Mechanik’s Union

Fusion DC: 21
Market value: 19630 gold
Total Cost: (8865 gold + 709 XP to create)

The Class bonus is similar to a Dex bonus. It stacks with all others [including class bonuses from multiple classes] but is lost when one is flanked, flat-footed, or similar, just as Dex bonus would be. Classes that cannot be flanked, or caught flat-footed retain their Class Bonus to AC as well. Essentially, anytime the Dex bonus is lost, so too is the Class bonus. Dex Bonus and class bonus also stack regarding armour maximum Dex modifier. So as you progress in level, armour becomes less useful to you. A chain shirt with a max Dex modifier of +4 provides +4 AC and allows a combination of Dex and Class bonus up to +4. So a person with a Dex of 18 would not count any Class Bonus towards AC while in a chain shirt.

Defense progression by Character level (Divisions are based on Base Attack Bonus Progression over levels 1 to 20):

AC = 10 + Dex. Bonus. + Armour Bonus. + Class bonus + Misc. Bonus.

The damage reduction and armor bonus granted by greatcoats is cause for a lot of debate. Some people feel that the bonuses render traditional armors obsolete, others have expressed the feeling that the DR granted by an armored greatcoat is too much (pointing to magical items that offer DR 5/holy or similar bonuses). So I removd the DR and modifed them so the main draw for using great coats is the speed with which they are donned.

The Padded, Leather, and Studded Leather entries are as per normal d20 rules, they are there for comparison purposes. So now youre saying why bother with a greatcoat? The big plus to greatcoats is that I allow characters to don or remove greatcoats as a full-round action.

Step one

Appraise your foe (a.k.a. the is it worth it? stage). Sometimes there is a formal challenge; sometimes it is just a rising tension in the air. Either way, when a duel is about to go down the duelists will look each other over and size up their opponent. The Appraise roll is a BAB + Wis check. There are three things you can determine:

• The opponents Base Attack bonus
• Dexterity (and, hence, Initiative and ranged attack bonus)
• Weapon familiarity (how many feats has he dedicated to using his weapon in addition to basic proficiency)

The DC for this check is:

• 10 to learn one thing
• 15 for two
• 20 for all three

If the opponent knows they are being appraised and can roll a Bluff check higher than your Appraise roll, he may adjust one of the qualities you determine up or down by as much as his Charisma bonus.

For example, Renald decides he wants to know Sherrons BAB and Dexterity before accepting her challenge and rolls an 18 on his Appraise check. He will have a pretty good idea what they are, unless Sherron rolled a 19 or higher on her Bluff check. If she did roll higher, she could use her Charisma bonus of +3 to make Renald think her BAB or Dexterity was three points higher or lower than it really is. It is at this stage that most duelists will decide they are out of their league and yield (or run like cowardly dogs) or decide that they can win and accept the duel.

Step two

The battle of wills: a.k.a. the Evil Eye stage. If neither duelist backs down, or if backing down isnt an option, they proceed to the stare down. This is the part where duelists ask each other if they feel lucky and exchange steely-eyed glares.

Use the Intimidate skill to demoralize an opponent. Your Intimidate check is opposed by the targets modified level check (1d20 + character level + targets modifiers on saves vs. fear). A character immune to fear cant be intimidated, nor can non-intelligent creatures.

If you have the Persuasive feat, you get a +2 bonus on Intimidate checks. If you have 5 or more ranks in Bluff, you get a +2 bonus on Intimidate checks. In duelling situations, this check can be performed up to a range of 30 feet. It imposes the Shaken condition on the loser, which gives -2 penalty on attack rolls, saving throws, skill checks, and ability checks.

Step three

Fire! Both duelists are considered flat-footed – however see note about sneak attack below – during the first round of the duel, even if they have Uncanny Dodge or a similar ability. If you just want to start diving for cover and shooting and bobbing and weaving, then youre not fighting a duel, youre having a gunfight (for which the normal combat rules should be sufficient).

