# Essential Adventuring Equipment



## Cedric (Sep 18, 2006)

The 10ft pole thread got me thinking...what 'essential adventuring equipment' do people make certain they have with them?

Now, while you can obviously list certain magic items, but I was aiming more towards mundane (and maybe sometimes exotic) items that you may or may not have a specific use for, but want to make sure you have with you. 

Also, just for manageability, try to list between 1 -3 so we don't get deluged with giant copy/pastes of item lists. 

The more unique or interesting the better....

1. Small belt pouch full of fine, white sand.

2. Small, wax-sealed tub of grease in an oilcloth bag.

3. 50' of hemp twine.

What are yours?


----------



## diaglo (Sep 18, 2006)

infinite slings. they cost nothing and weigh even less

backpack

rations


----------



## loki44 (Sep 18, 2006)

grappling hook
torches
flint and steel


----------



## Lanefan (Sep 18, 2006)

- 50' strong light rope
- mirror
- telescope (if available)
- several canvas sacks (a.k.a. body bags)
- several rocks with _Continual Light_ cast on them, in different colours if possible

Lanefan


----------



## DestroyYouAlot (Sep 18, 2006)

Well (when I actually get a chance to play) there's a few must-haves.  

Straight outta the PHB:

Chalk (marking "I was here", among other things)

Fishook (aside from the obvious use, there are a million and one things a crafty adventurer can do with this, plus they're cheap as free and weigh nothing)

A Sack (again, a million and one random uses for this, most of which you'll think of when you don't have one)

Edit:  In my game, one player came up with a good one:  He has a huge floppy hat (think Vampire Hunter D), with a little leather loop sewn into the peak, sized to fit a sunrod.  He just snaps the ends off, sticks them in the hat, and voila - hands-free light source.  

The other guys have become obsessed with _continual flame_ items.  Everything should be _continual flame_'d.  _Continual flame_ headbands.  _Continual flame_ weapons.  The dwarf is adamant that he wants a _continual flame_ bedroll.  (Remember, no heat, just light.  He's decided that creatures won't want to attack the dwarf who's fast asleep, apparently on fire.)


----------



## Voadam (Sep 18, 2006)

Backpack.

And I want to kick the habit. Nothing should be essential. Backpacks are for hikers, not fantasy warriors and wizards.


----------



## Stalker0 (Sep 18, 2006)

50' of rope...everything else is negotiable.


----------



## Vanye (Sep 18, 2006)

Bag of flour.  Poor man's _glitterdust_ , great for getting invisible foes to leave footprints in the flour, too.


----------



## barrowwight (Sep 18, 2006)

10' foot pole


----------



## Lord Zardoz (Sep 18, 2006)

*From my current character*

A pry bar - Some doors you just want open, but wont.
A hammer and some nails - Some doors you just want to make sure stay closed.
Chalk - If all else fails, you can tag up the place with graffitti.
A small shovel - To clean up after myself and hide the evidence.

END COMMUNICATION


----------



## Archade (Sep 18, 2006)

Great ideas, guys!

Don't forget a small metal mirror for looking around corners.

A tanglefoot bag is almost essential for taking out big bruisers at low levels such as ogres, or flying critters such as harpies or small dragons.

Every adventurer should buy a cold iron and silver dagger, just in case - they are cheap!  Or, make one a light mace in case you run into pesky skeletons or the like.

Continual flame items are important for freeing up a hand.  One of the better ideas was the dull gray ioun stone with continual flame cast on it.  But, if your DM doesn't allow custom continual flame items that you don't make yourself, you can always try persuading your DM that sticking it in a backpack, a belt, or some other less optimal carrying method reduces the light radius by half, or some such thing.

Finally, scrolls!  There is no reason a 2nd level or higher caster doesn't have a raft of scrolls for seldom-used but often-useful spells, that don't require DC saves, such as 0 level spells like detect poison, cure minor wounds, or detect undead, 1st level spells such as mount, comprehend languages, cure light wounds, endure elements, or 2nd level spells such as knock.

Another good option is for a spellcaster to splurge on a Summon Monster spell above their level to cast.  Nothing helps a group of 3rd level characters like a scroll of Summon Monster IV.  There's a small chance of spell failure, but the nasty critter you get will really help if you are in a tight spot.

These aren't exactly mundane equipment ideas, but they've served me and my group well over the years.


----------



## Cedric (Sep 18, 2006)

This is a good start guys, but let's see some more. I know there have to be some great ideas floating out there that I never thought of including in my gear. 

How about...

