The Arms and Equipment Guide is the name of two supplementary rule books for the Dungeons & Dragons

Dungeons & Dragons

Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. . The game has been published by Wizards of the Coast since 1997...

fantasy role-playing game

Role-playing game

A role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making or character development...

. Each describes various equipment that can be used in a campaign

Campaign (role-playing games)

In role-playing games, a campaign is a continuing storyline or set of adventures, typically involving the same characters. The purpose of the continuing storyline is to introduce a further aspect into the game: that of development, improvement, and growth of the characters. In a campaign, a...

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2nd edition

The original version, for the 2nd edition of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, was published in 1991. The book was designed by Grant Boucher, Troy Christensen, Jon Pickens

Jon Pickens

Jon Pickens is a game designer and editor who has worked on numerous products for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game from TSR and later Wizards of the Coast.-Early life and education:...

, John Terra, and Scott Davis, and edited by Anne Brown

Anne Brown (game designer)

Anne Brown is a writer and editor in the role-playing game industry.Brown began working as an Assistant editor for Dragon magazine in 1989, on issues #147 to #151 . She was later transferred to TSR's Games Division...

 and Jon Pickens. Interior artists included Daniel Horne

Daniel Horne

-Works:Daniel Horne has produced interior and cover illustrations for role-playing game books since 1986. In addition to several covers for Dragon and Dungeon magazine, Horne illustrated the covers of several Dungeons & Dragons books including Talons of Night , The Shattered Statue , Fate of Istus...

, Erik Olson, Keith Parkinson

Keith Parkinson

Keith Parkinson was an American fantasy artist and illustrator known for book cover and game artwork for games such as EverQuest, Guardians, Magic: The Gathering and Vanguard: Saga of Heroes.-Early life:...

, Michael Weaver, Kelly Freas

Frank Kelly Freas

Frank Kelly Freas , called the "Dean of Science Fiction Artists", was a science fiction and fantasy artist with a career spanning more than 50 years.-Early life, education, and personal life:...

, Laura Freas, Mark Nelson

Mark Nelson (artist)

Mark A. Nelson is an artist whose work has appeared in role-playing games and comic books.-Works:Mark Nelson has continued to produce interior illustrations for many Dungeons & Dragons books and Dragon magazine since 1985...

, Karl Waller

Karl Waller

Karl Waller is an American artist whose work has appeared in comic books and roleplaying and collectible card games.-Early life and education:He graduated from the Pennsylvania School of Art in 1987, with a diploma in communication arts.-Career:...

, Valerie Valusek

Valerie Valusek

-Works:Valerie Valusek has produced interior illustrations for many Dungeons & Dragons books and Dragon magazine since 1985, as well as interior art for several Dragonlance novels, and cover art for the 1992 module Rary the Traitor...

, Stephen D. Sullivan

Stephen D. Sullivan

Stephen D. Sullivan is an American author, artist, editor, publisher, and radio host. Sullivan is well known in the gaming community for his work with TSR, the publishers of Dungeons and Dragons.-Career:...

, Ken Frank

Ken Frank

Ken Frank is an artist whose work has appeared in role-playing games.-Works:Ken Frank produced interior illustrations for many Dungeons & Dragons books and Dragon magazine throughout the 1990s, as well as cover art for the adventure modules Flames of the Falcon and Falconmaster...

, and Ned Dameron

Ned Dameron

-Works:Ned Dameron produced cover artwork for many genre novels including The Dark Tower series by Stephen King, and The Second Generation by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman...

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3rd edition

The d20 system

D20 System

The d20 System is a role-playing game system published in 2000 by Wizards of the Coast originally developed for the third edition of Dungeons & Dragons...

, 3rd edition version of the Arms and Equipment Guide was printed in 2003 and has an introduction, six chapters, and an appendix containing random treasure tables. Chapters are "Weapons and Armor", "Adventuring Gear", "Vehicles", "Hirelings and Creatures", "Magical Items", and "Special Magical Items".