From this point there are two styles of duels; Judged and non-Judged.

• Each opponent is considered to be flat-footed, no matter what feats/abilities he or she possesses.
• Sneak attack damage is not added to successful shots (because then it models the situation of the dirtiest, sneakiest fighter being the best pistol duelist).
• Shots are considered to happen simultaneously in a judged duels, in order of initiative roll in non-judged duels.
• Successful shots are assumed to do normal damage, and critical hits do maximum critical damage.
• If the roll to confirm a critical is within the critical threat range of the weapon, roll to confirm again – confirming this time means the victim is reduced to -1 hp automatically and begins bleeding out.
• In a non-judged duel, if pistols are holstered at the beginning (so its more of a western showdown), the Quickdraw feat grants its possessor a +4 bonus to Init that stacks with Improved Init.

I found a copy of the Mechanika Creation Spreadsheet on a backup disk.

Originally created by asura and posted on the Privateer Press IKRPG Forum.

Note: I don’t think that it’s been updated to include LM info.

Mechanika Creation Spreadsheet

Republished with permission, originally created by ErrantX and posted on the Privateer Press IKRPG Forum.

Prerequisites

Alignment: Any
Base Attack Bonus: +5
Skills: Concentration 10 ranks, Intimidate 5 ranks, Knowledge (nature) 5 ranks (Circle, Trollbloods) or Knowledge (Arcana) 5 ranks (Skorne, Legion).
Feats: Combat Casting, Iron Will, Leadership, Skill Focus (Intimidate).
Spellcasting: Ability to cast spells (arcane or divine) of 2nd level or higher.
Hit Die: d6

Class skills

The warlock’s class skills (and the key abilities for each skill) are: Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Handle Animal (Cha), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (Arcana), Knowledge (Nature), Profession (Wis), Spellcraft (Int) and Survival (Wis).

Skill Points at Each Level: 2 + Int modifier.

Class Features:

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Warlocks are proficient with all simple weapons and two martial weapons of choice, and with light armor. If a warlock is wearing light (or any) armor, he still suffers arcane spell failure penalties if applicable when casting an arcane spell.

Spells per Day: At every odd level, the warlock gains new spells per day as if he had gained a level in a spellcasting class he belonged to before entering the prestige class. He does not gain any other benefits a member of that class except for increased spellcasting level. If the character had more than one spellcasting class before becoming a warlock, he must decide which class he adds the new level to in order to determine spells per day.

Warlock Fury (Su): The true power of the warlock comes from their ability to channel the awesome power of their warbeasts, called fury. When a warlock channels and directs fury, he is capable of empowering his own combat abilities or the abilities of the warbeasts bonded to him (see below under ‘Force’ ability). At 1st level, the warlock gains this ability. The warlock may have a maximum of 4 plus his warlock level in his fury reserve at any given time and a warlock may only spend up to his warlock level in fury points per round. Fury points may be discarded at the beginning of a character’s turn, but he may not leach during that turn if he discards fury. This fury may be stored within him for the duration of the battle; once combat has ended the fury dwindles quickly as the battle-rage subsides and all fury points are lost after a period of time in minutes equal to the warlock’s class level has gone by.

