The Forbidden City: Equipment

Equipment

You wear the grey robe and hooded cloak of a Shianti Wizard. Your only weapon is your Wizard’s Staff (note this on your Action Chart under Weapons). You wear a Backpack containing 4 Meals (note under Meals on your Action Chart), and you have been given a map of the Shadakine Empire (note under Special Items on your Action Chart) which you place inside your robe.

If you have chosen Alchemy as one of your Magical Powers, then you will have a leather pouch for herbs and potions hanging from your belt. The Herb Pouch contains the following:

2 empty Vials for carrying potions
1 Vial containing Saltpetre
1 Vial containing Sulphur

Mark these 4 items in your Action Chart.

Your Herb Pouch will carry a maximum of eight items.

How to Carry Equipment

Now that you have your equipment, the following list shows you how it is carried. You do not need to make notes, but you should refer back to this list in the course of your adventure.

Wizard’s Staff—carried in the hand.
Backpack—slung over the shoulder.
Meals—carried in the Backpack.

How Much Can You Carry?

Weapons: The maximum number of weapons that you may carry is two. Your Wizard’s Staff counts as one weapon.
Backpack Items: These must be stored in your Backpack. Because space is limited, you may only keep a maximum of eight articles, including Meals, in your Backpack at any one time.
Special Items: Special Items are not carried in the Backpack. When you discover a Special Item, you will be told how to carry it.
Nobles (Shadakine currency): These are carried in the pocket of your robe.
Food: Food is carried in your Backpack. Each Meal counts as one item.

Any item that may be of use and can be picked up on your adventure and entered on your Action Chart is given Capital letters in the text. Unless you are told it is a Special Item, carry it in your Backpack.⁶

How to Use Your Equipment

Weapons: Your COMBAT SKILL depends on your Wizard’s Staff. If you do not possess your Staff when you enter combat you must deduct 6 points from your COMBAT SKILL. If you enter a combat without a weapon, deduct 8 points from your COMBAT SKILL and fight with your bare hands. If you find a weapon during the adventure, you may pick it up and use it. (Remember that you can only carry two Weapons at once.)⁷
Backpack Items: During your travels you will discover various useful items which you may wish to keep. (Remember that you can only carry a maximum of eight items in your Backpack at any one time.) You may exchange or discard them at any point when you are not involved in combat.
Special Items: Each Special Item has a particular purpose or effect. You may be told this when the item is discovered, or it may be revealed to you as the adventure progresses.
Currency: The currency of the Shadakine Empire is the Noble, which is a small jade stone. The system of money is alien to the Shianti, and for this reason you begin your adventure with no money. Whenever you kill an enemy, you may take any Nobles belonging to him and keep them in the pocket of your robe.
Food: You will need to eat regularly during your adventure. If you do not have any food when you are instructed to eat a Meal, you will lose 3 ENDURANCE points.

[6] If you have mastered the Lesser Magick of Alchemy and therefore have a Herb Pouch, you may choose to keep potions, vials, or ingredients in either the Herb Pouch or your Backpack. All other Backpack Items must be kept in your Backpack.

[7] The Collector’s Editions of the Lone Wolf books clarify that ‘You may only use one Weapon at a time in combat.’