Basic Equipment and Tech Level

[princelian]

I have a few rules of thumb that apply to tech level and equipment - book rules like +1 armor piercing per two TLs, as well as house rules like armor purchased at TL's 2 higher than the base armor are "masterwork" for free. (This is a D&D convention that reduces the armor check penalty by 1.)

Do any of you have house rules (or better yet, files of equipment by TL) for improving equipment when you buy it at a TL higher than its base?

Thanks!

 

[Lochlaber]

There are specific items that give rules to indicate lesser weight per x number of TL's, including vac suits, as well as cold weather gear. IIRC, there is also a rule in how to cut weight according to higher tech levels but Ican't remember them exactly.

Generally, every 3 tech levels results in the item being lighter and/or higher si if possibe. A tech 15 hammer still weighs the same because it's weight is part and parcel of it's usefulness but it is nigh unbreakable in regular use. A TL 15 sleeping bag probably weighs next to nothing but could keep you warm in temperatures ranging from 50 below to 65 above.

I don't change the prices much, I just see the players buying something more elaborate than you would normally think of. An example would be a woodworking set at tl 15 would have chisels that rarely need sharpening, would be about 1/3 the weight, with the additional weight being used to expand the items in the kit.