Flask of high proof grain alcohol

Hammock made out of net

More?


----------



## Archade (Sep 18, 2006)

Flasks of oil - a popular maneuver with our group is to hit someone with a flask of alchemists fire (which burns for 2 rounds), and then every round hit the critter with a flask of oil.

Parchment and inkpens - so you can make maps and journals, and share them with your group or other NPCs.

A piece of chalk or coal or such that will let you use your parchment to make rubbings.

Buy a dog or riding dog!  With a few ranks in Handle Animal, a decent Charisma check, and you can have a helpful combatant at 1st level.

Now that I'm home, I see a number of essential scrolls to buy - 0 level mending (for that raggedy map or book you found), 1st level Disguise Self, Erase, Jump, Protection from Evil, Unseen Servant (to avoid trap effects and fetch things you think are in bad places), Identify (so you don't have to bother memorizing it).

A wand of cure light wounds should be the party's first investment - remember, it can be used by Clerics, Druids, Paladins, Rangers, and Bards.


----------



## MarkB (Sep 18, 2006)

A signal whistle.

Torches - I'm amazed that even halflings and humans sometimes forget to bring light sources, but if my character has reasonable strength or a handy haversack, I'll take a few even as a dwarf or half-orc. Useful for setting things on fire, useful for dropping down a deep, dark hole to see what's down there, useful for smugly handing to the more visually-challenged party members. Last use I had for one was whittling into an impromptu stake after we fought off a vampire and tracked it back to its coffin.

Flint and steel for above. Also some tindertwigs as backup.

Soap. Adventuring is a dirty business, and when you've spent the day slogging through a sewer, hacking apart gelatinous cubes and prying loot from your enemies' scorched, shattered, eviscerated corpses, you can't always rely upon getting a room at an inn with decent bathing facilities afterwards.

Sacks. There may not be specified capacities for backpacks, but it can get beyond a joke at some points, eslecially if your party is still pre dimensional-storage solutions. Plus the smugly-handing-over if a black pudding should happen to dissolve a fellow adventurer's backpack.


----------



## MarkB (Sep 18, 2006)

Archade said:
			
		

> Now that I'm home, I see a number of essential scrolls to buy - 0 level mending (for that raggedy map or book you found), 1st level Disguise Self, Erase, Jump, Protection from Evil, Unseen Servant (to avoid trap effects and fetch things you think are in bad places), Identify (so you don't have to bother memorizing it).



I like _endure elements_ in a scroll or wand, because the spell doesn't lose any effectiveness for being cast that way - and you won't need it often, but when you do, it'll last all day.



> A wand of cure light wounds should be the party's first investment - remember, it can be used by Clerics, Druids, Paladins, Rangers, and Bards.



And rogues (or anyone else) with UMD. Very good point - should be on any party's list for when they make their first big haul.


----------



## painandgreed (Sep 18, 2006)

Knife and handaxe - because it can be hard to chop wood or skin a rabbit with a bastard sword. They come in handy for simple jobs as the tools they are, and in a pinch, they can be used as weapons.


----------



## JohnSnow (Sep 18, 2006)

Lacking a fondness for the ubiquitous magic thing, I tend to think exclusively in terms of mundane items. However, I tend to be somewhat MacGyver-esque, usually figuring that more gear is useful. I'll ignore the obvious things (like rope, flint and steel, and containers), many of which have been mentioned...

I'll stick to five.

- extra knives (useful as tools, poking device)
- ferret trained to "fetch"
- small bells for setting up a camp alarm system with that hemp twine
- animal calls (for signal purposes)
- waterskin (duh!)


----------



## JohnSnow (Sep 18, 2006)

Ooo...a few more...

- needle and thread
- bag of marbles
- gloves!
- scroll cases for storing documents
- spare boots


----------



## MarkB (Sep 18, 2006)

JohnSnow said:
			
		

> - bag of marbles



Mind you don't lose those, now.


----------



## JohnSnow (Sep 18, 2006)

MarkB said:
			
		

> Mind you don't lose those, now.




Hey, in a pinch, I can use some of 'em to cast _feeblemind._

What? What did you think they meant by a "handful of metal, crystal, or glass spheres?"


----------



## Cedric (Sep 19, 2006)

10 feet of wire

Some "coin sized" iron slugs.


----------



## Archade (Sep 19, 2006)

Absolutely, 2-3 daggers are always great!  Remember, they make a great option for a thrown missile weapon.

The Ptolus book has some absolutely great ideas!  Spring-loaded wand sheaths, rat leash and harness setups (to spring traps), and so on.


