Characters don’t have access to Daggerheart’s normal selection of primary and secondary weapons during this campaign.
Instead, characters receive a personalized weapon known as an Ikonis, a special weapon given to citizens of the Echo Vale when they come of age. It starts as a simple rod of metal and is designed to receive modifications as the bearer ages, shaped according to their needs. It can evolve to become many types of weapons—a staff with webs of colorful wire wrapped around its hilt, an ornate bow humming with energy, a heavy hammer designed for the forge, a spear with knobs and triggers that allow for different attachments, or anything else that might suit the wielder.
Players will design their character’s Ikonis using the Motherboard module sheet. Each player should take a copy of the module and slide it under the right side of their character sheet. Then, they will make selections about trait, range, and damage in the top section of the module, then make up a name and description for their weapon. Finally, they’ll record the weapon’s details in the Primary Weapon slot of their character sheet.
Ikonis are always considered to be two-handed weapons and start with the “Bonded” feature:
Bonded: Gain a bonus to your damage rolls equal to your level.
Ikonis also allow PCs to install augments. A character’s Ikonis starts with two Augment slots at Tier 1, showing that it has evolved from its most basic form, and it gains an additional slot at each subsequent tier. Augments can be crafted as a downtime move when PCs have the scrap to do so. (See the upcoming “Crafting & Trading” section for more information.)
An Ikonis starts with no augments installed. A character may build as many augments as they’d like, but they can only install a number equal to the Augment slots they have available. For example, even if a level 1 PC has three augments built, they can only install two on their Ikonis at a time. When they progress to level 2 (and they become a Tier 2 PC), they can have all three augments installed. While installed, augments are treated as additional features for that weapon. PCs may freely swap augments they’ve already crafted during downtime.
The Motherboard character sheet module includes a selection of base augments for PCs to choose from, but GMs are encouraged to make more to offer their players as well, using the provided options as a template.