The Wilding (Su): One of the chief gifts a warlock is born into is that of the wilding. Having the innate ability to reach into the minds, thoughts and emotions of great and terrible beasts, warlocks are capable of bringing to bear the mightiest of terrors from the savage lands of western Immoren and beyond. There are limits, however, to this capability. Basic animals (no matter how fierce) will not respond to the call of a warlock, but the beasts that mankind has always feared on a primal level will, such as those of troll and the warpwolf. Trollkin shamans and sorcerers have long been able to utilize the ancient pacts between their race and the various races of troll to bring the mighty troll, to their air (and as of late even the fiercest of all, the dire troll). The blackclad druids of the Circle of Orboros have been able to bend the will of the argus hound, the gorax and the fearsome warpwolf and their creations of stone and wood, the woldwardens and the woldwatchers. The Skorne also seem to have mastered this strange talent in their far away kingdoms, bringing their terrifying titans and their sadistic cyclops to aid in their war against the Iron Kingdoms in the name of the Conqueror. The Legion of Everblight has also discovered a way of manufacturing the wilding, and this is by driving a shard of the dragon Everblight’s athanc within one’s chest. With this athanc shard within one’s breast, the newly born warlock is capable of contacting and directing the blighted dragonspawn that are the Legion’s hallmark. The Wilding grants the warlock the listed supernatural abilities below:

Sense Warbeast (Su): Intuitively, a warlock is able to sense the presence of warbeasts it is capable of controlling. Trollkin, for example, are capable of sensing beings with troll blood and those carrying a blighted shard of Everblight’s athanc are capable of sensing the dragonspawn of his brood. The warlock is capable of sensing any warbeasts he is capable of bonding or already has bonded with 20 feet. By concentrating, the warlock can attempt to determine if there are other warbeasts with a 100 foot radius. If the warlock makes a successful Concentration check (DC 18) he has blocked out enough of the external distractions to determine if there are any other warbeasts within range, but he does not know how many or where they are located. Sensing distant warbeasts requires a standard action. If the warlock continues to concentrate for a second round (requiring a second standard action) and makes a second successful Concentration check (DC 18), he can determine the number of warbeasts and their approximate distances from him. A warlock is always capable of sensing his bonded warbeasts and can locate them within 100 feet without a roll.

Bonded Command (Su): A warlock can only command things that are attuned to its style or form of command. For example, a trollkin shaman who has warlock potential can command beings that have troll blood within them due to ancient pacts made long ago. The Skorne can command beings that they have conditioned (refer to either the Skorne Conditioning quickplate in NQ#3 or the Skorne Warbeast template listed below) to respond to their kind of bonding. They regularly condition cyclops, titans, and basilisks and lately have begun the process of conditioning some beasts from western Immoren. The Circle can bond beings whose souls and bodies have touched by the Devourer (the warpwolf, for example) or are vicious carnivores (such as the mighty dracolisk or the fierce argus hound). The scions of Everblight can command those with the dragon’s foul ichors within them. To bond to a warbeast, a warlock simply needs to approach it (and have it not eat you!) and succeed on a Concentration check (DC 20) to establish contact. Then to bond the warbeast, the warlock must show the beast that he is capable of being its alpha by making an Intimidate check (DC is equal to of the creature’s hit dice). If the warlock is successful with the second check, the warbeast is considered a bonded warbeast. The result of this roll is the warbeast’s Tolerance score (see ‘Force’ special ability) which should be recorded. A warlock is capable of issuing telepathic commands to all bonded warbeast with a radius equal to 5 feet per caster level. Bonded warbeasts are capable of receiving power from a warlock’s expenditure of fury (for healing or being targeted for damage transference) and can be leached for fury points within the aforementioned command radius. A warlock can have a total number of bonded warbeasts whose combined hit dice cannot exceed 10 times his warlock level.

