Equipment Rules
This page covers the rules layer on top of equipment — how rarity gating works, how carrying capacity and encumbrance work, and where to find the structured data for each gear category. For what individual items do, browse the catalog directly:
- Weapons — 224 entries with damage, range, and properties.
- Armor — 76 entries. Categories and the Max Dex / AC bonus rules live in Combat → Armor Class.
- Gear — 62 utility items across 9 categories.
- Medpacs — 5 tiers, healing dice, costs.
- Upgrades — weapon, armor, and droid chassis upgrades.
- Force Powers — 63 powers (rules-side, not equipment).
Rarity
Equipment is categorized by rarity, which affects availability, typical cost, and whether an item can be purchased openly or must be sourced through black markets, military channels, or underworld contacts.
| Rarity | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Common | Standard civilian gear. Widely available and affordable. | Blaster Pistol (300 cr) |
| Uncommon | Military or specialized tools. Requires connections or luck to find. | Vibroblade (750 cr) |
| Rare | Advanced, restricted, or outlawed gear. Found in black markets or elite factions. | Jetpack (3,500 cr) |
| Very Rare | Prototype, ancient, or heavily restricted. Requires GM discretion. | Beskar Armor (20,000+ cr) |
| Unique | One-of-a-kind items tied to lore, quests, or legendary NPCs. | A Jedi's handcrafted lightsaber |
GMs can use rarity to gate powerful equipment behind story beats, reputation thresholds, or faction favors — making gear progression feel earned rather than purely transactional. A party shouldn't be buying Beskar armor at the spaceport gear shop in session 2.
Some armors and weapons in the catalog are flagged as legendary outliers in their
notesfield — exotic species-shell armor like Vonduun Crabshell, or specialty pieces that intentionally exceed standard band rules. Treat them as Unique-rarity finds, not regular shop stock.
Carrying Capacity and Encumbrance
Every character has a carrying limit. Exceeding it causes encumbrance.
Carrying Capacity (kg) = 15 × Strength score × Size Multiplier
Size multipliers
| Size | Multiplier |
|---|---|
| Diminutive | 0.25 |
| Tiny | 0.50 |
| Small | 1.00 |
| Medium | 1.00 |
| Large | 2.00 |
| Huge | 4.00 |
| Gargantuan | 8.00 |
Encumbrance effects
A character carrying more than their Carrying Capacity is Encumbered:
- Speed reduced by 10 ft.
- Disadvantage on Dexterity checks and Dexterity saving throws.
- Cannot Dash or use movement-based reactions.
GMs may waive encumbrance tracking for fast-paced, cinematic play and apply it strictly only in survival, heist, or wilderness scenarios where loadout management is a core challenge. The Streamlined Play design pillar applies here too — track encumbrance when it matters to the story; ignore it otherwise.
Armor categories — quick reference
The detailed band rules live in Combat → Armor Class, but here's the one-line summary so you can spot what's what at a glance:
| Category | AC bonus | Max Dex | Speed cap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Light | +1 to +4 | ≥ 4 (full Dex) | None |
| Medium | +4 to +8 | +1 to +3 | 20 ft (or no limit on lighter variants) |
| Heavy | +6 to +10 | +0 to +1 | 20 ft |
Pick armor your class is proficient with. Without proficiency, the armor doesn't grant its benefits and you suffer penalties — see Combat → Armor Proficiency.
Buying, selling, and finding equipment
A few practical conventions:
- Catalog prices are list prices. Negotiation, supply, and faction influence move them. A weapons fence might pay 50% of list; a desperate buyer might pay 200%.
- Most starting characters have ~250 credits plus class-specific starting gear. Players don't routinely need to track every credit; just track major purchases.
- Looted gear from enemies is fair game. A stormtrooper has armor + a blaster + a comlink — the party can take all of it after the fight, GM permitting. (And the GM permits it whenever it's not narratively absurd.)
- Custom and crafted gear uses the Mechanics skill — see Tech Specialist for the build that excels at it.