Dungeon World
Compendium
Type to search for a spell, item, class — anything!
Equipment Rules
The musty tombs and forgotten treasure troves of the world are filled with useful items. The fighter can find a sharp new sword or the thief might stumble across a deadly poison. Most items are mundane—not magical or intrinsically unique in any way. Any item that is magical or one-of-a-kind is not mundane for the purposes of moves. The fighter’s signature weapon is never mundane.
Each piece of equipment will have a number of tags. These will tell you something about how the equipment affects the character using it (like +Armor) or suggest something about the way it is used (like the Range tags). Like everything else in Dungeon World, these guide the fiction you’re creating in play. If a weapon is awkward, it might mean that you’re more likely to drop it when you fail that hack and slash roll.
By no means is this an exhaustive list—feel free to create your own tags.
General Equipment Tags
These are general tags that can apply to just about any piece of gear. You’ll see them on armor, weapons or general adventuring tools.
Applied: It’s only useful when carefully applied to a person or to something they eat or drink.
Awkward: It’s unwieldy and tough to use.
+Bonus: It modifies your effectiveness in a specified situation. It might be “+1 forward to spout lore” or “-1 ongoing to hack and slash.”
n coins: How much it costs to buy, normally. If the cost includes “-Charisma” a little negotiation subtracts the haggler’s Charisma score (not modifier) from the price.
Dangerous: It’s easy to get in trouble with it. If you interact with it without proper precautions the GM may freely invoke the consequences of your foolish actions.
Ration: It’s edible, more or less.
Requires: It’s only useful to certain people. If you don’t meet the requirements it works poorly, if at all.
Slow: It takes minutes or more to use.
Touch: It’s used by touching it to the target’s skin.
Two-handed: It takes two hands to use it effectively.
n weight: Count the listed amount against your load. Something with no listed weight isn’t designed to be carried. 100 coins in standard denominations is 1 weight. The same value in gems or fine art may be lighter or heavier.
Worn: To use it, you have to be wearing it.
n Uses: It can only be used n times.
Weapons
Weapons don’t kill monsters, people do. That’s why weapons in Dungeon World don’t have a listed damage. A weapon is useful primarily for its tags which describe what the weapon is useful for. A dagger is not useful because it does more or less damage than some other blade. It’s useful because it’s small and easy to strike with at close distance. A dagger in the hands of the wizard is not nearly so dangerous as one in the hands of a skilled fighter.
Weapon Tags
Weapons may have tags that are primarily there to help you describe them (like Rusty or Glowing) but these tags have a specific, mechanical effect.
n Ammo: It counts as ammunition for appropriate ranged weapons. The number indicated does not represent individual arrows or sling stones, but represents what you have left on hand.
Forceful: It can knock someone back a pace, maybe even off their feet.
+n Damage: It is particularly harmful to your enemies. When you deal damage, you add n to it.
Ignores Armor: Don’t subtract armor from the damage taken.
Messy: It does damage in a particularly destructive way, ripping people and things apart.
n Piercing: It goes right through armor. When you deal damage with n piercing, you subtract n from the enemy’s armor for that attack.
Precise: It rewards careful strikes. You use DEX to hack and slash with this weapon, not STR.
Reload: After you attack with it, it takes more than a moment to reset for another attack.
Stun: When you attack with it, it does stun damage instead of normal damage.
Thrown: Throw it at someone to hurt them. If you volley with this weapon, you can’t choose to mark off ammo on a 7–9; once you throw it, it’s gone until you can recover it.
Weapons have tags to indicate the range at which they are useful. Dungeon World doesn’t inflict penalties or grant bonuses for “optimal range” or the like, but if your weapon says Hand and an enemy is ten yards away, a player would have a hard time justifying using that weapon against him.
Hand: It’s useful for attacking something within your reach, no further.
Close: It’s useful for attacking something at arm’s reach plus a foot or two.
Reach: It’s useful for attacking something that’s several feet away—maybe as far as ten.
Near: It’s useful for attacking if you can see the whites of their eyes.
Far: It’s useful for attacking something in shouting distance.
Weapon List
The stats below are for typical items. There are, of course, variations. A dull long sword might be -1 damage instead while a masterwork dagger could be +1 damage. Consider the following to be stats for typical weapons of their type—a specific weapon could have different tags to represent its features.
Ragged Bow near, 15 coins, 2 weight
Fine Bow near, far, 60 coins, 2 weight
Hunter’s Bow near, far, 100 coins, 1 weight
Crossbow near, +1 damage, reload, 35 coins, 3 weight
Bundle of Arrows 3 ammo, 1 coin, 1 weight
Elven Arrows 4 ammo, 20 coins, 1 weight
Club close, 1 coin, 2 weight
Shillelagh close, 1 coin, 2 weight
Staff close, two-handed, 1 coin, 1 weight
Dagger hand, 2 coins, 1 weight
Shiv hand, 2 coins, 1 weight
Knife hand, 2 coins, 1 weight
Throwing Dagger thrown, near, 1 coin, 0 weight
Short Sword close, 8 coins, 1 weight
Axe close, 8 coins, 1 weight
Warhammer close, 8 coins, 1 weight
Mace close, 8 coins, 1 weight
Spear reach, thrown, near, 5 coins, 1 weight
Long Sword close, +1 damage, 15 coins, 2 weight
Battle Axe close, +1 damage, 15 coins, 2 weight
Flail close, +1 damage, 15 coins, 2 weight
Halberd reach, +1 damage, two-handed, 9 coins, 2 weight
Rapier close, precise, 25 coins, 1 weight
Dueling Rapier close, 1 piercing, precise, 50 coins, 2 weight
Armor
Armor is heavy, difficult to wear and is damned uncomfortable. Some classes are better trained to ignore these drawbacks, but anyone can strap on a suit of armor and enjoy the benefits it grants.
