# Gear and Prices
*Black Flag, An Exodus NDS Era Book, the Caribbean, 1660 to 1730, mapped in 1716. Source: https://exodusnds.com/era-books/black-flag/gear-and-prices*
Black Flag reckons money in pieces of eight (Era Rules, Money and Credit). Prices below use that coin, with sterling in brackets when English records supply a figure. Sourcebook units remain reference values rather than currency. Equipment statistics belong to their cited sourcebooks and are reproduced unchanged; this chapter supplies their prices in pieces of eight.
A **~** marks a price drawn from a range, a nearby year or a value set alongside documented examples. Prices without historical support appear in Legend boxes.
## Money
- **The piece of eight** is rated at 4s 6d sterling in London. In the colonies Queen Anne's proclamation of 18 June 1704 rated a full-weight piece at 6s, and Jamaica passed pieces at 6s 3d in 1722. A seller may quote in any of these, so a price in a port can differ from this book's by a fifth or a third. The book's rate is 4s 6d.
- **The coin** is a hand-struck cob of 0.9306 fine silver, and milled coinage does not begin at Mexico until 1732.
- **Coin was short** in the British islands, and the Leewards kept accounts in sugar. A seller there may ask for sugar, rum or cloth instead of silver.
- **Paper** pushed silver from 6s 10d to 9s an ounce in New York and New England in 1717 to 1718. A character who is paid in colonial paper loses a third of it in London.
- **A Company's silver** is shares paid in pieces of eight (Era Rules, Crew and Articles) and does not wear out.
### Sourcebook Units
Sourcebooks use a shared pricing unit. The tables' unit column identifies the original entry; it provides no exchange rate. Use the nearest price band below for unlisted items. Equipment statistics remain governed by the owning sourcebook.
## Wages and Income
| Pay | Per | Sterling | Pieces of eight | Basis |
|:--|:--|:--|:-:|:--|
| Navy landsman | lunar month | 18s | 4 | Navy establishment, 1700 |
| Navy seaman | lunar month | 19s | 4¼ | Navy establishment, 1700 |
| Navy able seaman | lunar month | £1 4s | 5⅓ | Navy establishment, 1700 |
| Merchant seaman, in peace | month | 25s to 30s | 5½ to 6⅔ | Merchant ships, peacetime |
| Navy boatswain of a fourth rate | lunar month | £2 10s | 11 | Navy establishment, 1700 |
| Soldier, Virginia force | month | 30s | 6⅔ | Virginia, 1715 |
| Soldier's quarters, Jamaica | week | 5s | about 1 | Jamaica, 1714 |
| Officer's quarters, Jamaica | week | 20s | 4½ | Jamaica, 1714 |
| Soldier's keep | day | 6d | ⅑ | Annapolis Royal, 1714; the Bahamas, 1717 |
| Newfoundland boat master | season | £20 to £30 | 89 to 133 | Newfoundland, 1714 to 1716 |
| Privateer sailor's lot | cruise | £10 | 44 | Rogers's council, 1708 |
| Privateer officer below the carpenter | cruise | £20 | 89 | Rogers's council, 1708 |
| Privateer mate, gunner, boatswain or carpenter | cruise | £40 | 178 | Rogers's council, 1708 |
| Privateer lieutenant or master | cruise | £70 | 311 | Rogers's council, 1708 |
| Pirate hand | a share | by the articles | see Era Rules | Roberts, Lowther, Phillips |
Character Creation and Roles lists pay by Role. Do not add monthly wages to the Stake: they cover untracked living costs. Award cash when play produces income, such as a share, fee, reward or prize.
## Price Bands
For undocumented prices, choose the appropriate band.
| Band | Pieces | Examples |
|:--|:-:|:--|
| Trifle | under 1 | A drink, a candle, a meal, a quart of beer, a knife |
| Small | 1 to 5 | A shirt, a pair of shoes, a cutlass, a Sea Service Pistol, a month of an able seaman's pay (5⅓) |
| Moderate | 6 to 25 | A Belt Pistol, a musket, a fowling piece, a month of a boatswain's pay (11), a swivel gun (24) |
| Large | 26 to 100 | A surgeon's chest, a suit of black, a horse at Jamaica, a Light or Medium Gun |
| Great | 101 to 500 | A pair of fancy pistols, a Long Nine or Heavy Gun, a cargo of logwood |
| Princely | over 500 | A sloop (about 750, Legend), a prize's cargo |
The Stake covers kit with something left over. Daily spending ashore is 1 piece, or 3 for a Spree (Era Rules, The Prize and Fence Loop). A **Hand's** 6 pieces roughly equal an able seaman's monthly pay (5⅓): enough for a cutlass (2), knife (½) and three days ashore. An **Officer's** 12 cover a pistol (5), sword (2) and five days ashore. A **Clerk's** 24 pay for a writing case (4) and about three weeks' lodging. A **Master's** 45 fund a share in a small cargo, backed by Debt.
