
Smallsword, cheap: 1 die. 85gc
Smallsword: 1 die, defensive. 132gc
Rapier, cheap: 2 dice, diagonal. 212gc
Rapier: 2 dice, diagonal, defensive. 328gc
Staff, cheap: 2 dice, diagonal attack, 2 hands. 180gc
Staff: 2 dice, diagonal attack, defensive, 2 hands. 279gc
Sling: 1die, ranged, two hands. 102gc
Shortbow: 2 dice, two hands, ranged. 180gc
Longbow: 3 dice, two hands, ranged. 330gc
Crossbow, hand-cocked: 1die, ranged, two hands. 102gc
Crossbow with stirrup or belly brace: 2 dice, two-handed, ranged, slow attacks. 120gc
Crossbow with goat’s foot or windlass: 3 dice, two-handed, ranged, single attack. 110gc
Arquebus: 4 dice, ranged, two hands, single attack. 200gc
Axe, hand: 2 dice, throwable. 160gc
Hurlbat: 2 dice, thrown only. 10gc
Axe, battle: 3 dice, offensive. 234gc
Axe, battle, masterwork: 3 dice. 275gc
Axe, long: 4 dice, offensive, diagonal, two-handed. 510gc
Axe, long, masterwork: 4 dice, diagonal, two-handed. 600gc
Halberd: 4 dice, two handed, diagonal. 600gc
Spear, one-handed: 2 dice, throwable. 160gc
Javelin: 2 dice, thrown only. 10gc
Spear, two handed: 3 dice, two hands, diagonal. 330gc
Club: 1 die, throwable: 91gc
Boomerang: 1 die, thrown only. 6gc
Mace: 2 dice, offensive, throwable. 138gc
Mace, masterwork: 2 dice, throwable. 160gc
Maul: 3 dice, offensive, two-handed. 199gc
Maul, masterwork: 3 dice, two-handed. 234gc
Warhammer: 4 dice, two handed, offensive, diagonal. 510gc
Warhammer, masterwork: 4 dice, two handed, diagonal. 600gc
Flail, one-handed: 2 dice, offensive. 128gc
Flail, one-handed, masterwork: 2 dice. 150gc
Flail, two-handed: 3 dice, offensive, two-handed. 199gc
Flail, two-handed, masterwork: 3 dice, two-handed. 234gc
Pick: 3 dice, offensive. 234gc
Pick, masterwork: 3 dice. 275gc
Abridged Weapons List:
For this list I took the list above, and eliminated weapons with identical stats. In choosing which to keep, I went with the one I think is cooler.
Shortsword: 2 dice. 150gc
Sword, arming: 3 dice. 275gc
Longsword, cheap: 3 dice, diagonal. 388gc.
Longsword: 3 dice, alternate use, diagonal, defensive: 602gc. A longsword is typically used with both hands, but is light enough to use one-handed. If used with one hand, it loses the defensive trait.
Sword, two-handed: 4 dice, two hands, diagonal attack, defensive. 929gc
Dagger: 1 die, throwable: 91gc
Throwing knife: 1 die, thrown only. 6gc
Smallsword, cheap: 1 die. 85gc
Smallsword: 1 die, defensive. 132gc
Rapier, cheap: 2 dice, diagonal. 212gc
Rapier: 2 dice, diagonal, defensive. 328gc
Staff, cheap: 2 dice, diagonal attack, 2 hands. 180gc
Staff: 2 dice, diagonal attack, defensive, 2 hands. 279gc
Sling: 1die, ranged, two hands. 102gc
Shortbow: 2 dice, two hands, ranged. 180gc
Longbow: 3 dice, two hands, ranged. 330gc
Crossbow with stirrup or belly brace: 2 dice, two-handed, ranged, slow attacks. 120gc
Crossbow with goat’s foot or windlass: 3 dice, two-handed, ranged, single attack. 110gc
Arquebus: 4 dice, ranged, two hands, single attack. 200gc
Axe, hand: 2 dice, throwable. 160gc
Hurlbat: 2 dice, thrown only. 10gc
Axe, battle: 3 dice, offensive. 234gc
Axe, long: 4 dice, offensive, diagonal, two-handed. 510gc
Halberd: 4 dice, two handed, diagonal. 600gc
Spear, two handed: 3 dice, two hands, diagonal. 330gc
Mace: 2 dice, offensive, throwable. 138gc
Maul: 3 dice, offensive, two-handed. 199gc
Maul, masterwork: 3 dice, two-handed. 234gc
Flail, one-handed: 2 dice, offensive. 128gc
Pick: 3 dice, offensive. 234gc
Addendum: Prices for System Gear
For comparison, here is what you get if you re-price the gear in the North American base set, using these rules.
Dagger: 91gc
Shortsword: 150gc
Broadsword: 275 gc
Longsword: 388gc
Battle Axe: 425gc
Crossbow: 388gc
Staff: 102gc
Helmet: 125gc
Shield: 150gc
Chain Mail: 600gc
Plate Mail: 850gc
Pretty close. The price of daggers rises sharply, but the introduction of 'thrown-only' weapons means there are more economical alternatives for ranged combat. Battle axes get a little cheaper. Everything else either stays the same or gets a modest increase.
But that's what I call a GREAT first post! Welcome to the forum 
