I just bought Torchbearer and am really looking foward to running it, but I’ve got one question so far:
Do things like tinderboxes, thieves’ tools and 10’ poles count as supplies that get used up after one test? Or can they get used to get the +1D bonus as often as PCs like?
Thanks!
Hi Snoof. Welcome! That stuff doesn’t get used up when leveraged for a test. They’re only lost when the players toss them away or they are lost or broken as part of a twist. Also, sometimes you’ll see them sacrificed to turn them into supplies. For instance, rope won’t give a benefit to a test to build a fire in adverse conditions. But unravel it and use it as tinder, and it makes great supplies for a single test.
That makes sense. Thank you!
Since I’m asking, I’ve got a couple of other questions:
Maces and warhammers versus plate. Page 38 has that they wreck plate armour on 1-4, while character sheets have it on 1-3. Which is correct?
When scribing scrolls in town, is it +1 lifestyle cost per scroll, or for an entire batch of scrolls? (I’m guessing the former, but I’m not sure.) While I’m at it - how do failed tests in towns work? Should I inflict conditions? Twists? If twists, how severe should they be, given that the town phase is meant to be a short bookkeeping phase, rather than an adventure by itself?
On pages 89 and 90, it seems to state that flophouses don’t permit people to recover from exhausted or sick, while stables exclude injured or sick. It seem strange that you can get a good night’s sleep in a stable (or even in the depths of the Pit of Despair!) but not in a place full of beds. Is this a error or something? Am I misreading?
+1 per test (in this case er scroll scribed).
Failed test while in town works the same - twist or condition. Twists depend on you. Dropped gear / ripped backpack are the fastest and usually easiest on the players. Giving them conditions will most likely keep them in town a test or two longer as they will most likely scramble to recover before leaving.
With regard to maces and warhammers, when in doubt, go with the book.