Resources

A variety of different resources are available in Novamund. The following are those resources and the uses of them.

Arcane
Arcane resources include magical or psionic items that can directly boost powers of that nature, magical writings, alchemical reagents, or in the abstract, knowledge of magic. The following tasks are possible with Arcane resources:

Cast a Spell
A settlement can, collectively, cast a spell which is far more potent than any of the individual members of the community could muster. It costs the square of the spell's effective level to cast a spell in this way. When a spell is cast in this way, it takes one hour for each full or partial round the casting would normally cost, but the restriction on applying the same metamagic feat more than once is waived (although it should be noted that multiple percentage improvements to the damage stack rather than multiplying). The spell's effective caster level is the minimum level to cast the spell normally.

For example, an empowered empowered enlarged enlarged widened widened fireball would deal 10d6*2 points of damage to each creature within an 80-ft radius spread of a point within 6560 feet, and cost 225 arcane resources. The spell's caster level is 31st.

Magical Research
100 Arcane resources will complete one piece of esoteric magical research over 10 days. This can be combined with other efforts to perform that research, so 50 Arcane resources will complete 50% of the research.

Re-Roll Magical Items
It's possible to re-roll an item offered for sale before the week is up, whether the item has already been bought and there's a free slot or it hasn't been and you're re-rolling the contents of the slot - a minor item re-roll costs 10 magic, a moderate item re-roll costs 20 and a major item re-roll costs 30.

Waypoints
It costs 250 arcane resources to repair a deactivated waypoint.

Construction
Construction resources are, unsurprisingly, used to construct things - buildings, ships, and perhaps eventually even a new airship.

Build
Most buildings cost around 20 construction resources and 1 day for every 10-foot cube.

Claim Hex
Claiming a hex costs 100 construction resources per attempt.

Fortify
You can fortify a hex by spending 10 construction resources and 1 day, which improves the security of the hex by 1, but never above double the base security of the hex. Fortifications can assist effective and well-equipped guards, but not replace them.

Food
Food does one thing: you eat it to live. One unit of food is consumed per person per turn. If you run out, people will start to starve. Every day you have only partly enough food to go around, loyalty goes down. If there's at least three quarters of the amount of food you need, the reduction is 1d3. Else, if it's at least half, the reduction is 1d6. Else, if it's at least a quarter, it's 1d10. Else, it's 1d20.

Intel
Anything from spy networks to friendly eldritch abominations can provide you with intel. It's useful for figuring out what people are up to.

Automatic Scout Hex
You can scout a hex without going on a mission by spending 100 intel, so long as you could scout that hex normally.

Blackmail
You can blackmail an individual or organisation by paying intel equal to their combined level, causing them to do - or not do - one thing of your choice (within reason). For example, you could cause an up-and-coming leader not to step up to a certain role.

Find Location
You can discover the location of the nearest tower, pit, waypoint, settlement, or so forth that hasn't already been revealed. Doing so usually costs 50 intel.

Manufacture
Manufacture is used to make raw materials into important things.

Craft Item
By spending 1 manufacture and 1 relevant resource per 10 gp of an item's market price, Bad Landing can craft items. Check with a DM for which resources are relevant. The non-manufacture resource cost is sometimes split between resources. For example, an iron golem (150,000gp cost) would cost 15,000 manufacture, but might cost 5000 arcane, 8000 mineral and 2000 construction. An item constructed in this way takes 1 day for each 1,000gp in its cost.

Convert Resources
By spending 1 manufacture, you can change 1 mineral into 1 construction or 1 plant into 1 trade.

Mineral
Metals and occasionally useful gemstones fall into this category. Usually, they're used alongside manufacture.

Plants
Any plant which isn't already food or a construction material falls into this category. Usually, they're used alongside manufacture.

Trade
Trade goods are used to trade, unsurprisingly. Each trade resource is worth about 10gp, though what you can actually get for it will vary by settlement.

Trading Resources
In order to trade, you need someone to trade with, naturally. Each settlement has a certain value at which they'll trade - you usually get better rates in larger settlements.