Force (Su): A warlock can coerce a warbeast to fight above its own supposed natural ability. The warlock reaches into the primal fury and stokes that inner fire within the warbeast and causes to react above and beyond (as if the warlock had spent a fury point on enhancing his own combat capabilities, see below). Each use of this causes the warbeast to generate a point of fury from the primal anger that burns within it. A warlock is capable of issuing telepathic commands to all bonded warbeast with a radius equal to 5 feet per caster level. The use of this ability does not require the warbeast to hear or see the warlock; the warbeast simply must be within his bonded command range. This is a doubled-edged sword; a warlock can then leach this fury for his own uses but it can also cause the warbeast to fall into a state of rage in which the warlock loses command of it. At the start of each of the warbeast’s turns, if the warbeast has one or more fury points built up, it rolls a Will save against its Tolerance score, with each fury point it has stored giving it a +3 circumstance bonus to the roll. If it succeeds its saving throw, it flies into a berserker rage for 1d4 rounds and acts as if under a confusion spell (Players Guide, pg 212) with any result of fleeing being rolled again. During this rage, the warlock cannot leach or force the beast in any way. When the rage is over, it returns to the control of the warlock. The warlock can attempt to force a non-bonded warbeast, but it requires an Intimidate check equal to the target’s Hit Dice and the fury generated by this cannot be leached by the warlock (thus causing the possibility of a berserk warbeast). Fury points generated by this ability fade away from the warbeast at the rate of 1 point per minute.

Leach / Reave (Su): A warlock’s powers are often augmented if not outright fueled by his fury pool, and the only way to gain fury is to leach it from his bonded warbeasts. As a move action (which does not provoke attacks of opportunity), a warlock may make a Concentration check (DC 18) to draw 1d6 fury points from every warbeast he commands within his bonded command radius. He may also elect to (as a free action) collect any and all fury points a warbeast may have if the beast dies in a process called reaving by making a DC 25 Intimidate check.

Damage Transference (Su): For the cost of one fury, the warlock may shunt damage inflicted on him (from any source) to a bonded warbeast. The warlock is still treated as having been hit by the attack, so secondary effects still apply to the targeted warlock (ex. if the target of such an attack would also be dazed for 1d4 rounds, and the warlock transferred the damaged to a bonded warbeast, the warbeast would take the damage from the attack but the warlock would be dazed for 1d4 rounds.) The warlock can transfer damage to a bonded warbeast that is within his bonded command radius.

Healing (Su): The warlock may spend one fury to forcibly regenerate their own injured body with the fortifying power of their bonded warbeasts, or focus that power into restoring the warbeast itself. The warlock can heal 1d8 points of damage +1/warlock level in damage on either him or on a bonded warbeast per fury point expended. This is usable on bonded warbeasts only if they are within the warlock’s bonded command radius. Using this healing ability counts as a standard action (and is not subject to pain of healing rules) and can be used on any amount of bonded warbeasts within the bonded command radius and the warlock himself.

Animus (Sp): The pinnacle use of fury, the warlock may tap into the primal font of rage within his bonded warbeasts and use it to fuel his magical power. The warlock may use his warbeast’s animus to apply metamagic feats to his own spellcasting, using their primal edge and fury. Every fury point that is leached from his warbeasts may be used on a spell he is casting to apply metamagic feats at no increased spell level. The warlock must spend one fury point per increased spell level per metamagic feat (Example: the warlock may spend three fury points to offset the penalty of maximizing a spell.)

Republished with permission, originally created by ErrantX and posted on the Privateer Press IKRPG Forum.

This post is intended to be a quick reference for the cost of some basic mechanikal armour. The first section is armour with one heavy accumulator, the second set is for people would prefer duracel and the armour contains two heavy accumulators

Important: You must add the cost of masterwork armour. I didn’t add them in to keep the charts versatile.

Note: If you wish to add a Mechanikal Trigger to turn on the mechanikal enhancements for a 24-hour period, you can add the cost as follows:

• +1 armour: +200 gp market, +100 gp cost, +8 xp cost, and +1 to DC
• +2 armour: +400 gp market, +200 gp cost, +16 xp cost, and +1 to DC
• +3 armour: +600 gp market, +300 gp cost, +24 xp cost, and +1 to DC
• +4 armour: +800 gp market, +400 gp cost, +32 xp cost, and +1 to DC

Armour with one accumulator:

Armour with two accumulators:

“Ladies and gentle folk I give you to the newest miracle in Dr. Bedard’s fine line of elixirs and poultices, the long-lost Wasa-Tusa! Yes folks, this marvelous medecine not only works wonders on people and Elves, but remarkably, it is know to boost ‘Jacks of all kinds! But do not take my word for it, listen to this testimonial from Mechaniks from all over the kingdom!”

