This Sword has a Story: How Heroes Carry Things

Endless loot, resource management and careful packing of equipment are standard fare for adventurers. For a Hero, it's a little bit different.

You are one such Hero. What that means, exactly, is somewhat hard to say; it's not something you can measure or hold in your hand, and everyone you ask will probably have a different idea. It's not really something you are, or something you do, but it's kinda about what you do because of who you are. Maybe. 

Whatever a Hero is, you are one, and that means Destiny has taken a keen interest in your life. There's a lot to pontificate about Destiny, but a few things I know for sure: she's restless, gets bored easily, and often goes wandering; and when she does, she travels light. And that aversion to encumbrance has rubbed off on you, buddy.

Just Enough

Everything a Hero carries around is either Regular or Important. Any item can be in either category: An ancient amulet of fireballs can be a Regular item, and a rusty dagger can end up being Important. 

A Hero of the first level can carry up to two Regular items, and one Important item. Each level after the first increases your capacity for Regular items by 1, up to a maximum of 5; each odd level allows for an additional Important Item, up to 3. You cannot travel with more than what your level allows, else Destiny will pitch a fit. She'll begrudgingly accept you picking something new up off the floor to use it in the moment. But don't push it, buddy, you better drop it as soon as you're done with it or there's gonna be trouble.

And, before you ask - yes, you are allowed to wear regular, unremarkable clothing without it counting towards your limit. And, yes, you can end up doing something with that clothing, like throwing a boot down a hallway to distract a guard or blinding someone with your hat; but you're on thin ice, pal, so she's only gonna let you pull that kind of trick once, and only once.  

Regular items are not actually unimportant; they can very easily end up being just what you need, turning the tide of a battle, swaying an iffy situation in your direction, or even saving your life. The main thing to remember about them is that Regular Items can only be used once. 

Now, "used" is a tricky idea. How, exactly, is a helmet "used"? Surely it is not used as soon as you don it; and does a particularly vicious butterfly landing on it count as it being used? Destiny doesn't think so, luckily for you. No, she reckons that A Regular Item is "Used" when it solves a problem. So in other words, the Helmet is Used when it would protect you from a blow to the noggin. Or when you take it off and bonk a guard on the head with it so you can steal his cell keys. Or when you use it to scoop up a dragon's tears for the pixie queen. As a Hero, you understand that part of being on the path set by Destiny is that items are only occasionally used for their intended purpose. Destiny finds this hilarious.

Once a Regular item is used, it's Gone. You cannot benefit from it anymore; it has served its role, and the two of you move on. Maybe it'll break or run out of battery, maybe it gets knocked out of your hands and falls out of camera shot, never to be seen again; maybe you give it to the dragon as an apology for stealing his tears. Whatever happened, you're not getting it back. Don't worry too much about it, though - as a Hero, it's not gonna be too long before you find some new junk to replace it.  

Some Regular Stuff - Roll when starting new adventure to fill up your empty regular item slots:

1. A delicious sandwich. Made just the way you like it. 
2. A comfortable bedroll, long overdue for a wash. Smells like home.
3. A jar of your favorite drink, strong-tasting and pungent.  
4. A wooden buckler on its last legs, depicting your favorite animal. 
5. A tome you've never read, full of great wisdom and very dry paper.
6. 50' of balled twine, just barely too weak to support your weight.
7. An almost-spent roll of duct tape, of immense emotional value.
8. A musical instrument you're still learning how to play.
   
9. Two trick candles, which light if struck together. Smell dreadful.
10. Demon eye stolen from a witch. Pops loudly when thrown hard. 
11. A battered piece of armor, frankly more fashionable than protective. 
12. A magnifying glass, a large crack on its face making a funny shape.  
13. An especially absorbent rag, tinted red from years of loving use.
14. 10' of iron chain, rusted only a little bit for aesthetic reasons.
15. A small sack of walnuts, still safe in their hard shells.  
16. A tiny paring knife, its sheathe smelling strongly of garlic. 
17. An oversized iron ring, gifted by a friend who doesn't get fingers.
18. An un-minced clove of garlic, surprisingly easy to crush by hand.
19. A sturdy tree branch that remarkably resembles an actual weapon.
20. A sword. What, can't I make at least one of these actually good?

This one is my Favorite

An Important item is just that. There's something special about it: maybe it was given to you by someone that means a lot to you, or it's your only remaining connection to something you've lost. Maybe it's your prize from a great ordeal, or something you've used previously to accomplish a heroic deed. Maybe it's some loot from a previous adventure you find yourself bonded with, or maybe it's just something you found lying on the ground one day and you just think it's really neat. The point is that Important Items reflect something important about you, and are part of what defines who you are.  