"Weapons and Armor"

The first section of the book is concerned with mundane weapons and armor. It introduces many new weapons, such as the Gyrspike, a sword

Sword

A sword is a bladed weapon used primarily for cutting or thrusting. The precise definition of the term varies with the historical epoch or the geographical region under consideration...

 with a spiked ball attached to the hilt by a chain. As well, the section lists the different weapons used throughout the different cultures and time periods, and the names they were known by. It describes several different materials for use in creating weapons or armor, such as bronze

Bronze

Bronze is a metal alloy consisting primarily of copper, usually with tin as the main additive. It is hard and brittle, and it was particularly significant in antiquity, so much so that the Bronze Age was named after the metal...

 and coral

Coral

Corals are marine animals in class Anthozoa of phylum Cnidaria typically living in compact colonies of many identical individual "polyps". The group includes the important reef builders that inhabit tropical oceans and secrete calcium carbonate to form a hard skeleton.A coral "head" is a colony of...

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"Adventuring Gear"

This second lists the details and price of clothing, candles, alchemical items, and other adventuring necessities; the section consists of approximately 145 items. Also included is a discussion on economic system

Economic system

An economic system is the combination of the various agencies, entities that provide the economic structure that defines the social community. These agencies are joined by lines of trade and exchange along which goods, money etc. are continuously flowing. An example of such a system for a closed...

s in the fantasy world.

"Vehicles"

A wide range of vehicles are discussed in this section, from nautical wind-powered ships and horse drawn carriages, to zeppelins and triceratops

Triceratops

Triceratops is a genus of herbivorous ceratopsid dinosaur which lived during the late Maastrichtian stage of the Late Cretaceous Period, around 68 to 65 million years ago in what is now North America. It was one of the last dinosaur genera to appear before the great Cretaceous–Paleogene...

. Rules are given on how to control mounts, and what happens when two vehicles crash. Several magical items

Magic item (Dungeons & Dragons)

In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, a magic item is any object that has magical powers inherent in it. These may act on their own or be the tools of the character in whose hands they fall into. Magic items have been prevalent in the game in every edition and setting, from the...

 are given for the use in vehicles, such as the Wind-Favored Sails.

"Hirelings and Creatures"

Prices are given for hirelings of various skill levels. Statistics are also given for cheap to expensive mercenaries, including some fantasy creatures, such as pixies. A section on pets discusses the training of animals and magical creatures as guard animals and pets. Several new creatures are introduced, such as the Climbdog. Rules concerning mounts, several magic items relating to animal training, and new mounts are proposed.

"Magical Items"

Many new potions, rings, staffs, rods, and wondrous items are detailed in this chapter, including a new type of potion called Elixir Armor. Made from the essence of creatures with natural armor, it grants the drinker with an armor class

Armor class

In some role-playing games, armor class is a derived statistic that indicates how difficult it is to land a successful blow on a character with an attack...

 bonus.

Weapons

A large part of the book focuses on magical weapons. Three pages of weapon abilities is followed by 24 pages of specific magical weapons.

"Special Magical Items"

This section contains new intelligent, cursed, and artifact items, the most notable of which include the Regalia of Might

Regalia of Might

The Regalia of Might are nine powerful artifacts said to have been made by the gods before the dawn of humanity, in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. They are composed of three sets of three artifacts each: the Regalia of Good, the Regalia of Neutrality, and the Regalia of Evil...

 and the Rod of Seven Parts

Rod of Seven Parts

In many campaign settings for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game the Rod of Seven Parts, formerly known as the Rod of Law, is a powerful artifact.-Description:The Rod of Seven Parts, when whole, is a 5-foot-long pole...

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External links

• Arms and Equipment Guide excerpts at Wizards of the Coast
• Arms and Equipment Guide art gallery at Wizards of the Coast