Armor Tags
Armor, like weapons, has tags. Some are purely descriptive but the ones below have some mechanical effect on the player wearing them
n Armor: It protects you from harm and absorbs damage. When you take damage, subtract your armor from the total. If you have more than one item with n Armor, only the highest value counts.
+n Armor: It protects you and stacks with other armor. Add its value to your total armor.
Clumsy: It’s tough to move around with. -1 ongoing while using it. This penalty is cumulative.
Armor List
Chainmail 1 armor, worn, 10 coins, 1 weight
Leather 1 armor, worn, 10 coins, 1 weight
Scale Mail 2 armor, worn, clumsy, 50 coins, 3 weight
Plate 3 armor, worn, clumsy, 350 coins, 4 weight
Shield +1 armor, 15 coins, 2 weight
Dungeon Gear
Adventuring Gear 5 uses, 20 coins, 1 weight
Adventuring gear is a collection of useful mundane items such as chalk, poles, spikes, ropes, etc. When you rummage through your adventuring gear for some useful mundane item, you find what you need and mark off a use.
Bandages 3 uses, slow, 5 coins, 0 weight
When you have a few minutes to bandage someone else’s wounds, heal them of 4 damage and expend a use.
Poultices and Herbs 2 uses, slow, 10 coins, 1 weight
When you carefully treat someone’s wounds with poultices and herbs, heal them of 7 damage and expend a use.
Healing Potion 50 coins, 0 weight
When you drink an entire healing potion, heal yourself of 10 damage or remove one debility, your choice.
Keg of Dwarven Stout 10 coins, 4 weight
When you open a keg of dwarven stout and let everyone drink freely, take +1 to your Carouse roll. If you drink a whole keg yourself, you are very, very drunk.
Bag of Books 5 uses, 10 coins, 2 weight
When your bag of books contains just the right book for the subject you’re spouting lore on, consult the book, mark off a use, and take +1 to your roll.
Antitoxin 10 coins, 0 weight
When you drink antitoxin, you’re cured of one poison affecting you.
Dungeon Rations Ration, 5 uses, 3 coins, 1 weight
Not tasty, but not bad either.
Personal Feast Ration, 1 use, 10 coins, 1 weight
Ostentatious to say the least.
Dwarven Hardtack Requires Dwarf, ration, 7 uses, 3 coins, 1 weight
Dwarves say it tastes like home. Everyone else says it tastes like home, if home is a hog farm, and on fire.
Elven Bread Ration, 7 uses, 10 coins, 1 weight
Only the greatest of elf-friends are treated to this rare delicacy.
Halfling Pipeleaf 6 uses, 5 coins, 0 weight
When you share halfling pipeleaf with someone, expend two uses and take +1 forward to parley with them.
Poisons
Oil of Tagit Dangerous, applied, 15 coins, 0 weight
The target falls into a light sleep.
Bloodweed Dangerous, touch, 12 coins, 0 weight
Until cured, whenever the afflicted rolls damage, they roll an additional d4 and subtract that result from their normal damage.
Goldenroot Dangerous, applied, 20 coins, 0 weight
The target treats the next creature they see as a trusted ally, until proved otherwise.
Serpent’s Tears Dangerous, touch, 10 coins, 0 weight
Anyone dealing damage against the target rolls twice and takes the better result.
Services
A week’s stay at a peasant inn 14-Charisma coins
A week’s stay at a civilized inn 30-Charisma coins
A week’s stay at the fanciest inn in town 43-Charisma coins
A week’s unskilled mundane labor 10 coins
A month’s pay for enlistment in an army 30 coins
A custom item from a blacksmith Base Item + 50 coins
A night’s “companionship” 20-Charisma coins
An evening of song and dance 18-Charisma coins
Escort for a day along a bandit-infested road 20 coins
Escort for a day along a monster-infested road 54 coins
A run-of-the-mill killing 5 coins
An assassination 120 coins
Healing from a chirurgeon 5 coins
A month’s prayers for the departed 1 coin
Repairs to a mundane item 25% of the item’s cost
Meals
A hearty meal for one 1 coin
A poor meal for a family 1 coin
A feast 15 coins per person
Transport
Cart and Donkey, sworn to carry your burdens 50 coins, load 20
Horse 75 coins, load 10
Warhorse 400 coins, load 12
Wagon 150 coins, load 40
Barge 50 coins, load 15
River boat 150 coins, load 20
Merchant ship 5,000 coins, load 200
War ship 20,000 coins, load 100
Passage on a safe route 1 coin
Passage on a tough route 10 coins
Passage on a dangerous route 100 coins
Land and Buildings
A hovel 20 coins
A cottage 500 coins
A house 2,500 coins
A mansion 50,000 coins
A keep 75,000 coins
A castle 250,000 coins
A grand castle 1,000,000 coins
A month’s upkeep 1% of the cost
Bribes
A peasant dowry 20-Charisma coins
“Protection” for a small business 100-Charisma coins
A government bribe 50-Charisma coins
A compelling bribe 80-Charisma coins
An offer you can’t refuse 500-Charisma coins
Gifts and Finery
A peasant gift 1 coin
A fine gift 55 coins
A noble gift 200 coins
A ring or cameo 75 coins
Finery 105 coins
A fine tapestry 350+ coins
A crown fit for a king 5,000 coins
Hoards
A goblin’s stash 2 coins
A lizardman’s trinkets 5 coins
A “priceless” sword 80 coins
An orc warchief’s tribute 250 coins
A dragon’s mound of coins and gems 130,000 coins