## What the Record Gives
| Thing | Price | Pieces | Where and when |
|:--|:--|:-:|:--|
| Cassava bread, a hundredweight | 7s 6d (double in scarcity) | 1⅔ | Jamaica, c. 1688 |
| A green turtle | 15s to 18s | 3⅓ to 4 | Port Royal, c. 1688 |
| A gill of rum | 3d | ¹⁄₁₈ | A tavern, New Jersey, 1729 (as quoted) |
| A pint of wine | 1s | ²⁄₉ | A tavern, New Jersey, 1729 (as quoted) |
| A quart of strong beer | 4d | about ¹⁄₁₃ | A tavern, New Jersey, 1729 (as quoted) |
| A bowl of punch | 7d | ⅛ | A tavern, New Jersey, 1729 (as quoted) |
| Rum, a gallon | 3 to 5 pieces of eight | 3 to 5 | A pirate market, Madagascar, 1697; several times the going price |
| Wine, a gallon by the barrel; a bottle | 3 pieces; 1 piece | 3; 1 | A pirate market, Madagascar, 1697 |
| A tankard of beer | 1 piece of eight | 1 | A pirate market, Madagascar, 1697 |
| A pair of fancy pistols between pirates | £30 to £40 | 133 to 178 | Aboard a pirate ship, c. 1720 |
| Logwood, a ton, bought; sold | £3; £6 | 13⅓; 26⅔ | Campeche and Port Royal, c. 1688 |
| Pitch, a ton | £9 | 40 | Carolina, 1716 |
| A New England horse, at Jamaica | £15 | 66⅔ | Jamaica, c. 1688 |
| A bale of goods | 140 pieces | 140 | Guayaquil, 1709 |
| A suit of black | £7 to £8 | 31 to 36 | A Portuguese colony, c. 1720 |
| A chest of medicines, mostly mercury, the price of a ransom | £300 to £400 | 1,333 to 1,778 | Charles Town, 1718 |
##### LEGEND
The following rates draw on an undated Port Royal probate sample, a forum quotation or one ship's accounts. Use them at the table without treating them as verified history: cloth coat 12s 6d to 15s (2¾ to 3⅓ pieces); hat 10s (2¼); three shirts 12s (2⅔); shoes 5s 6d (1¼); red waistcoat with silver lace 15s (3⅓); fowling piece £2 (9); army sword 7s 6d to 10s (1⅔ to 2¼); thirty-gallon rum barrel £3 (13⅓); brandy hogshead about £10 (44); undated sloop £168 (747); fitted ship about £20 per ton; merchant mate's monthly pay £2 5s (10), recorded on one ship in 1679.
## People Are Not Gear
Every English, Spanish, French and Dutch Caribbean colony bought and sold enslaved people, and slave ships operated for profit. Recorded sums include £14 for a man on the Gold Coast in 1704; £21 to £23 under a Barbados contract of 1720/21 (102, 98 and 93 pieces for a man, woman and child); £18 in the Leewards in 1726; and Barbados planters' claim of £25 to £40 in 1709. Capturing a slaver places people under the Company's control; its articles determine their fate. A person has no equipment price and cannot be bought with a Stake. Resolve the encounter as a scene (Era Rules, The Prize and Fence Loop).
## Availability by Place
| Place | What a character finds |
|:--|:--|
| **Nassau** | A beach settlement with no shops. Goods are sold from prizes on the beach and from a tavern keeper's stock; anything taken at sea is for sale, and nothing is guaranteed |
| **Port Royal** | A full port: chandlers, gunsmiths, a surgeon's shop, a Vice-Admiralty court. Everything is on sale at a price within the bands, and a stranger with Infamy 3 or more is watched |
| **Charles Town** | A planter's market: rice, naval stores, wine; arms and powder under the governor's licence |
| **Havana** | A Spanish port: goods sold to the Spanish flag and to a bribe; no English arms at all |
| **Bermuda and the minor ports** | A shipyard, a store of provisions and a ship's mechanics; thin on arms |
Each item's sourcebook classifies availability as **Common**, **Military** or **Restricted**. Common goods are sold in every listed port. Companies obtain Military equipment, such as muskets or great guns, through a governor or fence. Restricted substances such as Theriac require a physician or apothecary.
## The Essential Gear Table
All prices use pieces of eight (~), estimated alongside recorded examples: swords about 2, fowling pieces 9, fancy pistol pairs 133 to 178. The cited sourcebook controls every statistic. All entries are permitted within 1660 to 1730.
### Firearms and boarding gear (*The Black Powder Armory*, Master Tables)
Read sourcebook Light Ranged and Heavy Ranged as Core Ranged, and Gunnery as Operate (Gunnery) (Skills and Talents).
| Weapon | Skill | Dmg | Crit | Range | Enc | Unit | Avail | Period | Qualities | Price (pieces) |
|:--|:-:|:-:|:-:|:-:|:-:|:-:|:-:|:-:|:-:|--:|
| **Belt Pistol** | Light Ranged | 6 | 4 | Short | 1 | 200 | Common | 1650 | Prepare 2, Unreliable, Concealable 1 | 6 |
| **Sea Service Pistol** | Light Ranged | 6 | 4 | Short | 2 | 150 | Common | 1650 | Prepare 2, Unreliable | 5 |
| **Fowling Piece** | Heavy Ranged | 7 | 3 | Medium | 4 | 300 | Common | 1650 | Prepare 2, Unreliable | 9 |
| **Musket** | Heavy Ranged | 8 | 3 | Medium | 4 | 250 | Military | 1650 | Prepare 2, Unreliable | 7 |
| **Blunderbuss** | Heavy Ranged | 8 | 3 | Short | 3 | 250 | Common | 1650 | Blast 4, Knockdown, Prepare 2, Unreliable | 8 |
| **Swivel Gun** | Gunnery | 10 | 3 | Medium | — | 800 | Military | 1400 | Blast 6, Emplaced, Crew 2, Prepare 4, Unreliable, Siege 2 | 24 |
| **Boarding Pike** | Melee | +2 | 3 | Engaged | 3 | 30 | Common | 1400 | Reach, Defensive 1 | 1 |
| **Plug Bayonet** | Melee | +2 | 3 | Engaged | 1 | 20 | Military | 1650 | Defensive 1 | ½ |
| **Grapnel** | Light Ranged | +1 | 5 | Short | 2 | 25 | Common | 1400 | Ensnare 1, Limited Ammo 1 | 1 |
| **Grenado** | Light Ranged | 7 | 4 | Short | 1 | 30 | Military | 1400 | Blast 5, Limited Ammo 1, Prepare 1, Unreliable | 1 |
| **Fire Pot** | Light Ranged | 5 | 5 | Short | 1 | 10 | Common | 1400 | Burn 2, Blast 2, Limited Ammo 1, Prepare 1 | ½ |
| **Powder Keg** | Craft | 14 | 3 | Placed | 6 | 150 | Common | 1400 | Blast 10, Limited Ammo 1, Prepare 2, Cumbersome 3, Siege 3 | 7 |
| **Powder Charge** | Craft | 10 | 3 | Placed | 1 | 40 | Common | 1400 | Blast 6, Limited Ammo 1, Prepare 2, Siege 2 | 2 |
### Blades and tools (*The Fantasy Armory*, Master Weapons Table)
Use the Falchion for a cutlass or hanger, the Dagger for a dirk and the Hatchet for a boarding axe (*The Black Powder Armory*, Names for Fantasy Armory Weapons).
