# Props and items: weapons, potions, chests, keys, shields Props expose every error in a scene because their geometry is exact: a chest whose lid and body use two different cameras, a sword in white, a potion with no glass. Items are also read at a glance and at 1×, so silhouette and one clear material cue matter more than detail. Forms underneath: `rules://72-3d-forms`. Materials: `rules://22-materials-hard`. ## Rules 1. **Silhouette first.** Fill the item with one flat colour; it must still name itself at 1×. Reduce to an iconic outline and about six colours before any detail. 2. **Size is dictated by the world.** A 16 px tile means 16×16 items; a big prop (large chest) may half-fill 32×32. Break tall things into tile-sized pieces. Colour budget: 8×8 item 3–4 colours, 16×16 ≤ 6 (simple item 3–4), 32×32 5–9. 3. **One projection and one light across the whole set.** Side view or tilted 3/4, not both; a cabbage drawn straight-on among tilted vegetables is the classic break (`rules://70-perspective`). 4. **Fit the icon square.** Long objects (swords, keys, tools) are tilted 30–45° to fill it, or kept upright when the set is upright. Keep a 1 px margin at 16 px (art 14×14), 8–10% on larger icons. No text. 5. **Chibify.** Fat hilt, big bulb, oversized key bow, short neck: proportions that survive scaling beat real ones. 6. **Ramp length:** 3 tones per material at 16 px, 5 by default, 7+ only on big surfaces. Share swatches between materials so a small palette feels bigger (`rules://20-color-for-pixel-art`). 7. **Metal is grey or blue-grey, never white.** A small specular pixel, two faces on a blade (lit and dark), lights cooler and less saturated, darks warmer. Selective outline: brighter where the light hits. Shine sits anywhere along the blade, small relative to it. 8. **Sword anatomy:** pommel, grip, cross-guard, blade (edge, centre ridge or fuller, point). Hilt has three colour zones (pommel, grip, guard). Shade the grip as a cylinder (columns, `rules://72-3d-forms`). A 1 px shadow between grip and guard separates them and makes the guard read thicker. The same template gives an axe (thicker blade), dagger (short), staff (recolour). Claymore quatrefoil ends vanish below ~48 px. 9. **Potion: four things** (liquid, glass, plug, reflection). Show glass first as a border only, then a few short curved highlights on bulb and neck; shade away from the highlight. A half-empty bottle has a lighter circular liquid surface with a wavy edge. Bubbles last. Translucency by blending glass and liquid colour, only in bright areas, and not below 16 px (use a lighter ring plus a 2 px curved highlight). 10. **Chest, barrel, crate, pot:** outline → single flat base → split into volumes (lid vs body, rim, bevel) → 2–3 shading steps → details (bands, lock, bolts). Round tops are ellipses; metal bands are contrasting lines that follow the form. Sit them on a ground patch with a short cast shadow; bake the shadow in only when it stays inside the frame. 11. **Shield:** a field, a rim and one big simple emblem (cross, chevron, boss). The shape is symmetric, so break symmetry with light: rim light on the top and lit side, a shade value on the far half. Heater, round, kite shapes carry different personalities. 12. **Key:** bow (ring), shaft, bit (teeth). The bow is the readable part: a D=7 circle with a small hole. Leave a gap between teeth so the outline shows a notch. 13. **Firearms:** learn the pistol (rear and front sight, slide, trigger, grip, magazine); a rifle is a big pistol plus extras. Invent by exaggerating one part (huge slide, many screws, scope) or by function: muzzle, magazine, grip placed on a random silhouette. Bows: grip, arrow rest, limbs, string; arrows: nock, fletching, shaft, point. 14. **Gems are flat facets:** table, crown, girdle, pavilion. 16 px: outline, 3 facet value bands, 1 white point, 1 dark facet opposite; 8 px: 2 bands + 1 point. A cabochon (dome) uses a ramp instead. Shine lights each facet as a whole, the middle frames covering the largest area. 15. **Food and organic props:** dark outline keeps them cartoony; limit colours and reuse them across the set; unlimited colour without outline looks like a shrunken photo. 