Battle items are a variety of inventory item that is usable during combat. Some battle items reproduce the effects of an ability such as Heal or Restore Mana, while others have more unique effects. Each individual item, once used, is expended and disappears from the party inventory. All battle items cost 1 AP to use unless otherwise specified.
Each battle item has a discrete effect that it induces during combat. In theory, multiple items could lead to the same effect. Rather than having a fixed list of items, Last Odyssey has a fixed set of item effects that could be caused by multiple items. This is for two reasons. The first is that the value of an item to the players is determined by what it does, and not what it looks like, and this is reflected in the item’s cost. The second is that the item that produces an effect in one setting may be different to its equivalent in another. For example, in a sci-fi setting healing items may take the form of injectors or medkits, while in a fantasy setting they could take the form of healing potions or poultices.
Every item’s base cost is defined by its effect, how potent that effect is, which is determined by its Quality, and any enhancements. There are three Qualities of item: Mundane, Rare, and Expert. Some items have effects that depend on their Quality, while others do not. In the rulebook, the former are referred to as leveled, while the latter are referred to as non-leveled. If an item is leveled, its effect and its cost are determined by its Quality, whereas non-leveled items do not have a Quality rating. Each additional level of Quality multiplies the cost of the item by ten. For example, if the Mundane version of an item costs 5 cr, then the Rare version will cost 50 cr and the Expert version will cost 500 cr.
| Effect | Base Cost | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Restore HP | 1 cr | When used, this item restores a fixed amount of HP to a single character. If it is Mundane, it restores 5 HP, if it is Rare it restores 10, and if it is Expert it restores 20. |
| Restore MP | 3 cr | When used, this item restores a fixed amount of MP to a single character. If it is Mundane, it restores 5 MP, if it is Rare it restores 10, and if it is Expert it restores 20. |
| Physical Damage | 5 cr | When used, this item deals base colorless physical damage to a single character that can be affected by damage modifiers. If it is Mundane it deals 5 damage, if it is Rare it deals 10 damage, and if it is Expert it deals 20 damage. |
| Magical Damage | 5 cr | When used, this item deals base colorless magical damage to a single character that can be affected by damage modifiers. If it is Mundane it deals 5 damage, if it is Rare it deals 10 damage, and if it is Expert it deals 20 damage. |
| Special Damage | 7 cr | When used, this item deals base elemental physical damage of a specified type to a single character that can be affected by damage modifiers. If it is Mundane it deals 5 damage, if it is Rare it deals 10 damage, and if it is Expert it deals 20 damage. |
| Elemental Damage | 7 cr | When used, this item deals base elemental magical damage of a specified type to a single character that can be affected by damage modifiers. If it is Mundane it deals 5 damage, if it is Rare it deals 10 damage, and if it is Expert it deals 20 damage. |
| Debuff | 9 cr | When used, this item inflicts a debuff of the specified type. If it is Mundane, it debuffs by one level on the Bonus Tracker, if it is Rare it debuffs by two, and if it is Expert it debuffs by three. |
| Buff | 9 cr | When used, this item applies a buff of the specified type. If it is Mundane, it buffs by one level on the Bonus Tracker, if it is Rare it buffs by two, and if it is Expert it buffs by three. |
| Inflict Status | 12 cr | When you use this item, make a status-inflicting ability roll against the target’s Resistance to determine whether or not the specified status is inflicted. If the item is Mundane, do not subtract anything from the roll. If the item is Rare, subtract 2 from the roll, and if the Expert then subtract 5 from the roll. |
| Revive | 15 cr | When you use this item, the targeted character is revived from being downed. If the item is Mundane, they are revived to 1 HP. If the item is Rare they are revived to half their maximum HP, rounded down, and if the item is Expert then they are revived to their current maximum HP. |
| Effect | Base Cost | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Scan | 10 cr | This item applies the Artificer’s Scan ability to a single target, revealing all current relevant information about it. |
| Remove Debuffs | 15 cr | This item removes all debuffs from a single character. |
| Remove status | 20 cr | This item removes a status of the specified type from a single character. |
| Negate Resistances | 50 cr | This item negates all of a target’s elemental and/or status resistances until the beginning of the target’s next turn. |
| Block Physical Damage | 100 cr | The next time the target of this item would otherwise take physical damage, they do not take any damage instead. |