Pour a good dose of Dr. Bedard’s Wasa-Tusa ‘Jack juice into your ‘jack’s boiler and watch the flames fan! Guarrenteed to produce a quicker and happier ‘Jack!

Pour a bottle of Dr. Bedard’s Wasa-Tusa Jack Juice into the boiler of a ‘jack has the following effects for 1d4 minutes:
* Increases the speed by 1 (5 feet)
* +1 to hit and damage

It also has the following less fortunate effects:
* An extra 1/2 hour of fuel is burned up.
* At the end of the effect, the ‘Jack takes 2d4 points of damage (Fort save for half damage)

Flesh and blood beings who quaff this potent juice need to make a fort save or lose 1d4 dex and 1d4 wis for 1d6 hours. Hell, they are lucky they don’t go blind. On the plus side it works great on athlete’s foot’

I play a Gentleperson/Gun Mage in the fairly non-canon IK game I play in.

The class was created in an effort to create a Richard Burtonesque (not the actor…) type of class with elements of diplomacy and good social skills. The English gentleman-explorer type. Not a powerful charcter, but it can be a joy to play!

The Gentleperson was created by my friend, and professional miniature sculptor, Clint Staples.

Proficiencies: light medium and heavy armour, and simple and martial weapons.

Hit die: d6

Skills: 4 x (6+1/int bonus) 1st level | 6+1/int bonus subsequent levels

Class Skills: Appraise (int), Bluff (cha), Climb (st), Decipher script (int), Diplomacy (cha), Heal (wis), Innuendo (wis), Know (arcana) (int), Know (Religion) (int), Know (history) (int), Know (geography) (int), Listen (wis), Perform (cha), Profession (int), Ride (dex), Swim (str), Craft Small Arms (dex)

Natural Charm: 1/day you can reroll a failed social roll to the result.

Skill Focus (Know): You gain skill focus with a single knowledge skill you possess.

Bonus language you learn a new language subject to DM approval.

Co-ordinate teamwork: You can enhance the effects of those combining their efforts on a task. As a full round action you can double the bonus of all those who succeed with their support roll on one task that round. Coordinating teamwork provokes an attack of opportunity from enemies in melee with the co-ordiniator.

Bonus feat: You gain a feat chosen from this list: alertness, any weapon proficiency, blind fight, combat reflexes, dodge, endurance, expertise, great fortitude, improved disarm, improved unarmed strike, iron will, lightning reflexes, mounted combat, skill focus, toughness, track, weapon focus.

Bonus class skill: Chose one skill to add to your gentleperson skill list from that point onward.

Lucky: You may reroll failures the stated number of times per day as you choose. You may not reroll a reroll, and you must abide by the reroll result.

Magic Dilettante: At 3rd level and every 5 levels thereafter the Gentleperson gains access to a small number of spells. This reflects the wide areas of learning and research to which she has applied herself and the hidden lore and spells that she has found there. She casts spells in the same way as a Wizard (she must prepare her spells in advance, and gains bonus spells from high Int bonus). At each level she may learn 3 + Int bonus in spells of any level she can cast from the Gentleperson spell list. She may research further spells just as a thaumaturge does. A Gentlperson’s caster level is equal to the Gentleperson class levels – 3. Other than any such spells contained on this list, Gentlefolk may never learn spells of the following schools: Enchantment, Evocation, Transmutation.

A Gentleperson may not learn item creation or metamagic feats, nor spells restricted to Wizards. Her understanding of magic is not sufficiently deep to gain such expertise. Should a Gentleperson have access to magic from another spell casting class, she must keep separate track of spells available and prepared for each class. If such a character learns item creation or metamagic feats relating to her other class, she may use them to modify her Gentleperson spells.

