Tools (Betrayal in Antara)

Tools are a category of miscellaneous items bought, sold, and used for various purposes in Betrayal in Antara.

Overview
Each Tool takes up 1 full inventory space. Stackable objects can aggregate to the highest number of uses of their type, potentially freeing up inventory slots; nonstackable ones cannot, so nonstackables with the smallest number of uses remaining should be used first. Most Tools have a limited number of uses before more must be acquired; Buckets are the exception.

There is no tool to repair Shields.

Armorer's Hammer

 * HammerWhetstoneAntara.jpgackable; up to 14 uses each. Repairs Armor commensurate with character's Repair stat.
 * Description: [Character] flipped the hammer end over end into the air, catching it by its haft. Too light to be useful in battle, it was just the thing for patching up any chinks his/her armor developed.

Whetstones

 * Nonstackable; up to 14 uses each. Repairs Swords commensurate with character's Repair stat.
 * Description: [Character] ran his/her finger along the edge of the whetstone. The friction it would create with a sword would help smooth out the nicks the weapon picked up in combat.

Beeswax

 * BeeswaxBowstringAntara.jpgackable; up to 8 uses each. Repairs Bows commensurate with character's Repair stat.
 * Description: Bowstrings took a lot of pressure and abuse, and no archer could afford to have one snap in the heat of action. Careful application of beeswax kept the string from fraying and helped restore its tension.

Bowstrings

 * Stackable; up to 4 uses per full coil. Repairs Bows to 100% regardless of character's Repair stat.
 * Description: The waxed hemp fibers looked to be in top condition and would make a fine replacement for the worn string of any bow.

Bucket

 * ToolsAntara.jpgackable; no use limit.
 * Used only on the well in Melay.
 * Description: The wooden slats of the bucket had warped a little with age, but it still seemed watertight.

Drum

 * Nonstackable; up to 20 uses per unit.
 * Used after learning the Drum Skill in Midova, use drums to scare away Field Worms during battle.
 * Description: [Character] struck the drum tentatively, producing a pleasantly deep resonance from the aged wood and cured sheepskin instrument.
 * When used: [Character] struck the drum in rhythm as he/she'd been shown. The effect was immediate -- some worms began swaying in response, the vibrations tickling their nerves and soothing them.
 * When used outside battle: [Character] struck a fumbling beat on the drum, but it had no noticeable effect.

Fishing Pole

 * Nonstackable; up to 8 uses per pole.
 * Can be used on fishable sections of river to catch Fish (and, in Chapter 8 only, a Vanguard Shield) commensurate with the character's Foraging stat. Fishable areas have no visual distinction, but when they are clicked on, a character mentions that a pole is needed to catch anything in the water.
 * Description: Hardly more than a polished stick with a gut line attached to one end, the pole was obviously intended for small fish. [Character] wouldn't catch any trophies with it, but then he/she intended to eat what he/she caught, not mount it.

Lockpicks

 * Stackable; up to 10 uses per full ring.
 * Used, commensurate with character's Lockpick skill, to unlock locked chests, to disarm trapped chests, and to unlock the jailhouse in Levosche (only if it is occupied).
 * Description: [Character] admired the polished silver tools. The precision taken in crafting the lockpicks was matched by that required to make a lock give up its secrets.

Rope

 * Stackable up to 8 uses.
 * Rope is only required in the Aspreza Caves (1 piece), to make explosive flasks in combination with Oil in Chapter 7 (3 pieces), and in Chapter 9 (at least 7 pieces), but if the party does not have any Rope at the beginning of Chapter 9 the chapter cannot be completed.
 * Description: The braided cord looked strong enough to support a person's weight.

Shovel

 * Nonstackable; up to 8 uses per shovel.
 * Used to dig items out of stonepiles or dirt/sand mounds in all chapters, to dig a trench around a tree near Durst in Chapter 7, and to bury the "tree idol" north of Eastbank in Chapter 4.
 * Description: A humble tool, but sturdy -- the craftsman hadn't cut any corners. [Character didn't plan on digging any privy ditches, but he/she'd hate to stumble across buried treasure unprepared.

Torches

 * Stackable up to 12 pieces per bundle.
 * Used to provide light in tunnels and mines.
 * Description: The club-like stick was wrapped at one end with cloth which had been thoroughly soaked in oil and pitch. [Character] couldn't tell how long it would burn once lit, but he/she knew torches were usually good for most of a day.