Key items
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Key items are items of special importance. All key items share the same trait: a player character may carry one of each type in their utility belt's key item pouch, with no other inventory space limits.
All of the following items are considered to be key items:
- Canteen (also considered to be a Food item)
- Detonator
- Gas mask
- Keys, which include mechanical keys, keycards, and skeleton keys
- LifeVest wearable defibrillator (also considered to be a Medical item)
- Lighter
- Mobile phone
- Night Vision Goggles (NVGs)
- Restraints, which include the handcuffs and cord restraints
Canteen
See here for more information.
Detonator
A detonator (also sometimes called a "clacker" after the noise it makes when activated) is a small, handheld, wireless device, necessary for the use of any command detonation explosives.
When planting a command detonation explosive, they are "paired" with a particular detonator. Whoever is in possession of that detonator may set off any primed charges it is paired with.
This item has a Weight of 1 and is not normally sold as a stand-alone item.
Instead, if you do not own one already, one is offered for free with the purchase of any suitable explosives in gun shops or weapon shops.
Detonators do not have a shop value either; gun shops and weapon shops will not offer any money for a standalone detonator.
Gas mask
A gas mask is a disposable protective piece of equipment. It counts as face gear.
Gas masks can be found for sale in clothing shops, for 200 each.
When worn, a gas mask will grant the immunity to gases effect.
Gas masks are fitted with non-repairable filters; a brand new gas mask has a "health" of 20 turns.
For each combat turn spent in a Side with at least one gas cloud active, the gas mask will lose 1 health. If completely depleted, the gas mask no longer protects the user, and any active gas clouds will therefore deal their normal effects.
Once its filters are depleted, the gas mask must be discarded, to be replaced with a new one.
Keys
Keys are small objects designed to operate locks.
Three different types of keys exist: mechanical keys, keycards (which are flat, made out of plastic, and carrying a microchip intended to be recognized by an electronic lock), and skeleton keys (which are special types of mechanical keys).
All keys have an individual Weight of 0.01, but this is normally irrelevant, as all keys may be carried on a keyring, and the keyring is considered to be part of the utility belt's key item pouch (hence its name). As such and in most situations, the inventory Weight of keys should be ignored.
Keys are not sold in any shop, they must be found, or in the case of the skeleton keys, crafted.
For more information on containers, which may bear locks of various types, see Containers.
Mechanical keys
Mechanical keys are small, metallic objects cut in a particular pattern, used to operate mechanical locks.
There are 9 999 different key pattern types, serial numbered 0001 to 9999; as such, a mechanical lock can normally only be opened by a key if their serial numbers match.
Keycards
Keycards are flat, thin pieces of plastic resembling a credit card, and containing a microchip with a hard-coded electronic signature. When read by an electronic lock, the electronic lock compares the keycard's signature with its own; if they match, it unlocks. Otherwise, it doesn't work.
There are exactly 65 535 different signatures, serial numbered using the hexadecimal system, from 0001 to FFFF. Much like regular mechanical keys, electronic locks can only be opened by a keycard with a matching serial number.
Skeleton keys
A skeleton key (or a master key) is an informal name for a mechanical key that opens more than one lock.
There are ten different types of skeleton keys, from Type 0 to Type 9. Each skeleton key can open 1000 different mechanical locks, and the type number indicates which range of keys it will open; for example, a Type 7 skeleton key can open every mechanical lock with serial numbers 7000 to 7999.
Skeleton keys can be crafted, and occasionally they can even be found, but they have an important caveat; once inserted into a lock, that lock will be jammed and the key won't be removed (if one attempts to force the skeleton key out, it usually bends or breaks). This means that skeleton keys are one-use only.
There exists no direct equivalent of the skeleton key for electronic locks; instead, they must be picked using dedicated objects called hacking tools.
LifeVest
See here for more information.
Lighter
A lighter is a small device used to create a small flame, so that it can be used as a suitable source of fire for a variety of items, from cigarettes to Molotov cocktails.
Lighters in the Mazes are usually made out of aluminium, with a folding cap, reminiscent of the Zippo design in real life.
Lighters function as an alternative to safety matches; one fuel unit is equivalent to one match. A brand new lighter contains 300 fuel units. They are non-refillable, and are discarded when empty.
