Cheap Lousy Sacks for DF

I mentioned that a frequented topic in my group are the vastly overpriced sacks of GURPS Dungeon Fantasy. $30 and 3 pounds of weight? Crazy! That it can hold 40 pounds without the GM saying, sorry, your bag ripped because you put too much in it, well, that's a non-starter. They should be cheaper.

So what about cheap junk, can you get some? Seems reasonable. I'm always happy to let players cheap out on the gear they use to stow their weapons and carry their treasure.

Now you can.


Flimsy: Any container or combat accessory. Halves HP (round up). In addition, in stressful conditions (loaded more than 50%, running at move than half move, moving through snagging brush, grappled, etc.), roll for breakage against the item's HT 10. On a failure, the item has suffered damage and HT is reduced by 1; repeated failures are cumulative. On a failure by 3+, the container or accessory rips or breaks and is useless! -0.6 CF.

Awkward: Any container or combat accessory. Ergonomically poor and badly designed, these items give a -1 to routine use of the item and -1 DX overall in when in active use. -0.6 CF.


Those can be combined, for a total -0.8 CF.

Flimsy comes from my experience with cheap bags - they work, and work well, for a short period of time, as long as you don't push them. Awkward comes from every bag I have that has handles that just don't adjust right, has a shoulder pad that doesn't grip when it's properly loaded, or has handles that cut and tear into your hands instead of resting in them well. You can get a cheap, awkward chain lanyard for $3, for example, but it's -1 DX on your wrist (damn thing keeps snagging and sliding around), -1 to Fast-Draw and fighting (it's not well designed), and it's easy to break (HP 3). Or you can get cheap, awkward sacks for your henchmen at $6 per, and they'll be fine as long as you walk slowly out of the dungeon and don't need to climb, swim, jump, or run.

Both of those should apply automatically to the standard "improvised stretcher," too - you know, the one made out of two "nearby saplings" or orc spears and someone's shirt or a cloak and "I must have some string or spare bootlaces in Personal Basics." Also sacks made out of shirts, vine baskets woven by the PC of the guy who says "I did it once in camp, it's easy," and so on. Especially if the PCs are in a hurry and dedicate all of 5 minutes, tops, to assembling them. If you prefer to leave this up to skill, apply a penalty to the skill roll use to assemble the item. On a failure, you get one awkward or flimsy. On a failure by 3+, you get both. Better to use good materials and the Time Spent rules from p. B346.

And to the guy who knows this post is about him, sorry. It had to be done. I'll seriously use these, though.