Hello fellow roleplayers.

It has come to my mind that a lot of players don't know about many small and usefull items. And if there is any smart items that I don't know of - I don't know that, so this is how I ask for them.

And therefor I ask this question: What is your starting equipment?

It has come to my mind, that most players buy their weapon of choice, the most expensive armor they have coin for. And then they buy random cheap crap stuff for most of the left gold.

Personally I buy many many small "in case of this"-things.

What do you buy? Is there anything you always buy or do you ask locals for help and so on? I have a friend that never goes adventuring without a pillow with a hidden silver dagger in it.

small mirror, 4 wooden stakes, small hammer, spare dagger, hand/throwing axe, 2 waterskins, bedroll, fishing hooks, sewing needle, thread, 50 ft twine, 50 ft hemp/silk rope, signal whistle, flint and steel, and sometimes a crowbar...

just off the top of my head.

Apart from weapons I always have 2 ropes (50ft) on me. Never go adventuring without a rope.

Apart from that I decide from the flavor of the character. Cathulu caught most of them already.

I usually get caltrops. I hardly ever use them, but when I do its great :3

studded leather, chalk, waterskin,rations, backpack, sacks, adventuring outfit, and blew what was left over on acid flasks. (Alchemist)

+1 to having a silver dagger for melee types.

What use have you got of fishing hooks, sewing needle + thread?

Caltrops are awesome. Me and my party always buy pitons and chains to lift up alot of our gear beetween trees when we build camps. Easy way to secure your food stock and important items. If you are assaulted some idiot can't take a bag and run.

Alchemist Fire & Acid Flask

Both are AoE effects and are needed if you ever have to face a swarm at low levels.

I HATE swarms.

PS. I also like tanglefoot bags but they're a bit too pricy.

A towel

instead of Acid I usually get Alkali Flasks... same damage as acid but double to oozes, and if you run into one low level, you need all the help you can get.

A towel

This guy knows his stuff.

Clothing, bedroll, backpack, sacks, rope, torches/lantern + oil, tindertwigs, flint and steel, couple of empty flasks, waterskin, chalk, rations, pen + ink + parchment, spare dagger, sling, possibly mule + packsaddle

Ok i know it's not exactly cheap, and thus i guess out-of-this category... but still, can't help but say that a potion of cure light wounds is a great piece of starting equipment.

And, as said, never leave home without:

Rope (2x50 ft in the party at least)
ample food
ample water

For a level one fighter I made.

Armor, weapon, spring loaded wrist sheath (with dagger inside), adventurer's sash, alchemical grease, alchemist's fire, alchemist's kindness x4, masterwork backpack, bedroll, belt pouch, winter blanket, cooking kit, crowbar, fishing kit, flint and steel, grappling hook, grooming kit, hammer, magnet, mess kit (seriously you guys eating with your hands....), peasant outfit (aka spare clothes), piton x10, sack x2, sewing needle, silk rope 50ft, soap, thread, twine, sunrod x2, tindertwig x 5, trail rations x5, waterproof bag, waterskin x2, weapon cord.

For a level one fighter I made.

Armor, weapon, spring loaded wrist sheath (with dagger inside), adventurer's sash, alchemical grease, alchemist's fire, alchemist's kindness x4, masterwork backpack, bedroll, belt pouch, winter blanket, cooking kit, crowbar, fishing kit, flint and steel, grappling hook, grooming kit, hammer, magnet, mess kit (seriously you guys eating with your hands....), peasant outfit (aka spare clothes), piton x10, sack x2, sewing needle, silk rope 50ft, soap, thread, twine, sunrod x2, tindertwig x 5, trail rations x5, waterproof bag, waterskin x2, weapon cord.

Wow! You must be seriously encumbered! I can never bring myself to go heavy and take that -6 Check Penalty.

Nope, 18 Str. A masterwork backpack raises my light load from 100 to 116lbs. With coin weight I'm at 105.28lbs.

Nope, 18 Str. A masterwork backpack raises my light load from 100 to 116lbs. With coin weight I'm at 105.28lbs.

Cool.

