diff --git a/src/common/kernel/equipment.c b/src/common/kernel/equipment.c
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..5ef68c52d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/common/kernel/equipment.c
@@ -0,0 +1,140 @@
+/* vi: set ts=2:
+ *
+ *	Eressea PB(E)M host Copyright (C) 1998-2003
+ *      Christian Schlittchen (corwin@amber.kn-bremen.de)
+ *      Katja Zedel (katze@felidae.kn-bremen.de)
+ *      Henning Peters (faroul@beyond.kn-bremen.de)
+ *      Enno Rehling (enno@eressea-pbem.de)
+ *      Ingo Wilken (Ingo.Wilken@informatik.uni-oldenburg.de)
+ *
+ *  based on:
+ *
+ * Atlantis v1.0  13 September 1993 Copyright 1993 by Russell Wallace
+ * Atlantis v1.7                    Copyright 1996 by Alex Schröder
+ *
+ * This program may not be used, modified or distributed without
+ * prior permission by the authors of Eressea.
+ * This program may not be sold or used commercially without prior written
+ * permission from the authors.
+ */
+#include <config.h>
+#include "eressea.h"
+#include "equipment.h"
+
+/* kernel includes */
+#include "item.h"
+#include "unit.h"
+#include "race.h"
+
+/* util includes */
+#include <util/rand.h>
+
+/* libc includes */
+#include <string.h>
+
+static equipment * equipment_sets;
+
+equipment *
+create_equipment(const char * eqname)
+{
+  equipment ** eqp = &equipment_sets;
+  for (;;) {
+    struct equipment * eq = *eqp;
+    int i = eq?strcmp(eq->name, eqname):1;
+    if (i>0) {
+      eq = malloc(sizeof(equipment));
+      eq->name = strdup(eqname);
+      eq->next = *eqp;
+      eq->items = NULL;
+      eq->subsets = NULL;
+      memset(eq->skills, 0, sizeof(eq->skills));
+      *eqp = eq;
+      break;
+    } else if (i==0) {
+      break;
+    }
+    eqp = &eq->next;
+  }
+  return *eqp;
+}
+
+equipment *
+get_equipment(const char * eqname)
+{
+  equipment * eq = equipment_sets;
+  for (;eq;eq=eq->next) {
+    int i = strcmp(eq->name, eqname);
+    if (i==0) return eq;
+    else if (i>0) break;
+  }
+  return NULL;
+}
+
+void
+equipment_setskill(equipment * eq, skill_t sk, const char * value)
+{
+  if (eq!=NULL) {
+    if (value!=NULL) {
+      eq->skills[sk] = strdup(value);
+    } else if (eq->skills[sk]) {
+      free(eq->skills[sk]);
+    }
+  }
+}
+
+void 
+equipment_setitem(equipment * eq, const item_type * itype, const char * value)
+{
+  if (eq!=NULL) {
+    if (itype!=NULL) {
+      itemdata * idata = eq->items;
+      while (idata &&idata->itype!=itype) {
+        idata = idata->next;
+      }
+      if (idata==NULL) {
+        idata = malloc(sizeof(itemdata));
+        idata->itype = itype;
+        idata->value = strdup(value);
+        idata->next = eq->items;
+        eq->items = idata;
+      }
+    }
+  }
+}
+
+void
+equip_unit(struct unit * u, const struct equipment * eq)
+{
+  if (eq) {
+    skill_t sk;
+    itemdata * idata;
+    for (sk=0;sk!=MAXSKILLS;++sk) {
+      if (eq->skills[sk]!=NULL) {
+        int i = dice_rand(eq->skills[sk]);
+        if (i>0) set_level(u, sk, i);
+      }
+    }
+    for (idata=eq->items;idata!=NULL;idata=idata->next) {
+      int i = u->number * dice_rand(idata->value);
+      if (i>0) {
+        i_add(&u->items, i_new(idata->itype, i));
+      }
+    }
+    if (eq->subsets) {
+      int i;
+      for (i=0;eq->subsets[i].sets;++i) {
+        if (chance(eq->subsets[i].chance)) {
+          float rnd = 1000.0f / (1+rand() % 1000);
+          int k;
+          for (k=0;eq->subsets[i].sets[k].set;++k) {
+            if (rnd<=eq->subsets[i].sets[k].chance) {
+              equip_unit(u, eq->subsets[i].sets[k].set);
+              break;
+            }
+            rnd -= eq->subsets[i].sets[k].chance;
+          }
+        }
+      }
+    }
+  }
+}
diff --git a/src/common/kernel/equipment.h b/src/common/kernel/equipment.h
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..41e14f52b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/common/kernel/equipment.h
@@ -0,0 +1,63 @@
+/* vi: set ts=2:
+ *
+ *	Eressea PB(E)M host Copyright (C) 1998-2003
+ *      Christian Schlittchen (corwin@amber.kn-bremen.de)
+ *      Katja Zedel (katze@felidae.kn-bremen.de)
+ *      Henning Peters (faroul@beyond.kn-bremen.de)
+ *      Enno Rehling (enno@eressea-pbem.de)
+ *      Ingo Wilken (Ingo.Wilken@informatik.uni-oldenburg.de)
+ *
+ *  based on:
+ *
+ * Atlantis v1.0  13 September 1993 Copyright 1993 by Russell Wallace
+ * Atlantis v1.7                    Copyright 1996 by Alex Schröder
+ *
+ * This program may not be used, modified or distributed without
+ * prior permission by the authors of Eressea.
+ * This program may not be sold or used commercially without prior written
+ * permission from the authors.
+ */
+
+#ifndef H_KRNL_EQUIPMENT_H
+#define H_KRNL_EQUIPMENT_H
+#ifdef __cplusplus
+extern "C" {
+#endif
+
+  typedef struct itemdata {
+    const struct item_type * itype;
+    char * value;
+    struct itemdata * next;
+  } itemdata;
+
+  typedef struct subsetitem {
+    struct equipment * set;
+    float chance;
+  } subsetitem;
+
+  typedef struct subset {
+    float chance;
+    subsetitem * sets;
+  } subset;
+
+  typedef struct equipment {
+    char * name;
+    struct itemdata * items;
+    char * skills[MAXSKILLS];
+    struct subset * subsets;
+    struct equipment * next;
+  } equipment;
+
+
+  extern struct equipment * create_equipment(const char * eqname);
+  extern struct equipment * get_equipment(const char * eqname);
+
+  extern void equipment_setitem(struct equipment * eq, const struct item_type * itype, const char * value);
+  extern void equipment_setskill(struct equipment * eq, skill_t sk, const char * value);
+
+  extern void equip_unit(struct unit * u, const struct equipment * eq);
+
+#ifdef __cplusplus
+}
+#endif
+#endif