Important Items do not get spent when used. They're something that you use and re-use, something you know you can depend on, your trusty tool that's always at your side. Also, while the item itself may or may not be magical, Destiny seems to like that item too, so even fairly mundane items can perform exceptionally well if they're Important - your beloved walking stick might end up holding up a shocking amount of weight for a stick of its size, for example, and your father's axe seems to cut things extremely well considering that you never sharpen it. Don't get any crazy ideas, though, there's limits even to Important stuff; if you try to use the walking stick to deflect a falling boulder, you're gonna end up looking real stupid with your head crushed under a big rock, your corpse holding a shattered stick.

There's no real rule for what's Important. Ideally, it's something cool, but I'm not gonna stop you from just picking some random garbage. Who knows what Destiny will end up finding important.

Some Important Items That A Hero Might Start Their Career With

1. A trusty sword, worn and notched. You've had it all your life, and take great care of it.
2. A splendid iron shield, from an old friend who is gone. You've promised to return it.
3. A magic seed that burrowed into your palm, allowing you change the shape of your hand.
4. An onyx statuette of a hawk that can come to life on command. It does not obey liars. 
5. A sling that never misses, made with the bowstrings of your childhood hero.
6. Three marbles that become completely immovable as long as they are touching each other.
7. A pair of winged boots that grant the wearer flight; given to you by a dying stranger at midnight.
8. A crystal staff, seemingly unbreakable. It glows softly when touching unprotected skin. 
9. A silver crown that lets you understand any language. Only your family can use it and live.
10. A goblet that never really fully dries out. The liquid within it is extremely flammable. 

Now, let me tell you something about Heroes. Heroes Change. All things change, really, but Heroes change especially hard. They learn things about themselves, experience some stuff that really makes them reconsider their priorities. Sometimes they come out of it better people, sometimes it really messes them up for a while. At the end of the day, this is a big part of what makes you a Hero, but I'm not here to get sappy. Here's why this matters: Important Items do not last forever. As you change, so too do the things that define you. Sooner or later, something is going to happen with that Important Item; and when it does, you will in some way grow. We call this the item's Fate.

You don't really know what Fate your item has, but Destiny does. She knew the moment you first laid eyes on it and decided that it was important, possibly by rolling on that table down there. Sometimes, through magic, destiny-dreams or dramatic foreshadowing, you may be able to learn the Fate of your item, but you cannot change it. Trying to do so will severely damage your Heroic nature, and you will pay dearly for it, usually costing you Experience (as well as a perfectly good item). So try to roll with it even if it's looking like it's gonna be something real bad, and try to look surprised when it happens - Destiny put a lot of effort into these and she's real insecure about her work. 

What is the Fate of your Important Item?

1.  A hateful enemy destroys it in front of you, taunting you before they move in for the kill.
2. The item fails you at a critical moment, and the ensuing disaster will haunt you forever.
3. You fail to control the item in tense situation, and the innocent will suffer the consequences.
4. The item causes you to deteriorate with each use, making you more and more reliant on it.  
5. You are forced to choose between saving the item and saving life of someone dear to you.
6. The item is a part of a living being; the being will soon die if the item is not returned to it.
7. You learn the true goal of the item, and how its very existence puts you (and others) in danger.
8. The item breaks, maiming you in the process; a life-long wound will impair you.
9. The item has a counterpart; they are fated to destroy each other in an important conflict.
10. You realize the Item never actually did what you saw it doing; it did something much worse.
11. The item causes a group of allies to become your sworn enemies.
12. You learn too late that the item was using you all along. You played right into its plans.
13. The item is stolen from you; it will be destroyed in an attempt to get it back.
14. The item is stolen from you; you will find that it will do more good in its new home.
15. You lose the item in a freak accident; nobody is to blame, it was simple misfortune. 
16. The item reveals that its end is near, and asks for its final use to be something specific.
17. You overestimate the capability of the item, and it is destroyed as a consequence.  
18. The item shows its true power, saving your life from certain death before it shatters.
19. A young firebrand reminds you of yourself. You know they'll do great things with this item.
20. The item will save the world. After that, you would not dare ask any more of it. 

Destiny gets a kick out of watching you lose your favorite stuff, but at least you get something out of it too: Whenever an Important Item's Fate is fulfilled and you lose it, you gain 1 Experience. You need 1 Experience to reach level 2, then another two experience to reach Level 3, and so on. 

Once you have reached Level 5, it won't be long before you end up on a Quest, what Destiny had been planning for you all along (or so she claims). You've probably seen some hints of it on the way, and at the end of it you will have done something really huge and important. Probably. You'll know it when you see it; I'm not gonna ruin the surprise.