Spell list

1st Level: Detect Magic, Detect Poison, Detect Secret Doors, Detect Undead, Disrupt Undead, Endure Elements, Light, Dancing lights, Ghost Sounds, Mage hand, Arcane Mark, Read Magic, Alarm, Cause Fear, Comprehend Languages, Erase, Featherfall, Identify, Message, Mount, Protection from chaos/ law/ evil/ good, Summon Monster I, Undetectable Aura, Unseen Servant.

2nd Level: Arcane Lock, Blindness/Deafness, Command Undead, Glitterdust, Detect Thoughts, Knock, Leomund’s Trap, Locate Object, Misdirection, Obscure Object, Phantom Steed, Resist Energy, See Invisible, Summon Monster II, Scare, Whispering Wind.

3rd Level: Arcane Sight, Bestow Curse, Clairaudience/Clairvoyance, Detect Scrying, Dispel Magic, Explosive Runes, Fear, Gentle Repose, Halt Undead, Locate Creature, Magic Circle vs. Chaos/ Law/ Evil/ Good, Nondetection, Protection from Energy, Remove Curse, Scry, Secret Page, Sepia Snake Sigil, Summon Monster IV, Tongues.

4th Level: Animate Dead, Break Enchantment, Contact Other Plane, Dismissal, Legend Lore, Lesser Planar Binding, Mage’s Private Sanctum, Magic Jar, Permanency, Sending, Summon Monster VI, Symbol of Pain, Telepathic Bond.

Spells per Day

Bonus spells from high intelligence apply for both spells known and spells per day.

Here is a link to the Gentleperson class pdf.

Created by Clint Staples

When quaffed by the character, the character will feel as if he or she had had 2d4 hours of rest. This will automatically move an exhausted character into fatigued, and a double dose (4d4 hours of rest) will move fatigued character into rested.

The effects last 2d10 hours, then the crash hits. The body stress of all this will result in 2 points of Con damage, plus 1 con point per 2 hours of duration. The con damage will never lower a character’s constitution lower than 1

From the SRD:

Exhausted
An exhausted character moves at half speed and takes a -6 penalty to Strength and Dexterity. After 1 hour of complete rest, an exhausted character becomes fatigued. A fatigued character becomes exhausted by doing something else that would normally cause fatigue.

Fatigued
A fatigued character can neither run nor charge and takes a -2 penalty to Strength and Dexterity. Doing anything that would normally cause fatigue causes the fatigued character to become exhausted. After 8 hours of complete rest, fatigued characters are no longer fatigued.

This spiked chains were created by “patrioted” arcane mechaniks that were “invited” to work for the protectorate. Sun Chains are used by small, highly-mobile strike teams. The Sun Chains are available in three varieties:

• Sunspot Chain: Used by enlisted troops
• Sunflare Chain: Used by Senior NCOs
• Sunstorm Chain: Used by officers

It should be noted that the “volunteer” mechaniks who create these weapons sabotage them when the opportunity presents itself. When wielding one of these flawed creations, there is a 1% chance of causing an accumulator overload resulting in an explosion as per IKCG, page 326.

***Sunspot Chain***
(+1 flaming spiked chain)

Fusion DC: 21
Total Cost: 8125 gold market value
(3400 gold + 272 XP to create)

***Sunflare Chain***
(+1 flaming spiked chain of speed)

Fusion DC: 22
Total Cost: 26665 gold market value
(12670 gold + 1014 XP to create)

***Sunstorm Chain***
(+2 flaming-burst spiked chain of speed)

Fusion DC: 22
Total Cost:45025 gold market value
(21850 gold + 1749 XP to create)

A mechanikal pistol popular amoungst wealthy Ryn, this pistol doubles the range of the military pistol and provides an overall combat bonus of +1 to hit and +1 damage. Often commisioned to include a custom holster with room a back-up accumultor.

