As mentioned in the trailer for Red Ripper, from this game onward all Hunter's Journals titles will allow you to take an item with you on your travels. These range from weapons to armour to more unique artefacts. All of them take up a slot in your inventory, meaning that you may be pressed for space if you are trying to take every item you encounter with you. They also all have a positive impact on the game mechanics, balanced by either requiring unique circumstances to activate, or presenting a handicap in some situations.
In The Hunters Journals - Tattered Sails, this will be paired with the Trait system, allowing you to combine your Hunter's quirks and foibles with the Heirlooms to create a truly individual character.
Today, I will be posting the details of the Heirlooms available below, and adding a discussion to the community page so people can debate the pros and cons of the various items. This will also be done when Tattered Sails is coming up for release, letting fans discuss the various combinations which will arise from the two systems interacting.
Heirlooms:
Nothing - Not every hunter has access to rare equipment, and some shun these fancy gadgets in order to retain the purity of the hunt. Some have also fallen on hard times, and have sold their beloved equipment in order to live in a style to which they have become accustomed. Which are you?
Effects
- Empty Pockets – You gain no bonuses, but also do not give up an equipment slot. Keep reminding yourself that a bowl is most useful when it is empty.
Brutal Hunter Set – Some hunters rely on sheer, raw damage to win the day. This option means your hunter has a wickedly serrated blade and a powerful handgun loaded with flesh-shredding Hunter's Shot rounds. So armed, they can bludgeon down any foe with spectacular overkill.
Effects
- Crippling Damage – You deal 1 extra point of damage in combat.
- Overspecialised – You no longer win drawn combat rounds, automatically losing the round instead.
Precise Hunter Set – Instead of relying on brute force to best their foes, some hunters rely on skill. You are one such hunter, and carry a devilishly sharp rapier and carefully sighted duelling pistol. With these weapons, you can constantly out-class your enemies and land a series of hits that will leave them reeling.
Effects
- Rain of Blows – You adds 1 to your dice rolls in combat.
- Overspecialised – You no longer win drawn combat rounds, automatically losing the round instead.
Witch-Silver Weapons – While enchanted weapons are rare, some hunters do carry them. The swirling inlay of witch-silver on your sword and pistol means that they can deal lasting damage to creatures not of this world. The wounds they cause also fester and seethe, making a mockery of most beast's powers of regeneration.
Effects
- Baleful Enchantments – Enemies cannot regenerate, ignore or reduce damage dealt by these weapons.
- Night Terrors – Even the presence of small amounts of witch-silver cause violent nightmares. Despite the protective case you keep them in, your hunter will suffer from these as long as they carry the weapons. You regain no lost Skill when you sleep.
Heraldic Breastplate – Most hunters skip wearing this cumbersome item except when facing particularly deadly foes. It hinders the movement of the wearer, but does result in an additional level of protection that can mean the difference between life and death.
Effects
- Hardened Protection – The toughened steel of the breastplate means you have a 50% chance to reduce all damage (including damage sustained outside of combat) by 1, to a minimum of 1.
- Cumbersome – Using this item restricts your movement, meaning you must subtract 1 from your dice roll in combat.
Toughened Leathers – Some hunters choose to add a few extra layers of leather to their gear, as well as brass or steel studs at the shoulders and hips. These precautions help to deflect incoming attack from your blind spots, at the cost of reduced mobility and extra weight.
Effects
- Backstab Insurance – The extra protection of the toughened leather means that you cannot take automatic damage in combat. IE – any enemy that inflicts damage 'regardless of the combat result' loses this ability against a hunter with this item.
- Cumbersome – Using this item restricts your movement, meaning you must subtract 1 from your dice roll in combat.
Light Armour – Not every hunter places their faith in thick leather and steel. Hunters who take this option have stripped down their protective layers to the bare minimum. This allows them to keep one step ahead of all but the most ferocious enemies. Of course, should they be caught out, it could spell disaster...
Effects
- Swashbuckling Skills – All enemies must reduce their dice roll by 1 in combat against you.
- Glass Cannon – All enemies inflict 1 extra point of damage in combat against you.
Punch Dagger – Some hunters train to use a punch dagger strapped to their pistol hand to aid them in combat. The chance to use such an exotic weapon comes once in a blue moon, but when an opportunity appears the unexpected attack can be deadly.
Effects
- Scorpion Stab – If the result of a combat round is a draw, you not only win the round, but deal an additional 4 points of damage.
Beloved Locket – A hunter's life is often lonely. Those lucky enough to have a romantic attachment of some sort tend to carry a keepsake with them wherever they are far from home. No matter how daunting the hunt, they can always use it as a touchstone when they dream of the life they will go back to when it is all over.
Effects
- Sweet Dreams, My Love – When you sleep, you regain 1 extra point of skill and 2 extra points of stamina.
Lucky Pocketwatch – While not always a pocketwatch, the logic of this item remains the same. By placing a small, metal object over their heart, the hunter hopes that fate will intervene and block a lethal blow. It happens more often than you think, although usually not more than once for a single person.
Effects
- Fate Averted – The first time you would be slain because you lost a round of combat, this item is destroyed instead. Any further damage taken that round will then be applied as normal.