In addition, field plate armor has the ability to absorb damage. For every die of damage that would be inflicted upon the wearer from any attack, physical or magical, the armor will absorb 1 point of that damage. (On a damage die roll of 1, the wearer would take no damage.) For example, the armor will absorb 1 point of damage from the strike of a long sword, and the damage from an ice storm (3-30, or 3d10) would be reduced by 3 points, and the damage from the breath weapon of a 9 HD dragon is reduced by 9 points. However, after the armor absorbs 12 points of damage in this fashion, it is damaged and must be repaired. Until repairs are made, it cannot absorb further damage and is considered one armor class worse in protective power. Damaged field plate armor may be repaired by a trained armorer at a cost of 100 gp per point of absorbing power restored, and one day of time per point restored.

**Use of Grappling Hooks:**

The other piece of equipment that can be used by any climber (thief or non-thief, mountaineer or non-mountaineer) is a grappling hook — a three- or four-pronged metal hook that is attached to the end of a rope and thrown toward a protrusion, in hopes that the hook will catch and hold so that climbers can pull themselves upward with the help of the anchored rope. Grappling hooks are normally only needed when ascending severe slopes and cliff faces, but they may also come in handy to expedite movement up a moderate slope, especially if it is slippery or slightly slippery.

A character can throw a grappling hook (attached to a rope, of course) upward a maximum distance of 1/3 of his strength score (rounded up) times 10 feet; a character with a strength of 8 can throw the hook toward a protrusion as far as 30 feet above his head. If the throw is horizontal (on an incline of 30 degrees or less), the character's maximum throwing distance is the same as for a vertical toss unless he is in a secure position and has a 10ft radius of space around himself to allow for whirling the hook in a circle before letting it go; in that case, he can make a horizontal throw twice as far as his maximum vertical throw.

It takes one round to make a throwing attempt with a grappling hook, regardless of the type of throw. If the hook misses, the character must spend the next 1d4 rounds coiling the rope, whether he intends to make another attempt or he plans to stow the equipment until a later time. It can be dangerous to throw a hook toward a target directly above oneself; if the throw misses and the dice roll was 01-05, the thrower is hit by the hook and takes 1d6 points of damage.

A climber can climb up a rope anchored by a grappling hook at a 30ft bonus to his normal climbing movement rate if he is lightly encumbered or not encumbered. In other cases, the rope affords no benefit to movement — except, perhaps, to make upward movement possible where it was not possible before.

The chance of a suitable protrusion being available within the character's throwing range, and the chance of the hook catching on the intended target, are both dependent on the type of terrain toward which the hook is being thrown.

A standard spell book is approximately 16 inches in height, 12 inches wide, and 6 inches thick. (The DM has leeway to reduce or enlarge this general size, although nothing smaller than 12×12×6 inches or larger than 18×12×9 inches is recommended.) The weight of a standard book of median size is 150 gold pieces (adjusted upward or downward for varying sizes). The encumbrance value of such a book is equal to three times its weight (450 gp or thereabouts), although it is correct to assume that a volume will fit within an otherwise empty backpack or large sack.

The cover of a standard book is typically heavy leather — dragon hide or something similar — inlaid with metal so as to provide both extra durability and a means to close and secure the book. Vellum pages are sewn together and secured to a fine, supple leather spine backing. Pages are secured additionally by fine leather front and back pieces. It is also usual for such a tome to have vellum stubs at intervals for insertion of additional pages, although this by no means allows for any increase or change in the number and types of spells the book can contain.

Notwithstanding any special protections placed thereon, a standard spell book has a saving throw equal to that of “leather or book,” and with +2 to dice rolls made to save against acid, fireball, disintegration, and lightning attacks.

A weapon can be snagged only if it has protrusions or indentations, but the only smooth weapons for this purpose are daggers, swords, spears, and the like. Just as with snagging an opponent where any hit has a 5% chance to do so, any miss also allows a 5% chance for snagging the opponent’s weapon, if applicable. If an opponent’s weapon is snagged, there is a 10% chance it will be torn from his or her grasp. Failing that, the snagging will either disallow the opponent the opportunity to effectively attack for 10 segments (80%), just as a body/equipment snag would, or else the opponent’s strength and/or leverage would tear the wielder’s grasp (10%).

Because of this weapon’s ancient origin and unusual shape, it is an ideal druidical instrument. The DM should consider placement of both normal and magical khopeshes in the campaign, aiming especially at druidical use. Of all magical scimitars discovered, 10% will be khopeshes.

A travelling spell book is approximately 12 inches tall, 6 inches wide, and 1 inch thick; 9×9×1 is likewise a good working size. The weight of such a book is approximately 30 gold pieces, and encumbrance roughly 60 gp. Five such books will fit within a backpack, twice that number in a large sack.

The cover of a travelling spell book is strong, supple leather, such as that from a giant cobra. The hand-sewn leaves of parchment are carefully secured to a fine leather backing and glued to the spine. The whole is further secured by front and back pieces of vellum. A small lock or leather ties are typically used to secure the whole. Pages are very thin and fragile, so great care must be taken to protect the book when it is in use.

Notwithstanding any special protections placed thereon, a travelling spell book has a saving throw equal to that of “leather or book,” with no bonuses (as a standard book has) against certain forms of attack.

However, the whip also has another use. It can entangle an opponent’s limb(s) or weapon. Any hit scored on an opponent means that an entanglement of some sort will occur. If the whip is in non-proficient hands, the chance is only 5%. In proficient hands, there is a 5% chance per level of the wielder for entanglement, but only at the wielder’s option. The entanglement will be one limb (50%), two limbs (10%), the weapon arm and weapon (20%), or the head (20%, or 40% in the case of an opponent not using a weapon).

One-limb entanglement indicates no effective attack for 10 segments. Two-limb entanglement indicates the same, with a 25% chance that the opponent will be kneeling or prone for that period and must thereafter recover its feet. A hit on the weapon arm/weapon indicates no effective attack for 10 segments and a 10% chance that the weapon will be lost. (If the weapon is edged, there is a 50% chance that the whip will be severed and useless instead.) A neck hit indicates the opponent can make no effective attack for 10 segments, and additional garrot-type damage will be scored if the opponent has no throat protection such as thick hide, heavy leather, armor, mane-like fur or hair, etc. A proficient wielder can disentangle the whip by rolling his or her dexterity or less on 3d6 minus 2. Otherwise, the whip remains entangled until it is broken or severed, or until the wielder pulls it loose, or until the opponent does so (the chance of this last occurrence is 5% +1 % per point of strength of the victim).