| Block Magical Damage | 400 cr | The next time the target of this item would otherwise take magical damage, they do not take any damage instead. |
| Disable Attacks | 700 cr | The target of this item cannot use any magical attacks, physical attacks, or status-inflicting abilities during their next turn. |
| Haste | 800 cr | The target of this item becomes Hasted. This still cannot stack with any other applications of Hasted. |
| Slow | 900 cr | The target of this item becomes Slowed. This still cannot stack with any other applications of Slowed. |
| Summon Creature | 1000x(Tier of summoned creature) | When you use this item, it summons a creature, usually a monster of some type, to fight as an ally on your side. The first time it can take its turn is during the round after you summoned it. |
In addition to their base effects, some items have special effects called enhancements that change when and how they can be used and whom they target on the battlefield. Most items will have only one enhancement, since enhancements that change their target are mutually exclusive, but some extremely rare items could have multiple. Each enhancement to an item multiplies its base cost by an amount given in the enhancement description. The possible enhancements are as follows:
| Enhancement | Description |
|---|---|
| All | This item affects all characters on the battlefield. Multiplies base cost by 2. |
| Row | This item affects all characters on a single row. When you use the item, you can choose which row it affects. Multiplies base cost by 5. |
| Multi | This item affects all characters on the side it targets. Items that target allies will affect all allies, while items that target enemies will affect all enemies. Multiplies base cost by 10. |
| Dual | This item has the effect of two different items at once. The total cost of the item is the base cost of each item added together, multiplied by 5. |
| Delay | When you use this item, it does not trigger immediately. Instead, its effect happens during the Effect Phase of the round. Multiplies cost by 0.75, rounded down. |
| Random | When you use this item, it inflicts a random effect based on the element you roll on the Random Element Table. |
| Name | Quality | Effect | Enhancements | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Throwing Knife | Mundane | Physical Damage | N/A | 5 cr |
| Elixir | Mundane | Restore HP/Restore MP | Dual | 20 cr |
| Smoke Bomb | Mundane | Buff Evasion | All | 18 cr |
| Shark Tooth Charm | Rare | Special Damage (Water) | N/A | 70 cr |
| Smelling Salts | Rare | Revive | Row | 750 cr |
| Poison Dart | Rare | Inflict Toxin | Delay | 90 cr |
| Experimental Combat Stim | Expert | Buff Physical Attack/Buff Physical Accuracy | Dual | 9000 cr |
| Exquisite Fire Gem | Expert | Elemental Damage (Fire) | Multi | 7000 cr |
| Mandragora | N/A | Summon Creature (Dryad) | 4000 cr |
At times, there is a need to quickly create new items. If the GM needs to reward the players or their enemies with a new battle item and doesn’t have anything on hand, they can follow a relatively simple process to create a new one. First, roll a d20 and consult the table below:
| Result | Effect |
|---|---|
| 1 | Restore HP |
| 2 | Restore MP |
| 3 | Physical Damage |
| 4 | Magical Damage |
| 5 | Special Damage |
| 6 | Elemental Damage |
| 7 | Debuff |
| 8 | Buff |
| 9 | Inflict Status |
| 10 | Revive |
| 11 | Scan |
| 12 | Remove Debuffs |
| 13 | Remove statuses |
| 14 | Negate Resistances |
| 15 | Block Physical Damage |
| 16 | Block Magical Damage |
| 17 | Disable Attacks |
| 18 | Haste |
| 19 | Slow |
| 20 | Summon |
The result that matches the number you rolled on the die is the effect of the item in question. If the item’s effect is leveled, determine the item Quality. Mundane items are appropriate for characters of levels 1-4, Rare items are for characters of levels 5-7, and Expert items are appropriate for characters of levels 8-10, but the margin is thin enough that you can get away with going one tier lower or higher.
After you’ve rolled for the item effect, roll a 1d10. If the result is a 7 or above, the item does not have any enhancements. If the result is 1-6, the enhancement is shown on the table below:
| Result | Enhancement |
|---|---|
| 1 | All |
| 2 | Row |
| 3 | Multi |
| 4 | Dual |
| 5 | Delay |
| 6 | Random |
For the Dual effect, roll again for the item’s second effect. Then, if relevant, roll on the Random Element Table to determine the elemental type of the item’s effect. If the item is a Buff or Debuff item, roll on the Random Statistic Table to see what statistic it affects. If the item is a Summon item, choose an enemy from the Monster Manual or create one of your own of the appropriate tier.
The last thing to do when creating an item is to calculate its cr value and give it tangible existence in your game world. It’s likely that there is a precedent already for what your players expect certain items to look like, and if so you can just go with that.