16. **Tech props:** panel divisions with screws, repeating patterns, hazard stripes, antennas as connected verticals, cables organic and segmented; right angles only in chip texture. 17. **Idle conventions, one system per game:** ground items bounce, floating items bob, currency shines, shine is wrong on food, complex items never rotate (a coin may). A shine on a flat disc travels along its edge, not across the face. Pickup feedback: currency plays in place, stat items play on the character, one radial flash style for all. 18. **Props echo their owner:** a faction emblem repeats the faction's shapes. Show damage as states of the same silhouette. Light-emitting props get concentric glow rings (`rules://80-vfx-fire-smoke-magic`). 19. **Held items:** dark line between hand and grip, the item crosses the hand in front, its mass leaves the silhouette on a different axis than the arm (`rules://34-hands-and-feet`). ## By size | Size | Sword | Potion | Chest | Shield | Key | |------|-------|--------|-------|--------|-----| | 8 | 1 px blade, 2 px guard, 3 colours | 5 px bulb + 1 px cork | box + 1 band, 3 colours | 6×7 field + 1 emblem px | 3 px bow + shaft | | 16 | the 8×16 below (blade 2 px + outline) | 12×13 below | 16×13 below | 14×15 below | 8×16 below | | 32 | blade 4 px, fuller, bevel highlight, wrapped grip | + liquid wave, bubbles | + planks, rivets, keyhole | + rivets, bevelled rim | + engraved bow, 3 teeth | | 64 | + engraving, scratches, material story | + cork grain, label | + wood grain, lock plate | + quartered heraldry | + filigree | The 16 px column is the shipped templates; the 8, 32 and 64 px cells are derived. ## Templates **props-sword-8x16** — upright sword: tapered tip, two-tone blade, gold guard with shade, wrapped grip, pommel. Retint for axe/dagger/staff by changing the blade rows. ```grid props-sword-8x16 K = outline #2b2433 W = blade-light #e4eaf2 S = blade-shade #8d9db5 G = guard-light #f2c14e g = guard-shade #b8862e B = grip-light #9a5c3e b = grip-shade #5e3526 --- ...KK... ..KWSK.. ..KWSK.. ..KWSK.. ..KWSK.. ..KWSK.. ..KWSK.. ..KWSK.. KKKKKKKK KGGGGggK .KKKKKK. ...KBK.. ...KbK.. ...KBK.. ..KGgK.. ...KK... ``` **props-potion-12x13** — round flask: cork, glass border, curved glint, liquid surface line, shade on the far side. Swap liquid roles for mana, poison, antidote. ```grid props-potion-12x13 K = outline #2a1f3a C = cork-light #c28a55 c = cork-shade #8f5d3a G = glass #bfe3ee W = glint #ffffff l = liquid-surface #ff7b8a L = liquid #e0384f D = liquid-shade #9a2349 --- ....KKKK.... ....KCCK.... ....KCcK.... ....KGGK.... ...KGWGGK... ..KGWlllGK.. .KGWLLLLLGK. .KGLLLLLLDK. .KGLLLLLLDK. .KGLLLLLDDK. .KGGLLLDDDK. ..KGDDDDDK.. ...KKKKKK... ``` **props-chest-16x13** — lid/body split, vertical gold bands, rim strip, lock plate with keyhole, dark underside row. ```grid props-chest-16x13 K = outline #2b1d2e L = wood-light #c0884f M = wood-mid #96623a D = wood-shade #6a4030 G = band-light #f2c14e g = band-shade #b8862e Y = lock #ffe58a --- ..KKKKKKKKKKKK.. .KLLLLLLLLLLLLK. KLLLLLLLLLLLLLLK KLLGgLLLLLLGgLLK KMMGgMMMMMMGgMMK KMMGgMMMMMMGgMMK KGGGGGGYYGGGGGGK KMMGgMMYYMMGgMMK KMMGgMMYKMMGgMMK KMMGgMMMMMMGgMMK KDDGgDDDDDDGgDDK KDDDDDDDDDDDDDDK .KKKKKKKKKKKKKK. ``` **props-shield-14** — heater shield: metal rim lit on the left, red field split light/shade, gold cross emblem split the same way. ```grid props-shield-14 K = outline #2b1d2e W = rim-light #e2e8f0 w = rim-shade #8c9bb5 R = field-light #c8372d r = field-shade #8f2540 Y = emblem-light #f5c84a y = emblem-shade #c08a2e --- .KKKKKKKKKKKK. KWWWWWWwwwwwwK KWRRRRYyrrrrwK KWRRRRYyrrrrwK KWRYYYYyyyyrwK KWRYYYYyyyyrwK KWRRRRYyrrrrwK KWRRRRYyrrrrwK .KWRRRYyrrrwK. .KWRRRYyrrrwK. ..KWRRYyrrwK.. ...KWRYyrwK... ....KWRrwK.... .....KWwK..... ......KK...... ``` **props-key-8x16** — bow with plus-shaped hole, 1 px shaft, two teeth with a notch between. ```grid props-key-8x16 K = outline #2b1d2e Y = gold-light #f5c84a y = gold-shade #b9822c --- ..KKK... .KYYyK.. KYY.yyK. KY...yK. KYY.yyK. .KYYyK.. ..KYK... ..KYK... ..KYK... ..KYyKKK ..KYyyyK ..KYyKKK ..KYK... ..KYyKKK ..KYyyyK ..KKKKKK ``` **props-sword-diag-19x20** — the same sword at 45°, tip up-right, drawn on 1:1 bands: every row shifts one pixel, so the blade (3 interior px: two light, one shade), both outline edges and the 5-step guard are perfect 1:1 diagonals with no doubled pixels. Light blade face on the upper-left, shade on the lower-right; guard is a 1:1 line crossing the blade at right angles. Rule: pick the band direction first, then fill each row as `outline, light, light, shade, outline` moved one column per row. ```grid props-sword-diag-19x20 K = outline #2b2433 W = blade-light #e4eaf2 S = blade-shade #8d9db5 G = guard-light #f2c14e g = guard-shade #b8862e B = grip-light #9a5c3e b = grip-shade #5e3526 --- ..................K. ................KKSK ..............KKWSK. .............KWWSK.. ............KWWSK... ...........KWWSK.... ..........KWWSK..... ...K.....KWWSK...... ..KGK...KWWSK....... ..KgGK.KWWSK........ ...KgGKWWSK......... ....KgGWSK.......... .....KgGK........... ....KKKgGK.......... ...KBbKKgGK......... ..KBbK..KgGK........ .KBbK....KgGK....... KGGK......KK........ KggK................ .KK................. ``` **props-barrel-16** — side-on barrel: bulged outline (rows 10, 12, 14 wide), light rim on top, stave seams every 4 px, two metal hoops (light row over dark row) at the widest rows, light on the left and core shade on the right. Same layout gives a keg, a pot or a water butt. ```grid props-barrel-16 K = outline #2b1d2e R = rim-light #d8a066 L = wood-light #c58a50 M = wood-mid #a96e3d s = stave-seam #7d4c2e N = wood-dim #8e5733 D = wood-shade #5c3624 H = hoop-light #c4cddb h = hoop-shade #6f7a91 --- ...KKKKKKKKKK... ..KRRRRRRRRRRK.. .KLMMsMMMsNNNDK. .KLMMsMMMsNNNDK. KHHHHHHHHHHHHHHK KhhhhhhhhhhhhhhK KLLMMsMMMsNNNDDK KLLMMsMMMsNNNDDK KLLMMsMMMsNNNDDK KLLMMsMMMsNNNDDK KHHHHHHHHHHHHHHK KhhhhhhhhhhhhhhK .KLMMsMMMsNNNDK. .KLMMsMMMsNNNDK. ..KMMsMMMsNNNK.. ...KKKKKKKKKK... ``` ## Procedure 1. Pick size from the world's tile; choose projection and light; write the colour budget. 2. `draw` op `grid` the silhouette in one colour; `look` op `preview` at 1×. Fix shape now. 3. Split into volumes/materials (blade vs hilt, lid vs body, glass vs liquid) with flat roles. 4. Build one ramp per material with `palette` op `ramp`; add 2–3 steps per material in light order; add the one specular/glint pixel last. 5. Add details only where they name a part (band, rivet, keyhole); one cast shadow layer. 6. Outline selectively (`rules://04-outlines-and-edges`); `look` op `ascii` for orphans; `validate`. ## Mistakes | Symptom | Cause | Fix | |---------|-------|-----| | Sword looks like a white stick | Blade drawn in white | Blue-grey two-tone blade, 1 px spec | | Guard fuses with grip | No separation | 1 px shadow under the guard, darker grip | | Potion reads as a red ball | Glass missing | Border and curved glint, cork on top | | Chest looks flat | One value for lid and body | Split volumes, shade the underside | | Item clipped by the icon edge | No margin | Art 14×14 inside 16×16 | | Set looks mismatched | Mixed projection, outline or light | One style sheet, one light | | Gem is a coloured blob | Gradient facets | Flat facets, one white point | ## Review - Single-colour silhouette identifies the item at 1×. - Anatomy named: guard/grip/pommel; liquid/glass/cork; lid/body/bands; field/rim/emblem. - Metal not white; two faces shown; one specular at most. - One projection and one light shared with the rest of the set. - Colour count within budget; margin kept; no orphan pixels. - Idle/pickup conventions consistent with sibling items. ## Sources - Slynyrd, Pixelblog 16, 21, 24, 30, 34 (weapons, top-down objects, items, food, farm). - Imonk itch.io tutorials (swords, health potion); Pixnote sword guide. - Saint11, Swords, FirearmDesign, Bows, Gems, Metal, Tech tutorials. - Pixel Logic (props, barrel fix); Solarski (props echo their owners).