Lighters have a Weight of 1, and can be found for sale at workshops for 25 each.
Mobile phone
A mobile phone (or simply a phone) is a personal communication device, allowing users to access the telephone network without having to use a fixed telephone with a landline.
Mobile phones are not meant to serve many purposes in the game, other than being a storytelling tool and a means of communication to be used by GMs so that player characters can be contacted with. They are reminiscent of pre-smartphone devices in the real world, with very basic features other than telephone calls, such as a text message capability.
Phones batteries are separately available, used as ingredients for the Phone bomb.
Phones have a Weight of 1, and can be found for sale at workshops for 300 each.
Night Vision Goggles (NVGs)
Night Vision Goggles (shortened to NVGs) are devices allowing the user to see in environments with very low light. It counts as face gear.
The purpose of NVGs is to allow the user to see in dark rooms, without being seen in turn like when using a weaponlight. NVGs are rare and expensive, since they are better in almost every way than weaponlights.
NVGs have a Weight of 1, and can sometimes be found for sale at workshops, for 2500 each.
Restraints
Restraints are objects designed to restrain the freedom of movement of a creature when worn, usually by keeping their wrists (more rarely, their ankles) close to each other. There are two types of restraints: the handcuffs and the cord restraints.
Both types of restraints work largely the same way, the only difference between the two is that the handcuffs are made out of metal, and are indefinitely reusable, whereas the cord restraints are disposable and must be destroyed to be removed.
Metal handcuffs are commonly seen as part of the equipment of law enforcement. They cannot be purchased anywhere, however; they are strictly issued to members of the Police faction. On occasion, they can be found in the UA.
Cord restraints are not found for sale anywhere either, nor can they be found in the UA, but they can be crafted using 550 cord.
Using restraints
In order to apply restraints on a creature, they must:
- Be alive (it's rather pointless to handcuff a dead creature)
- Have exactly 2 hands
- Be in either a compliant state (surrendering) or a helpless state (stunned, blinded, or passed out but not dead)
If all of the criteria above are satisfied, the restraints owner will walk up to the creature, and the creature will be automatically restrained. No need to pass checks.
You can also try to force restraints on a non-compliant or non-helpless creature. The creature must still be alive and have exactly 2 hands for this to work.
- Attempting to force restraints counts as a melee attack.
- On a successful hit, the target creature must make an Agility check. If the result of that check is equal or lower than your attack roll result, they are restrained.
- Otherwise, the attempt simply fails, and the restraints owner's turn ends.
A restrained creature is considered to be helpless and at the mercy of anyone else, particularly the person who applied the restraints on them.
Restrained creatures...
- May be moved, dragged around, displaced, or otherwise forced to follow another person
- May not access their own inventory; but can be accessed by another person
- May be forced to use consumables of any kind by another person
Depending on the type of restraints applied, there are various methods to remove them:
Handcuffs:
- Only the person that originally applied the handcuffs can voluntarily and safely remove them; they are assumed to be in possession of the corresponding handcuff key.
- Can be lockpicked by another person; they count as a mechanical lock with no corresponding serial number; however, doing so will break the handcuff lock, making it impossible to reuse them.
- Can be destroyed with brute force; handcuffs are considered to be armored, with 10 HP and LDV-2; however, doing so will transfer Pain damage to the restrained person, and any damage dealt to the handcuffs is also dealt in limb damage to one of the hands of the restrained person; be careful and keep medical equipment nearby if you want to keep that person alive.
Cord restraints:
- Can be removed by any other person using any weapon capable of dealing Sharp-type damage; this will destroy the restraints instantly, however.
Face gear
Face gear is equipment worn over the eyes or the facial features. To put on face gear, make sure you are not currently wearing headgear that blocks face gear, otherwise even if you are carrying one, you will not be able to put it on.
Putting ON face gear is a free action that can only be done once per turn.
Taking face gear OFF is a separate, unlimited free action, allowing you to take off a piece of face gear and put another one on in the same turn.
- For instance, if you have both NVGs and a gas mask, you can use a free action to wear the gas mask during Turn 1, but you must wait until Turn 2 to take it off. On Turn 2, you can take the gas mask off and put on the NVGs at the same time, both as free actions.
You may only wear one piece of face gear; if you already have one on, you can't put on another one.