Character Advancement: Thread Items

Unlocking Thread Items

Each mission you go on earns you points toward a thread item. An average mission is worth its Circle rating; an easy mission is worth one less, and a hard mission is worth one more. You unlock your first thread item at 13 points, and like legend point costs it follows the Fibonacci sequence after that (so 13, 21, 34, etc.)

Acquiring Thread Items

Thread Items are acquired in one of two ways. The first is to hear of a thread item isolated into a treasure room or lost by a PC during a mission. In such a case you may put up a mission to retrieve that item. No dice-rolls are necessary, and some characteristics of the item have already been determined by the original description and interaction, such as spotting a sword floating in a lake, or finding one thrust impossibly deep into solid stone.

Alternatively, characters may use the following system.

Master Item Table:

Any character may spend one week of downtime to make a Perception + Research roll to search for clues on thread items in an area they are about to enter, against a Difficulty Number of 5. Each success results in one clue. Players may purchase access to the Great Library for 20 silver, adding a +3 to the roll, and/or hire the assistance of NPC scribes and sages for 50sp for an additional +4 to the roll.

Without spending any clues a character may expect to receive the following:

• A 1d20 roll on the Master item table.
  
• A 20% chance of finding an item of the Tier above your current Tier (Novice, Journeyman, Warden, Master).
  
• Most items to be sized for your character, where appropriate. Windlings should find weapons sized for windlings and so on.
  

Clues may be spent 1 for 1 after the die roll to:

• Increase the chance of the item increasing in tier by 5%.
  
• One move up or down the chart, towards the target you desire.  
  
• Pick the specific kind of item within the sub-category rolled (such as a long spear from great weapons; hardened armor from light armor; or a choker from necklace, bracelet, amulet.)
  
• The promise of one talent or bonus to be increased by the thread item, such as Unarmed Combat, or Physical Defense. In such a case when the item's tier does not allow for the number of choices made, the GM will throw out bonuses as they see fit until the remaining requests fit into the item gained.
  

You can see how research becomes an interesting and amazing tool!  Some looking into the history of an area may turn up stories that will have your eyes keyed to looking for something more akin to your liking.

Example:

Trading or Selling Thread Items

Thread Items may be traded or sold once without restriction (except to the player's own other characters); the purchasing character may not sell or trade the item until they have a new thread item to replace or conflict with the purchased item.

Buying Thread Items

At the beginning of any session there is a Standard Matrix Item for sale in Throal at a price of 5d4x100 silver.

When Eastmarches first opened we set the starting point for the Fibonacci spiral at 5, allowing characters to get their first thread item with 5 points, their second with 8, and so on. This proved to be far too rapid a progression, resulting in characters overloaded with magical items for their level and desperately poor as they attempted to pay for Research and Item History!

As of November 1st, the starting point on the spiral has changed to 13, still following the Fibonacci sequence (with the above post edited to reflect those changes).

Those people who already have thread items will not lose anything they already have, but are asked to calculate what the revised system entitles them to. Until their earned thread count matches the new requirements their thread items are locked in their present state. No further Item History or threadweaving should be done.

Example: