Kit and Tiers (FiD)

Starfox's Blades in the Dark fan page

Examples to illustrate what tier means in various areas and settings. Fine gear is simply one tier above your own. Potent gear become more exceptional over tiers as enemy entities become more exceptional.

Of course this is no an exact guide, more of a mood setter.

For player characters, this includes not only advances in tier, but you are also assumed to have gained access to more kit through scores or long-term projects.

Field	Tier 0 Newbs	Tier 1 Gangs	Tier 2 Gangsters	Tier 3 Conscripts	Tier 4 Regulars	Tier 5 Veterans	Tier 6 Elite
Coin Minimum wage.	Week A purse of copper coins.	Month A few silver coins.	Quarter A pouch of silver.	Year A few gold pieces.	Five years A bag of gold coins.	Twenty Years Silver bars.	Century Gold bars.
Doskvol Weapons Default setting of Blades in the Dark.	Trash Improvised weapons made in a garage from trash.	Improvised Weapon lookalikes made in a smithy or workshop.	Surplus Second hand professional gear.	Regular Professional industry-made gear.	Selected Gear specialized for each role.	Customized Special features and accessories like sights.	Elite Optimized for each role and mission.
Contemporary What you'll find in a modern action movie.	Pipe Guns Improvised weapons made in a garage from trash.	Crafts Industry-made weapon lookalikes made in a smithy or workshop.	Routine Made in routine line industrial processes but standardized.	Selected Chosen for each combat role.	Customized Add accessories like underslung grenades and advanced sights.	Optimized Modified and optimized for role and mission.	Elite Made for each mission by elite technical support units.
Greyhawk A kitchen sink renaissance setting.	Scrap Clubs, rocks, shivs, farm implements, improvised selfbows, single-shot pipe guns.	Salvage Some gear was originally professional weapons, others are improvised or hunting weapons.	Surplus Hand-me-down weapons, functional with a lot of fiddling and polish. Improvised armor.	Regular Professionally crafted gear. Metal armor. Novice adventurers.	Masterwork Masterwork weapons, fitted armor, personalized gear, occasional magic items.	Magic Basic magic gear.	Elite State-of-the-art magic, occasional artifacts.
Princess Kingdoms Magical girls escalate in both FX and power.	Decoration A part of your outfit that detaches, like a brooch, choker, or hair ornament. Likely to shoot a ray.	Accessory An accessory that turns into a weapon, like a tiara, bracelet, or badge. Often thrown or shoots a simple ray.	Wand A small handheld, with your symbol on it. Wielded in large dramatic sweeps.	Symbol When drawn, this creates a light display showing your power and identity. Even more so when used.	Rod A larger wand, with a larger symbol and even more dramatic in use.	Heraldic An free-floating symbol that showcases your magic: a weapon, musical instrument, animal, or large symbol.	Cosmic Magic on the cosmic level, model star system, the grail, angelic manifestation.
Food At its best.	Vegetables or a cereal. Little or no meat. Drink is buttermilk or water.	Vegetables, cereals, cheese, and eggs. Occasionally meat or fish. Beer.	Meat or fish with most meals. Beer and table wines.	Plentiful meat, fowl, shellfish, etc. Pastries and breads. Good wines.	Luxury items such as bird nest soup, candied fruits, and rare beasts. The finest wines. Large banquets and parties.	Rare or outré luxury items such as hummingbird tongues, enormous complex pastries, elaborately prepared platters.	State dinners are events talked about for months and years.
Housing	Perhaps none; maybe a tiny room or hut for a family; no furniture. Often housed on the workplace floor.	One good room shared by a family or a decent pallet in the workplace. A chest or two, bench and tables, lamps.	Small house or apartment. Good bed, fine furniture, decorations or display items.	Multi-roomed villa or grand apartment. Artworks and fine rugs.	Several large dwellings including a country mansion and a townhouse or small palace.	Palaces.	Large palaces.
Clothing At its best.	Sackcloth, homespun, rude leathers, nudity.	Shoes, 1 new suit of clothes a year; winter clothes will be warm and protective.	High-quality linens and cottons, occasional luxury such as fur trim or jewelry.	Silks and satins, decorative trims including gold and silver threads. Gold jewelry with gemstones.	Trend-setting, exquisite garments of the rarest materials, fine jewelry and accouterments.	Beyond style, one-of-a-kind items, accenting large and beautiful precious gems.	Designs which accent the wearer's ritual or political functions. Several exquisite crowns, scepters, etc.
Retainers	None	Dependents in the family may act as servants.	A simple maid or other household help is not uncommon.	A valet/butler, cook, and maid.	A secretary and a staff of servants. Possibly a bodyguard or an artist on patronage.	Waited on by a small army of cooks and grooms. A small personal guard. Advisers, such as priests or scholars.	A court of advisors, specialists, and lesser lords. A large honor guard.