As for cheap...I start w/a lot of gear for free by maxing out Survival on one of the party's PCs. Flint knives, a fire bow, hand-rolled twine, twine rolled into rope, 1 heavy pelt that serves as backpack/blanket/tent/cloak, a gouged out rock or preserved gourd (water storage/cookpot), handfuls of chalky/loamy dirt or stone dust...

Why don't players ever ask if they can MAKE any of their gear before the game begins? Its been a while since I started as a player, but last time I did I played a guy with leatherworking and bookbinding; he was a wizard. He started off with a couple homemade scrolls, a b/up spellbook and 2 journals, free leather anything and provided free leather armor to the party's rogue. Later on in the game he crafted his own spring-loaded wrist sheath.

And I'm not kidding about that Survival thing above either. Think about it - hunter/gatherers and even civilized agrarian societies had made EVERYTHING they needed for thousands of years out of bone, stone, and plant material. Is it THAT much of a stretch to say your PC has an entire MULE load full of survival gear flintnapped, woven, or otherwise put together at all times?

Depends on character, but always:

a map of the region

Masterwork backpack

50 ft silk rope

small knife or dagger

2 torches

1 flask of oil (if I run into a swarm, its usually at night or in a dungeon: when Ill already have a lit torch)

dry rations and water if I don't have survival as a class skill.(if the gm enforces food use, I buy extra.)

If I can use poison, I bring a couple empty flasks everywhere.

1 net

"smokeweed/wizard smoke" and a pipe (i smoke irl, so if I take a smoke break, my character does too. "my character goes to a dark corner of the tavern to smoke. I'll be back in 5 minutes." Its fun for rp too.

best armor I can get that doesn't reduce my movement. (I dont usually play "tank" characters)

An extra cloak of a different color (in case I have to stealth in a place where Ive been seen, like escaping a town)

a bedroll (if the dm enforces the exhaustion rules for sleeping on the ground)

If I'm playing a rogueish character, I might also get:
tools (picks, etc)
grappling hook
dog pepper
marbles
caltrops
small mirror

If I'm playing a ranged character and I have the gp, I buy a guard dog to stay at my side. (25gp)

I ALWAYS keep at least 5 gp in case I need to grease some npc's fingers.

If the above gear makes encumbered, then I don't buy things the party has already.

Waruko wrote:

Nope, 18 Str. A masterwork backpack raises my light load from 100 to 116lbs. With coin weight I'm at 105.28lbs.

Cool.

Yeah its 50 bloody gold for the backpack but "It is so choice. If you have the means, I highly recommend picking one up."

Christopher Rowe wrote:

Waruko wrote:

Nope, 18 Str. A masterwork backpack raises my light load from 100 to 116lbs. With coin weight I'm at 105.28lbs.

Cool.

Yeah its 50 bloody gold for the backpack but "It is so choice. If you have the means, I highly recommend picking one up."

Just bought one for my 16 STR Society character. He was always skirting up to within a couple of pounds of Medium Encumbrance and I hate that. ;)

I build my starting equipment based on the information the GM gives on what the game will be like. Are we spending a lot of time in the same city? Travel on key roads? Sea? Going out into the deadlands? etc. I adjust the list based on the clues they offer me. So far it has not let me down.

After a quick scan through the thread I didn't find some items I usually carry. Such as:

Powder or Flour (great for identifying where an invisible enemy is or finding if someone tried to sneak up on you at night)
Marbles ( can produce difficult terrain of show the angle of a floor)
Small mirror (for looking around corners)
Ear Plugs
For a fighter I make sure to have all three types of weapons. A Morningstar meets the Piercing and Bludgeoning criteria.

Some Twine and small bells make an excellent early warning system.

I personally love Smelling Salts. A must-have whenever you capture an enemy. Waking them up without spending any of your healing is great. Pretty much everything else has been well covered.

After a quick scan through the thread I didn't find some items I usually carry. Such as:

Powder or Flour (great for identifying where an invisible enemy is or finding if someone tried to sneak up on you at night)
Marbles ( can produce difficult terrain of show the angle of a floor)
Small mirror (for looking around corners)
Ear Plugs
For a fighter I make sure to have all three types of weapons. A Morningstar meets the Piercing and Bludgeoning criteria.

