Questions

[ReaderAt2046]

Two things the system really doesn't handle, and one thing I don't understand.

1. Starting Equipment. How much and how good gear could a character realistically start with (stuff directly connected to their duty)? Up to their Resources? Lower? Higher?

2. How exactly would poisoned weapons work in this system. I assume the poison itself would work as described under Venemous, but what do you use for the "strength" of the poison?

1b. What precisely does "gain a +1 to the power or
complexity threshold on any spell intended
to inflict stress or consequences" from the Hellfire description mean?

[Taran]

Two things the system really doesn't handle, and one thing I don't understand.

1. Starting Equipment. How much and how good gear could a character realistically start with (stuff directly connected to their duty)? Up to their Resources? Lower? Higher?

What would they reasonably have?  I have a teenager character who's background is that he's stinking rich.  He lives in a big mansion, has expensive electronics and always carries a wad of cash with him.  Game-wise, his resources is +4.  In game, he still has to make the regular resource declarations, but we assume, for the unimportant stuff that he has what most rich teenagers would own.  He doesn't have a lot of "disposible" income, because he's not 18 yet and he doesn't have access to all the cash.

They should have whatever weapons and tools that are part of their "trade".  This could include a car, house, office etc...

2. How exactly would poisoned weapons work in this system. I assume the poison itself would work as described under Venemous, but what do you use for the "strength" of the poison?

- You could do it as a weapons maneuver and the strength would be the strength of the maneuver.
- You could make the poison a "fixed" strength, like "3" (probably based on a craftsmanship roll, if the person made it themselves, or a resource roll representing a more powerful poison that would cost more) and after there's a successful attack the victim would ignore the damage for that attack and start having to resist the poison.

1b. What precisely does "gain a +1 to the power or
complexity threshold on any spell intended
to inflict stress or consequences" from the Hellfire description mean?

When you make an attack using Hellfire, if the attacks purpose is to harm someone, they get +1 to the Power of the spell. 
So a Power 5 attack evocation would be considered a Power 6 Evocation.
A complexity 5 Ritual would become a complexity 6 ritual.

I'm not sure if you still have to control the extra shift of power.  I'm assuming yes. 

[Tedronai]

I'm not sure if you still have to control the extra shift of power.  I'm assuming yes.

There is nothing to indicate that you would not.

[ReaderAt2046]

What would they reasonably have?  I have a teenager character who's background is that he's stinking rich.  He lives in a big mansion, has expensive electronics and always carries a wad of cash with him.  Game-wise, his resources is +4.  In game, he still has to make the regular resource declarations, but we assume, for the unimportant stuff that he has what most rich teenagers would own.  He doesn't have a lot of "disposible" income, because he's not 18 yet and he doesn't have access to all the cash.

They should have whatever weapons and tools that are part of their "trade".  This could include a car, house, office etc...

For context, the character that started me thinking about this is the Protestant Ninja Inquisitor Assassin mentioned in a couple of other threads. She belongs to the Protestant branch of the Ordo Malleus, and she carries a bunch of countermeasures for some of the more common monsters (pure-iron shurikens, vials of holy water, garlic extract smoke bombs, etc,) and I was wondering how far this could realistically go.

[Taran]

If he has a huge list of stuff that he wants, maybe make him write it down and you might have to limit how many of each(maybe only one or two garlic extract grenades...I'm not really sure how that works...)    When he runs out, have him make declarations (resource or craftsmanship or contacts whatever skill is appropriate...possibly deceit to steal some of the stuff).

Most of this stuff is easy to come by - except the grenades: you can buy holy water at any "mystic" shop (or steal it from any catholic church who usually have font of the stuff as you walk in), iron shurikens can just be on his character sheet...especially if he crafts these things himself.  He's a ninja afterall.  If he wants a huge list of specialty shurikens like silver and holy etc... I'd might make him aquire them in-game.

Also remember, he's not always going to be carrying this stuff with him.

Here's an example character I have for starting equipment.  He's ex-special forces

Weapons:
M4 (weapon 3); Suppressor
Korean War riot gun (weapon 3)
Pistol: MK23 with tactical light(weapon 2)
Knife (weapon 1)
2 grenades (weapon 5/1 zone)
1 Flashbang ("blinded" aspect 4)

Gear:
Night Vision goggles
Kevlar vest (armour 1) concealable
Flak Jacket (armour 2)

Pick-up truck
Apartment

My justification for most of the gear is he stole it before he went AWOL.  If he uses those grenades, he'll have a hard time coming by more...same with a lot of the equipment there.

Lastly

If you're stressed about him having too much, then you can just say, "don't worry about equipment...we'll cross that bridge when we get to it"

Then let declarations  take care of the rest.  When he says, "I pull out my iron shurikens"  you say, "sure...don't even bother rolling"

When he says, "I pull out my garlic extract grenade", you make him roll a declaration with a difficulty based on how likely it is that he has one. (or he can just spend a FP and have one). If he's aquiring these ahead of time, in preparation, they'll be easier to get - either because you can lower the difficulty or you can just have him spend the time to get it.

Ninja's are super cool because they spend the time to be prepared.  But if they're going in blind, they might not have "just the right tool" so, in that sense, you may want to limit what he has and let declarations take care of things.

It'd help if he had an aspect like "always prepared"

[noclue]

How much does the order spend on kitting out its agents?

[Wordmaker]

I generally let my players have whatever they would reasonably be expected to have.

If they want something they haven't accounted for that might be a little out of the ordinary or offer a significant advantage in their current situation, they can roll Scholarship to make a Declaration that they have it.