Fusion DC: 20
Total Cost: 6690 goldhead market value (6990 goldhead with customized holster and back-up accumulator)
(2920 goldhead +234 XP to create)

This skill (written up for me by my friend Rick Neal – who has published works for Atlas Games and others…) represents the training and facility for understanding combat situations. It includes knowledge of tactical doctrine for small units, basic fortifications, study of historical battles, and the ability to think clearly and effectively in the heat of combat.
Check: The DC and effect depend on the task you attempt.

In any case when someone with the Knowledge (tactics) skill is opposing the attempt of the character to use this skill, add the opposing Knowledge (tactics) bonus to the DC of the task.
Negate surprise round: At the beginning of combat, if you are surprised, you may make a Knowledge (tactics) roll to act during the surprise round. If you succeed on a DC 15 check, you may act during that round. For every 5 points by which you exceed the DC of 15, one other person in your party may also act during the surprise round. Note that acting in the surprise round is limited to a single move or standard action.
Tactical positioning: Once all figures have been placed on the battle mat, but before initiative has been rolled, you may attempt a Knowledge (tactics) roll to maximize your starting position advantage. With a successful DC 10 check, you may move any one figure on the battle mat one square in any direction, as long as it doesn’t place the figure in an impossible position (eg, inside a fire, over a cliff, in the same square as another figure, etc.). For every five points by which you exceed the DC of 10, you may move another figure (or the same one) one square in any direction, subject to the same restrictions.
Set ambush: With ten minutes to prepare, you may make a Knowledge (tactics) roll to establish and execute an effective ambush. The DC is 15 plus the highest Int bonus or Knowledge (tactics) bonus among the target creatures, modified by terrain and available cover at the GM’s discretion. Success grants you and your comrades a surprise round in which to act against your targets.
Prepare cover: With one hour to prepare, you may make a Knowledge (tactics) roll to set up basic earthworks, screens, barricades, and other bits of cover. The DC to do so is 10. For every single point by which the DC is exceeded, one square gains +1 cover. No square may have more than 4 points added to its initial cover bonus.
Historical/theoretical knowledge: Like any other Knowledge skill, Knowledge (tactics) can be used to recover knowledge and information relating to the field. In this, it functions exactly like other Knowledge skills.
Special: A character may only make one Knowledge (tactics) roll per combat. This means it may be used for only one of the first three options by any character in any combat. Multiple characters may attempt different uses, however, though each may attempt only one.

This was written up way back in 2003 or so by Clint Staples. Clint is a respected sculpter and writer. You can see his work on his website.

Swordcanes and brandestocks are the names for various sizes of weapon concealed in a walking stick or staff.

• Swordcanes can hold shorter, lighter weapons with smaller blades, flanges or spikes.
• Brandestocks do the same for larger weapons.

Axes cannot be so concealed, but picks, maces, swords, even chain weapons can be (remember this is a culture that produces clockwerks).

Ingeniously hidden, the lethal surfaces are deployed though the pressing of a stud or switch. Then a complex array of hinges, springs, and locking pins transform the stick into its martial counterpart.

Because this is a more dangerous world than our own, I have decided that both sizes of weapon are equally fashionable within the culture. It is a question of preference. They can be used as light or heavy maces respectively when the weapon is concealed. A swordcane or brandestock weights the same as a normal weapon of its type.

All Swordcanes and Brandestocks are masterwork weapons and confer +1 to hit in either weapon form or cane form.

Costs are:

Swordcane
500 gp + cost of the weapon; 30-42″ long.
Possible weapons: rapier, longsword, shortsword, sickle, half spear, light hammer, light pick, light springbow (as crossbow)

Brandestock
550 gp + cost of weapon; 40-50″ in length.
Possible weapons: heavy mace, morningstar, short spear, light flail, heavy pick, trident, warhammer, heavy flail, greatsword, scythe, bastard sword, two-bladed sword.