# Items (loot, craft, equip)

Vision for **what exists in the world as tangible “things”**: how items are **categorized**, **acquired**, **gated** by **gigs** vs **skills**, and how they connect to **combat**, **economy**, and **quests**. Not an `ItemDef` schema—that lives under [Epic 3 — Crafting economy](../decomposition/epics/epic_03_crafting_economy.md) and [`content/`](../../content/README.md) when wired.

**Seams (authoritative detail):** [skills.md — Seams (gigs ↔ skills)](skills.md#seams-gigs-skills). **Actions from items:** [abilities.md](abilities.md) **Item-linked actions**. **Hybrid vocabulary:** [progression.md](progression.md).

## Buckets (design-facing)

These overlap in data; they are **lenses** for writers and systems.

| Bucket | Role | Gig vs skill (summary) |
|--------|------|-------------------------|
| **Combat gear** | Weapons, **Hardshell** / **Softshell** / **Rigging**-built powered shells worn as loadout, **combat deployables** (e.g. fight drones)—**swap-friendly** | **Craft:** **skills** only. **Equip / wear / combat-deploy / activation in combat:** **gig**-tagged ([Seams](skills.md#seams-gigs-skills)). |
| **Cybernetics** | Body-integrated augments—**semi-permanent** | **Craft / install:** **skills** + world gates. **Not** removed by **gig swap**; **not** the same bucket as external armor ([Seams](skills.md#seams-gigs-skills)). |
| **Consumables** | Stims, patches, ammo-adjacent one-shots, etc. | **Carry / use** baseline **not** gig-gated; **passive** amps may scale with **main or sub** gig match (**open** actives per item). |
| **Non-combat Make** | Tools, **Food synth** outputs, civ gear, **utility Rigging** (harnesses, survey drones, **backpacks**) | **Craft:** recipe **skills**. **Use:** **skill**-gated when the item defines a **specialty**; some utilities have **no** use gate ([Seams](skills.md#seams-gigs-skills)). |
| **Materials & intermediates** | Ores, refinery grades, components, data objects, organics | Feed **recipes** and **economy depth**; usually **no** gig hook unless a piece is explicitly hybrid (**open**). |

## Acquisition

- **Crafted:** Primary fantasy for **durables** that matter in combat and economy—**player-made goods stay relevant** across stages ([Epic 3](../decomposition/epics/epic_03_crafting_economy.md) success criteria).
- **Dropped / looted / salvaged:** Feed **gather–refine–craft** loops and **world fiction**; tuning is **content + economy policy** (**open** drop tables).
- **Mission & vendor rewards:** Can grant **items** or **skill XP** separately from combat XP pipes ([progression.md](progression.md)); avoid double-dipping the same milestone without intent (**open** reward UX).
- **Trade:** Craft-for-others is **valid** even when the buyer cannot **equip** or **combat-deploy** the product ([Seams](skills.md#seams-gigs-skills) **Crafting combat gear**).

## Rarity, quality, and readability

- **Rarity** (or tier) signals **expectations**: availability, mod slots, repair cost, **faction** hooks—exact bands **data-driven** later.
- **Quality** within a tier may reflect **craft skill**, **recipe mastery**, or **material grade**—**open** math; directionally **crafting should compete with drops** where the economy needs it.
- **Tooltips** should expose **gig** match for **combat gear** and **consumable** amps, **intended skill** for specialty **non-combat** tools, and a **clear** lane for **cybernetics** vs **external armor** ([skills.md](skills.md) **Player-facing readability**).

## Gig swap and loadouts

- **Hub-only** [gig swap](gigs.md#hub-swap): **combat gear** may **invalidate** until the player **re-banks or re-equips**; **cybernetics** stay.
- **Presets** (per gig pair, per role) vs **manual** fix-up—**open** UX ([gigs.md](gigs.md), [abilities.md](abilities.md)).

## Decisions log

| Topic | Direction | Status |
|-------|-----------|--------|
| Craft vs equip split | **Bench** = **skill**/recipe; **combat field use** of most **non-consumable** **Make** = **gig**-gated | Agreed ([Seams](skills.md#seams-gigs-skills)) |
| Cybernetics vs armor | **No** bucket overlap; chrome is **character**-scoped; plates are **loadout** | Agreed |
| Consumable baseline | Anyone can **use**; **optional** gig-tuned **passive** potency | Agreed direction |
| Craft without gig | Allowed; **trade** and **group** play supported | Agreed |
| Player crafting relevance | **Crafting** is a **primary** progression lane—not only consumables | Agreed ([Epic 3](../decomposition/epics/epic_03_crafting_economy.md)) |

## Open questions

- **Durability, repair, sinks**—when items leave the economy ([E3.M4](../decomposition/modules/E3_M4_SinkAndDurabilityLifecycle.md)); how hard **death** hits gear (**open** with death doc).
- **Binding**, **insurance**, **theft** in which **security tiers** ([overview.md](overview.md) risk stubs).
- **Named crafter**, **provenance**, **counterfeits**—social/economy flavor vs implementation cost.
- **Stacking**, **charges**, **mod slots**—per category defaults.

## Where to read next

| Topic | Document / module |
|--------|-------------------|
| Gig ↔ item rules (detail) | [skills.md](skills.md) **Seams** |
| Abilities from items | [abilities.md](abilities.md) |
| Gathering & recipes (runtime) | [Epic 3](../decomposition/epics/epic_03_crafting_economy.md), [E3.M2](../decomposition/modules/E3_M2_RefinementAndRecipeExecution.md), [E3.M3](../decomposition/modules/E3_M3_ItemizationAndInventorySchema.md) |
| Encounter loot routing | [E5.M3](../decomposition/modules/E5_M3_EncounterAndRewardTables.md), [E7.M2](../decomposition/modules/E7_M2_RewardAndUnlockRouter.md) |