Some Twine and small bells make an excellent early warning system.

Mirrors are included in grooming kits. And water (or sling bullet) will show the angle of a floor as well if someone is not interested in making difficult terrain. For fighters P/S is your hold out dagger and B are clubs which are free.

Thanks for reminding me though that I hadn't put a club on the sheet I posted above.

Not starting equipment, obviously, but I just bought a silvered morningstar. Now if I can just get hold of a vial or two of oil of bless weapon I can be hopeful of not running into too many baddies I can't have some effect against before I can afford my first magic weapon.

Speaking of consumables, they're too expensive for starting, but as soon as I can afford them I pick up smokesticks, alchemist's fire, and doses of antivenom and antiplague.

Steel mirror, crowbar, earplugs, smoke goggles, barbed vest (If I wear light armor) chalk, journal, ink, sunrods, masterwork backpack, pitons, any kit I need.

When have you used chalk?

I ALWAYS buy a guard dog and rope. Guard dog for the 2nd perception checks & scent. Rope (grappling hook if I can) because... when have you EVER been like "oh damn, I really wish I didn't have rope right now".

Seriously: climbing, binding someone, improvised weapon, etc

Dotting for when I have more time.

When have you used chalk?

What use have you got of fishing hooks, sewing needle + thread?

Chalk is useful in Dungeons when you feel like you're going around in circles or don't feel like mapping. Putting markings on the ground and/or walls, either pointing the direction you chose or pointing back toward the entrance.

Fishing Hooks for Fishing.....also for "Enhanced Interrogation" Techniques. The Needle and thread for replacing holes in clothing, useful in a pinch to help Heal Checks. Granted, mostly for "Roleplay" purposes when used in their intended purposes. But when you're on watch at night, it helps pass the time and shows the GM you're actively taking care of your equipment/stuff.

(The below is aside from primary weapons/armor.)
..
...
....
.....
With starting gold:
• Rope
• Dagger
• Means of dealing damage at range (slings are free!)

Before hitting 2nd level:
• Alchemist's fire x3
• wand of cure light wounds (or infernal healing, if applicable)

By 3rd level:
• Oil of grease (or other means of escaping grapples)
• scroll/potion of spider climb (or other means of scaling a wall/getting out of a pit)
• Means of overcoming most types of DR (cold iron and silver backup weapons, all damage types, oil/scroll of magic weapon, be a spellcaster, etc)
• Means of dealing with invisibility (scroll of faerie fire/glitterdust/see invisibility, bags of flour/dust, etc)

That's it off the top of my head.

A towel

I hear Mark Hoover is one hoopy frood who really knows where his towel is.

Alright, bare essentials I like what everyone likes (weapons (always SOMETHING ranged and something melee, even if I suck at one or the other!), armor, clothing, food, water, bedroll), as for anything else IF I have the gold, I'd damn near ALWAYS buy:

At LEAST one CLW potion!
The longest length of the lightest Rope I can afford (I prefer one 100 footer to two 50 foot lengths)!
The longest length of Chain I can afford (once again, I PERSONALLY prefer one 50 footer to five 10 foot lengths)!
I know it's been said, but I can't stress how awesome a Masterwork Backpack is!
Four Metal Pitons...
A Guard Dog is nice when I can afford one!

And as for my quirky one...

I almost always, ALWAYS, if I have gold to spare for it, carry the longest roll of the best fabric I can afford! Hear me out, it's usually a one-yard wide, 20 + foot long roll of silk or canvas, but occasionally wool or cotton. In campaigns, here's the short list of how's it come in handy over the years, in myriad campaigns:

Bound someone to immobile objects (on MANY occasions!)!
Pinned it with pitons to the ground, then thrown it onto a boat, rowed across a river, then pinned the other side to make a bridge!
Used it for a trade good when we REALLY needed it!
Boarded ships with it as a combination Grappling Hook/mobile bridge!
Used the roll as a pillow!
Used the fabric, folded over, as a saddle blanket!
And trust me, my gaming group could probably think of a dozen more, without breaking a sweat!