----------



## Ant (Sep 19, 2006)

JohnSnow said:
			
		

> - bag of marbles



One of my players always makes sure his PC is carrying a bag of marbles.  Very handy, they've been!


----------



## D.Shaffer (Sep 19, 2006)

One of everything in the general equipment list.   

And unfortunately, I'm actually almost serious with this one. (You actually brought a tent? AND a ladder? And why the heck do you need a barrel?) My eyes tend to be bigger then my carrying capacity.  But you never known when that extra sewing needle will come in handy.


----------



## Raven Crowking (Sep 19, 2006)

Caltrops.

Or, barring that, a bag of marbles.

Every time the possibility of fleeing an encounter is brought up on EN World, it comes hand-in-hand with half a dozen posts complaining how impossible it is to flee anything in this game.  The abiity to make a large area of ground harder to cross is invaluable -- and if it can slow pursuit by stabbing someone's foot (or something's tentacular protrubance), all the better.

RC


----------



## Cedric (Sep 19, 2006)

More good suggestions, let's keep 'em coming. I'll add two more.

4 thick, but long leather belts

Hammer and Pitons (15)


----------



## the Jester (Sep 19, 2006)

Rope and wine.


----------



## Cedric (Sep 19, 2006)

A small pouch full of salt

Some dried clay that could be rewet, molded and dried into specific shapes. Or just rewet and molded to fill small cracks, etc.


----------



## Nichols (Sep 19, 2006)

Cool - I'd been meaning to post a thread asking about Optimum Equipment Lists.

Some items I always get:

A large blank book and pens - maps and notes are always useful.
Chalk - marking where you've been.
Rope.
A week of rations (it's surprising how often people forget this).
A water skin.
Spare clothes and a blanket to sleep on/under. (Also often forgotten.)
Flint and steel, tindertwigs, or matches/lighter (if the setting has them).
A bandolier - for potions, scrolls, tool, and thrown weapons.
Wax for earplugs.
Mirror for looking under doors and around corners.
A lantern.
A pole composed of detachable 1 foot segments.
A prybar.
A backpack, and an extra empty sack.
A pouch of flour.
A bag of marbles.
A couple of daggers as utility knives, back-up weapons, etc.
One each of the splash damage items - acid, oil, alchemist's fire, thunderstone, tanglebag, etc. Especially the acid and the oil, which see a lot of non-combat use. (I've used acid to destroy runes on a magical trap, for instance).
A dog (or wolf), either as a familiar, animal companion, or just a well-trained pet.
Some kind of first aid kit.

I usually wind up needing a pack animal or extradimensional storage device pretty quickly.


----------



## silentspace (Sep 20, 2006)

barrowwight said:
			
		

> 10' foot pole




Also, 20 foot pole, and 30 foot pole


----------



## taliesin15 (Sep 20, 2006)

Aye, mateys! Ye always want to lug around a grimy barnacle-encrusted backpack on yer adventures, filled with Rum, Pirate Booty, and 15 men on a Dead Man's Chest. Arrr...


----------



## Whizbang Dustyboots (Sep 20, 2006)

Always, always, always *chalk*. Small, practically free, immensely useful.


----------



## loki44 (Sep 20, 2006)

taliesin15 said:
			
		

> Aye, mateys!




a hook


----------



## Rhuvein (Sep 20, 2006)

All my characters usually have the following:

Waterskin
Rations
Backpack
Bedroll/blanket
Hat/cloak
Wineskin
Tobacco/pipe
Daggers
Tinderbox
Small animal trap
Fishing hook/line
Salt/herbs
torches

If he can afford it - additional:

Rope
10ft. pole
Flasks of oil
Parchment/ink
Musical instrument


----------



## Simm (Sep 20, 2006)

In my party the number of concealed daggers you carried became a mark of prestige. I start it with three but whithin a few games player were up to ten or twelve, and once the glove of storage come into play...


----------



## Cedric (Sep 20, 2006)

Small jar of cotton balls, wax sealed. 

Small, double-wrapped, oil cloth bag of sticky sap.


----------



## Isida Kep'Tukari (Sep 20, 2006)

*Marbles* - great for non-damaging caltrops!

*Chest with a lock* - What, you think you're really going to carry 100lbs of gold around in your _backpack_ and expect it to be safe?

*Several square yards of oiled canvas* - It's a tent, it's a rain poncho, it's a sack!


----------



## Cedric (Sep 20, 2006)

Blowgun

A large ladle


----------

