Pips (WIP)

Gear and supply tracking for Nimble.

Every inventory slot has 3 pips — small circles you mark off. Pips replace exact counts. You never track 14 arrows or half a torch.

What a pip means depends on the item:

• Gear — ●●● Perfect, ●●○ Worn, ●○○ Damaged, ○○○ Broken
• Consumables — ●●● 3 uses, ●●○ 2 uses, ●○○ 1 use, ○○○ Gone
• Ammo — ●●● Full quiver, ●●○ Plenty, ●○○ Running low, ○○○ Out

Why Not Just Count? Because counting arrows is nobody's idea of a good time. Pips tell you what you need to know — am I fine, or am I about to be in trouble?

Where Pips Come From

Bought or found in a stash. 3 pips. Someone took care of it.

Looted off a body. Gear enters at 1 pip. It's been through a fight, and it lost.

Looted consumables. Add 1 pip to a stack you already carry, up to 3. Otherwise start a new stack at 1 pip.

Scavenging. That bandit's axe will do in a pinch. It will not do for long.

Field Decay

Pips only change during a Field Rest (see "Field Rests" on pg. 17) — never mid-fight, never on a Safe Rest.

Field Decay. Each Field Rest, mark 1 pip off one item you have equipped or one consumable you carry. You choose which. Nobody tracks this for you.

Stowed Gear Is Safe. Gear in your pack doesn't take Field Decay, and neither does rope, chalk, or the rest of your kit. They still have pips — fire and water and long falls take their toll — but they can't soak up your Rest for you.

Ammo. Never mark a pip for firing a shot. You find out you're low at the Rest, when you look in the quiver.

Resting Isn't Free. Every Field Rest costs you a pip, even if you never drew your sword. Catch your breath, or push on hurt — that's the trade.

Broken & Empty

Broken. Gear at 0 pips does nothing until repaired or replaced. A broken weapon can't attack. A broken shield gives no Defense. Broken armor grants no Defense bonus — yours reverts to what it'd be without it (see "Armor & Defense" on pg. 32). Broken gear still fills its slot. Haul it to a smith, sell it, or drop it.

Empty. A consumable at 0 pips is gone. Cross it off. The slot is free.

Nothing to Swing? If your weapon breaks, you still have fists. It won't be pretty. That's rather the point.

Repair & Restock

Pips never come back on their own. A Safe Rest returns your HP, Hit Dice, mana, and 1 Wound — it does not touch your gear.

Repair. Pay a smith or artisan to bring gear back to 3 pips. Takes downtime and a town.

Restock. Buy more at the listed price to refill a consumable stack (see "Misc. Adventuring Equipment" on pg. 37).

Far From Anywhere. Deep in a dungeon there's no smith and no shop. Pips only go down. Stock up before you go under — or plan to come back up early.

Valuables

Loose treasure doesn't need a slot each. Group it into one Valuables row. Here pips mean rough worth — you won't know the real value until you sell.

Valuables run backward from everything else: they only go up, never break, and never take Field Decay. When a row hits 3 pips and you find more, start a new row in a new slot.

Coins. Never tracked, never slotted. Carry what you find.

Worth the Slot? Every sack of loot is a slot you're not using for rope, rations, or a spare blade. Sometimes the treasure stays in the tomb.

Magic Items

Magic items take pips like anything else — a Legendary blade wears the same as a common one. What changes is the fix. A minor enchanted blade needs a good smith. A Legendary one may need a quest (see "Magical Items" on pg. 39).