I have always found some good, though often unorthodox, use for the fabric... And we almost always opt for silk, in fact, I've had (with a generous GM okaying it) several other party members who had nothing in particular they wanted to buy after the essentials actually chip in on the silk, so that I could get a longer roll, so that we could maybe do more with it! I know it's an odd proclivity, but it's been useful WAY more times than it's been a burden!

I just feel I should mention, I have a friend, who has yet to have a character who isn't carrying an umbrella or parasol, no matter the campaign, and it's also been weirdly useful!

Going to focus on uses of cheap items instead of just listing them.

Twine and small bells - Run a length of twine around your campsite and attach a bell every fifteen feet or so. Or put them across the entrance of a cave. Should be a very high DC to spot, and works like the "alarm" spell to wake up the party in the case of an attack.

Many folks carry bags of flour to use as a cheap "glitterdust" spell to locate invisible attackers. However you can do the same thing at just a few silver pieces more with plaster dust, but you can use the plaster dust for all sorts of things if you are clever.

A bag of marbles is a great item. Besides their obvious use as a means to slow down or trip up the enemy, they can be used individually as a means to provide a distraction in a hallway or dungeon.

Gambling dice. Every now and then you can talk someone into playing a quick game of craps. Is great as a way to break the ice when seeking information in a new town. A deck of playing cards is also useful.

The mirror is useful not just to see around corners, but also as a signaling device. A whistle is also very handy for this purpose.

Hammer and pitons will let you climb just about anything made of stone. Some characters might have weight issues with this one though.

Paper, pen and ink. For any literate character this is really a must have. Besides the potential for writing notes, I've used paper, pen and ink to forge documents, create maps, draw pictures (when dealing with unknown languages), carry items (folded paper is a great way to carry powders of any sort), etc. One of my characters took skill points in origami and used paper to fold critters as entertainment. You can also roll up a cone of paper and use it as a sound amplifier.

I enjoy coming up with creative ways to use common items. Firecrackers and/or smokesticks along with the "spark" cantrip is a great way to create a diversion.

pathfinder's kit, 5+ torches/sunrods/a good lantern, 50ft. of rope, several pitons, crowbar, waterproof scroll case w/ paper, spell component pouch (even if you don't cast, you'd be surprised how many castys don't have a backup on hand--be their hero), and a good fist-sized rock.

(picked up from the old tricks thread) pouches of miscellaneous coins--your odd coppers and silvers and such, and a bag of meat.

a good log is also pretty much a rogue sans the character drama.

Twine and small bells - Run a length of twine around your campsite and attach a bell every fifteen feet or so. Or put them across the entrance of a cave. Should be a very high DC to spot, and works like the "alarm" spell to wake up the party in the case of an attack.

actually isn't the material components for alarm a length of silver wire and a bell?

Saganen Hellheart wrote:

When have you used chalk?

What use have you got of fishing hooks, sewing needle + thread?

Chalk is useful in Dungeons when you feel like you're going around in circles or don't feel like mapping. Putting markings on the ground and/or walls, either pointing the direction you chose or pointing back toward the entrance.

Fishing Hooks for Fishing.....also for "Enhanced Interrogation" Techniques. The Needle and thread for replacing holes in clothing, useful in a pinch to help Heal Checks. Granted, mostly for "Roleplay" purposes when used in their intended purposes. But when you're on watch at night, it helps pass the time and shows the GM you're actively taking care of your equipment/stuff.

Thank you sire.

This kind of goes in line with the Old School Tricks thread but...

Iron Spikes. I carry about 5 starting off.

Also a Hammer.

Keep doors from opening unless they are broken down, nail something down, and when in a REAL pinch; punch with it for 1d2 damage. Yes, I've had death by iron spike. Also, homemade caltrops...not sure off the top of my head the price differential but I had a player blacksmithing caltrops from his iron spikes.

Rope...good ole rope.

Cheese and bread hunks. Water skins (2). Lamp oil (usually 2) so you can coat something to be flammable.

Flint and steel.

Backpack. Shovel. Pick. Bedroll. Blanket.

This is generally when I pick a dwarf. I'll skip the shovel, pick, and bedroll if I'm not a dwarf.