| Weapon | Dmg | Crit | Range | Enc | Unit | Avail | Type | Qualities | Price (pieces) |
|:--|:-:|:-:|:-:|:-:|:-:|:-:|:-:|:-:|--:|
| **Falchion** | +3 | 3 | Engaged | 2 | 135 | Common | Cutting | Vicious 1, Sunder | 2 |
| **Dagger** | +1 | 3 | Engaged | 1 | 70 | Common | Thrusting, Cutting | Pierce 1, Concealable 1 | 1 |
| **Hatchet** | +2 | 3 | Engaged | 1 | 90 | Common | Cutting | Vicious 1, Sunder | 1 |
| **Knife** | +1 | 3 | Engaged | 1 | 40 | Common | Thrusting, Cutting | — | ½ |
| **Sabre** | +3 | 3 | Engaged | 2 | 160 | Military | Cutting | Momentum 2, Balanced 1 | 3 |
### Bows (*The Ranged Armory*, Master Weapons Table)
| Weapon | Dmg | Crit | Range | Enc | Unit | Avail | Type | Qualities | Price (pieces) |
|:--|:-:|:-:|:-:|:-:|:-:|:-:|:-:|:-:|--:|
| **Short Bow** | 6 | 3 | Medium | 1 | 200 | Common | Thrusting | Cumbersome 2, Point Blank 1 | 3 |
| **Longbow** | 8 | 3 | Long | 2 | 475 | Common | Thrusting | Arcing, Auto-Fire, Cumbersome 3, Point Blank 2 | 6 |
### Armour (*The Armourer*, Master Tables)
| Armour | Resistance | Melee Def | Ranged Def | Enc | Unit | Avail | Qualities | Price (pieces) |
|:--|:-:|:-:|:-:|:-:|:-:|:-:|:-:|--:|
| **Padded Jack** | +1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 40 | Common | Deflecting 1 (Crushing), Vulnerable 1 (Thrusting) | 1½ |
| **Leather Jerkin** | +1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 50 | Common | Deflecting 1 (Cutting) | 2 |
### Medicine (*The Apothecary*, Master Tables)
| Substance | In brief | Onset | Lasts | Limit | Tags | Unit | Avail | Price (pieces) |
|:--|:-:|:-:|:-:|:-:|:-:|:-:|:-:|--:|
| **Poppy Tincture** | Recover 3 Strain; ignore one Critical Injury's penalty | 10 minutes | 4 hours | 2 | Habit 2 | 30 | Common | 2 |
| **Emetic** | Purges a swallowed poison during its Onset | None | — | — | — | 5 | Common | ½ |
| **Theriac** | General antidote: 2 Boon Dice against one poison | 1 round | 1 day | 1 | — | 100 | Restricted | 7 |
### Great guns (*The Heavy Armory*, Master Tables)
Ships come with their guns. Listed gun prices apply when buying separately for a fort, boat or refit.
| Weapon | Mount | Hull | Crit | Range | Crew | Unit | Avail | From | Type | Qualities | Price (pieces) |
|:--|:-:|:-:|:-:|:-:|:-:|:-:|:-:|:-:|:-:|:-:|--:|
| **Light Gun** | Light | 3 | 4 | Long | 3 | 1500 | Military | 1400 | Ballistic | Crew 3, Slow-Firing 2, Unreliable | 45 |
| **Medium Gun** | Standard | 5 | 3 | Long | 5 | 3000 | Military | 1400 | Ballistic | Crew 5, Slow-Firing 2, Unreliable | 90 |
| **Long Nine** | Standard | 5 | 3 | Extreme | 5 | 4500 | Military | 1650 | Ballistic | Accurate 1, Crew 5, Slow-Firing 2 | 135 |
| **Heavy Gun** | Heavy | 7 | 3 | Long | 8 | 6000 | Military | 1400 | Ballistic | Pierce 1, Crew 8, Slow-Firing 3, Unreliable | 180 |
| **Mortar** | Heavy | 7 | 4 | Medium to Long | 5 | 5000 | Military | 1400 | Blast | Indirect, Blast 5, Burn 1, Emplaced, Crew 5, Slow-Firing 3, Inaccurate 1 | 150 |
### Not legal in 1660 to 1730
Exclude these later entries: Duelling Pistol and Duck-Foot Pistol (1770), Volley Gun (1779), Pepperbox (1835), Carronade (1779), Shell shot (1820) and Frigate (1780).
## Kit, Papers and Trade Goods
The following Role kit lacks sourcebook prices. Values marked ~ use this chapter's bands; Legend exceptions are noted.
| Item | Pieces | Notes |
|:--|:-:|:--|
| Carpenter's chest (adze, saw, augers, caulking iron, pitch pot) | 20 | |
| Telescope, brass | 12 | |
| Compass and dividers | 5 | |
| Surgeon's chest (instruments, bandages, a stock of medicines) | 40 | The surgeon's chest in the record is a ransom, not a price |
| Scales and weights | 3 | |
| Ledger or account book, and ink | 2 | |
| Writing case and seal | 4 | |
| A Bible; a missal | 4; 6 | |
| A gown or a cassock | 6 | |
| A tally board | ½ | |
| A barrel of rum, thirty gallons | 13⅓ | Legend (above) |
| Jesuit's bark, a pound | 4 | For ague (Era Rules, Scurvy and Fever) |
| A letter of marque | 1,000, as a bond | This book's rule: posted with the court, forfeit if a prize is taken from a friendly flag, returned when the commission lapses (Era Rules, Law at Sea and Ashore) |
## What Lodging, Food and Passage Cost
Few prices survive for 1716, so use the bands. Keep and lodging cost a hand one piece daily ashore (Era Rules, The Prize and Fence Loop); garrison soldiers receive 6d (⅑ piece) for keep. The daily piece includes a room at Nassau or Port Royal. Tavern meals are Trifles. Passage costs Small to Moderate, with the GM weighing distance, cargo and the master's temper.