***EDIT***
Ooo, I usually carry a pound of pepper too. I've convinced many a GM to let me get a +2 to a Dirty Trick to throw pepper in their face to make 'em sneeze.

I actually use chalk to deface symbols and magical traps.

Chalk can be handy for marking rooms/paths in a Dungeon/Labyrinth.

I normally start with a Horse/Donkey, a variety of weapons, my armour, and the UE fighter's kit and Grooming kit. Then I load up on a few other minor items.

If anyone wants I can post a link to my Google Docs that contains my general equipment load out using Average Starting Gold, Maximum Starting Gold, & Rich Parents Trait.

Lots of good items. I personally like to carry around 2-3 square yards of canvas. I use it as a lean-to/pup tent, rain catcher, bedsheet / hammock, boat patch, extra sack, travois / make shift gurney, extra cloak in heavy rain, etc. This works with whatever spare lumber you can find for poles and whatnot. Carry some twine or rope and you're set.

Bedroll, Blanket, yada yada.

More importantly:

2 ropes
A grappling hook
A lantern (plus oil)
Smoked Goggles (if I can afford it)

It varies with the character, a fighter I had carried a portable ram, my current Dwarven Cleric (Brigh) carries blacksmith tools, useful for taking doors off hinges to open them.

While not at first level I have a character with a handy haversack full of tools, and ladders, blocks, rope etc. That is all that is in it. A friend of mine did this with his PFS character, and started using the stuff to bypass things in an adventure. The GM, another friend, apparently cursed me at that point.

A few things i always have esp for a martial character is a melee weapon of each damage type. (c'mon a club is free and a spear is a couple gold). I try to have ranged weapon of each type, (blunt arrows cost double but its 2 gp for 20! and if you can get a pistol in your campaign or a gun axe, bullets do Bludgeoning and piercing and a boom-stick is a heck of a backup weapon!) and a whistle and a donkey/mule.

A donkey is one of he best things to buy (8gp) and can carry hundreds of pounds of gear. It will go into dungeons and if you train it can come when you whistle and will fight off things who try to steal/harm your gear. and if you lose it get it killed or whatever its just 8gp

Other items that i try to get starting is smoke sticks, tinder twigs, sunrods, and bug candles.

ZugZug wrote:

Saganen Hellheart wrote:

When have you used chalk?

What use have you got of fishing hooks, sewing needle + thread?

Chalk is useful in Dungeons when you feel like you're going around in circles or don't feel like mapping. Putting markings on the ground and/or walls, either pointing the direction you chose or pointing back toward the entrance.

Fishing Hooks for Fishing.....also for "Enhanced Interrogation" Techniques. The Needle and thread for replacing holes in clothing, useful in a pinch to help Heal Checks. Granted, mostly for "Roleplay" purposes when used in their intended purposes. But when you're on watch at night, it helps pass the time and shows the GM you're actively taking care of your equipment/stuff.

Thank you sire.

I hate to resurrect dead threads, but an important addition: chalk is also occasionally great for *mislabelling* stuff. One time, I was with a group being pursued by a bunch of slaver thugs through Undermountain (the big ruins under Waterdeep). There were two identical corridors next to each other. We'd made a map on the way in, so we knew that one led to a vicious blade trap near the entrance to a gnoll lair. The other led around a corner to a safe hallway and the stairs up. We labelled the safe hallway BLADE TRAP and ducked into it. The slavers saw the sign and went the other way. Cue screaming and snarling and bloody chunks. We took the last surviving slaver as a prisoner without a fight.

I have some standards for almost every character, but the players in my group know they can always count on me to have actual torches instead of sunrods, and a hammer and pitons. Sometimes you really need to spike a door shut. Or set something very large on fire.

The essentials for me are this.

Every character should be carrying this stuff if possible (in order of importance):
+ Food and water.
+ Firestarters and actual torches. Wolves and bug swarms aren't afraid of sunrods.
+ Your weapon of choice.
+ Armor.
+ Backpack, cloak with pockets and/or belt with pouches.

At least one person in the group should try to have this stuff, too, especially if you plan on doing any dungeon crawling. Likewise order of importance:
+ A long stick, or better yet, a polearm.
+ A bag of stones or half-bricks for throwing.
+ Rope, hammer and spikes.
+ A sheaf of paper and writing implements (charcoal will do in a pinch, and you can make it yourself), along with an accurate map and compass if you can get them.
+ Some empty bottles or wineskins. Sometimes you gotta take samples, and the Tao of Zelda has much to teach us.
+ A few suits of cheap spare clothing, and some needles and thread. Failing all else, you can tear it up for cloth or to wrap around a stick as a makeshift torch.
+ A first aid kit and clean bandages.
+ Several doses of 'surprises' caltrops, lamp oil, or marbles. A friend of mine likes to mix those three things together into a very fun concoction he calls Mulligan Stew. This is also one reason you want actual torches instead of expensive alchemy junk.
+ Some kind of fine powder for bursting into concealing clouds and coating invisible things: talc, flour, sawdust, whatever. Keep the torches away because odds are it'll be something flammable.

Other things to get for the group before you leave, or at least as soon as humanly possible:
+ A whole bunch of slings for everyone, plus some extras. We once massacred a very very large band of goblin raiders solely because we sat on a rocky hill and equipped a dozen freed slaves with slings made from the hastily-stitched pieces of our torn-up shirts.
+ Several pieces of chalk - colored, if possible.
+ Hooded or Bulls-eye lanterns and plenty of extra fuel. Veiled light sources are a major win.
+ A bell, whistle, horn, or other way of making a loud noise, to announce your position and wake people up.
+ At least one mule with a pony cart, to carry all this junk and haul treasure back to town. If you can't use a cart, take pack mules.
+ One to four cheap flunkies to watch said pack animals, set up camp, lift heavy things, do other manual labor, and maybe hold torches if one feels brave. Pay them double the very low wage you initially promise, give lots of small bonuses, and don't let them get near monsters unless you have no other choice.
+ A crowbar, a sledgehammer, a pick, and a spade, to be used by your hired chumps. You're much too good for grunt work.
+ A fishing pole, a small weight, some kind of bobber, and some spare hooks. Great for grabbing small objects like keys out of deep holes, windows, and other obvious traps.

Unless you are incredibly, even stupidly, rich, I do not recommend buying magic items at first level. Most of the low level magic items don't do anything you can't duplicate with mundane goods and are a complete waste of your limited monetary resources. Some rare exceptions that *might* be worth your time:

+ Healing items above all else. Natural healing rules in Pathfinder (or any D&D variant) are crazy slow, and a few potions or a wand of cure light wounds with a few charges is a life-saver. Save them for emergencies, though.
+ Next, dirt-cheap items that can potentially shut down or avoid an entire low-level encounter, like scrolls of sleep or obscuring mist, or a wand of silent image with a couple of charges.
+ Finally, cheap items that let you block off entire passages, or make you flee pursuit extremely quickly or undetected. Potions of expeditious retreat, pass without trace, jump, and longstrider are good for this, and to a lesser extent, wands of silent image. Just don't bother with hold portal. Use iron spikes for that.

Climber's kit. It's got rope, pitons, and a hammer all in one.
2 daggers. Ostensibly for eating food with, but there's a myriad of uses.
Shaving kit unless I'm a dwarf. Also includes small mirror.
Sling and a Bag of Marbles. ranged weapon, difficult terrain, and really easy to sneak into places.

Always a showel for the s#%~pit, always.

I thought my list was short and now it just looks long after McStrongmuscle's list...

With one character I had some spare carrying capacity, so I went a little mad and ended up with 20 pitons (I think that's what it was).
A few sessions later we encountered a Rock troll.
Rock troll's regeneration is negated by acid and sonic - which we didn't have any of.
We beat it to unconsciousness, but couldn't just leave it to attack us again.

Have you guessed the solution?

Nailed it to the floor.

One of the few times I've had the random equipment I'm carrying be useful, but kind of worth it, I think.

I thought my list was short and now it just looks long after McStrongmuscle's list...

Really? Wow. I'd be interested to see what is in it. I thought mine was pretty complete for starting characters.